Energy and Economy

 

In Uzbekistan, Germany’s Scholz Signs Migrant Deal

On the first day of his current trip to Central Asia, Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a deal with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev easing restrictions on labor migrant entry to Germany. The new agreement would allow greater numbers of highly skilled workers to enter Germany, particularly in the health care sector.

Source: EuroNews

Kazatomprom Secures New License for Uranium Exploration

Kazatomprom, the state-run Kazakh nuclear energy firm, has secured a new license for uranium exploration in the Turkistan region of south Kazakhstan. The license will be valid for six years. The site’s estimated deposits of uranium exceed 18,000 tons.

Source: Astana Times

Kazakhstan, Germany Sign Declaration of Cooperation

On September 16, Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a Joint Declaration of Cooperation with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Declaration emphasized cooperation in the areas of security, counterterrorism and drug trafficking, transport, banking, energy, mining, climate, environment, and water management. 

Source: Trend News Agency, Akorda

Medvedev Proposes Bans on Migrants Bringing Families to Russia

Former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, proposed in a September 5 interview with Russian news service TASS that Russia ban labor migrants from bringing their families to Russia. The statement was made amid claims that migrant children who do not speak Russian are attending Russian schools. It is uncommon for seasonal migrants to bring their families to Russia. There are believed to be 5 million Central Asian migrants currently working in Russia.

Source: ASIA - Plus

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Issue Warnings Against Travel to Russia

On September 10, the Embassy of Tajikistan in Moscow warned citizens against travel to Russia a week after Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry made a similar announcement.  The embassy’s statement cited increased security measures and document checks. Recent months have seen an increasingly racist atmosphere develop toward Central Asians in Russia in the aftermath of the major Crocus City Hall terror attack, likely conducted by Tajik nationals. Over a million Kyrgyz and Tajik citizens are in Russia at any given moment, most often as migrant workers.

Source: RFE/RL

Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Sign Agreement on Gas Cooperation

On September 11, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev signed a Memorandum of Intent with Deputy Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Cabinet of Ministers Batyr Amanov and the Chairman of Turkmenistan’s state-owned energy company, Türkmengaz ,Maksat Babayev. The agreement is intended to strengthen cooperation in the natural gas industry.

Source: The Astana Times

Politics and Security

 

Secretary Blinken Holds Phone Call with President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan 

On September 12 and 16, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held phone calls with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, respectively. According to the press statements, Blinken welcomed recent progress achieved between Armenia and Azerbaijan in peace negotiations, namely the agreement on border delimitation. Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the importance of a sustainable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aliyev emphasized the need for Armenia to renounce its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which are embedded in its Constitution and other legislative acts. He also called for the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and related institutions, considering them outdated remnants of the past. 

Blinken discussed U.S.-Armenia cooperation in the fields of energy, trade, and education with Pashinyan. 

Source: U.S. Department of State , President of Azerbaijan  

Ivanishvili Tops Georgian Dream Party List

Georgian Dream (GD) party elites have listed billionaire and former Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, as the party’s number-one candidate on their official electoral list. Ivanishvili has not held a formal role in government in several years but has long been believed to be the informal center of power in GD. His place on GD’s list makes it appear likely that he will assume the Prime Minister’s office in the event of a GD victory in October’s upcoming elections.

Source: Civil.ge

BBC Russia Identifies 124 Central Asians Killed in Action in Ukraine

An investigation by BBC’s Russian language Service has identified 124 Central Asian nationals killed in action while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. This number includes 51 Tajiks, 47 Uzbeks, and 26 Kyrgyz. This number is likely an underestimation, given the difficulty in accurately assessing battlefield casualties. Russian officials have become notorious since 2022 for coercing thousands of Central Asian labor migrants into military service in Ukraine.

Source: BBC Russian

Organization of Turkic States Body Announces Shared Turkic Alphabet

The Turkic Academy Organization of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) has announced a 34-character shared Turkic alphabet, inspired by the Latin alphabet. The process of formulating a common alphabet has been in the works since May 2023 and comes amidst OTS members working to increase political and cultural ties. It is unclear how this common alphabet might be implemented in the coming years.

Source: Anadolu