Author: Betul Kemal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced optimism that a “historic” deal to establish diplomatic ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia could be “within reach.” Netanyahu’s comments came after he met U.S. President Joe Biden in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office on Wednesday. It was the first meeting between the two leaders since Netanyahu’s return to office in December 2022. The Biden administration has been working to broker a deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu told Biden…

Zilola Yunusova, Head of Department, Center for International Relations Studies, MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan Oleg Limanov, Chief Researcher of the Center for International Relations Studies, MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan Central Asia in recent years has entered a new stage in the development of cooperation with foreign policy partners and international organizations, among which the United Nations occupies an important place. The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, addressing the world community at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2020, noted the importance of strengthening cooperation in ensuring the security of…

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Iran Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday a few hours after the arrival of Iranian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Alireza Enayati in Riyadh earlier in the day, the official news agency IRNA reported. The Saudi envoy used to be his country’s ambassador to Oman before starting his new mission in Iran, the report said. In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached in China’s Beijing a groundbreaking agreement to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and missions within two months. On April 6, the two countries officially announced the resumption of diplomatic relations…

In 2022, Kazakhstan became the absolute leader in uranium mining, accounting for 42% of global production, with the share of Kazatomprom National Atomic Company constituting 22%, the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund reported on Aug. 29. Samruk Kazyna Chairman Nurlan Zhakupov instructed to increase investment in exploration as he visited the Khorasan-U and Baiken-U companies of Kazatomprom. He discussed current reserves with colleagues and urged them to invest in further exploration of deposits. “We have reserves that need to be developed,” he wrote on his Twitter account. Kazatomprom is the world’s largest uranium producer, with its subsidiaries, affiliates, and joint…

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the Chairman of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee of the US Senate Gary Peters. The parties reviewed the ways to further enhance the Uzbek-American ties of strategic partnership and to expand cooperation, primarily within the framework of the dialogue between the parliaments of the two countries. They commended the stepped up mutual contacts and exchanges, as the two-way figures are growing, and the number of successful examples of cooperation with major US companies is increasing, and with Important humanitarian programs being implemented. They also focused on the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation in order to promote…

The composite indicator of the business environment in July was 65 points against 57 in June. The situation in the field of agriculture and services continued to improve, and company valuations reached the highest level since the beginning of the year. Current demand estimates remained in the positive zone, demonstrating stability. Business price expectations have decreased slightly. The state of the business climate in Uzbekistan improved markedly in July, according to the results of the CERR survey. In July, the consolidated business climate indicator increased by 8 points compared to the previous month to 65, compared to last year, the…

According to forecasts by scientists, the Caspian Sea’s water level is expected to decrease by nearly four meters over the next decade. Over the past 15 years, the Kazakhstan part of the water reservoir already experienced a 7.1% decline. The sea surface area had decreased from 113.8 square kilometers in 2008 to 105.7 square kilometers in 2023. This dramatic decrease in water level and surface area caused concerns about the biological situation in the world’s largest inland body of water with no natural outlets. The ecological imbalance in the Caspian Sea is attributed to several factors. Following the collapse of the Soviet…

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart received Ombudsperson for the Rights of Socially Vulnerable Categories of the Population Svetlana Zhakupova on Aug. 7 to discuss ways to improve the quality of life of the population and the institutional transformation of the social welfare system, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev instructed Zhakupova to guarantee socially vulnerable population groups’ rights and legitimate interests. Notably, he pointed out the need for proactive work with mothers of large families, single mothers, and mothers raising children with special needs, as well as ensuring strict control over the observance of their rights and interests within the framework of the law.…

A top Iranian human rights official on Wednesday slammed as a “political and unjustified” move the setting up of an international fact-finding mission for investigating the alleged human rights violations in Iran. Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, made the remarks at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, reacting to the human rights violation accusations levelled by the West against Iran, particularly those pertaining to the unrest period in the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary reported. Iranian President Ebrahim…

Metro and tram workers in the western province of İzmir on July 31 went on strike as the negotiations between the municipality and the unions over a new wage increase failed to reach an agreement. The talks concerning 625 employees had been ongoing among the municipality, the Social Democrat Public Employers’ Union (SODEM-SEN) and the Railway Workers Union (Demiryol-İş) since Feb. 27 and ended at 4 a.m. on July 31. As the sides could not reach an agreement on the wage increase, metro and tram services came to a halt as of 5 a.m. on July 31, leaving Izmir residents to rely on buses or taxis…