Today.Az » Society » Central Asia Weekly Review: China-Tajik relations, anti-Covid drug, constitutional amendments
02 August 2022 [14:21] - Today.Az


By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Central Asia Weekly Review: 27 Jul-2 Aug 22

Azernews has launched a new project designed to cover weekly major developments in the Central Asian nations.

HIGHLIGHTS

COVID-19 remedy invented in Tajikistan

Uzbekistan completes public discussion of amendments to Constitution

Turkmenistan adopts law on legal protection of stray dogs

Kazakh Information Ministry to restrict work of foreign sites, messengers

Insulin deliveries to Kyrgyzstan start

TAJIKISTAN:

COVID-19 remedy invented in Tajikistan

Tajik scientists have invented a drug against COVID-19 based on medical herbs.

Farhod Rakhimi, President of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Tajikistan, announced this on July 29 at a press conference.

According to him, at the moment the drug is being registered.

“After the patent is granted, the public will be told in detail about the invention. Now I can only say that the composition of the medicine includes Sorghum plant. It reduces the temperature, facilitates the treatment of the lungs,” the official said.

Rahimi also noted that local scientists continued research on 111 topics in the first half of 2022. In particular, the research was conducted in the fields of mathematics, physics, optics and quantum electronics, nuclear and radiation safety.

“As part of these studies, for example, in chemistry, we obtained the results of methods for the synthesis of products with certain properties - biological and medical substances that are of great importance for the creation of new medicinal preparations,” he added.

Tajikistan, China eye bilateral ties

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed bilateral and multilateral relations on August 1.

Rahmon emphasized the dynamic development of Tajik-Chinese relations and comprehensive independent partnerships in all areas.

"Tajikistan and China are close neighbors, and we are interested in further deepening the close multifaceted ties between the two countries in all formats," Rahmon said.

The parties also discussed ways to further develop ties in the field of trade, investment, industrial cooperation, "green technologies" and transport, and export of Tajik goods, especially agricultural products to the Chinese markets.

China firmly holds the position of one of the largest trade and investment partners of Tajikistan. According to statistics, in the first half of this year, mutual trade between the two countries increased by almost 82% compared to the same period last year and is more than 19% of the total foreign trade turnover of Tajikistan.

UZBEKISTAN

Uzbekistan completes public discussion of constitutional amendments

The nationwide discussion of amendments to Uzbekistan’s constitution came to an end at midnight on August 1.

The talks started on June 25.

The Constitutional Commission of Uzbekistan reported that it had received 117,000 proposals. Further, the deputies will finalize the draft.

According to the constitutional reform commission, the responsible committees of the Legislative Chamber will continue to work on summarizing and analyzing proposals, as well as finalizing the bill.

The draft amendments were developed by the constitutional commission in a month.

After unrest in Karakalpakstan on July 1-2, caused by the proposed amendments to change the status of the republic, the articles relating to Karakalpakstan were excluded from the draft.

28 documents prepared for signing at SCO summit in Samarkand

The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has completed the coordination of 28 documents, the adoption of which is envisaged following the results of the Samarkand summit.

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev informed of this during the meeting of the Ministerial Council on July 29.

As noted, concepts and programs to stimulate intra-regional trade, industrial cooperation, and transport interconnectedness are among the mentioned documents.

Joint projects and events in the fields of the green economy, innovations, digital technologies, logistics, agriculture, medicine, and other areas are also under development.

The meeting of the heads of SCO states in Samarkand is scheduled for September 15-16 this year.

TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan adopts law on legal protection of stray dogs

A new law “On dog breeding and cynological activity” has come into force in Turkmenistan, which prohibits cruelty to dogs.

In particular, the law states that shelters and temporary detention centers for dogs are required to accept “ownerless, abandoned and neglected dogs, as well as sick (injured) conditionally supervised dogs before they are transferred to the previous or new owners.”

According to Article 9 of the new law, local authorities must ensure the regulation of the number of conditionally supervised, orphaned, and feral dogs.

To do this, they must create animal trapping groups and supervise their work "in order to prevent cruelty to dogs, to exclude illegal methods of trapping and unreasonable killing of dogs, as well as to regulate the number of conditionally supervised, abandoned and feral dogs."

Article 23 deals with the regulation of the number, overexposure, and destruction of dogs. These activities are also carried out by the trapping team. It is emphasized that "regulation of the number of ownerless and feral dogs is carried out by methods that exclude cruelty and unnecessary suffering, preventing their reproduction."

That is, according to the new law, dogs will be castrated, not killed.

It should be noted that various independent media regularly report on the brutal extermination of stray dogs in Turkmenistan, including Alabays. On the eve of various celebrations, employees of the public utilities of the capital Ashgabat and other large cities catch and slaughter dogs and cats to death.

Regional project for CA youth launched in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan launched the “Dialogue and Action for Resourceful Youth in Central Asia (DARYA)” project, which will last for 5 years and is fully aimed at supporting skills development opportunities for young people in the region.

The project will also improve the quality of education, training, and employment systems in the region.

The project includes three thematic modules:

• Development of future-oriented skills through better data and analysis of education and training outcomes and skills;

• Flexible and transparent approaches to qualifications at the national and regional levels, ensuring equal opportunities for all;

• Greater use of inclusive approaches to teaching and learning.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakh Information Ministry to restrict work of foreign sites, messengers

The Ministry of Information and Social Development of Kazakhstan was allowed to restrict the operation of foreign websites and messengers on the territory of the republic based on the amendments and additions to the 2019 resolution.

According to the new resolution of the Kazakh government, the ministry can request information from sites and instant messengers on the number of users per day. If foreign services do not install a program to determine the number of users, then the ministry can determine the number of users with its own resources.

The ministry will now also monitor the activities of non-profit organizations for terrorist financing and submit this information to the authorized body. And accordingly, it will be able to restrict the activities of a foreign online platform or instant messaging service on the territory of Kazakhstan if the above-mentioned activity is detected.

Other amendments relate to the rules for creating an expert group, as well as the consideration of an application on the facts of cyberbullying against a child, the interaction of state bodies with telecom operators and legal representatives of online platforms, etc.

Kazakhstan to Increase Wheat Crop by Nearly 20 Percent

The wheat crop in Kazakhstan is expected to reach 13-13.5 million tons this year, which is nearly 20 percent more than compared last year, said Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Karashukeyev.

“This year we have carried out spring fieldwork on time, providing agricultural producers with everything they need. Compared to the previous year, the harvest will be 15-20 percent higher,” he said.

The ministry noted that the country’s grain exports rose by more than half for the first three months of this year despite the political and economic instability in the region.

“We annually harvest 12-12.5 million tons of average annual wheat that we produce, 6 million goes to domestic consumption. The rest of the volume in the form of grain and flour is always exported. Therefore, we anticipate that there will be an average annual level throughout this marketing year, which will start and last into the following year,” Karashukeyev explained.

KYRGYZSTAN

Insulin began to be delivered to Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan started receiving insulin, chief freelance endocrinologist of the Ministry of Health Natalya Dobrynina said.

According to her, previously the country has received batches of mixed and short-acting drugs Mixtard and Actrapid.

“Now they are going through customs clearance. Protofan will arrive on August 8. The entire batch purchased by tender will be received in an annual supply,” said the official.

The country started facing problems with insulin back in March. In May, patients began to complain about its shortage.

In the Ministry of Health, the delay in the delivery of the drug was explained by the increase in the delivery time by the factory itself and the failure of the tender in February.

The cabinet of Ministers approves new unlimited tariff for electricity

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers decided to maintain the current tariffs for electricity and heat for 2022 for all categories of consumers.

At the same time, a new electricity tariff was approved for persons wishing to use electricity without restriction.

The decision was initiated by the Ministry of Energy. The department said that they were receiving requests from citizens who were ready to pay for electricity at a higher rate. Therefore, a new category of consumers "Population using electricity without limiting consumption and power" is being introduced for them.

The new tariff will be applied on a voluntary basis under an agreement and provides an opportunity to use electricity without limiting consumption and capacity.

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