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Central Asia Weekly Review: Demarcation of Kazakh-Uzbek borders, Kyrgyz rally

9 August 2022 13:51 (UTC+04:00)
Central Asia Weekly Review: Demarcation of Kazakh-Uzbek borders, Kyrgyz rally

By Sabina Mammadli

Central Asia Weekly Review: 3-9 Aug 22

HIGHLIGHTS

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan agree on a draft treaty on the demarcation of state border

Supporters of Kyrgyz ex-president stage demo

Tajik servicemen to take part in "Marine Landing-2022" army games

Turkmenistan prepares for monkeypox

Uzbek President adopts law on civil service

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan agree on draft treaty on demarcation of state border

A regular meeting of the government delegations of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan at the joint Uzbek-Kazakhstan demarcation commission was held in Almaty from 25 July to 5 August.

During the negotiations, the parties completed the coordination of the text of the draft bilateral treaty on the demarcation of the Uzbek-Kazakh state border and the formation of a package of draft final documents for the border demarcation.

The next meeting will be held in Uzbekistan on the dates agreed through diplomatic channels.

Kazakhstan to increase student bursaries

The number of grants and financial support has increased in Kazakhstan, Kazakh media reports.

Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek noted that pursuant to the presidential task, the number of grants grew from 65,000 in 2020 to 88,000 in 2022.

Besides, the bursaries for students will also rise. Undergraduate students are set to receive KZT36,000 (75,46$), while PhD students will get KZT150,000 (314,41$).

The minister stressed that the student bursaries will double by 2025. The minister noted the main emphasis is made on the training of Master's Degree students (5.8%) and only 0.94% of Ph.D. students.

KYRGYZSTAN

Supporters of Kyrgyz ex-president stage demo

Supporters of former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev took to the streets to rally on the anniversary of the Koi-Tash events in Bishkek on August 8.

About 100 people gathered near the building of the Pervomaisky District Court.

The wife of the accused, Raisa Atambayeva, and ex-deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh, Irina Karamushkina, intervened in the dispute. After a short argument, the police gave in.

The protesters chanted: “Freedom to Atambayev!”

To recap, several criminal cases have been initiated against Almazbek Atambayev, including riots in the village of Koi-Tash on August 7-8, 2019, corruption, and money laundering. Last summer, he was charged with illegally issuing passports to Turkish citizens, as well as organizing mass riots in October 2020.

Kyrgyzstan starts testing 5G technology

Kyrgyz mobile operators were issued permission to test 5G technology.

It is expected that the introduction of 5G will give a new impetus to the development of modern technologies and communication infrastructure in general. This will speed up the pace of data transfer and the amount of traffic provided to consumers.

“In order to establish the conditions for the introduction of 5G, work has been carried out to release promising frequency bands from existing radio-electronic equipment, and pilot zones have been identified for testing 5G. To date, mobile operators that have received permission to test it have conducted the first test drive of the technology in Bishkek. Soon the citizens of Kyrgyzstan will be able to take advantage of 5G and appreciate all the benefits of new fifth-generation technologies,” the information said.

TAJIKISTAN:

Tajik servicemen to take part in "Marine Landing-2022" army games

A group of Tajik servicemen arrived in the Kaliningrad region of Russia to participate in the International Contest "Marine Landing-2022".

The contest will take place from August 13 to 27.

Teams from Venezuela, Iran, and Guinea also arrived in Kaliningrad.

After receiving weapons and military equipment, the personnel of foreign teams will study the sections of the competition route, as well as get acquainted with the target positions at the stage of preparation for participation in the international competition.

In the near future, the members of the teams will also have training sessions on combat training and on compliance with safety requirements upon meeting the standards of the competition at the training ground and track.

Tajikistan to pay for imported Russian oil products in rubles

Tajik companies import oil products (by 88.2%) from Russia for the Russian ruble, the country’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources has reported.

According to the ministry, for the five-month of 2022, the import of fuels from different countries has been recorded in a total volume of 480,162 tons, which is 65,500 tons more compared to the same period last year.

In addition, in January-June, more than 183,000 tons of liquefied gas were imported, and about 87% of the total volume was purchased in Kazakhstan for US dollars. Russia's share in the liquefied natural gas market is only 0.4%.

TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan preparing for monkeypox

Turkmenistan is taking countermeasures against the spread of monkeypox.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Medical Industry ordered to set up quarantine departments in dermatovenerological dispensaries to isolate patients with symptoms of an infectious disease.

Furthermore, separate zones for people arriving from abroad will be allocated in quarantine camps.

At the end of July, Russia sent monkeypox tests to Turkmenistan. The parties agreed to hand over the tests during President Serdar Berdimuhamedov's visit to Moscow on June 10-11.

Due to the lack of medical staff, the possibility of sending graduates of the medical university to practice in the infectious diseases departments of hospitals and skin care dispensaries is being discussed.

Turkmen President launches construction of motor bridge across Garabogaz Bay

Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part in the ceremony of laying the foundation of a new automobile bridge across the Garabogaz Bay, which will become part of the transport route connecting Turkmenistan with neighboring Kazakhstan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the president stressed that the new bridge, which will become an important part of the North-South route, will be of great importance not only for Turkmenistan but for the entire region.

“The new bridge will significantly increase the volume of trade, cargo, and passenger transportation between the eastern and northern regions of the country, as well as between neighboring states. It is designed to effectively serve the cargo carriers of Turkmenistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, and India, which will allow them to reach the countries of Northern and Eastern Europe in the shortest way, using sea, rail, and road transport,” Berdimuhamedov said.

A bridge with two-way two-lane traffic will be built on the highway running from Turkmenbashi through Garabogaz Bay to the border of Kazakhstan. Its total length will be 354 meters, width - 21 meters.

UZBEKISTAN

Uzbek president endorses law on civil service

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the law "On the State Civil Service". The document consists of 10 chapters and 64 articles.

This was reported in the press service of the Civil Service Development Agency.

As reported by local media, the senators discussed and approved the law "On the State Civil Service” at the twenty-sixth plenary session.

The norms of the law apply only to civil servants performing activities in positions subject to inclusion in the state register. The main powers of state bodies in the regulation of the state civil service are determined. In particular, the powers of the president, the Cabinet of Ministers, and other authorized state bodies in the field of civil service are specifically indicated.

In addition, the law creates a legal basis for the prevention of corruption offenses in the civil service, that is, it is clearly established that the activities of civil servants are evaluated on the basis of the key performance indicators (KPIs). Individuals who have committed corruption crimes are not admitted to the state civil service.

At the same time, the law stipulates that serving the people is one of the basic principles of state civil service.

Uzbekistan eyes new projects for expanding economic co-op with Central Asian states

The president of Uzbekistan held a meeting on expanding cooperation with the countries of Central Asia on August 8.

As reported in the press service of the president, partnership with the states of Central Asia is developing dynamically.

“Over the past five years, the volume of Uzbekistan's trade with them has increased 2.5 times and exceeded $6 billion. In our country, 1,700 enterprises have been opened with the participation of the capital of neighboring countries,” the message says.

During the meeting, new projects and proposals for expanding economic cooperation with the countries of Central Asia were discussed.

In addition, the issue of developing and maintaining a national rating of investment attractiveness of regions was considered in order to further develop small and medium-sized businesses in the country.

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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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