Page 868 – The Times Of Central Asia

07 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Turkmenistan Justice, Turkmenistan, Features

Turkmen Prosecutors Fired in an Attempt to Curb Corruption

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

The Prosecutor General of Ashgabat, Ovezmammed Shykhmammedov, was fired and then arrested on the night of February 3rd, according to Turkmenistan’s central state news agency. President Serdar Berdymukhamedov reportedly fired him for “improper fulfillment of his official duties and serious shortcomings in his work.” Shykhmammedov’s arrest followed the dismissal of Turkmenistan’s Prosecutor General, Serdar Myalikgulyev, just two weeks earlier. The reason given was similarly named as a failure to properly fulfill his official duties. Both men held their posts for about one-and-a-half-years. During this time, they surrounded themselves with trusted confidants and ousted possible opponents from their posts.

Former Minister of Justice (2013 – 2021), Begmurat Mukhamedov has been named the new Prosecutor General. He was Chairman of the Committee on International and Inter-parliamentary Relations in the Mejlis (Parliament) prior to his appointment. The position of the capital’s prosecutor is still vacant.

Sources familiar with the case say Serdar Myalikgulyev testified against Shykhmammedov after he was ejected from the session hall and afterwards detained. The former prosecutors are implicated in a scandal involving embezzlement from state-subsidized stores. They are also believed to be involved in Turkmenistan’s recent agriculture crisis, wherein last year only half of the planned wheat and cotton harvest target was realized. This is seen as a driving factor behind such radical measures being taken against the former Prosecutor General, notwithstanding his distant ties with the family of the President.

Despite being a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption since 2005 and crafting a five-year National Anti-Corruption Action Program, Turkmenistan remains the most corrupt country in Central Asia, ranking 170th out of the 180 countries included in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2023.

07 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Home, Kazakhstan, Features

Tokayev Outlines Vision for New Government of Kazakhstan

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Following a tumultuous week, just a day after appointing a new prime minister, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired an extended government meeting on February 7^th. The meeting was attended by ministers, including the new Prime Minister, Olzhas Bektenov, the chairman of the National Bank, governors of Kazakhstan’s regions, and the mayors of the country’s three largest cities of Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent.

Tokayev reported that last year the economy grew by 5.1%, but stressed that there is still work to be done.

“We need a new impetus for the government’s activities. It has a clear target — to increase the economy to $450bn by 2029. To achieve this goal, the country’s GDP must grow by at least 6% annually. At the same time, it is important that macroeconomic indicators ensure rapid growth in the real incomes of our citizens,” the President said.

Tokayev spoke of the need to make budget and tax policies function better. The problem, the President said, is the way budget funds are allocated, which is not currently aimed at stimulating economic activity. He added that budget funds are spent on day-to-day tasks, while larger strategic goals fade into the background. “The government will have to define clear spending priorities with an emphasis on obtaining maximum economic returns,” he said.

The President stated that a new Tax Code is currently being drafted, which will aim to provide a balance between creating a good investment environment and maintaining the required level of budget revenues.

Tokayev also pointed out that the share of investment in fixed capital is declining, stating that “it is necessary to significantly increase the influx of external and internal investment. This is a key task for the newly-established Investment Headquarters.”

According to his speech, another source of funds should be the return of illegally withdrawn assets, which could be used to implement important projects. At the same time, Tokayev warned against going too far: “Arbitrariness on the part of law enforcement agencies is unacceptable. There will be a harsh reaction on my part to every such signal. This work is of great importance from the point of view of ensuring social justice, so no one is allowed to discredit it,” he said.

Another priority task is the development of the agro-industrial sector, and the rational use of water resources. “The problems that hinder the development of the agro-industrial sector are well known, the most acute of which is chronic underfunding. Lack of investment leads to wear and tear of agricultural machinery, low yields, and low labor productivity. Therefore, it is necessary to maximize, if possible double, the financing of agriculture, attracting not only budget money, but also funds from other sources, including second-tier banks.”

The government resigned en masse on Monday; changes had been expected by inside observers, as prior to the resignation, Tokayev had increasingly expressed his dissatisfaction with progress in addressing socioeconomic issues, and with stagnation in general. Over the past two years, Tokayev has implemented sweeping reforms aimed at democratizing the country and breaking up economic monopolies.

06 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

World Bank’s Kyrgyzstan Head Discusses Energy Sector Needs

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Worn-out energy infrastructure, power shortages and dependence on imports: authorities in the Kyrgyz Republic will have difficult tasks to address in order to ensure the republic’s energy security over the next decades, said the head of the World Bank’s Kyrgyzstan office, Naveed Hassan Naqvi, in an interview with the state news agency, Kabar.

Hassan Naqvi noted that energy issues are very serious and affect not only Kyrgyzstan, but the entire region, and the development of this sector directly affects the lives of people throughout Central Asia. The recent accident at Bishkek’s thermal power plant showed how vulnerable the energy sector can be, and how much people rely upon it.

“As you know, the installed capacity in the Kyrgyz Republic is about 3,900 megawatts, about 800 megawatts of which comes from the coal-fired Bishkek combined heat power (CHP) plant. The rest of the capacity is provided mainly by hydropower. It is important to note here that more than half, maybe even 60% of electricity transmission and distribution networks are used beyond their (service) life and need to be replaced. If we talk about hydroelectric power plants and their equipment, we see a similar situation – more than half of the facilities need replacement or repair,” the head of the World Bank office emphasized.

The World Bank office has long been following the situation in Kyrgyzstan, and helped develop a strategy to put the sector on the path to modernization. One of the key factors for solving problems, according to the international financial organization, is not only modernizing and replacing old equipment, but the need to increase tariffs paid by the population. Existing tariffs in the republic are the fifth cheapest in the world, meaning the authorities spend 2-3% of the country’s GDP subsidizing them. In May 2023, the authorities raised electricity tariffs for government organizations, businesses, and household consumers.

“As a result of dialog and close cooperation with the government, we started working in several areas, including tariff reform and calculating the installed capacity the country will need by 2050. Our assessment showed that the existing installed capacity in the country is 3,900 megawatts, but the country will need 10,000 megawatts by 2050,” said Hassan Naqvi.

In 2022, the World Bank allocated $50 million to the republic to modernize the energy infrastructure for household consumers: upgrading transformers, transmission lines, and installing smart meters to improve the efficiency of the energy grid. A year later, the World Bank provided another $80 million in the form of a subsidized loan to improve power grids and support small-scale energy – namely the construction of micro hydropower plants (HPPs) on Kyrgyzstan’s numerous rivers. Lastly, in the fall of 2023, the bank allocated $5 million to the republic for a feasibility study of a new large HPP, Kambarata-1. The World Bank is slated to provide another $150-$200 million of the $500 million needed for its construction.

Kyrgyzstan is also working with local partners on the construction of the first large joint Kyrgyz-Kazakh solar power plant in the Issyk-Kol region with a capacity of 50 MW. The country’s first floating solar power plant was also recently opened near Bishkek.

06 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

All Kyrgyz Citizens in Need of Kidney Transplants to Receive Free Operations

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

On February 1, 2024, Kyrgyzstan’s first free kidney transplant was successfully performed on a 22-year-old girl in a Bishkek hospital. However, about 2,500 Kyrgyz people still have to receive dialysis while they wait for a new organ. All kidney transplants will now be paid for by the state, Kyrgyz health minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliyev said.

The Health Ministry said that each patient undergoing dialysis must purify his or her blood of toxic substances several times a week. In the past, many did the procedure at their own expense. The price for three dialysis procedures is about $100, and not every Kyrgyzstani can afford it. Nor can many afford a kidney transplant operation. The state previously covered part of the costs when a person had a disability — but now the authorities plan to help all those with the most severe kidney issues.

“We planned to conduct 50 free surgeries at first. However, after the free surgery the other day, I talked to the president. He said that we should conduct free surgeries for all the needy 2,500 patients who are now receiving hemodialysis. If we perform the surgeries, the money now spent on hemodialysis will be a good saving for the budget,” Beishenaliyev said. One kidney transplant operation costs the state $7,500, while dialysis costs $14,000-15,000 per patient per year, he said. It will be more economical for the budget than spending on hemodialysis every time, the minister calculated.

Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov has taken a personal interest in the issue. The head of state said that 50 patients have already found donors, underwent a full medical examination and are preparing for surgery. “The first benefit is to help our citizens. The second is saving money. There are patients who have been receiving hemodialysis for 10-15 years,” the president said.

In an interview with the state news agency Kabar, Japarov said that a kidney transplant abroad costs $25,000-$50,000, and that he knows this firsthand because about 10 years ago his brother had such an operation in another country. As a result, his family paid $70,000, including travel expenses and post-operative rehabilitation procedures.

Earlier this year, the head of state signed a law on the protection of citizens’ health, according to which private and public hospitals in Kyrgyzstan can now perform organ transplants — provided that the patient is a relative of the donor.

Turkish nephrologists and kidney transplant specialists have come to Kyrgyzstan to help develop this field of medicine. Also, a group of Kyrgyz doctors is currently undergoing training in Turkey.

06 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Uzbekistan Sold the Second Most Gold Last Year; Kazakhstan Held Top Spot

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

In 2023, Uzbekistan ranked second in the world in total gold sales, as the country sold more than 25 tons of the precious metal. That’s according to data provided by the World Gold Council. Kazakhstan, having sold twice as much gold, took first place on the list. Annual revenue from Uzbek gold exports reached $8.15bn — almost twice as much as in 2022. China bought the most gold last year, almost 230 tons. Poland, Singapore, Libya and the Czech Republic followed China on the list of top buyers.

At the end of last year, gold set another record price of $2,135.39 per troy ounce, the highest price since the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Experts attribute gold’s price gains to persistently high inflation and the conflict in the Middle East.

Uzbekistan, with 362 tons of gold reserves, ranks 15th in the world. Among the Central Asian republics, it’s outranked only by Kazakhstan with 402 tons of gold. The country’s gold reserves can act as a shock absorber or insurance policy for the national economy — which may be needed in cases of unfavorable macroeconomic conditions or as a defense against various financial or banking crises.

According to the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, as of February 6, a five-gram gold bar costs $335. The country’s central bank first began issuing and selling gold bars to the public in November 2020. They are made of pure, 999.9-grade gold weighing five, 10, 20 and 50 grams. They can be purchased through banks across the republic at prices set by the regulator — based on quotes from international markets, the exchange rate of the sum against the U.S. dollar, as well as the regulator’s margin. The price of bullion is published daily.

According to Central Bank head Mamarizo Nurmuratov, “in the near future, Uzbekistan’s producers will be able to sell gold directly on the world market”. Currently, the Central Bank of Uzbekistan buys gold inside the country in sums and sells them for dollars on the foreign market.

06 Feb 2024

Central Asia, Tajikistan Life & Culture, Tajikistan

Set of Quadruplets Born in Dushanbe

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

A set of quadruplets, one boy and three girls, have been born in Dushanbe. They weigh between 1.8 and 2.2 kg, and doctors have declared the newborns to be in good health. The quadruplets’ parents intended to give them the names Ahmadjan, Hosiya, Aliya, and Sumaya.

The family doesn’t yet own a home, are paying exorbitant rent for a one-room apartment, and are seeking assistance from the government. The father of the quadruplets, Kanoatsho Khudoyorov, hopes they will be assigned a one-room apartment in the capital, saying their load would be lessened multiple times over by such a kind deed. “It is difficult to look after and feed children in the village,” he stated. Parents with four or more children have, for a few years now, been eligible for housing assistance or financial aid from the government.

While Khudoyorov is very happy about the birth of his children, he’s also concerned about the family’s future, because, as the kids get older, the cost will only mount. He finds it challenging to find work that pays the rent, utility bills, and the kids’ needs. “We pay 4,000 somoni ($365) for this apartment; the term ends on February 10, and I need to find a cheaper apartment. My salary is not enough for everything,” said the construction worker.

This is the second instance of quadruplets born this year in Tajikistan. Two sons and two daughters were born on January 14th to 27-year-old Mijgona Asoeva of Kizilkala village in the Khatlon Region.