Central Asia

The IV specialized exhibition of goods of the Islamic Republic of Iran opened at the Exhibition Palace in Ashgabat on November 2. The exhibition was organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Turkmenistan and the International exhibition company "Mashhad".

This week Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev will visit Jordan, Italy and Vatican, said Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Erzhan Ashykbaev.

The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan approved the state budget for 2010 at its session.

“Population of Bishkek will reach 1.5 million by 2025, if the current birth and mortality rates remain unchanged,” Nariman Tyuleev, the Bishkek city governor said Tuesday reporting to the Bishkek City Council.

Turkmenistan will circulate Manat 1 and 2 coins starting 1 January 2010. New coins will be minted by British Royal Mint.

Consumer prices grew 0.4% in October 2009 in Kazakhstan, reported the Kazakh Statistics Agency. "The index of consumer prices in October 2009 counted 100.4% in comparison to the previous month," said in the report.

The loan agreement was signed in Tashkent between the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Government of Uzbekistan on October 22 to finance rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage networks in Jizzakh and Sydarya regions.

Kyrgyzstan to turn on heating when daily temperatures drop to +8°C, Mirbek Batakanov, director of the Bishkekteploset Company told 24.kg on Monday.

A delegation of managers and specialists of line ministries of Turkmenistan has left for Iran to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas and transport sectors.

Advisor to the Kazakh President Yermukhamet Yertysbayev thinks that 2012 presidential elections must take place.