Page 974 – The Times Of Central Asia

14 Mar 2024

Central Asia, Kazakhstan Justice, Kazakhstan

Over 100 Cases of Terrorism and Extremism Addressed by Kazakh Courts

September 25, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

According to statistics for 2023, 122 individuals were sent to Kazakhstan courts for crimes related to extremism and terrorism, slightly less than 2022’s figure of 124.
The most common offenses – 24 in total – included participating in and organising activities related to religion, followed closely by 23 cases of inciting social, national, tribal, racial, class or religious discord.

Ninety nine detainees had secondary or specialized secondary education, and only 19, higher education. Forty one had either disseminated propaganda supporting terrorism or publicly called for an act of terrorism.

The offenders’ ages were widespread with 44 offenders aged 30-39, 38 aged 40- 49, 15 over 50, and 6 over 60. Younger Kazakhs accused of extremism and terrorism included three minors under 18, 4 aged 18-20, and 12 aged 21-29.

The highest number of cases took place in Astana where the total of 50 showed an increase of 28.2% compared to 2022. Almaty saw 21 cases; North Kazakhstan, 16; Atyrau 14, and Zhambyl 13.

During the year, police seized 153 pieces of extremist material comprising 96 books and 42 leaflets.

Elected representatives of Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis (Parliament) are currently implementing a bill to prohibit entry to the country by foreigners involved in terrorist organizations and with prior convictions of sex crimes against minors.

14 Mar 2024

Central Asia, Kazakhstan Environment, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Poised to Spend almost Half a Billion Dollars on Recycling

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Kazakh authorities have pledged financial support to combat the perennial problem of municipal solid waste (MSW).

According to a report by Analysts at Energyprom.kz, in 2023, Kazakhstan’s rate of recycling garbage fell to 23.9% from 25.4% in 2022.

To tackle this issue, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has allocated $445 million for the construction of new plants for recycling and processing MSW between 2024-2026. Adhering to European-standard best practices, the initial batch of will comprise 11 projects costing $133 million. Project managers involved in the initiative will receive loans from the ministry at a subsidized annual interest rate of 3%.

The ministry stated that the slight decline in the recycling rate is due to a calculation error. It transpires that up until 2023, data was incorrectly classified by Astana and instead of recycled waste, it related to sorted municipal waste. In turn, the capital’s recorded volume of MSW recycling at 17.1%, inaccurately inflated the statistics for Kazakhstan as a whole. The Bureau of National Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan failed to correct the data for 2021-2022, when the figures might even be lower.

A recalculation by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, clarified that since the share of processing recycled materials actually decreased, it will not be possible to reach the intended target of 27% by the end of the given period. At the same time, the volume of waste collected in Kazakhstan last year decreased by 4.7% to 4.1 million tons.

According to the government’s operations document for Kazakhstan’s transition to a green economy, by 2030 the MSW recycling rate should be 40%. However, today only four out of five Kazakhstan households have designated bins for the division of waste, and 19% have no access at all to waste collection services. Furthermore, residents in rural areas who use coal for heat have nowhere to dispose ash.

Referencing the slow development of an infrastructure for recycling, the Minister of Ecology Yerlan Nysanbayev stated that Kazakhstan currently lacks 82,000 garbage containers, and major cities are inadequately equipped to deal with waste removal. Landfills are also a problem. Overburdened, illegally built and employing outdated methods of waste compaction, only 20.6% of Kazakhstan’s 3,000 landfills comply with all modern safety and sanitary regulations.

A weak environmentally-conscious culture has led to a plethora of unauthorized dumps for MSW. Last year alone, 5,500 illegal sites were identified by local authorities, of which 86 percent were eliminated.
To prevent further spread, the minister has proposed an increase in fines for illegal dumping. Having remained low for years, many Kazakhs have found it cheaper to pay the penalties than transfer their garbage to official landfills.

According to KazWaste, problems concerning tariffs, low rates of waste collection, and waste removal costs persist throughout Kazakhstan. At the end of February 2024, household appliances could be recycled in only 13 of 20 Kazakh’s regions, wood in just three, and used filters in Aktobe alone.

The volume of general waste material able to be recycled also remains low since much of the sorting is manual. As a result, the potential market is small and of limited interest to entrepreneurs.

14 Mar 2024

Central Asia, International Affairs, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan and China to Expand Trade and Economic Cooperation

June 28, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

Further steps to eliminate restrictions in mutual trade, remove administrative barriers, and simplify customs procedures were discussed by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao on March 13th.

Related issues included the expansion of Chinese cargo transit via Kazakhstan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, and plans to increase the supply of Kazakh agricultural produce to the Chinese market.

Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China grew by 30% last year to $31.5 billion. Over 9 months in 2023, Chinese investments in Kazakhstan’s economy amounted to $1.4 billion and 45 joint Kazakh-Chinese projects worth over $14.5 billion are currently under implementation. In January-February 2024, the volume of Chinese container traffic through Kazakhstan increased 2.6-fold, demonstrating the potential for further expansion, joint investment, and diversification of trade.

The Kazakh prime minister hailed the rise in trade and economic partnership between the two countries and the successful operation of some 3,000 joint companies in Kazakhstan, with the added recommendation that future joint Kazakh-Chinese projects focus on marketable high-tech products. The Chinese ambassador confirmed the potential for cooperation in the above alongside projects on agriculture and energy transfer.

14 Mar 2024

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Business & Economy

Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Visits Afghanistan to Boost Economic Ties

October 8, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

On March 12th, a delegation led by Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov visited Kabul to attend a meeting with officials of Afghanistan’s interim government: Acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, and Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Nooruddin Azizi.

According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry, discussions focused on boosting economic ties and creating more favourable conditions for both countries’ business sectors.

In a broadcast by Afghan TOLOnews, the Afghan government stated that in addition to economic cooperation, regional connectivity and transit through Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, the meeting covered the opening of an Afghan embassy in Uzbekistan. Attention was also paid to the Uzbek delegation’s interest in investment in a cement factory, coal mining, and a project to produce 200 megawatts of electricity from coal in Afghanistan.

Referencing the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, TOLOnews reported on a statement by Uzbekistan’s minister of water resources. Having outlined his country’s experience in manufacturing equipment for the construction of dams and canals, as well as water management at a regional level, the minister declared Uzbekistan’s readiness to cooperate with Afghanistan in these fields.

The issue of transboundary water use had come to the fore last month following Afghanistan’s announcement that construction has begun on the second phase of the Qosh Tepa Canal.

13 Mar 2024

Central Asia, Kazakhstan Local Politics, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Thirteen Thousand Foreigners Working in Kazakhstan

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population , at the beginning of March 2024, 13,088 foreigners were working in Kazakhstan with the permission of local executive agencies.

Kazakhstan’s foreign labour force (FLF) provides permits under the following categories: managers and their deputies (567 people) and heads of structural subdivisions (2,658). The majority of foreign labour comprises specialists (5,774) and skilled workers (580). In addition, 798 foreigners are employed in seasonal work, and a further 2,711 within the framework of corporate transfer.

With reference to industry, most foreign citizens work in construction (4,281), manufacturing (1,380), mining and quarrying (1,304), agriculture, forestry and fisheries (834), and professional, scientific and technical activities (809). In terms of nationality, the highest representations in the foreign workforce were reported as 4,121 citizens of China (31.4%); 1,176 citizens of India (8.9%) 1,128 citizens of Turkey( 8.6%) and 908 citizens of Uzbekistan( 6.9%).

Each year, the ministry sets and distributes a quota for attracting foreign specialists to Kazakhstan. To date, 0.23 percent of the quota or 22,000 employees, are currently working in the country.

13 Mar 2024

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan International Affairs, Uzbekistan Local Politics

Uzbekistan Taking Steps Towards Cleaner Water

June 27, 2024
By Times of Central Asia

In December 2023, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) delegation participated in the opening of a refurbished water treatment plant in the village of Shuyt in Uzbekistan’s autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan. It will provide clean drinking water to 1,500 residents of the surrounding area. This is a joint UNDP, UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) program called Empowering Youth Towards a Bright Future through Green and Innovative Development in the Aral Sea Region, funded by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea Region in Uzbekistan. The project has the support of the governments of Uzbekistan, Norway, the European Union (EU), Finland, South Korea, Germany, and Alwaleed Philanthropies.

UNDP, in cooperation with partner organizations, systematically assists remote regions of Uzbekistan to establish access to drinking water. Under a small-grants program implemented by the joint UNDP/GEF and the Uzbek State Committee of Ecology project for sustainable use of natural resources and forest management in key mountainous regions important for globally significant biodiversity, a 6.5-km pipeline was laid in the village of Chukur in the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan. It has provided about 1,500 people with clean drinking water for which the villagers used to walk long distances with buckets to the nearest spring.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 70% of all diseases globally are associated with poor-quality drinking water that does not meet sanitary and hygienic standards.

The region of Priaralie demonstrates the large-scale problems which can arise in the absence of potable water. In the most remote areas of this region, groundwater is the main source of fresh water – but such water cannot be used directly for drinking due to the presence of a large number of harmful and poisonous substances such as pesticides, mineral salts in large quantities, and heavy metals. That’s caused by the systematic pollution of underground aquifers and the lack of modern drinking water treatment systems. All this has led to a massive deterioration in the health of the population of the Aral Sea region.

According to the Pravda Vostoka newspaper, as of June 2023, the drinking water availability rate in Priaralie was 71%, and at the beginning of 2019, only 52.4%. By the end of 2023, 5,473 households were connected to water-supply networks, and water meters were installed for households free of charge. Construction of treatment facilities using modern standards is underway in the region.

Since December 2021, construction has been underway in several districts of the country on 10.73 kilometers of drinking-water supply and wastewater networks, and three wastewater treatment plants, with a projected cost of $3 million.

Construction of a wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters of water per day is ongoing in the city of Nukus, along with 16 pumping stations and wastewater disposal networks with a length of 88 kilometers. The projects are expected to increase the local population’s drinking water supply by more than 74% this year.