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NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — Kazakh businessman Iskander Erimbetov has been released from prison “due to a health condition,” according to his sister, Bota Jardemalie, RFE/RL reported.
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TASHKENT (TCA) — Uzbekistan on December 28 put into operation a new chemical plant built by Chinese companies in the Navoi region. The opening ceremony was attended by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xinhua news agency reported.
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ASHGABAT (TCA) — President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov announced “Turkmenistan – Home of Neutrality” as the country’s slogan for 2020. The decision was made at a joint session of the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Security Council on December 27, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported.
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KABUL (TCA) — Officials in Kabul say that recent US sanctions against Iran have affected Afghan investors’ trade through Iran’s Chabahar Port, which is considered a good alternative for Afghanistan-Pakistan trade routes, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported.
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TASHKENT (TCA) — An Uzbek blogger who was placed under involuntary psychiatric care nearly three months ago after extensively covering alleged corruption and abuse among politicians has been released, according to a family member and local rights activists, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported.
TBILISI (TCA) — On December 20, 2019 Georgian authorities made a new proposal to the opposition on the electoral reform, in order to stabilize the situation. But opposition has rejected this proposal as too rigid. “Georgia is going to fall into an international isolation if the government would not agree to the principle of fair elections,” declared the statement by the so called United Opposition. The authorities have proposed the system that would have 100 members of the parliament elected on the proportional system and 50 members on the majoritarian system. So the system would be changed — with two thirds elected by proportionate system, while maintaining the mixed system with one third majoritarians. According to this proposal these constitutional changes would be made not just for the year of 2020, but for good. And this proposal is absolutely unacceptable for the opposition at this point. The initiative by the ruling coalition was voiced by Chairman of the Parliament, Archil Talakvadze.
