NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The Regional Conference on ‘Enhanced Integration for Prosperity in Central Asia’ started on November 28 in Nur-Sultan. The two-day event, organised by the European Union, is an occasion to promote the regional integration among the five Central Asian countries and in line with the new EU Strategy for Central Asia which was adopted in June 2019, the Delegation of the European Union to Kazakhstan said.

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ALMATY, Kazakhstan (TCA) — More than 700 representatives of business circles, including international companies, participated in the 2019 Almaty Investment Forum held in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on November 27. The main goal of the forum was to increase the investment attractiveness of Almaty, the official website of the city’s administration reported.

Addressing the forum participants, the Mayor of Almaty, Bakytzhan Sagintayev, said the forum was taking place in a historic moment, when the agenda for the development of Almaty for the next 30 years is being formed. The Development Strategy of Almaty until 2050 has been drawn up and submitted to a broad-based consultation procedure among citizens. The main objective is to enter the top 100 best cities in the world, in terms of quality of life and business opportunities.

“This requires a solid economic foundation. The urban economy should grow at a rate of at least 5 percent per year. To ensure this growth, we are beginning a deep structural reform of the urban economy. The reliance is on the sectors of the new economy. And this structural maneuver of ours opens up fundamentally new fields for investment,” said Sagintayev.

In his words, the ultimate goal of the structural maneuver is to develop export production, expand the presence of Almaty manufacturers in the global high-tech economy.

At the forum, the managing partner of McKinsey & Company in Kazakhstan, Jochen Berbner, spoke about Almaty as a new international center for tourism. He said that Kazakhstan has all the prerequisites for the development of tourism, especially in such fast-growing niche segments as ecotourism, sports and business tourism, adding that Almaty belongs to the top tourist destinations in the country due to its picturesque nature, warm climate and developed infrastructure.

“Due to its geographical location, Almaty has great chances to attract tourists from those countries whose population is now actively investing in travel, in particular from China, India, and Russia,” said Berbner.

TASHKENT (TCA) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 million policy-based loan to further strengthen economic management in Uzbekistan, which should lead to greater macroeconomic stability and sustained economic growth, ADB’s Country Office in Uzbekistan said on November 27.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — Prosecutors in the high-profile corruption trial of several former top Kyrgyz officials have asked the court to sentence the defendants to prison terms of between 7 1/2 and 17 years, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported.

The prosecutors asked the Sverdlov District Court in Bishkek on November 27 to sentence former prime ministers, Sapar Isakov and Jantoro Satybaldiev, who allegedly are close associates of former President Almazbek Atambayev, to prison terms of 15 years and 11 years, three months, respectively.

Prosecutors added that they are seeking a 17-year sentence for Aibek Kaliev, the former chief of the National Energy Holding, 7 1/2 years for former Finance Minister Olga Lavrova, and 11 years, three months each for former Electric Power Stations Joint-Stock Company General Director Salaidin Avazov and his former subordinates, Joldoshbek Nazarov and Temirlan Brimkulov.

The corruption charges stem from 2013 when the accused were involved in a project to modernize the Bishkek Thermal Power Station.

The defendants are 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 former President Almazbek 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.

The prosecutors said that lawmaker Osmonbek Artykbaev should be fined 100 million soms ($1.43 million) for his role in the alleged affair.

NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — Dozens of activists have rallied in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, urging European Union officials to pressure local authorities over human and civil rights in the Central Asian country, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.

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NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — During a meeting with heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Kazakhstan on November 26, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the development of strategic partnership with China is very important for his country, Xinhua news agency reported.

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