TCA
DUSHANBE (TCA) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $110 million grant to Tajikistan to construct 30 kilometers (km) of a highway and 30 km of secondary roads between the towns of Obigarm and Nurobod in the northeast of the country, ADB’s Country Office said on December 6.
TCA
BISHKEK (TCA) — A court has sentenced former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov to 15 years in prison on corruption charges stemming from his involvement in a 2013 project to modernize the Bishkek Thermal Power Station, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported.
Presiding Sverdlovsky District Court judge Inara Gilyazetdinova said in rendering the verdict late on December 6 that Isakov’s penalty includes the confiscation of property he owns as well as stripping him of his diplomatic status.
The high-profile corruption trial has implicated several former top Kyrgyz officials who allegedly are close associates of former President Almazbek Atambayev.
Gilyazetdinova handed down a 7 1/2-year prison sentence in the case to another former prime minister, Jantoro Satybaldiev, while Aibek Kaliev, the former chief of the National Energy Holding, was given 15 years.
Former General Director of Electric Stations OJSC Salaidin Avazov was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months of prison.
Two other former officials were sentenced to shorter prison terms of 2 1/2 years.
Former Energy Minister Osmonbek Artykbayev and former Finance Minister Olga Lavrova were handed fines.
The defendants were accused of allegedly using their positions to lobby for the interests of a Chinese company in the selection process of a contractor for the modernization of the power plant, inflicting damage on the Kyrgyz state and society.
The Chinese company TBEA was selected as the winner of the tender.
The case was launched after an accident at the Bishkek power station in January last year left thousands of households in the capital without heat for several days.
The probe was launched amid tensions between Atambayev and incumbent President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, an ex-prime minister who was tapped by Atambayev as his favored successor in Kyrgyzstan’s October 2017 presidential election.
Atambayev was arrested on August 8 after he surrendered to police following two days of violent resistance following his refusal to show up in police headquarters for questioning in an unrelated case.
TCA
NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — On December 5, the Kazakh capital hosted the presentation of the so-called “Letter from Nur-Sultan”. The event organized by the European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan in cooperation with the Carnegie Europe Center provided a unique opportunity to discuss the key issues of the EU-Kazakhstan and the EU-Central Asia relations. The “Letter from Nur-Sultan” is part of the Capitals Series by the Carnegie Europe and is the first such publication on the Central Asian region. The Letter itself was prepared by a well-known Kazakhstani expert, political scientist, Chief Research Fellow of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan, Dr Murat Laumulin, the Delegation of the European Union to Kazakhstan reported.
TCA
KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan will need continued financial support from the international community following a potential political settlement, says a new World Bank report that examines the country’s overall medium-term financing needs under a range of political and economic scenarios.
The World Bank concludes that Afghanistan will require $6 billion to $8 billion a year in international grants between 2020 and 2024 to fund basic services, support faster economic growth, and consolidate and sustain any potential reduction in violence following a political settlement with the Taliban, the World Bank said in a press release on December 5.
“An improving security situation, political stability, and freedom of movement can help increase private sector investment and job creation. But the gap between revenue and public expenditure remains large, and certain expenditure needs may increase following a political settlement,” said Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Afghanistan. “While a gradual decline in grant support can and should occur, it needs to be carefully calibrated to economic realities, to avoid deterioration in services and development outcomes. Such a deterioration may, itself, imperil prospects for sustainable peace.”
While Afghanistan has achieved remarkable progress in increasing revenues over recent years, the gap between revenues and expenditures remains wide. Afghanistan continues to rely on grants to finance 75 percent of its total public expenditures. Total revenues currently amount to around $2.5 billion per year, while expenditures reach around $11 billion per year.
Due to the current extent of dependence on aid, a sharp reduction in either security or civilian grants would mean insufficient resources to meet pressing expenditure needs, including: security spending, delivery of basic government functions such as social services and infrastructure, public investments for faster economic growth and poverty reduction, and short-term job creation and community development programs following a political settlement, which will be vital to sustain and consolidate peace.
The report also finds that expectations of a major aid-driven economic dividend following any political settlement are unlikely to be realized. Grant inflows are likely to remain limited under any scenario, relative to the extent of grant support already being provided. The most critical gains for Afghans following any political settlement would rather come from increased private sector investment, job creation, and access to services.
TCA
NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — During his visit to Germany on December 5, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had a series of meetings with representatives of German business in Berlin, the president’s press service reported.
During the conversation with Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of CLAAS Group, President Tokayev discussed implementation of joint investment projects. CLAAS Group is represented in Kazakhstan by the distribution network CT Agro, which sells agricultural machinery and maintains its service.
“Our strategy is to diversify investments that come from many countries. We would like to make Germany the main strategic partner in terms of investments,” the President of Kazakhstan said.
Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser expressed satisfaction with the fact that Kazakhstan intends to develop cooperation not only with large but also with medium-sized companies.
Christian Bruch, Executive Vice President of Linde AG informed Tokayev about the company’s activities in Kazakhstan and future plans. Bruch informed that in 2013 his company launched the production of technical gas on the basis of Arcelor Mittal Temirtau JSC, investing about 95 million euros into this project.
“Today, Linde AG is implementing the second phase of the project and intends to invest another 80 million euros,” he added.
In addition, the German side is negotiating with KazMunayGas JSC the construction of a gas processing plant in Zhanaozen, Mangystau region.
The prospects of cooperation were discussed at a meeting with Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of the Schaeffler Group. The company specializes in the production of components for the automotive and astronautics industry. The German businessman told the Kazakh president about the production and investment opportunities of the Schaeffler Group.
Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers, told Tokayev about the project of construction of a cancer centre based on the principles of public-private partnership. The company intends to establish long-term cooperation with Kazakhstan.
At a business dinner organized for representatives of the top German companies later on December 5, President Tokayev spoke about Kazakhstan’s economic and investment potential.
He stressed that Kazakhstan intends to give a new impetus to cooperation with Germany.
“As the President of Kazakhstan, I will do my utmost that depends on me that business and investments from Germany come to our country and would feel safe and successfully be developing. We are ready to provide special conditions for German businessmen,” Tokayev said.
The Kazakh president focused on Kazakhstan’s favorable geographical position and a well-thought-out foreign economic policy, which opens up great opportunities for foreign investors.
“We have very good relations with China, Russia and Central Asian countries. We are an important transport hub between East and West. More than 70% of all transcontinental routes pass through Kazakhstan. The international corridor Western Europe – Western China makes it possible to reduce the time of transportation of goods. This year it took only 10 days, having broken the speed record of cargo transportation from the Chinese Xi’an to Germany,” President Tokayev noted.
According to him, such leading German companies as Volkswagen, Mann, Siemens, Knauf, Bayer, METRO are already actively working in Kazakhstan. There are other examples of successful economic cooperation. In particular, Heidelberg Cement and Linde Group have invested significant sums in Kazakhstan.
Tokayev urged German businessmen to get involved in the implementation of projects in agriculture, high technologies and digitalization, as well as to take part in the activities of the Astana International Financial Centre.
The event was attended by heads of more than 20 German companies, including WILO, CLAAS Group, SMS Holding GmbH, Schaeffler AG, Airbus Defence and Space, Linde AG, Mangold Consulting GmbH, Herrenknecht AG, Knorr-Bremse AG, Euler Hermes, Siemens Healthineers, John Deere, Deutsche Bank AG, Tönnies holding, and Bauer COMP Holding.
TCA
NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel held talks in Berlin on December 5 on the intensification of bilateral relations and the prospects of establishing a strategic economic partnership. The two leaders also discussed cooperation in education, science and cultural areas, the press service of the Kazakh president reported.
