The state is establishing specialised research institutes, funding research and restoring monuments from the era of the Ulus Džoči – the Tatar-Mongol period of its history, which was marginalised by former Soviet historiography. Meanwhile, neighbouring Uzbekistan has for decades been constructing a national historical narrative centred on Tamerlane.
With early parliamentary elections scheduled for 30 November, President Žaparov would like to hold a referendum on certain amendments to the Constitution, including the reintroduction of the death penalty for heinous crimes against women and children. The vote will take place according to new rules that reserve 30% of seats for female representation.
According to an analysis by the Eurasian Development Bank, it will take another thirty years for the poorest of the Central Asian countries to stop the exodus of its young people in search of work. But even in Dushanbe, demographic changes and xenophobic tensions in Russia are beginning to slow down the phenomenon, with changes that could begin to be seen within a decade.
Former ambassador to Moscow Eremek Košerbaev appointed as new foreign minister, with the aim of “recovering” relations with Russia after opening up to the West. The Kazakh ambassador to the United States, Eražan Ašikbaev, who was very close to the previous minister Murat Nurtleu, has also been dismissed. However, the decision was also influenced by the excessive number of assistants and advisers, which are to be cut as part of the fight against corruption.
At the session marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, all five heads of state emphasised in their speeches how this region, torn apart by border conflicts for centuries, is now one of the most peaceful in the world, with growing economic cooperation. There was also a common position on Afghanistan, calling for an end to its isolation through pragmatism without official recognition of the Taliban.
Perfect posture, white smile, smooth face paired with thick grey or shiny black hair: from Turkmenistan to Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan, heads of state always appear in perfect shape and full of vitality in official images. Some even use Photoshop to add a few centimetres so as not to look out of place next to Donald Trump's stature.
Although more than half of Central Asia's water resources come from the mountains of Tajikistan, most of the country's residents still do not have access to drinking water. Now the government in Dushanbe has launched a programme to provide it to 72% of the population by 2029. But the question remains as to which international donors will actually be able to finance this plan.
As part of a five-year plan to increase the country's ‘food security’, the Uzbek government has issued new regulations requiring citizens and businesses to take ambitious steps to reduce the enormous accumulation of food waste. But as everywhere in Central Asia, the effective implementation of this “revolution” imposed from above remains to be seen.
President Emomali Rakhmon recently awarded his daughter Ozoda the honorary title of ‘Exemplary Worker of Tajikistan’. This is yet another example of the habit of Central Asian satraps to generously bestow high honours, medals and awards of all kinds on members of their own families.
This year, China became Tajikistan's main trading partner for the first time, with a balance exceeding $3 billion. At the recent SCO summit held in Tianjin, there was also talk of establishing a centre for combating drug trafficking in Dushanbe, and bilateral agreements were signed on the digital economy, renewable energy and transport.
The two million elderly people make up less than 30% of the country's population. One of the biggest difficulties they face is healthcare, which is very precarious at the public level. ‘Without our children, we would not be able to survive.’ And many today regret the Soviet era.
The celebrations marking 34 years since the country regained its independence with the end of the Soviet Union were an opportunity in Dushanbe to rediscover the meanings behind the flag, the country's coat of arms and its national anthem, whose melody draws on a long local musical tradition.
The case of a 15-year-old boy who died in Tajikistan as a result of “exemplary corporal punishment” inflicted by his father has reignited the spotlight on the issue of domestic violence. According to some data, 60% of children under the age of 14 in the country are victims of domestic violence. And despite the prohibitions introduced by law, the problem is exacerbated today by ‘demonstration videos’ sent to relatives or uploaded to social networks in search of social approval.
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