Week in Review: Announcements, Trade, and More.

Orda has put together a brief synopsis of the past week. 

Current Time reported that Central Asians and other foreigners serving sentences in Russia have faced being forced to sign contracts to fight in the war against Ukraine. Unbearable conditions are the tactic utilized to coerce a renouncing of citizenship to apply for Russian citizenship and subsequently sign said contracts. Coincidentally, a Uzbek court sentenced a man for "taking part in Russia's war against Ukraine" later in the week.

He is not the first to be handed such a sentence in Uzbekistan. All Central Asian nations have punitive measures for those fighting in foreign conflicts. Meanwhile, North Korean soldiers are reportedly preparing to join Russian forces' efforts against Ukraine, yet the Pentagon was unable to confirm North Korean troops being in Russia.

Not long before, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy presented his victory plan. The plan has supposedly created a divergence in views, though American officials no longer object to a simple NATO invitation. Whether or not the invitation materializes could be hinged on the outcome of the upcoming US election.

Back in Central Asia, Kyrgyz Jogorku Kenesh deputies urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to improve conditions for migrant workers abroad. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, on the other hand, stated that "discontinuing cooperation with Russia" was impossible, listing several Kyrgyz migrant workers in Russia as one reason. On a separate occasion, other Kyrgyz deputies voiced dissatisfaction about their "Kazakh brothers" creating artificial barriers for vehicles crossing borders.

A week prior, Radio Ozoidi released an investigation revealing that Russian "BTK Grup" has been active in Tajikistan for the past two years. The company has reportedly invested in two locally based textile factories that have made military uniforms for Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Taimuraz Bolloev, sanctioned and considered one of Putin's close confidants, founded "BTK Grup." Vazhnyie Istorii also uncovered that Russia circumvents sanctions by transiting them via Russia. Vazhnyie Istorii crunched the numbers, suggesting $5 billion worth of goods disappeared in transit through Russia to other nations.

Unrelated, Kazakhstan saw an uptick in trading specific products with Russia, yet matters with other goods have not gone as smoothly. A Russian supervisory authority announced that it would block the export of wheat and other quarantine products from Kazakhstan. An exchange of restrictions would follow.

On October 18, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister, Serik Zhumangarin, drew attention to the initial restrictions at a meeting in Moscow. An agreement was struck to hold bilateral consultations between authorized state bodies to resolve the situation promptly. China, however, could scoop up the freed-up wheat.

At the same October 18 meeting in Moscow, the Kazakh and Russian sides agreed to further increase freight flow via the China-Kazakhstan-Russia route, which saw a 63% increase, whereas the China-Europe-China route through Russia and Kazakhstan –  65%.

Kazakhstan's and Uzbekistan's statements about international organizations this past week are also eye-catching. Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev's press secretary and adviser, Berik Uali, announced Kazakhstan would not seek BRICS membership. A day later, Uzbek deputy Aqmal Saidov said Tashkent would not join any military alliances. He also noted Uzbekistan would remain an observer state in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Kazakhstan's President also spoke with the Armenian Prime Minister, disenchanted by the CSTO, and his Armenian counterpart. Toqayev emphasized to the latter that the Almaty platform for negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia is still on the table. Similarly, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, said Russia, Türkiye, and Iran offered Baku and Yerevan to use the  "3+3" platform to finalize their peace treaty. At the same time, Yerevan seems to be pressing on in making inroads with Western Nations.

On a separate note, Azim Akhmedkhodjaev, director of the Atomic Energy Agency "Uzaton," confirmed Rosatom as Tashkent's choice for the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant (LNP) in Uzbekistan. Reports also surfaced that Rosatam allegedly reached out to organize a meeting with Kazakhstan's top brass.

Astana has clearly signaled that an international consortium should engage in constructing the nation's nuclear power plant, not a single contractor. Incidentally, Assystem, a French company that designs, constructs, supervises, and commissions projects in the nuclear industry, was in Astana this past Thursday. It remains to be seen how the consortium will operate and who will join it.

In a similar capacity, Ashgabat has continued to promote the TAPI gas-line project, which resumed construction in September. The Turkmen president, meanwhile, was by no means idle. He sacked administrative officials nationwide. 

High-ranking law enforcement officers were also dismissed in Kazakhstan's Almaty region against the backdrop of a high-profile homicide case:16-year-old Sherzat Polat was killed near his family's store in Talgar. 

Prosecutors, police, and the Talgar City Akim, along with his deputy, were shown the door. 

Before heads rolled, different law enforcement representatives held a conference where they demonstrated the video showing the conflict preceding Sherzat Polat's death. The video was illegally leaked a day prior, and a criminal case was launched.