Crossroads Asia | Economy | Central Asia The cost of electronics and household appliances in Russia may increase by 10-12 percent due to new restrictions at the Kazakh border. Advertisement In recent months, customs controls in Kazakhstan have tightened, and the effects are starting to be felt in Russia. As Astana tries to avoid secondary sanctions, the country has … Read more
Advertisement All five Central Asian presidents joined Russian President Vladimir Putin for the annual May 9 Victory Day parade. Alongside Putin and the presidents of Armenia and Belarus, the gathered presidents watched a scaled-down military parade at Red Square and placed flowers at the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The May 9 holiday marks … Read more
Advertisement Faced with dwindling gas sales to Europe, Russia has been re-routing its stranded gas reserves to countries like Uzbekistan, where infrastructure for pumping gas is already in place. This renewed cooperation presents both a problem and an opportunity for Tashkent. A flurry of recent bilateral meetings demonstrates that the Kremlin has been encouraging – … Read more
Advertisement Late next week, the presidents of Central Asia will travel to the city of Xi’an for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan are all expected to attend … Read more
Crossroads Asia | Diplomacy | Central Asia Tashkent’s readouts of the president’s meetings in Berlin highlight the quest for “multifaceted” cooperation. Advertisement Shortly after a new constitution was approved via referendum in Uzbekistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev traveled to Germany for a two-day visit. Mirziyoyev arrived in Berlin on May 2 and met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. There was … Read more
Advertisement On April 11, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed long-awaited amendments to the country’s legislation on the protection of women and children from violence. Uzbekistan became the fifth country in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to criminalize domestic violence, noted Amnesty International. Thousands of cases of violence against women and sexual abuse of minors go … Read more
Advertisement In 2019, an elderly Jehovah’s Witness was arrested in Tajikistan for “inciting religious hatred” and being in possession of religious materials published by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Shamil Khakimov, now 72, has been in prison for more than four years. Although his sentence was reduced under an amnesty law in 2021, there are concerns that … Read more