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Tashkent Announces International Contest to Design New Entrance Gates

The city authority (hokimiyat) of Tashkent has announced the start of an international competition to develop a sketch concept for four entrance gates to the capital of Uzbekistan. The new gates will be created at the Rohat, Bektemir, Erkin, and Uchkahramon posts. The project should embody modern and traditional ideas, with construction planned to begin by the end of this year. The competition is open to both Uzbek and international participants, and those wishing to participate can submit their works individually or in teams. The three best works will receive cash prizes from 30 to 100 million UZS ($2,350 to $7,800). The winner will be announced on November 30. Until the 19th century, Tashkent was surrounded by a mighty fortress wall divided by 12 gates. At first, the fortress of Binkenta (the former name of Tashkent) had seven gates, but with the city's expansion by 1864, their number reached 12. Since the shape of the city wall coincided with the system of stars, the gates were built according to the location of 12 stars of the Zodiac according to the cycle of Muchal. Thus, 12 gates were the earthly reflection of heavenly luminaries. Tashkent was the only city in the world with such celestial gates. These gates were destroyed, and the fortress wall was demolished in the late 19th century. But in recent years, there have been repeated ideas to restore part of the entrance gates. In June 2022, the Tashkent hokimiyat presented the first sketches for the fortress gates.

Uzbekistan Opens Strategic Highway Link to Europe

A 240km section of the Kungrad-Beineu highway in Uzbekistan has been reopened after reconstruction. The road runs through Uzbekistan’s northwestern region of Karakalpakstan to the border with Kazakhstan. It is part of a strategic highway corridor connecting Uzbekistan with European countries. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that the distance of international transportation through Uzbekistan will now be reduced to 1,000 kilometers, and transportation costs will be lowered by 25 percent. “This road will become part of the logistics network reliably connecting our country with European markets through the Caspian and Black Sea ports. On this section of the international corridor "A-380" that passes through Uzbekistan, the daily traffic flow will increase threefold,” Mirziyoyev noted. In recent years, double-landlocked Uzbekistan has been striving to become a key transit hub in trade turnover between the EU and Turkey and Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.

Eurasian Fund for Stability and Development to Fund Renovation of Tajikistan’s Roads

The Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) has announced that it will allocate funds to renovate Tajikistan's main roads. The work will involve construction of 51 anti-avalanche galleries, extending to over 5,200 meters, in vulnerable sections of Tajikistan’s highways. Established in 2009 to operate in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, the EFSD promotes economic and financial stability in these countries to support their sustainable development. The Times of Central Asia has previously reported that the EFSD's financing of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant is one of the main risks to Tajikistan’s budget and debt sustainability. Analysts from the fund have emphasized that “in the face of uncertainty regarding funding sources, starting in 2025, the government of Tajikistan may have additional needs for budgetary support from international financial organizations.”

Airport Opens in Talas, Kyrgyzstan

Following its year-long reconstruction, Talas airport in north-west Kyrgyzstan reopened on 21 May. Built in 1979 to receive planes and helicopters, the airport had not been operational since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The facility now has a runway that adheres to international standards and a terminal which can accommodate 100 passengers per hour. Speaking at the launch, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov stated that the reconstruction in Talas marked a significant step in progressing the government’s plans to resume air communication with the country’s regions through the revival of several redundant airports. Construction of terminals is currently underway at international airports in the city of Karakol and the village of Tamchy in the Issyk-Kul region. The runway at the Naryn regional airport is under repair and the reconstruction of the runways at airports in Kazarman, Kerben, and Batken in the south, are nearing completion.  

Floods in Kazakhstan: Affected Citizens Make Demands to the Authorities

The situation with floods in several regions of Kazakhstan remains critical. In Atyrau region, it has already acquired the character of a political crisis; in the city of Kulsary, since May 15, residents, dissatisfied with the amount of compensation offered have continued to speak out. On May 20, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the RK provided operational information on the flood situation. In Petropavlovsk, work on pumping out the remaining flooded 29 territories continue. During the day 153,320 cubic meters were pumped out. Due to the stabilization of flood situation in general, work in the region also involved rescuers from Almaty, Abay, Ulytau, Akmola, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar and Turkestan regions. In Atyrau region 66,770 cubic meters of water were pumped out from flooded areas, whilst around-the-clock monitoring of the water level of the River Zhaiyk and additional bank reinforcement works were undertaken in Atyrau and Makhambet districts. "Disinfection work is being carried out in drained houses and territories. Over the past six days, the units of radiation, chemical and biological protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the villages of Teplichnoye, Olshanka, Sokolovka, Vishnevka, Beskol, Pribrezhnoye of Kyzylzhar district of North Kazakhstan region disinfected 307 houses in the city of Kulsary of Atyrau region and some 165,000 square meters," officials stated. Some 61,348 evacuated people have returned to their homes, whilst 5,460 remain in temporary accommodation centers. About 22.4 million cubic meters of water from 11,319 private residences and 3,593-yard territories have been drained. Nevertheless, the water level in the River Zhaiyk remains at a critical level. In this regard, Kazakhstan continues to reduce spending on hospitality events, and today the International IT Forum Digital Bridge 2024, which was to be held from September 5-7 in Astana, was canceled. The organizers of Digital Bridge - the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the international technology park Astana Hub - reported that given favorable circumstances, it will resume its work in 2025. Last week, on May 15, residents in the town of Kulsary went to the building of the district Akimat (local authority) to demand compensation in the amount of 400,000 tenge ($905) per square meter of flooded houses. On May 16, eyewitnesses reported that outraged residents were still outside the Akimat having pitched tents and blocked the central street. Internet outages were observed in the city. On May 17, Atyrau Oblast Akim Serik Shapkenov arrived in Kulsary, where he said that when assessing the damage and determining the amount of compensation, many parameters were considered, from the quality of building materials, "down to the number of doors in the house... Now the average compensation per square meter when recognizing a house unfit for habitation is about 200-240,000 tenge per square meter ($540)," - he stated. Following the results of the tour, the head of the region instructed the Akim of the district to strengthen their explanatory work when familiarizing residents with the results of the assessment. On May 18, President...