Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan hopes for getting into the Islamic market and lays account on investment inflow from the Arab countries, Akylbek Japarov, the first Vice Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan said on Wednesday prior to the round table discussion with the Arab Coordination Group in Bishkek.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received a message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who cordially congratulated the leader and people of Turkmenistan on Independence Day.

Turkmenistan marks the18th anniversary of the proclamation of its independence. Sovereighty was proclaimed on the strength of the results of a country-wide referendum held in 1991 in the then Soviet Republic of Turkmenistan.

In November 2009 Russia and Kazakhstan plan to sign the new version of the document about the transit of the electricity through Kazakhstan to Siberia in view of the aftermath of the incident at the Sayano-Shushin Hydro Electric Power Station.

Japanese production management method "Kaizen" will be introduced on several pilot industrial enterprises in Uzbekistan this October and November.

Respiratory disorders affect general disease rate in Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Health Care reported. The general disease rating is reportedly toped by respiratory disorders, making 22.7 percent for adults and 44.7 for children.

Kazakh Prime minister Karim Masimov and head of the International Monetary Fund's mission in Kazakhstan Ana Lucia Coronel discussed questions of current conditions of the banking and financial system of Kazakhstan.

EU member states have opted to drop an arms embargo against Uzbekistan in a move seen as dishonest and depressing by human rights campaigners, reported EU Observer.

Privatization of state-owned stakes will get through the Kyrgyzstan stock exchange for the first time in years, one of the Bishkek finance companies said.

The XII Conference of the Humanitarian Association of World Turkmens (HAWT) was held in Ashgabat on October 23.