Author: Aiza Mamataliev

After graduating from medical school, Salomat had to settle for working as a masseuse at a Dushanbe beauty salon because hospitals in Tajikistan don’t allow the Islamic hijab, which she wears. “I had to choose between my career and my faith, and I chose the latter,” says Salomat, who didn’t want to give her full name. “I did remove my hijab in college because I thought that was temporary. But a career is for life.” Thousands of women in Tajikistan have faced similar choices in recent years as the staunchly secular government in Dushanbe has been increasingly cracking down on…

Since the beginning of the week, the Russian ruble has depreciated by 30-40 tyiyns and become cheaper than the Kyrgyz som. Today, the capital’s exchange offices and commercial banks buy the ruble for 0.945-0.955 soms and sell for 0.97-0.99 soms. The nominal exchange rate was set by the National Bank at 0.9698 soms (1.11 percent drop). The U.S. dollar remains at approximately the same values. It is bought for 89.2-89.32 soms, sold for 89.7-89.72 soms. The official exchange rate is 89.32 soms (0.01 percent growth). The euro exchange rate remains stable. The buying rate is 95.5-96 soms, and the selling rate is 96.6-97.1 soms. The nominal exchange rate is set at 96.345 soms (0.42 percent drop). The…

276 Kyrgyz citizens were evacuated to Kyrgyzstan in 2023, Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev said at a press conference. They were evacuated from Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Sudan and other countries. 11 minors who were left without parental care were returned as well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assisted in the repatriation of 213 bodies of citizens who died abroad and provided medical care to 643 ethnic Kyrgyz. The Ministry is working on the extradition of Kyrgyz citizens, Kulubaev added. According to him, a large number of Kyrgyzstanis are being held in Russian prisons and many are refusing extradition. Source : Akipress

The Oktyabrskiy district administration of Bishkek has awarded foreign students who rescued a newborn found in a garbage bin in Bishkek. It was a group of students residing nearby who first heard the cries of the baby. While disposing of trash in the evening, they discovered a newborn crying in a garbage bin. One of the students took the initiative to recover the baby from bin. The students called the police and ambulance in, and the newborn was transported to the Maternity Hospital No. 1. The infant is reported to be in stable condition, receiving proper care and nourishment. In…

The Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan and the World Health Organization have signed a 7-year Country Cooperation Strategy until 2030. The signing ceremony was attended by WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, WHO Representative in Kyrgyzstan Liviu Vedrasco and Minister of Health of Alymkadyr Beishenaliev. During the ceremony, the priorities of the new strategy, the latest achievements of Kyrgyzstan in the health sector and further steps to strengthen cooperation between WHO and Kyrgyzstan were discussed. The strategy consists of 3 strategic directions and 7 priority areas. A particular attention will be paid to cardiovascular diseases, mental health, emergency response,…

The registration of pilgrims for Hajj 2024 started on November 9 and concluded on the evening of November 13. As of the morning of November 14, 6524 Kyrgyz citizens who wish to perform Hajj have paid the initial fee of $2000 and a non-refundable 1000 soms. Earlier, it was reported that Saudi Arabia allocated 6,060 quotas for pilgrims from Kyrgyzstan. Some 500 people will remain on the reserve list. According to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan, 5,347 citizens registered on the first day, and by November 10, the number reached 5,947. Hajj in 2024 is scheduled for the…

The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy decided to stop the activities of TikTok in Kyrgyzstan. The country begins the process of blocking the social network, Zakon.kz reports. The initiative caused a mixed reaction in society. The Ministry of Digital Development asked providers to “immediately” take measures to block the social network in the Kyrgyz Republic, reports Kaktus.media . The head of the licensing department of the Ministry of Culture, Bektur Ibragimov, said that at the moment the Ministry of Digital Development should already begin to block TikTok. “Now this issue falls within the competence of the Ministry of Digital Development of…

Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev met with Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg on the sidelines of the EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg on October 23. The Foreign Ministers discussed current issues and promising areas of political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In particular, issues of possible organization of mutual visits at the top and high levels were considered, the Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan said. Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministers agreed to hold consultations on mountain issues within the UN and consider the possibility of intensifying joint work in this direction. Minister Kulubaev invited…

On October 5, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Rasul Abazbek uulu held a meeting with a delegation from John von Neumann University in Hungary, reported the Ministry’s press service. They discussed enhancing cooperation between higher education institutions in Kyrgyzstan and Hungary. Members of the Hungarian delegation highlighted that their university is the pioneer of the dual education model in Hungary. This model enables students to pursue degrees in various fields such as engineering, information technology, economics, and agriculture. Both sides expressed their readiness for collaborative research initiatives, knowledge exchange, and the joint development of projects, emphasizing the potential for…

Kyrgyzstan has nominated its candidacy for non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for 2027-2028, President Sadyr Japarov said at the General Debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. He noted that it is necessary to build an effective international security system for successful progress in solving the modern challenges and threats. “The key element of this process is the UN Security Council. Today, it is urgent to improve its work efficiency in order to make this structure more fair and representative, and to increase its ability to reach consensus in decision-making. It is necessary to ensure…