Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

Central Asia Weekly Review: 12-18 Oct 22

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kazakhstan, Belgium eye political, economic co-op
• Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan mark 30 years of diplomatic ties
• Putin agrees to present archive maps to help solve border disputes between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
• Tajik President urges CIS leaders to respond to growing challenges
• Uzbekistan, Turkiye agree on handing over prisoners to each other upon request

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan, Belgium eye political, economic co-op

Delegations of the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Belgium on October 17 discussed strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in political, trade, economic and cultural spheres.

The parties reviewed the fruitful partnerships between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations 30 years ago, and discussed prospects for further deepening mutually beneficial economic cooperation. They also discussed the organization of joint events, visits at the highest and high levels, and interaction within the framework of multilateral institutions.

Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko underlined that open dialogue established at the highest level plays an important role in promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Belgium.

Vassilenko proposed to promote partnership in the sphere of investment and invited Belgian businesses to participate in joint projects in priority sectors of the economy.

The consultations also focused on opportunities for further development of trade and economic cooperation.

Kazakhstan, Lithuania mull export potential

Kazakh Ambassador in Lithuania Viktor Temirbayev and Lithuanian Vice Mayor Vitalius Shershnevas spoke about the export and investment potential of Kazakhstan.

The Kazakh diplomat noted the benefits of doing business in the country, as well as political and socio-economic reforms initiated by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Particular attention was paid to the program of comprehensive modernization of the political system, including upcoming presidential elections.

Lithuania expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the field of agriculture, the textile industry, and ecotourism, and the Kazakh diplomat informed him of new opportunities for starting a business in his country.

KYRGYZSTAN

Three Kyrgyz banks suspend servicing Russian Mir cards

Three commercial banks in Kyrgyzstan have suspended servicing the Russian Mir payment system cards.

“In connection with the decision of the partner processing center, servicing of Mir cards in the devices of Kompanion Bank has been suspended since October 4, 2022,” Kyrgyz Kompanion Bank said in a statement.

Similarly, Bakai Bank and Doscredobank also announced their suspension of service of the said cards.

The remaining banks have not yet announced a change in the status of cooperation with the Mir system.

Putin agrees to present archive maps to help solve border disputes between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to provide Bishkek with archive Soviet-era maps to help resolve the ongoing dispute between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over segments of their border.

Security Council Secretary Marat Imankulov made the remarks to Birinchi Radio, commenting on the meeting of the leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia.

"I think the problem will be solved, as archive documents and maps can be retrieved in Moscow," Imankulov said. He recalled that the presidents met in Astana on the sidelines of the 6^th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

He noted that Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to help resolve the border issue with Tajikistan.

According to him, border problems arise due to the failure of the sides to demarcate and delimitate the borders in time.

“Therefore, our president turned to Vladimir Putin and asked for help in resolving this issue. The Russian side promised to study the materials of the two sides and give a final assessment later,” he said.

TAJIKISTAN

Tajik President urges CIS leaders to respond to growing challenges

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon called on the CIS member nations to take effective measures to jointly address increasing challenges and threats, including terrorism, extremism, illegal drug trafficking, cybercrime, and other manifestations of transnational organized crime.

He made the remarks while speaking at the session of the CIS Council of Heads of State that took place in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on October 14.

Tajik leader reportedly noted that despite the results achieved by the CIS member nations over the past thirty years, there are still obstacles and restrictions that impede further mutually beneficial development.

Rahmon also noted issues related to the influence of external factors on the economies and security of the countries, food and energy crises, climate change and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and consequences of conflicts in various countries of the world that could have an impact on regional and international security.

Tajikistan, Uzbekistan discuss bilateral ties

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed a wide range of issues of cooperation at the bilateral level, as well as within the framework of regional and international organizations.

The discussion took place in Astana as part of a meeting of the Council of Heads of the CIS Member States and the first Central Asia - Russia Summit.

Rahmon expressed satisfaction with the positive results of the development of partnership and allied relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and called the meeting an appropriate opportunity to discuss the state and prospects of friendship, cooperation, and good neighborliness.

During the meeting, the presidents discussed issues of expanding cooperation in priority and fruitful areas for the parties and named the full implementation of previously adopted agreements as a priority goal.

TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan mark 30 years of diplomatic ties

Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

During a bilateral meeting between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the Kazakh leader noted that the two countries enjoy an active and highly trustful political dialogue at a high level.

The meeting took place during Berdimuhamedov’s visit to the Kazakh capital where he attended the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State and the Central Asia – Russia Summit.

“It is symbolic that your state visit coincides with the anniversary milestone – 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Based on the centuries-long friendship of good neighborliness, and common cultural and historic ties, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have established solid and harmonic relationships, which serve as the example of interstate partnership,” Tokayev noted.

Turkmen-Singapore talks held in Astana

Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Singaporean Minister of the Office of the Prime Minister Mohamad Maliki bin Osman discussed topical issues of an international nature and bilateral cooperation.

The discussion was held during the Turkmen minister’s working visit to Kazakhstan.

In particular, the topic of cooperation in the field of education, agriculture, transport, investments, energy, and petrochemistry was touched upon.

The possibility of exchanging experience in the field of modern technologies was also considered.

The parties also noted the need to establish contacts between the business communities of Turkmenistan and Singapore.

UZBEKISTAN

Uzbekistan, Turkiye agree on swapping prisoners upon requests

A draft law “On the ratification of the agreement on the transfer of prisoners between Uzbekistan and Turkiye” was considered and adopted in the 3rd reading of the Uzbek parliament on October 18.

According to Uzbek Deputy Prosecutor-General Erkin Yuldoshev, an agreement was signed during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Uzbekistan in March 2022.

“This agreement, consisting of 24 articles, describes the procedure for transferring convicts who are serving a sentence in the territory of the contracting state that issued the sentence and who are citizens of another contracting state to the state where the sentence is executed,” Yuldoshev noted.

He added that a convict can be transferred from the territory of the party, where the sentence was issued to the territory of the party where the sentence is executed to serve the sentence (in full) or the rest of it. It was stressed that the sentence imposed on the convict is carried out based on the judgment of the court of the party where the sentence was issued.

Uzbekistan, Hungary discuss prospects for developing bilateral cooperation

Uzbek Investments and Foreign Trade Minister Jamshid Khodjayev and Hungarian Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy discussed prospects for the implementation of joint investment projects in the fields of agriculture, the automotive industry, pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, transport, and logistics.

During the videoconference, the sides also enhanced opinions on the practical aspects of the implementation of existing agreements, paying special attention to the analysis and development of measures for the accelerated execution of 42 documents signed between Uzbekistan and Hungary for a total of $1.2 billion.

Positive dynamics in the development of bilateral relations between the two countries were noted, which was greatly facilitated by the visit of the head of Uzbekistan to Hungary in early October.

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

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