DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Union and Tajikistan held the 11th Human Rights Dialogue in Dushanbe on November 15. The meeting participants discussed the broad range of human-rights related areas, such as non-discrimination, freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief, as well as torture prevention.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Central Asia was the scene of intense geopolitical struggle and the Great Game between the British and Russian Empires, and later between the Soviet Union and the West, over Afghanistan and neighboring territories. Into the 21st century, Central Asia has become the area of a renewed geopolitical interest, dubbed the New Great Game, largely based on the region’s hydrocarbon and mineral wealth. On top of that, the region now is perhaps the most important node in the implementation of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative through which Beijing aims to get direct access to Western markets. Every week thousands of news appears in the world’s printed and online media and many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of this unique region. So we are presenting this Weekly Digest which compiles what other media have reported on Central Asia over the past week.

KAZAKHSTAN

Infographic: Kazakhstan is the leader among EAEU by external migration

According to official data, in the last 10 years more than 321 thousand people left Kazakhstan

Nov 11 — “The emigration in Kazakhstan has significantly changed in the last four years. In the first quarter of 2019, 8.4 thousand people left the country, which is 22 per cent more than last year. However, the number of people is growing slowly. The key factor, according to experts, is the growing birth rate – this indicator is steadily growing.” READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/infographic-kazakhstan-is-the-leader-among-eaeu-by-external-migration/

Kazakhstan’s President Visits China Amid Troubles at Home

As China’s economic presence and influence in Kazakhstan has been growing in recent years, social attitudes towards China have deteriorated, resulting in a rise of anti-Chinese sentiment among ordinary Kazakhs. This puts a pressure on the Kazakh government, which considers China a strategically important economic partner

Nov 12 — “On September 11-12, Kazakhstan’s new President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid his first official visit to China, aiming to upgrade bilateral ties and generate more Chinese investment in the country. Yet the official rosy picture of flourishing bilateral relations is clouded by the plight of ethnic Kazakhs inhabiting China’s Xinjiang region and the social and environmental concerns surrounding Chinese investments in Kazakhstan. For the past several years, China’s economic clout in the country has been growing but social attitudes towards China have simultaneously deteriorated rapidly, resulting in a rise of anti-Chinese sentiment and protests – the latest taking place in Kazakhstan’s major cities in early September. Moreover, Kazakhstan is undergoing a political transition process which makes the country even more vulnerable to the strong influence of its eastern neighbor.” READ MORE: http://cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13595-kazakhstans-president-visits-china-amid-troubles-at-home.html

Clear path for EU-Kazakhstan agreement to enter into full force

The EU accounts for almost half of Kazakhstan’s external trade, and remains Kazakhstan’s biggest trade and investment partner

Nov 13 — “Italy was the last EU country to ratify the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with Kazakhstan, signed in 2015, paving the way for the trade deal to enter into full force. “We are very happy of course that the ratification process of this agreement is now almost complete,” said Roman Vassilenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan at an EURACTIV event.” READ MORE: https://www.euractiv.com/section/central-asia/news/clear-path-for-eu-kazakhstan-agreement-to-enter-into-full-force/

Kazakhstan to tighten hiring practice for foreign workers, counter wage imbalance

Some 21,000 foreign specialists have permission to work at 2,400 Kazakh enterprises

Nov 14 — “Kazakhstan will tighten the laws regulating the process of hiring foreign workers, after inspections led by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection identified labour and migration legislation violations at 63 large enterprises, including disproportionate salaries between the foreign and local workforces, reported tengrinews.kz Nov. 3.” READ MORE: https://astanatimes.com/2019/11/kazakhstan-to-tighten-hiring-practice-for-foreign-workers-counter-wage-imbalance/

KYRGYZSTAN

Istanbul assassination sparks buzz in Kyrgyzstan

Aierken Saimaiti was named in a news report earlier this year as the moneyman for a shadowy Kyrgyz powerbroker

Nov 13 — “The news of the killing of Chinese national Aierken Saimaiti in Istanbul this week initially caused eyebrows in Kyrgyzstan to rise. Now, it is causing jaws to drop. Saimaiti’s name became a matter of public interest in Kyrgyzstan in May, when RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz service, Radio Azattyk, ran an extensive report alleging that he was the conduit through which a family of influential powerbrokers had funneled hundreds of millions of dollars out of the country.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/istanbul-assassination-sparks-buzz-in-kyrgyzstan

PWDs in Kyrgyzstan: The Unlimited Pursuit of Happiness

Serious disease, disabilities can prevent one from arranging one’s personal life, yet they are not a critical factor in this matter. A few Kyrgyzstanis with health problems have proved it by having created good families

Nov 14 — “According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, in the last five years the number of persons with disabilities has increased by 16 per cent in Kyrgyzstan. And their number is rising every year. The agency said this is caused by the demographic increase, first of all. However, disabilities don’t prevent them from arranging their personal life and creating families and having children.” READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/pwds-in-kyrgyzstan-the-unlimited-pursuit-of-happiness/

Facial Recognition Deal in Kyrgyzstan Poses Risks to Rights

In Kyrgyzstan, the rollout of facial recognition technology was approved without public consultation or necessary transparency, making it unclear how or if the government plans to mitigate the technology’s potential impact on privacy

Nov 15 — “On October 31, Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov inaugurated a new police command center in the capital city of Bishkek. But this local event had an international human rights dimension: the center will manage a network of cameras equipped with facial recognition technology and installed throughout the city. It is also provided by and paid for, at least in part, by a Chinese state company.” READ MORE: https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/11/15/facial-recognition-deal-kyrgyzstan-poses-risks-rights

TAJIKISTAN

Tajik security forces mistake hunters for militants

The Tajik government is eager to preserve the narrative that terrorism threats are external

Nov 11 — “Security forces in Tajikistan, already spooked by a burst of violence last week at a remote border outpost, were put on high alert over the weekend after mistaking hunters for armed militants. The panic prompted the authorities to place the town of Tursunzoda, which is 50 kilometers west of the capital, Dushanbe, and a few minutes drive east of the Uzbek border, under lockdown for much of November 9.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/tajik-security-forces-mistake-hunters-for-militants

New Details Link Businessman, Ex-Soldier To Alleged IS Terrorist Attack In Tajikistan

IS claimed responsibility for the attack, although the terrorist group’s statement has widely been treated with caution and suspicion

Nov 12 — “One of the suspected attackers who raided a Tajik border crossing in a reported Islamic State (IS) attack last week had previously served as a soldier where the deadly assault took place, sources close to the investigation say. The suspect had firsthand knowledge of the facility and nearby areas, which is why the attackers targeted that particular checkpoint, a Tajik security official told RFE/RL on November 11.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/new-details-link-businessman-ex-soldier-to-alleged-is-terrorist-attack-in-tajikistan/30266964.html

Teachers toil in cotton fields as Tajikistan tries to fix trade imbalance

Farmers are forced to grow it. Teachers are forced to pick it. And though everyone loses, the government still thinks cotton will fix its lopsided balance of trade

Nov 14 — “Authorities in Tajikistan use a battery of tactics, ranging from threats to pleading, to get its government-sector employees to abandon their classrooms and clinics for the cotton field. The goal is to improve the health of export figures, but the social costs are high. Those who refuse to comply with the program face the danger of dismissal. And the reluctant farmers, who would rather be growing other crops, are losing heaps of money.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/teachers-toil-in-cotton-fields-as-tajikistan-tries-to-fix-trade-imbalance

TURKMENISTAN

Make Turkmenistan one of your must-see countries

Turkmenistan still remains a terra incognita for most foreign visitors

Nov 9 — “Stepping into the 126th country of my travels, I’m once again struck by the world’s diversity. Turkmenistan is a country that carries the historical burden of wars and natural disasters. But God has also bestowed upon it a wealth of resources in the form of oil and gas. Throughout the years, the country has learnt to embrace change and progress in urban aesthetics. We may think that Turkmenistan is very different from our own country, but it is this uniqueness that makes it a destination worth visiting.” READ MORE: https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/travel/2019/11/09/make-turkmenistan-one-of-your-must-see-countries

Turkmenistan: Mamma mia, let me go

In its ‘Akhal-Teke: A Turkmenistan Bulletin’, Eurasianet reviews the main news and events in the Central Asian country for the previous week

Nov 12 — “The president’s visit to Italy last week got off to an awkward start. Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s two-day trip came on the heels of the disappearance of Kasymberdy Garayev, a 24-year-old doctor who had only days before given an anonymous interview to RFE/RL about the difficulties of living in Turkmenistan as a gay man. The assumption is that he was unmasked and then possibly detained.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/turkmenistan-mamma-mia-let-me-go

Trans Caspian Pipeline key route to deliver Turkmen gas to Europe

The planned Trans-Caspian Pipeline is designed for transportation of Turkmen gas to Europe through Azerbaijan

Nov 15 — “Trans Caspian Pipeline is key a route for Turkmen gas to reach Europe, Francis Perrin, Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS, Rabat) and at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS, Paris), told Trend. “Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest proven natural gas reserves behind Russia, Iran and Qatar in this order. This country exports gas by pipeline, mainly to China, but it would like to increase and diversify its exports by targeting the European Union (EU) market in the coming years. A key route in order to reach this goal would be the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP), which would allow part of Turkmen gas to be exported to the EU through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and/or Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania,” said Perrin.” READ MORE: https://www.azernews.az/oil_and_gas/158504.html

UZBEKISTAN

US and Russia Watching Closely Uzbekistan’s Economic Choices

Uzbekistan is reopening its negotiations to join the WTO and considering Eurasian Economic Union membership

Nov 12 — “Feuds between Russia and the United States over Central Asia are not a frequent occurrence. Central Asia is not a top priority for either, even less of one for the United States. This puts a spotlight on an apparent recent rhetorical squabble between them following Russia’s recent announcement of Tashkent’s possible accession to the Eurasina Economic Union (EAEU). Washington’s reaction to the development came after a delay, but when it did react, Moscow responded immediately.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2019/11/us-and-russia-watching-closely-uzbekistans-economic-choices/

Uzbekistan Urges Media Not To Politicize Suspicious Death Of Critical Journalist

The death of prominent Uzbek journalist Davlat Nazar in a road accident has sparked widespread suspicions and calls for a transparent probe

Nov 13 — “Uzbek authorities told reporters not to politicize the death of a prominent journalist and outspoken government critic killed in a late-night road accident last week that many believe is suspicious. Officials told reporters at a press conference in Tashkent on November 12 that Davlat Nazar’s death was simply a tragic traffic accident.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-urges-media-not-to-politicize-suspicious-death-of-critical-journalist/30269928.html

Nonstop Nepotism: Uzbek President’s Son-In-Law Named MMA Chief In Latest Sign Of Creeping Family Control

Many observers expressed hope that Mirziyoev would break with decades of rights abuses and kleptocracy after Karimov died in 2016, but there are signs that the old patterns have continued

Nov 13 — “President Shavkat Mirziyoev’s son-in-law has been named head of Uzbekistan’s fledgling Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Association, adding to the list of influential roles for family members within Mirziyoev’s three-year-old administration. Otabek Umarov, who is married to the president’s younger daughter, Shahnoza, is already the deputy head of Mirziyoev’s personal security and serves as an informal ambassador at events with foreign dignitaries.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-umarov-nepotism-mirziyoev-son-in-law/30269851.html

AFGHANISTAN

The reverberating effects of explosive violence on agriculture in Afghanistan

The income from agricultural production acts as a source of livelihood for the majority of the estimated 19.3 million people that live below the poverty line in Afghanistan

Nov 13 — “Agriculture in Afghanistan is big business. Today, it accounts for 25% of Afghanistan’s GDP, and is the second largest sector of the economy after services. Even in our current world of urbanisation, the majority of the population still live in rural areas, and agricultural labour is critical for livelihoods. Across the country, agricultural work employs some 40% of the total labour force and more than half of the rural workforce.” READ MORE: https://aoav.org.uk/2019/the-reverberating-effects-of-explosive-violence-on-agriculture-in-afghanistan/

Afghanistan on Notice: Why America Needs to Establish a Troop Withdrawal Deadline

For nineteen years, the United States has sent the wrong message to Kabul. One president after another has assured America’s Afghan allies that U.S. troops would stay until stability came, which has given the Afghans no incentive to bring about that stability

Nov 13 — “President Donald Trump wants to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. The Democrats and the American people want to remove U.S. troops out of Afghanistan. And the troops certainly want to leave Afghanistan. Unfortunately, no one seems to know how to do it. Many fear that a precipitous withdrawal would create a power vacuum that the Taliban would soon fill. Afghan spaces would soon be ungoverned; Al Qaeda would return; our allies would be massacred. After eighteen years of assistance, the Afghan government does not appear capable of standing on its own, and U.S. forces seem stuck.” READ MORE: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/afghanistan-notice-why-america-needs-establish-troop-withdrawal-deadline

What happens to Afghanistan’s left-behind women as the Taliban rises?

Countless Afghan men have now fled the country, seeking work and safety. But the lives of the women left behind deteriorate without male protection, particularly as the Taliban continue to tighten their grip on Afghanistan

Nov 14 — “On a bitterly cold day, Tahira* sits in her rented room in Kabul. She has a husband and three young children, but the last time the family were all together was in 2018 – the day they tried to escape Afghanistan. Insecurity in their town in Maidan Wardak province led Tahira, 27, to try to flee to Turkey, via Iran, with her family. But when the time came, only her husband, son and seven-year-old daughter made it.” READ MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/nov/14/what-happens-to-afghanistans-left-behind-women-as-the-taliban-rises

WORLD

Cooperation, Co-existence or Clash? China and Russia’s Ambitions in Central Asia

The two powers’ approaches to Central Asia may be a good indicator of their current partnership and future relations

Nov 8 — “Particularly since 2014, China and Russia have been celebrating their “comprehensive strategic partnership.” In a symbolic step, they announced they would link the construction of China’s Silk Road Economic Belt – the land-based dimension of the Belt and Road Initiative – with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union in 2015, followed by further steps toward that end since. The volume of their mutual trade has increased. Russia is China’s largest supplier of oil. Only weeks after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the two countries signed a gas deal worth $400 billion over 30 years. Russia sells its latest military technology to China and they have conducted several joint military exercises, such as an air patrol in the East China Sea.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2019/11/cooperation-co-existence-or-clash-china-and-russias-ambitions-in-central-asia/

Central Asia: A Threat or an Opportunity?

The Eurasian community must primarily focus on Central Asia – a densely populated region that is on a path of deep internal transformation and is of strategic importance to two major Eurasian nations – Russia and China

Nov 8 — “The removal of the leader of ISIS (banned in Russia), as announced by the US, nearly coincided in time, and maybe not without reason, with the Russia-Turkey agreements on settlement in northeast Syria. Both in theory and in practice, these agreements might become an important step toward peace in this war-ravaged country. Russia, the Syrian Government and, to a certain extent, the Western countries have actually eliminated one of the biggest hotbeds of terrorism in the world.” READ MORE: http://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/central-asia-a-threat-or-an-opportunity/

NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan on November 14 publicly discussed the details of the proposed Sustainable Livestock Development Project aimed at facilitating the development of an environmentally sustainable, inclusive and competitive livestock sector in Kazakhstan, the World Bank said.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek supported a conference entitled Prospects to Develop the Green Economy through the Private Sector that took place on November 14. It was organized during the annual Green Economy Week held from 11 to 17 November.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice-President Mr. Shixin Chen on November 15 delivered the keynote address at an international conference in Tashkent on the role of capital markets in accelerating Uzbekistan’s economic development. He highlighted how properly functioning capital markets can bolster private sector financing, help to deliver new infrastructure, and act as a buffer against economic shocks, ADB reported.

“Today’s International Capital Market Conference presents an important opportunity to discuss priorities for the establishment of a modern financial system, so that private sector financing can be mobilized for the country’s development needs,” said Mr. Chen. “ADB is committed to supporting the Government of Uzbekistan in tackling structural deficiency in order to realize the capital market’s potential.”

In his address, Mr. Chen underlined three key aspects for developing Uzbekistan’s capital market. First, the capital market can be an instrument of the government’s market liberalization reforms and help to raise private sector financing in the context of ongoing and ambitious privatization plans. Secondly, the capital market provides the most viable financing solutions for long-term infrastructure development and can thereby spur sustainable long-term growth. Thirdly, diversification away from a predominantly bank-based system of financial intermediation helps to manage financial risks and limit the systemic impacts of economic shocks.

ADB is preparing a new program for financial markets development in Uzbekistan to deepen the capital markets and establish a strong legal and regulatory framework. Joint technical assistance from ADB and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is advising the development of a sequenced capital market development strategy to be implemented with the support of key donors and international financial institutions.

Mr. Chen said that ADB has a solid track record in helping its developing member countries reform their capital markets, leading to more diversified financial sector assets, increased market capitalization and quality of listings, as well as greater market stability and investor confidence.

Since Uzbekistan joined ADB, the bank has committed 75 loans totaling $8.1 billion, including two private sector loans totaling $225 million. ADB also provided $6 million in equity investment, $218 million in guarantees, and $97.7 million in technical assistance grants. To date in 2019, ADB has committed five loans totaling $637.3 million to develop horticulture value chain infrastructure and livestock value chains; improve the efficiency of railway transport; increase access to drinking water supply; and enhance the delivery of urban infrastructure projects.