(MENAFN- 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.
--
Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
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