TCA Interviews - The Times Of Central Asia

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CICA

Kazakhstan Proposes a Preventive Diplomacy Mechanism for CICA

Kazakhstan’s proposal to establish a preventive diplomacy mechanism presents the Asian forum with a specific task: determining who, with whose consent, and through what procedures can help reduce tensions before they escalate into open conflict. On October 15, 2026, at the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed launching a preventive diplomacy mechanism. The initiative came amid efforts to transform CICA into a full-fledged international organization and make its activities more practical. However, the proposed mechanism’s process for requesting assistance, powers, funding, and operating procedures were not detailed in the summit announcement. For Central Asia, crisis prevention has direct practical significance. Disagreements over water use, transit restrictions, or disruptions to cross-border infrastructure can affect several countries simultaneously. Even a technical problem can take on a political dimension if the parties lack agreed-upon information and have no way to discuss the situation quickly. Preventive diplomacy is useful at a stage when there is still room for agreement, but routine working contacts are no longer sufficient. CICA already has a foundation for such work. Its activities are based on sovereign equality, noninterference, and consensus-based decision-making. The Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures covers military-political, economic, environmental, and human issues, as well as new challenges and threats. Its agenda includes transport corridors, energy security, and cooperation in the digital sphere. Discussions on crisis prevention can therefore be linked to existing areas of cooperation. As Aigerim Bakhtiyarova, deputy director of the Institute of Applied Research and Analytics at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted in comments to The Times of Central Asia, differences in the foreign policy doctrines and geopolitical positions of CICA member states do not diminish their shared interest in regional security. “Today, strategic predictability has become a very rare but very important condition for multilateral partnership, essential for peace, stability, and development,” the expert said. In her assessment, even countries engaged in open rivalry have an interest in maintaining channels of communication that can prevent conflicts from spreading and limit the associated economic and humanitarian costs. However, a shared interest in preventing conflicts does not necessarily mean that states are prepared to grant additional powers to a multilateral mechanism. The principle of consensus creates conditions for trust while also setting limits on the future mechanism. When members’ interests diverge, agreeing on a collective position may take longer than the pace of a developing crisis allows. Therefore, in developing the initiative, it is important to determine which actions require a separate decision by all member states and which can be carried out under a previously agreed mandate, at the request and with the consent of the parties directly concerned. The following are possible approaches to implementing the proposal, rather than announced components of the mechanism. One realistic option could be a system of national contact points authorized to receive requests for urgent consultations. Their task would be to quickly connect the...

TCA Interviews

Kazakhstan’s Education Chief Turns to Sci-Fi to Explain His AI Vision

As Kazakhstan’s 2026 academic year began, The Times of Central Asia spoke with Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education, in Astana. Drawing on science fiction films and novels, Nurbek discussed how universities can embrace AI while protecting students’ independent thinking. He also reflected on human agency and the limits of technology. TCA: A new academic year brings new challenges for you and your team in this age of AI. On your website, you write: “It does not matter how long you spend on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters….” With this in mind, what are your priorities as Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education as AI reshapes the field? Nurbek: My priority is students who are fully alive, not just fully efficient. AI can handle the routine, so Kazakhstan’s universities must protect what machines can’t: curiosity, imagination, judgment, critical thinking, and character. Technology should serve growth in these areas, never replace them. Success isn’t output; it’s lives that radiate something positive. AI is a tool, and tools cut both ways. We’re welcoming AI into higher education with open eyes and high standards. I want students who think for themselves, use AI wisely, and own their personal sovereignty, if you will. I do not want self-absorbed people who forget about others, society, and the nation. AI is powerful and easy to abuse, so Kazakhstan nurtures critical thinking, curiosity, and creativity in the AI age. I will use Sci-fi movies and novels to help me explain why. TCA: Certainly. What do you mean by students need to “own their sovereignty”? Nurbek: Education in Kazakhstan is about building minds and virtue, not just collecting answers and performing tasks. If AI does the writing, problem-solving, and summarizing, our students may get an answer without learning how to find solutions. Real understanding comes from the effort to learn. It comes from struggle, doubt, revision, failure, sharing, steadfastness, patience, starting again, and, yes, celebrating success. That’s why it’s key for Kazakhstan’s universities to set clear boundaries and teach students when and how to use AI. AI can undermine learning if it replaces their own thinking. AI should support thought, not substitute for it. TCA: What are your thoughts about the impact of AI on learning? Nurbek: Used ethically, AI is a huge opportunity for Kazakhstan. The world is racing to adopt it, so our universities can’t ignore it, but they mustn’t swallow the hype or miss the dangers. A PISA 2025 study found that students who use AI to summarize or draft score noticeably lower in science, by roughly a year of schooling. That is a correlation, though, not proof of causation. Other studies find AI users shine in practice, then stumble horribly on exams. TCA: So, it seems you have mixed feelings about the introduction of AI? Nurbek: The PISA data tells us more. Students who regularly use AI...

Assistive Technology

Teen in Kazakhstan Develops AI Sign Language Translator

Fifteen-year-old Sanzhar Yerezhepov is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) translator to make online information more accessible to deaf people in Kazakhstan. Called Tusin (“Understand”), the platform converts speech and text into lifelike sign language videos that reproduce facial expressions as well as hand movements. Yerezhepov attends Daryn, a specialized school for gifted children in Kokshetau, northern Kazakhstan. A boarding school for children with hearing and speech impairments is located nearby. Watching its students communicate in sign language made him wonder how easily they could access information online, giving him the idea for Tusin. Yerezhepov is from Shiyeli, a small village in Kazakhstan’s Burabay district. Neither of his parents works in science or IT. He is now working with the Kazakhstan Society of the Deaf to test an early version of Tusin and says five organizations have expressed willingness to work with him. The project reached the semifinals of an IT competition at Astana Hub, Kazakhstan’s international technology park for startups. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Yerezhepov explains why translating into sign language is more complicated than adding subtitles. He discusses the medical startup he put on hold and what he hopes to change in Kazakhstan’s education system. TCA: Tusin translates online content into sign language, but many videos already have subtitles. Why are those sometimes not enough for deaf viewers? Yerezhepov: For some deaf people, especially those whose primary language is sign language, understanding written text can be difficult. First, subtitles are not always available in a language they are comfortable with. They are often automatically generated and do not convey information accurately. Second, sign language has its own grammar and structure. So even someone living in Kazakhstan may have difficulty understanding subtitles in Kazakh or Russian. Many deaf people can read subtitles fluently, but others need sign language translation. TCA: Isn’t sign language the same around the world? Yerezhepov: No. Different countries use different sign languages. There is no single universal sign language that everyone on Earth understands. TCA: So which sign language is used in Kazakhstan? Yerezhepov: Kazakhstan, like some other former Soviet countries, uses Russian Sign Language. We do not have a separate Kazakh Sign Language, although some signs have been adapted. TCA: How do you teach artificial intelligence to understand and reproduce signs? Who checks its work? Yerezhepov: We work with representatives of the Akmola branch of the Kazakhstan Society of the Deaf and with sign language interpreters. Together, we examine each sign, check how accurately it is reproduced, and analyze the results. We have already demonstrated our technology to deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and they understand what the platform communicates. TCA: A sign can change meaning depending on the situation. How does Tusin handle that? Yerezhepov: Quite well, although we are still working on it. The same sign can have different meanings depending on the context. That is exactly the problem we are addressing with artificial intelligence, which can take context into account and determine what is being communicated. Our platform...

Book Launch

Farewell to Russia: An Interview with Joe Luc Barnes on Central Asia’s Changing Role

In Moscow, before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Joe Luc Barnes met residents who distrusted their government but believed its assurances that war was not coming. The shock that followed opens his book, Farewell to Russia: A Journey Through the Former USSR. Barnes, a journalist, editor and contributor to The Times of Central Asia, has visited all 15 former Soviet republics since February 2022. His book explores how people have built their lives since independence, and how deeply Russia remains woven into them. Speaking to TCA, Barnes recalls meeting rural residents in Central Asia who were more supportive of Russia than their urban, Russian-speaking counterparts. He also reflects on why Russia remains a destination for young people seeking opportunities, despite the discrimination many face there. TCA: At the start of the book, you describe Muscovites’ conviction that Russia would not invade Ukraine. What sustained that certainty, and how did people respond when events shattered it? Joe Luc Barnes: I think it was mainly down to people not wanting to believe it. The amazing thing is that Muscovites (and Russians at large, in my experience) are fully aware that their government is full of crooks whom they wouldn’t trust with anything, but simultaneously most of them are in lockstep with the Kremlin’s foreign policy position. The war started just as Russia was trying to get the country vaccinated against Covid. In the end, the government struggled to persuade even 50% of people to have a single dose of the vaccine, but meanwhile those same people were sure the Kremlin was telling the truth when it said that its soldiers were massing on Ukraine’s borders as part of “routine exercises”. When the war did begin and that illusion collapsed, the main reaction was shock. For the first few days, there was a kind of numbness over the city. Many people had friends or relatives in Ukraine; others were stunned that something they had been denying had actually come to pass. Many in their 20s or 30s were disgusted with their government and began to look for a way out of the country. But people were generally focused on looking after themselves – worrying about things like finances, getting money out of their bank accounts, things like that. I think there was also a belief among many that it would be a short war. When I left Russia in March 2022, I don’t think I, or anyone around me, expected the war to still be raging four and a half years later. [caption id="attachment_58058" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Lenin still stands in Bishkek, though not on his original plinth. Image: Joe Luc Barnes[/caption] TCA: Your title suggests a departure from Russia. Where in Central Asia did that feel most real, and where did everyday life complicate the idea? Joe Luc Barnes: I think in urban Central Asia, you can often feel like you’re in a Russian city. People speak Russian, you get around using Yandex Taxi, your mobile provider is Beeline, and architecturally you still...

TCA Interviews

Goethe-Institut Director on Kazakhstan’s Cultural Ties with Germany

What does genuine intercultural dialogue look like in an interconnected yet polarized world? The Times of Central Asia spoke with Friederike van Stephaudt, director and head of cultural programs at the Goethe-Institut in Kazakhstan, about cultural relations between Germany and Kazakhstan. She discussed literary translation and how young people’s interest in studying or working in Germany can develop into lasting cultural connections. TCA: When you came to lead the Goethe-Institut in Kazakhstan, what aspects of the country’s culture and society particularly interested you? Friederike van Stephaudt: What fascinated me from the very beginning was Kazakhstan’s unique position at the intersection of tradition and modernity. The country combines a rich nomadic heritage with rapid urban development and a strong orientation toward the future. I was also struck by the diversity of cultural influences that have shaped Kazakhstan throughout its complex and multidimensional history. Different communities, languages, memories, and traditions coexist and interact here, creating a cultural landscape that is both dynamic and deeply layered. For me, Kazakhstan is a place where questions about identity, belonging, and cultural transformation are constantly being negotiated, which makes it an incredibly interesting environment to live and work in. TCA: How would you assess the current state of cultural relations between Germany and Kazakhstan? What changes have you observed in these relations in recent years? Friederike van Stephaudt: I would describe the cultural relations between Germany and Kazakhstan as lively, productive, and based on genuine mutual interest. What I particularly appreciate is that cultural exchange today is no longer understood as a one-way transfer of knowledge or artistic practices. There is a strong desire on both sides to learn from one another. While Germany and Kazakhstan often approach cultural, social, or artistic questions from different perspectives, we also discover many similarities and shared concerns. Topics such as social transformation, memory, sustainability, inclusion, and digitalization are relevant in both countries. Over recent years, I have observed a growing openness toward collaborative formats that allow artists, cultural professionals, and institutions to work together as equal partners. TCA: The Goethe-Institut’s mission is not limited to promoting the German language; it also aims to foster dialogue between cultures. In Kazakhstan, which of these two areas are you currently prioritizing? Friederike van Stephaudt: For us, these two areas cannot really be separated. We do not prioritize one over the other because language and cultural dialogue are closely interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Learning a language always means engaging with another culture. It offers access to different perspectives, ways of thinking, and forms of expression. At the same time, meaningful cultural exchange becomes much richer when people can communicate directly with one another. This is why we see language promotion and intercultural dialogue as two sides of the same coin, and our work aims to strengthen both equally. TCA: How strong is the interest in learning German in Kazakhstan? Have the motivations and aspirations of young people who want to learn German changed in recent years? Friederike van Stephaudt: Interest in learning German...

Kyrgyz Film

The Filmmakers Behind Kanjar on Action and Cultural Heritage

A stolen dagger drives the action in Kanjar, a Kyrgyz thriller that explores the loss of cultural heritage. Director and screenwriter Adilet Akmatov draws on his experience as a stunt performer and fight choreographer to bring the story to the screen. Co-producer and actor Mohamed Hamad Haymour took a different route into the project. Born in Canada to Lebanese parents, he moved to Kyrgyzstan with his wife intending to open a restaurant. A meeting with Akmatov led him into filmmaking and his first feature-film role, playing a villain. Following a preview screening, Akmatov and Haymour spoke to Shahsanem Murray about the film and their work together. TCA: Adilet, what drew you to make this film? Adilet Akmatov: Now a director and screenwriter, I have hands-on experience as a stunt performer, choreographing fight scenes, operating cameras, and editing. For me, a movie never starts with a genre; it starts with a story and an emotion. I love genre cinema, but a human theme should always remain at the core of the action, adventure, or thriller. This film is exactly that kind of film. It is an action thriller, but it also addresses memory, responsibility, and human choice. TCA: What inspired your screenplay? Adilet Akmatov: First and foremost, I was intrigued by the concept of a historical artifact. More than a mere object, it represents a fragment of a nation’s heritage. At one point in the script, one of my characters says: “This dagger has outlasted dynasties, wars, and migrations, absorbing the memory of several generations.” I was fascinated to see how I could develop a story that would prompt audiences to question the significance of such ancient objects in their understanding of the world and their place in it. In the plot, a dagger is stolen and, against all odds, must be retrieved. But beneath the surface, I wanted to explore what happens to people and, indeed, society at large, when memory is treated as a commodity to be bought and sold. That is the root of the conflict that runs through the film. TCA: How did you approach working with the cast? Adilet Akmatov: On my set, there is no division between stars and lesser-known actors. There is only a shared objective. Trust is paramount, especially in an action movie. Action is not just about thrilling movements; it requires precision, discipline, and a deep understanding of your partner. If one person slips up for even a second, it can directly impact someone else. Therefore, I always try to find common ground with the actors first, to understand their personalities and capabilities, and only then do I choreograph the scene. It is imperative that when an actor executes a staged movement, they truly understand why their character is doing it. Each of the male characters in the film is an individual in his own right. I did not want to create a generic mass of ‘bad guys’. Each has his own perspective on the situation and his own limit of how...