Author: Yermek Ericov

For many years, Tajikistan has been gravely affected by drug trafficking. At least 15-20 tons of opium and between 75 and 80 metric tons of heroin are smuggled into the country each year from Afghanistan either for local consumption or for transfer to Russia and Europe. Despite an official Tajik government policy to fight illicit drug trafficking in cooperation with foreign governments and international organizations, trafficking continues to increase. The volume of drug transit through Tajikistan is now equivalent to 30 percent of the country’s GDP. So far, the success of domestic Tajik policies and international assistance has been minimal. Trafficking is a product of numerous complex…

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Friends who are old faces and friends in high places: Kazakhstan’s former leader Nursultan Nazarbaev has proven in recent months that he still has both. Does that mean the 83-year-old is mulling a political comeback? Kazakh officials loyal to his successor, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, are keen to dispel the notion. But the very fact that they are feeling the need to comment on the idea is indicative of the interest — and, in some quarters, alarm — sparked by the ex-president’s recent return to the national news cycle.The first week of January will mark the second anniversary of…

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 13. First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar has met with Vice President for Marketing of South Korean Doosan Enerbility Yunho Yang, Trend reports. Yunho Yang from Doosan Enerbility offered recommendations for future energy cooperation during the meeting whcih enatils the establishment in Kazakhstan of manufacturing facilities for the assembly of generators, waste heat boilers, and wind turbines, as well as a competence center for technology transfer. According to Roman Sklyar, Kazakhstan and South Korea are strategic partners. These investment ideas will provide even more incentive for the countries to enhance cooperation and mutually beneficial relationships. Korea is one…

Ruhollah Latifi said that Iran exported non-oil commodities worth $104.412 million to Kazakhstan in the seven-month period of this year. He also announced that Iran imported commodities valued at $42.882 million from Kazakhstan during the first seven months of this year, with 51 percent drop year on year. The value of Iran-Kazakhstan annual trade also rose 20 percent in the past year. During a meeting between the former Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie and Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebayev, in late April, the two sides discussed the ways…

Valencia, Turin, Madrid (28/11 – 25) Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia retained his MotoGP world title with many records; there are nevertheless signs that the Ducati rider will face sterner competition next season. The Italian rider won the 2023 season-ending MotoGP Grand Prix in Valencia on Sunday to clinch his second world title in a row. The protege of Valentino Rossi becomes the third rider to take back-to-back MotoGP titles since the introduction of the class in 2002. Only Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez previously managed to do that. Bagnaia is the first rider to successfully race and defend #1 in the…

ASTANA – 2023 has witnessed a multitude of health crises from extreme climate conditions to wars, which have rendered healthcare inaccessible for a significant portion of the population, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in an interview with The Astana Times.  The world does not have a moment to lose. “2023 was a year of many health challenges in the region, from extreme heat to floods to the war in Ukraine to the refugee crisis in Armenia to the persistent and ongoing health worker shortages and the rising cost of living, making healthcare unaffordable for many…

For over a decade, Kazakhstan has been experiencing a brain drain of skilled and educated workers in many key industries. This may be starting to change. Kazakhstan’s economic growth, propelled by oil and gas, has slowed in part from fluctuations in global commodity prices. The government has attempted to diversify the economy to promote sustainable growth. But inadequate tertiary education has left a massive skills deficit, while many skilled workers have sought greener pastures abroad. Kazakh officials have attempted to stem the brain drain with policies like the Bolashak programme, which provided scholarships to Kazakhs to acquire skills at foreign…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan qualified for the knockout stage in the International Chess Federation World Women’s Team Championship (FIDE WWTC) 2023 with four wins, FIDE’s press service reported on Sept. 8. On day one of the WWTC, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Meruert Kamalidenova outplayed their Egyptian opponents, while Xeniya Balabayeva and Alua Nurmanova ended their games in a draw, bringing Kazakhstan the first victory with a 3:1 score. In the second round, Kazakhstan defeated India with a decisive win of Amina Kairbekova on the fourth board. After beating France on the second day of the WWTC, Kazakhstan’s team scored their fourth victory…

ASTANA – In the first half of 2023, net profit of the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) grew 64.3% to 23 billion tenge ($49.7 million), compared to the same period last year, the company’s press service reported on Aug. 17. KEGOC’s operating income made up 114.4 billion tenge ($247.5 million), growing 11.3% by 11.5 million tenge ($24,889), ten million tenge ($21,642) of which was contributed by increased tariffs and volumes for regulated services. Income from electricity transmission totaled 80 billion tenge ($173.1 million), from electricity dispatching – 16.8 billion tenge ($36.3 million), from balancing organization – 10.6 billion tenge…

Brussels (21/08 – 30) US President Joe Biden invited Central Asian leaders to a summit in the US. The American leader expressed hope to discuss the continuation of joint work and common goals in the second half of September. “I look forward to the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly, where we will make progress on the most important issues in the lives of our peoples,” Biden wrote in the invitation letter. Within the framework of the UN General Assembly, a summit of the leaders of the countries of Central Asia and the United States (CA5 + 1) is…