Uzbekistan

A survey by the Currentime website has outlined the problem in the former Soviet countries. In none of the five Central Asian countries is the concept of ‘femicide’ included in the Penal Code, despite the prevalence of domestic violence. The war between Russia and Ukraine has also led to a significant increase in crimes against women in both countries.

Baku is one of the first candidates to form a decisive link in this new chain. US interest in the post-Soviet region has increased since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Washington wants to forge an anti-Chinese axis stretching from Israel to India. An economic, political and even military alliance to counterbalance the anti-Western axis of Moscow and Beijing.

Over two hundred IT experts discussed the prospects for artificial intelligence and technological entrepreneurship in the region. The ambition is not only to be users, but to develop local skills capable of competing in the innovation market.

The trade agreements signed at the White House on rare earths and other sectors seem to focus more on US economic interests than on geopolitical balances. And even the Kremlin, which in the past had shown some impatience with these contacts, this time expressed great acquiescence.

With Russia's doors increasingly closed due to nationalist tensions, nurses, labourers and bricklayers are now looking to Germany thanks to agreements signed by Berlin with the government in Tashkent. Meanwhile, the Uzbek population is set to reach 40 million, with a severe shortage of jobs at home.

One of the consequences of rapid urbanisation is the proliferation of huge landfills in contexts where only a small percentage of waste is recycled. In Tajikistan alone, over 2 million tonnes of waste accumulate every year, occupying a total of over 300 hectares of land.

At the Dushanbe summit, discussions developed on the route that would directly connect Russia to India and Iran. Moscow is unable to offer Central Asia the large investments that China and Europe can, but it is trying to catch up in terms of transport and logistics infrastructure.

From the FIFA president to Jennifer Lopez and Andrea Bocelli, the list of international personalities honoured in Tashkent is growing. Uzbekistan is also seeking to exercise a form of soft power at the international level, invariably associating the Mirziyoyev family members with these “personalities”.

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.

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.

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.