Author: Mannon Hasanov

Paris (08/11 – 75) Sri Lanka’s economic and political crisis of 2022 left the country bankrupt. Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as President of Sri Lanka in July 2022 when the country was in the middle of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948. His predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had been forced out of power after facing mass protests prompted by 12-hour power cuts and persistent fuel and food shortages. The nation was bankrupt.Wickremesinghe brought in the International Monetary Fund and has focused on reaching macroeconomic stability and driving tough but much-needed structural reforms. Today, as Sri Lanka embarks…

Uzbekistan, with its long history of mulberry tree cultivation and silkworms raising, is now the third largest silk producer in the world. The cooperation between China and Uzbekistan in sericulture is blossoming under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. There is especially extensive sericulture trade and technological exchange between the Central Asian country and Zhejiang province, east China. Wang Yongqiang, director of the Institute of Sericulture, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said Zhejiang and Uzbekistan sericulture complement each other as they have different advantages. Silkworm eggs from Zhejiang are of high quality and yield whereas the traditional Uzbek silkworm eggs can resist coldness and drought. Also, China has a clear advantage in silkworm raising…

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 19. Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, who is paying an official visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of the Uzbek Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov, visited the Bahouddin Naqshbandi memorial complex, Trend reports via Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense. After getting acquainted with the complex, Zakir Hasanov arrived at the Bukhara combined arms training range. An official welcoming ceremony was held. The defense ministers passed along the guard of honor, and the national anthems of both countries were performed. Defense ministers met first one on one, and then in an expanded format with…

Health leaders and top officials from central Asia convened at the Samarkand TB Summit on 23–24 August 2023. Hosted jointly by the Uzbekistan Ministry of Health and WHO, this landmark event served as a beacon of hope in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in the region. Deputy ministers, national TB programme managers, senior advisers and development partners united to share innovative strategies and chart a unified course to combat the persistent TB epidemic, underscoring the critical importance of regional collaboration amid global setbacks. The battle against TB Despite significant progress, TB remains a deadly infectious disease, killing 1.6 million people…

The counterterrorism expert and author of “Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International Community” explains how religious extremism manifested in Sri Lanka’s deadliest terror attack. On April 21, 2019 – Easter Sunday – a coordinated series of bombings ripped through Sri Lanka, targeting churches and luxury hotels. Over 260 people were killed, making it the deadliest terrorist attack ever suffered by Sri Lanka. The attack has continued to resonate in Sri Lankan society and politics, as the public demands to untangle questions of responsibility: Why was the attack not prevented, and what can be done to stop the…

BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 26. Uzbekistan is considering attracting $50 billion of overseas funding within the agricultural sector of the nation, the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, Aziz Voitov mentioned on the 2nd Turkic Agro Business Forum in Baku, Trend experiences. The minister famous that the textile trade, gardening, animal husbandry, seed manufacturing and others are essential and promising sectors within the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan. He added that the federal government of Uzbekistan gives subsidies to farmers for the introduction of water-saving applied sciences and the acquisition of seeds. In addition, Voitov mentioned that this platform gives enormous alternatives for…

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday indicted the capital city’s deputy commissioner and top police officials for contempt of court over prolonged detentions of members of ex-premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, in what legal experts called a sign the country’s judiciary was asserting itself amid multiple violations of its orders by state authorities. The IHC ruling came in response to multiple arrests of PTI leaders under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance, after they had been either released on bail or cases against them were suspended or dismissed. Under the MPO, authorities can arrest a…

Bukhara, Uzbekistan – For Iskandar Kamolov, a seventh-generation blacksmith, more tourists means more business. Plying his trade each day at the 16th-century Toqi Zargaron trading dome in Bukhara, Kamolov peddles wares such as traditional knives and scissors to locals and international visitors, mostly from Russia, France and Italy. On a good day, the 33-year-old craftsman can sell up to 10 items, which go for anywhere from $20 to $800 each. Kamolov’s business hasn’t only benefited from a growing influx of foreign visitors in recent years but also eased customs rules that have made it easier to ship his products out of…

The UK has appointed a new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan According to the UK Government, Timothy Smart will be the new Ambassador of the UK to Uzbekistan. The newly appointed ambassador will assume his duties in Uzbekistan in August 2023. Prior to this appointment, Timothy Smart served as the Head of the Eastern Mediterranean Department at the UK Foreign Ministry. He will succeed Timothy Torlot in this post. Over the past year, the volume of trade turnover between the UK and Uzbekistan increased by almost 15 percent and amounted to $203.2 million.

Brussels, Frankfurt (15/7 – 56) Bad habits die badly. Three hundred fifty years of Dutch colonial rule, where expatriate European masters professing noble, selfless public service for the Kingdom of the Netherlands were notoriously corrupt; apart from loading up with as much as they could swindle, shake down or steal, why on Earth would any sane Dutchman be adventurous or foolhardy enough to go out to the Indies? The trip out by sailing ship was long and dangerous. Even sailors were in on the game: their coveralls never had pockets, making it difficult to smuggle spices, in an era when…