Author: Leila Zhaparov

Continuing the timely implementation of the regional project “CASA-1000” was discussed during a meeting between Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Daler Juma, and Minister of Energy of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali, Trend reports. The discussion took place on the sidelines of the International Russian Energy Week Forum in Moscow. The negotiations centered around speeding up construction work within the “CASA-1000” project in Pakistan and launching the project in Afghanistan, utilizing various methods, including private sector engagement. Additionally, both parties explored the activities of the joint government commission, which next session will be held in Pakistan. The ministers focused on strengthening cooperation…

Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan Thursday, visiting abroad for the first time since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March Russian news agencies TASS, Interfax and RIA Novosti reported early Thursday morning that Putin had arrived in Kyrgyzstan. He is due to meet his Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov and to take part in a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States with his Belarus ally Alexander Lukashenko and other regional leaders. The long-time leader has rarely left Russia since launching the Ukraine offensive in February 2022. This year, he has travelled only to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, with his last…

Kyrgyzstan is a reliable partner of Irkutsk region, Irkutsk region governor Igor Kobzev said at the 10th Kyrgyz-Russian interregional conference in Jalal-Abad. Trade between Irkutsk region and Kyrgyzstan grew more than 2.5 times compared to the previous year. Irkutsk region exports chemicals, paper, electric machines and equipment, lumber, cardboard to Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan exports trucks, off-road vehicles, food products to Irkutsk region. Source : Akipress

Israel has not only been the victim of a vicious and despicable terrorist attack. It is also the victim of a brazenly cynical move to disrupt the international stage and subvert tranquility in the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian powder keg conveniently served to add yet another full scale crisis putting even further pressure on a global order already strained to breaking point. Although no concrete evidence exists of any involvement in the attacks, Russia stands to gain the most from this extra flash point on the world map, as violence and war in the Middle East distracts from Putin’s unjustified…

The Central Asian region should serve as a link between North and South, West and East, while enhancing its transportation and communication potential and the opportunities for access to seaports, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov said, Trend reports. This statement was made during the 5th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Dushanbe. Japarov highlighted that to eliminate barriers and improve border crossing and transit procedures between states, only political will is needed. “As just one example, it is the recent opening of two border crossings between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, which has significantly increased the flow of citizens…

The EU has the potential to contribute to the digital transformation of Central Asia by leveraging its comparative strengths. In recent years, digital technologies have emerged as pivotal factors that possess the power to fundamentally reshape not only the dynamics of competition but also the geopolitical balance of power. Their exponential proliferation has also transformed the lives of people around the globe, opening doors to unparalleled prospects for sustainable development, as well as ushering in potential risks that demand careful consideration. In late 2022, the European Union (EU) declared the commencement of the Global Gateway flagship initiatives, one of which focused on…

Long-reliant on hydropower to keep its power grid up and running, Kyrgyzstan is grappling with nationwide electricity shortages so severe that the government declared a three-year energy emergency that took effect on August 1. In seeking to build its power-generating capacity, Kyrgyz authorities also want to push forward with long-held plans for a series of new hydropower plants (HPP) along the Naryn River, with Bishkek signing a memorandum of understanding and an investment agreement with a consortium of Chinese companies on July 27. Few details were revealed about the newly inked Kazarman project, which will consist of a cascade of multiple HPPs…

As Bishkek announces a three-year energy emergency, newly announced Chinese energy projects provide some hope – but when, and at what cost? On August 1, amid a hot summer and the looming shadow of another winter to come, a decree signed by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov last week declaring a three-year energy emergency went into effect. The government deemed urgent measures necessary to “bring the Kyrgyz Republic out of the energy crisis associated with climate challenges, low water inflow in the Naryn River basin, [and a] lack of generating capacity in the face of rapidly outstripping growth in energy consumption.”…

Copenhagen, Berlin (11/8 – 42) The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted severe restrictions imposed by the Tajikistani government on religious freedom during a virtual hearing on July 20, 2023. The commission expressed grave concern over the intensified persecution targeting the Pamiri Ismaili Muslim population of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). Source: https://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/religious-freedom-tajikistan-policy-options-country-particular-concern A Pattern of Repression Since 2009, Tajikistan has enacted a complex web of laws to monitor, control, and restrict religious practices. Not only are women and children under 18 prohibited from attending public religious services, but unregistered religious communities are also denied the right to…

As consequences loom, Kyrgyz officials have moved quickly to acknowledge, rather than deny, allegations of sanctions evasion and promise action Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS) said in a statement on July 20 that private Kyrgyz companies may be involved in sanctions evasion but that the state, and state-owned companies, are not. Kyrgyz government officials also pledged to take measures to investigate and stop such activities. The SCNS, Kyrgyzstan’s intelligence and security agency, made its statement as focus intensifies on Kyrgyzstan as a route around sanctions on Russia. In late June, RFE/RL released an investigative report that found Kyrgyz and…