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Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Uzbekistan: What kind of countries are they?- PREX Island

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Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Uzbekistan: What kind of countries are they?

I think lots of Japanese people paid attention when the media reported Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to five Central Asian nations in late October. Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, each of the countries has developed and changed in the various ways. I recently visited Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz and Uzbekistan for the first time in five years. I will now convey my impressions based mainly on my visit to those three countries. 
(Emiko Setoguchi, International Department)

Kazakhstan: a major and quickly growing natural-resources power in Central Asia

Kazakhstan is a country of abundant natural resources including energy and minerals. As it has experienced a lot of rapid growth, it will soon graduate from being an ODA recipient country. But that does not mean Kazakhstan is complacent. The government is aiming for sustainable economic development in the future and striving to move forward with energy conservation and fostering industries that include small and medium-sized manufacturers. There seemed to be a high level of interest in Kaizen at local enterprises, and specialists continue to be dispatched from Japan to provide guidance for such activities. We stayed in the old capital of Almaty, which was livelier than five years ago. Urbanization, including traffic jams, is spreading. Yet at the same time, we could also sense development and change, such as small-scale and independent-operated solar panels, which weren’t there before, on a plain that stretches into Kyrgyz. The people who participated in PREX seminars in the 2000s include a central bank governor, カイラト・ケリムベトフ, and governor of South Kazakhstan Region, ベイブト・アタムクロフ.

Wind power

Kyrgyz: a small country with plenty of charm

Kygyz has few natural resources compared to its other Central Asian neighbors, and its population and land area are both small. However, 155 people from the country have attended PREX seminars, the highest number of all Central Asian countries. Right after gaining independence, Kyrgyz joined the WTO and recently the Eurasian Economic Union. Despite being jostled around by the major powers that surround it, the country has been endeavoring to sustain itself, and its current President, Almazbek Atambayev, is already the fourth leader. In the meantime, young entrepreneurs have launched a variety of companies, while the government has established a forum for consultations in order to listen to the voices from the economic sector. I had the impression the country is the most advanced when it comes to democratization. During Prime Minister Abe’s recent visit, President Atambayev said, “Even though Japan has no natural resources, it has shown that it could become a great democratic power. Japan’s existence in itself gives support to Kyrgyz.” Around 150 students and others from Kyrgyz are working hard in Japan. Many Japanese have a sense of affinity toward this small country as it struggles to make its way in the world. Advice came from Japan in the One Village, One Item Project. Thus, products that were improved as a result of developments under the project are being sold in Japan, including lovely felt products and honey collected from nature

The Ala-Too mountain range can always be seen from the capital Bishkek.  Large wind turbines jut from a wide plain.

The Ala-Too mountain range can always be seen from the capital Bishkek.
Large wind turbines jut from a wide plain.

Uzbekistan: A sense of Islam and urban transformation

On our recent trip, Uzbekistan gave us the biggest sense of change. We did not get an impression of high-growth economic liberalization and development under the original development policy called “gradualism.” Even so, the number of fashionable restaurants and modern buildings in Tashkent has increased, along with new parks and roadwork, giving us a different impression than before. Government control has managed to keep out the bad influences from economies overseas. We heard about the results of efforts to nurture domestic industries, including agricultural processing and textiles, as well as evaluations saying government industrial policy has been doing a good job and even changed lives, and that the people have been able to obtain domestically produced food products and clothes. Even so, democratization has yet to become an issue. After some brainstorming, company managers have established forums for sharing experiences and forging business ties. (The managers meet regularly every week at such forums as the “Plov Sessions” and “Book Café.”) Another feature of Uzbekistan is that Islam seems to be very close to the people. The fact the capital of the Timurid Empire in the14th and 15th centuries was in Samarkand in the country and Muslims account for the majority of the population probably have had an influence. During breakfast at our hotel, the greeting “as-salamu alaykum” was heard often, and when we were invited to a dining party for male company officials only, a Muslim prayer was conducted before the meal. These scenes were different from what we saw in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz.

Baroqxon Madrasasi in Tashkent

Baroqxon Madrasasi in Tashkent

 

 

  • Date : March 15, 2016
  • Name : Emiko Setoguchi International Department