Author: Sabyr Sheraliev

In this week’s EurasiaChat podcast, co-presenters Peter Leonard and Alisher Khamidov turned their attention to the question of the recent visit of a Taliban business delegation to Kazakhstan. When the militant group seized power in Kabul in 2021, it caused palpable alarm across Central Asia. But that anxiety quickly dissipated, as the continued emphasis on economic ties has shown. Bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan last year rose to $1 billion, twice as much as in 2021. Astana says it wants that figure to rise to $3 billion. As Alisher noted, this normalization approach is something that is being seen among across the whole…

The government of Kyrgyzstan has allocated 13.5 billion soms ($261.181 million) from the republican budget in 2023 to support the development of the country’s agriculture sector, Trend reports. According to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, an initial sum of 5.6 billion soms ($108.341 million) has already been disbursed for various agricultural initiatives in the first half of 2023. The allocated funds are planned to be directed towards several key areas within the agricultural sector, with the aim of boosting productivity and ensuring food security. Advancement of seed production and financial support for farmers engaged in livestock farming, crop cultivation, and…

Askhat Zhumagali, chairman of the Anti-Corruption Agency, said that Antikor plans to return $300 million to Kazakhstan from abroad, Khabar 24 TV channel reports . The head of Antikora spoke about the agency’s plans to return assets illegally withdrawn from the country in the Interview program. According to Askhat Zhumagali, the money will go to the state treasury in one of the criminal cases. The head of the department noted that through joint efforts, state bodies have already returned more than 850 billion tenge to the budget of the republic. All finances will go to the construction of schools and…

Highly toxic pathogenesis of the bubonic plague has been found in the western Mongolian province of Zavkhan, local media reported on Saturday, citing the country’s National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD). “The NCZD received a report early this month that a large number of marmots have been dying mysteriously in Erdenekhairkhan soum (administrative subdivision) of the province. Experts of the center collected samples from the dead marmots and found highly toxic pathogenesis of the bubonic plague in the samples,” the NCZD said, urging the public not to hunt marmots or eat marmot meat. Though hunting marmots is illegal in Mongolia,…

From 19 to 21 July, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), in close co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek (POiB) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, conducted an OSCE Training-of-Trainers course on implementing intelligence-led policing in Kyrgyzstan. This course provided 20 participants (5 women, 15 men) from national and regional law enforcement authorities with the knowledge and expertise to instruct colleagues in the practical application of intelligence-led policing (ILP). ILP remains the most widely recognized approach to policing that combines analysis, foresight, prioritization and planning to create a more proactive and effective decision-making…

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic, together with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has developed a strategic plan for the development of a fruit cluster in the country, Azernews reports, citing Kabar. According to the ministry, the main concept for the development of the fruit cluster is to strengthen the relationship between the main components of the value chain of the fruit industry, including farmers, processors and its auxiliary components, including research and government institutions. In other words, the fruit cluster development strategy includes the concept that those who are involved in the production, processing and distribution…

Banks of Armenia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan have stopped cooperating with the Russian Unistream payment system after the US imposed blocking sanctions against it. Details: It is noted that Armenian banks, including Ardshinbank, Armeconombank and Evocabank, announced the termination of money transfers through Unistream. Bank of Georgia suspended transfers among Georgian banks. The Russian payment system also stopped working among the Kyrgyz banks Kompanion Bank and DemirBank, Asia Alliance Bank and Aiyl Bank. Quote: “FINCA Bank stated that it has suspended the issuance and sending of funds through Unistream in dollars and euros, while the restriction does not apply to the…

Brussels, Frankfurt (16/6 – 33) The European Union declared late last year that it intended to investigate how Russia acquired so-called “kamikaze drones” from the Islamic Republic of Iran, for battlefield deployment. While the production of these game-changing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was not reported until after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, numerous media claim the Russian military is deploying Iranian-made Geran-2 drones on the battlefield. This was confirmed through analysis of fragments from Russian Geran-2 drones shot down by Ukrainian forces; experts conclude that these UAVs are identical to the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones produced by Iran. While the West…

President Sadyr Japarov has signed the law on ratification of the grant agreement on Electricity Sector Modernization and Sustainability Project between the Kyrgyz Republic, International Bank of Reconstruction and Development, International Development Association. The agreement was signed on January 31, 2023 in Bishkek. The Ministry of Finance will inform the International Development Association about implementation of internal procedures by Kyrgyzstan necessary for entry of the given agreement into force. The law becomes effective 10 days after its official publication. The law was passed by the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan on May 25, 2023. Source: AKIpress

Rahmon’s war against the Ismaili. Dubai (5/7 – 75) The government of Tajikistan’s campaign against the operations of a charitable organization funded by the Agha Khan, the spiritual leader of the country’s Ismaili minority, has intensified over the past few weeks. In the most recent development, the authorities have revoked the license of the Aga Khan Lycée in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO. A source at the Aga Khan Foundation told Eurasianet that June 30 was the last day that the secondary school would operate under its aegis. The Aga Khan Development Network, the umbrella…