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International Cooperation life and culture

Rome Hosts Third Central Asia + Italy Ministerial Meeting

On May 29, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani, and Foreign Affairs Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened at the 3rd Central Asia + Italy Ministerial Meeting in Rome. The wide-ranging agenda focused on identifying new areas and practical measures regarding cooperation between Italy and Central Asia in transportation, logistics, green energy, global connectivity, higher education, and the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. Calling for proactive collaboration in transport interconnectivity, energy, climate change, and education, Antonio Tajani commented: “Italy views with great interest the opportunities presented to Italian companies in Central Asia. Establishing a strategic partnership with Central Asian countries and strengthening economic and industrial cooperation in the fields of water resources, the environment, and higher education is a priority.” Over the past year, the Italian Government’s promotion of relations with Central Asian countries has been demonstrated by business forums involving Uzbekistan in June 2023, Kazakhstan in January, and most recently, Tajikistan in April. In line with a strategy to grow diplomatic activity conducted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the instigation of Minister Tajani, such initiatives aim to boost collaboration on regional projects concerning infrastructure, agriculture, machinery, and energy in Central Asia.

Healthcare Domestic Violence Justice life and culture Drug Abuse

One-Stop Service Center for Victims of Violence Opens in Kyrgyzstan

The first-ever One-Stop Service Center for Victims of Violence opened in Kyrgyzstan on May 28. Created through collaboration between the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the new center will provide critical support for survivors by integrating medical care, counselling, legal aid, and police investigation services under one roof, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan. As victims of violence often have difficulties accessing essential services and sometimes face negative societal attitudes, the One-Stop Service Center aims to empower survivors, improve access to justice, and create a safer environment. During the opening ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie said: “A thriving democratic and civil society is like a vibrant tapestry, woven together by the threads of strong relationships and communities. Gender-based violence, however, threatens to unravel this tapestry, weakening the bonds that hold our society together.”

Environment Cultural Heritage public transport life and culture

Campaign to Save Bishkek’s Trolleybuses

A campaign has been launched to prevent plans by the municipality of Bishkek to replace its trolleybuses with electric buses. According to a statement issued by the Bishkek municipality, “the issue of transferring trolleybuses along with their contact network and traction substations to the cities of Osh, Kara-Balta and Tokmok for their further operation there, is under consideration”. A key objection raised by the Save Bishkek Trolleybus campaign is that since the five proposed electric bus routes will simply replicate the existing trolleybus routes, the city will lose its existing network of environmentally- friendly public transport that introduced in the Soviet era, has been operating for many decades. The Save Bishkek Trolleybus has now launched an online petition to preserve its favoured mode of transport. According to the group behind the new initiative, the reason for abandoning the trolleybus network relates to the fact that one of the conditions of funding by the Asian Development Bank for electric public transport in Bishkek , was the replacement of trolleybus depots with new depots and substations to recharge electric buses. Kadyrbek Atambayev, leader of the Social Democratic faction in Bishkek’s City Council, argues that Bishkek’s trolleybus system should be developed, not eliminated. Regarding cost, he emphasizes that electric buses are four times more expensive than trolleybuses. The price of 100-120 electric buses along with charging stations is $50 million, while in 2017, 52 trolleybuses were purchased for 7 million euros. He also drew attention to the fact that operating batteries during Bishkek's cold winters would increase energy consumption and reduce the efficiency of electric buses. In his opinion, the liquidation of the trolleybus system would mean not only the loss of a convenient and affordable mode of public transport, but also the loss of a significant part of Bishkek’s cultural heritage.