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Central Asia in March 2021

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Central Asia in March 2021 Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 The third month of 2021 in Central Asia was remembered for the rapid increase in the incidence of coronavirus, the strengthening of quarantine measures, the purchase of vaccines, start of vaccination, the state visits of Sadyr Japarov to neighboring countries, active negotiations on border issues and the detention of bloggers in different countries. The analytical platform CABAR.asia presents a brief overview of the major events in the region over the past month. Follow us on LinkedIn Kazakhstan General epidemiological situation In Kazakhstan, in March, there is an increase in the incidence of coronavirus by 1.5 times. According to the country’s chief state sanitary doctor, Yerlan Kiyasov, this was facilitated by the general relaxation of restrictive measures. The largest number of cases occurs in the cities of Almaty and Nur-Sultan. Since the beginning of March, 9,525 cases of coronavirus have been reported. The increase in March is the highest compared to January and February this year. The largest percentage of cases falls on people working in individual entrepreneurship or LLP, as well as the non- working population. Since March 21, quarantine has been tightened in Almaty for a week. A little later, the strengthening of quarantine was extended until April 12. In Nur-Sultan, new restrictive measures were introduced in relation to catering points from March 30 to April 11. According to the matrix for assessing the epidemiological situation in the regions of Kazakhstan as of April 1, in the “red” zone: Nur-Sultan, Almaty city, Atyrau, Aktobe, Almaty and West Kazakhstan regions. In the “yellow” zone: Shymkent and Karaganda region. All other regions are in the green zone. Vaccination Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 As of March 31, more than 173 thousand people in Kazakhstan were vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. First of all, doctors, police officers, teachers – those who are in contact with a large number of people, were vaccinated. The Kazakh authorities plan to intensify the vaccination campaign and promise that in April 600 thousand people will receive vaccinations, and by the end of the year – six million people. However, experts and MPs are skeptical about the plan of the Ministry of Health. Since April, the government of Kazakhstan is preparing to immunize the population with the domestic medicine QazCovid-in. In addition, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported that negotiations are underway to purchase a vaccine, which is jointly produced by Pfizer and BioNTech. According to the authorities, in April the Karaganda pharmaceutical complex will release one million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. In the same month, the country will receive from Russia 2.5-3 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. In addition, the Kazakh government mentioned that it would receive three million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine in April (Beijing stated that the vaccine is 70 percent effective). Informal Summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States On March 31, an informal summit of the Turkic Council (Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States) was held. It was attended by political leaders of seven Turkic countries. Due to the difficult epidemiological situation in the world, the meeting was held online, although earlier the meeting was planned to be held in the Kazakh city of Turkestan. Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 As a result of the unofficial summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 the Turkestan Declaration was adopted. The next summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States will be held on November 12, 2021 in Istanbul. National Development Plan of Kazakhstan until 2025 has been approved In accordance with the decree of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the National Development Plan of the country until 2025 was approved in March. The National Development Plan of the country until 2025 defines the main tasks and parameters of the country’s new economic course. The document reflects the strategic vision of the development of the most important industries, guidelines for improving key policies aimed at leveling the consequences of the coronavirus crisis and ensuring sustainable, inclusive and high-quality economic development in the context of the new economic reality and current global trends. This document was developed on behalf of the President by the Ministry of National Economy in conjunction with the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms. Negotiations between the prime ministers of Russia and Kazakhstan As part of a working trip to Moscow, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin held negotiations on March 23 with Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin. Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 Askar Mamin and Mikhail Mishustin. Photo: total.kz The heads of government discussed questions of further building up Kazakh-Russian cooperation in trade, economic, financial and investment, energy and space spheres, as well as projects within the framework of industrial cooperation. Topical issues of interaction in the format of the Eurasian Economic Union were considered. Particular attention was paid to joint measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and leveling the consequences of the pandemic for the economies of the two countries. An agreement was reached on the additional supply of 4 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to Kazakhstan. US Department of State report points to human rights problems in Kazakhstan On March 30, the US Department of State published a report on the human rights situation in 2020 in the world, in which a significant section is devoted to Kazakhstan. The report lists “significant human rights issues”. These are, as noted in the document, Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 “unlawful or arbitrary killings by or on behalf of the authorities”; “Torture committed by and on behalf of the authorities”; political prisoners; problems with the independence of the judiciary; restrictions on freedom of speech, press and freedom on the Internet; infringement of the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association; restrictions on political participation; corruption; human trafficking; restrictions on freedom of association of workers. Arrests during a rally in Almaty on February 28, 2021. Photo: Azattyq.org In a report compiled annually, the United States notes that in 2020, the human rights situation has deteriorated in many countries. Anti-Chinese rally On March 27, a sanctioned rally was held in Almaty under anti-Chinese slogans. According to various sources, from 150 to 300 people have gathered. Zhanbolat Mamai, the leader of the unregistered Democratic Party, and Mukhtar Ablyazov, an opposition politician living abroad and leader of the unregistered Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement, which the Kazakh authorities declared an “extremist organization”, called for the rallies. At the rally of Mamai’s supporters, which was agreed with the akimat, Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 in particular, they opposed the “Chinese expansion” and for the release of political prisoners. Participants of the anti-Chinese rally in Almaty on March 27, 2021. Photo: azattyq.org At the event, the police detained at least seven people. The activists tried to block the police car that was taking the detainees away but were unable to free the comrades-in-arms who intended to participate in the rally agreed with the akimat. The protest actions announced by the opposition in other cities did not take place and participants were detained. Kazakhstani DJ Imanbek won a Grammy award The music award “Grammy” in the category “Best Remix” was awarded to the DJ from Kazakhstan Imanbek Zeykenov, known under the pseudonym Imanbek. This was announced at the 63rd awards ceremony, which took place on Monday night, March 15. Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 Zeykenov received this award for the remix of the Saint JHN song “Roses”. The recording has garnered over 100 million views on YouTube and has been included in Billboard magazine’s 100 Most Popular Music Compositions. It has also become one of the most wanted ringtones on the Shazam app. In total, five compositions were nominated for the title of the best track in the Best remixed recording nomination. Kyrgyzstan General epidemiological situation In Kyrgyzstan, the number of cases of coronavirus has been growing steadily since March. On the morning of April 1, 164 new cases of COVID were detected in Kyrgyzstan. This is the highest figure since January 8, when 165 cases were recorded. The greatest spread of the virus is in Bishkek and sanitary control has been strengthened in Month in Review: Central Asia in March 2021 the city. The mayor’s office of the capital has increased the number of inspections of business entities by mobile teams, urging citizens to comply with the prescribed sanitary requirements. Restrictive measures in Kyrgyzstan will not be introduced yet, but sanitary safety standards will be strengthened in crowded places. In particular, citizens are required to wear masks in public places. First Deputy Prime Minister Artem Novikov mentioned that further measures will be applied by local authorities depending on the level of the epidemiological situation in the region. On March 18, the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Kyrgyzstan announced that if the epidemiological situation deteriorates, stocks of medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE) will be enough for health workers for two months. Vaccination On March 19, China donated 150,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine to the republic as humanitarian aid. It is also expected to receive 500 thousand doses of the Russian vaccine. Prior to that, it was planned that Kyrgyzstan will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX program. However, on March 18, the Minister of Health and Social Development Alymkadyr Beishenaliev explained that following the facts of fatal complications after receiving this medication were revealed in European countries, the vaccine supplies were temporarily suspended pending the results of studies on the causal relationship.
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