Author: Shukurbek Isanov

The topic of onion shortages in the region continues to be the main one on the agenda, according to EastFruit experts. As we previously reported, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan all banned onion exports. Now another country of the region, Kyrgyzstan, has been added to the list of onion export prohibitors. Today, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Agriculture announced that the country is banning the export of all types of onions for three months. The export ban is issued by the resolution: “On Amendments to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic “On the introduction of a temporary…

Former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has left Bishkek for Spain one day after he was released from prison to receive medical treatment abroad. Atambaev was serving an 11-year prison term for his role in the illegal release of notorious crime boss Aziz Batukaev in 2013.Kunduz Joldubaeva, a spokeswoman for Atambaev’s Social Democratic Party, told RFE/RLon February 15 that he will undergo medical treatment in Spain for a herniated disc in his back and some unspecified heart issues.President Sadyr Japarov said in a televised interview on February 15 that all decisions related to Atambaev have been made in accordance with the law and called…

The resolution of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan on ratification of the cooperation agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers represented by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development on creation of the joint holding company in the Kyrgyz Republic. The agreement was signed on October 31, 2022 in Abu Dhabi. The given agreement was signed with the purpose of establishment of sustainable cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates, mobilization of additional financial resoures for ensuring sustainable socio-economic development of the Kyrgyz Republic. The main goal of the company is attraction of direct investments from…

The Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic and the World Bank on January 31 signed an agreement for an $8 million grant funding provided by the Swiss Government as a contribution to the Electricity Sector Modernization and Sustainability Project led by the World Bank. The Grant Agreement was signed by Mr. Almaz Baketaev, Minister of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, on behalf of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Mr. Naveed Hassan Naqvi, World Bank’s Country Manager for the Kyrgyz Republic, in the presence of the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Olivier Bangerter.…

Extraordinary elections of members of the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament will be held on March 19, 2023. Citizens of Kazakhstan who have reached the age of 18 and are in Kyrgyzstan will be able to vote at the Embassy of Kazakhstan, where polling station No. 264 will operate. The polling station will work from 7 am to 8 pm (Astana time). When visiting a polling station, a person must have a valid passport or identity card of a citizen of Kazakhstan.

The two countries hope improved ties will massively boost bilateral trade to $2 billion annually. The leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan met on January 27 to jointly announce that the protracted process of delimiting the border between their two countries has come to an end. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev traveled to the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, to mark an occasion that both leaders have described as “historic.” Persistent uncertainties about the exact contours of the roughly 1,400-kilometer-long border are a legacy of the Soviet era. Even as frontiers were chopped and changed, the question of which republic owned what land were…

The Parliament Committee for Budget, Economic and Fiscal Policy considered and approved the bill on ratification of the agreement of cooperation between the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development concerning establishment of the joint holding company in Kyrgyzstan in 1st reading. The charter capital of the prospective holding company will make $5 million initially. Kyrgyzstan will co-finance $2.5 million. The company will be managed based on corporate governance principles, Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce Chingiz Makeshov said. The charter capital will be increased to $100 million in future. Around $1 billion investments will be…

Up to 80 tons of high-quality fiber will be produced annually by Kyrgyz Cashmere with new equipment provided by the U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The company opened a new facility in Bishkek to process Kyrgyz yak, camel, and cashmere fiber. As a result of this partnership with the U.S. government, Kyrgyz Cashmere will increase the incomes of hundreds of families as it expands wool collection to the Batken, Jalal-Abad, Naryn, Osh, and Issyk-Kul regions. “We collect cashmere fiber from farmers in remote areas of Kyrgyzstan. Our production will create economic opportunities for more…

The Mission of Kazakhstan to the European Union (EU) co-hosted an event to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Central Asian countries and the EU at the European External Action Service (EEAS) headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 17, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event featured exhibitions of photographs, paintings, traditional clothing, handicrafts, a buffet with dishes of national cuisines and a musical program consisting of contemporary and traditional compositions of Central Asia. EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala spoke about the cooperation and connectivity between the regions in the current geopolitical…

AKIpress reported on January 18 that the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubayev has said that 2022 was rather complex period of relations with Tajikistan. “September incident… we held talks after that a very long time. The situation is getting better slowly. There is mutual understanding from both sides that we need to complete border talks,” the foreign minister was quoted as saying. The most important is to establish peace along the border, Kulubayev said. This is what Presidents Sadyr Japarov and Emomali Rahmon said recently. “We started moving in positive direction by the end of the previous year. I think we…