Central Asia

Tashkent conference: Connectivity and the need for a stable Afghanistan

EURACTIV republishes the latest blogpost by EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell who takes stock from his participation to the Central-South Asia Connectivity Conference held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, on 15-16 July.

Kazakh human rights reforms signal modernisation but EU lawmakers doubtful

Current human rights-related reforms in Kazakhstan are a step in the right direction, stakeholders from the country told a recent EURACTIV event but European Parliament lawmakers across the political spectrum were not entirely convinced.

Human Rights in Kazakhstan – The road ahead

In June 2021, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree “On further measures of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of human rights”, which he said represents an important step in the political modernisation of the Central Asian country....

Tajikistan calls up reservists to bolster border as Afghan troops flee Taliban

Tajikistan's president on Monday (5 July) ordered the mobilisation of 20,000 military reservists to bolster the border with Afghanistan after more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the frontier in response to Taliban militant advances.

Police reform in Kazakhstan: Effective law-enforcement close to the population

The reform of the law enforcement system has started in Kazakhstan recently as part of the overall modernisation of the country and the first evaluation of the results achieved look very optimistic, writes Yerlan Turgumbayev.

Presidential envoy: For Kazakhstan, the EU is a neighbor

In a wide-ranging interview, Yerzhan Kazykhan, special representative of the president of Kazakhstan for international cooperation, discussed the state of play of the Central Asian country's relations with the EU, its international initiatives and new projects, such as joining the EU’s battery alliance.

Kazakh independent expert: Human rights NGOs enjoy more influence

A lot has change over the last years in Kazakhstan in terms of human rights, but more work is outstanding, independent expert Nazgul Yergalieva told EURACTIV in an interview, describing how the authorities in the central Asian country are now cooperating with NGOs in improving human rights protection.

Kazakhstan says it has upper hand in multi-billion legal case

Legal representatives for the government of Kazakhstan have told EURACTIV they believe the Central Asian country has gained the upper hand in a long-running legal battle surrounding what they called "one of the biggest frauds in the history of international arbitration".

Kazakhstan announces new efforts to improve human rights record

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a decree “On further measures of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of human rights”, which he said represents an important step in the political modernisation of the Central Asian country.

Kazakhstan rebuffs talk of joint sanctions response with Russia

Kazakhstan on Saturday (5 June) dismissed a senior Russian official's idea of a joint response to Western sanctions against Moscow and its allies such as Belarus by a Russia-led post-Soviet trade bloc.

Kazakhstan’s Ombudsman: Parliamentary lobbying must be healthy and legal

Before the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Kazakhstan in February, there was no comprehensive dialogue at the decision-making level and no complete analysis of the EU lawmakers' sources of information, Elvira Azimova, Kazakhstan's commissioner for human rights, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Oettinger: It’s time to take EU-Kazakhstan relations to a new level

Former European Commission Vice President Günther Oettinger called on Monday (10 May) for elevating the EU-Kazakhstan relations to “a new level”, inviting the European business to invest more in added-value products manufactured in the Central Asian country.

Analyst: Central Asian ‘patient’ is ready for deeper cooperation

Even though unresolved border disputes stand in the way of further economic integration of Central Asia, this vast region is ready to deepen ties, according to Askar Nursha.

Aigul Kuspan: Most MEPs have only a rough idea of Kazakhstan

Aigul Kuspan, former head of the Kazakh mission to the European Union and current chair of Kazakhstan's parliamentary committee on international affairs, says the bloc often comes across as self-assured and borderline ignorant in terms of global affairs.

Kazakhstan invests in human capital to avoid brain drain

Kazakhstan continues to rejuvenate its public administration in a drive to keep talented youth at home and achieve two major goals: modernising the Central Asian country and avoiding brain drain.

A busy EU-Kazakhstan agenda

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Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, relations between the EU and Kazakhstan have continued to develop, with a milestone in-person EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council on 10 May expected to draw the lines of cooperation for the 2021-2027 period.

EU prioritises climate, connectivity, regional cooperation in its Kazakhstan relations

Ahead of the EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council on 10 May, EURACTIV spoke to an EU official to gather information about the EU's expectations for the cooperation with Kazakhstan and with Central Asia in the years to come.

EU ‘regrets’ violence on Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border

The EU on Friday (30 April) said it “regretted” a serious escalation of tensions at the border between the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, resulting in numerous casualties. The clashes, which are not occurring for the first time, are apparently due...

Kazakhstan is eager to share its model for interethnic accord

The experience and policy of Kazakhstan in the field of maintaining interethnic peace and harmony is of genuine interest to international organizations and states, writes Aiman Zhussupova.

Kazakhstan launches QazVac, its own COVID-19 vaccine

Kazakhstan has joined the select number of countries that have produced and made available their own COVID-19 vaccine, as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tweeted on Friday (23 April) that the first batch of QazVac vaccine had been despatched to several regions of the country. 

Kyrgyz voters approve expanded powers for president

Voters in Kyrgyzstan granted sweeping powers to President Sadyr Japarov on Sunday (11 April) in a constitutional referendum that will also allow him to run for re-election, preliminary results showed.

Controversial lobbyists raise eyebrows in Strasbourg

A non-profit group has been raising eyebrows in the Council of Europe for its questionable lobbying activities, a British lawmaker told EURACTIV.