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East Asia
China, Uzbekistan to boost strategic partnership
Xinhua – China and Uzbekistan upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership on June 22 after talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, The two countries also outlined the cooperation plan for their new partnership in such areas as political mutual trust and…
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West Asia
Turkey may hold referendum to decide on fate of EU membership
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday slammed the European Union for failing to fulfill its end of the bargain regarding the EU-Turkey readmission deal, saying that Turkey may also hold a referendum to determine if they should continue with negotiations or not, while he harshly criticized the bloc for…
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Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan Approves Bill Banning Foreign Media Ownership
Parliament of Kyrgyzstan has prepared initial approval to a bill banning foreign individuals and organizations from owning and establishing media outlets in the country. The proposed legislation also bans activities in the country of media outlets financially supported by foreign countries, RFERL reports. Lawmakers approved the first reading of the…
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East Asia
China Imports Record Volume of Russian Oil
China increased its imports of Russian oil to a record of 5.2 million tons in May — roughly 1.24 million barrels every day, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday. In annual terms, China’s oil imports from Russia in May rose by 33.7 percent, Reuters reported, citing data from the Chinese…
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East Asia
Xi urges prioritization of China-CEE ties in China-EU partnerships
By Zhao Cheng from People’s Daily Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the significance of cooperation between Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and China, also known as “16+1 cooperation,” in China-EU partnerships during his meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic last Saturday, the second day of his three-nation trip.…
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Central Asia
EU to extend anti-Russia sanctions
European Union agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia until late January 2017. According to Sputnik, the summit of EU leaders is scheduled for June 28-29. Extending the EU economic sanctions against Russia, which are due to expire in July, is likely to be on the summit’s agenda. Relations between…
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South Asia
Kazakhstan’s trade with CAREC countries reaches $22 billion
The volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the countries of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) increased from 17.5 to 22 billion dollars from 2010 to 2015, Vice-Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Timur Zhaksylykov has said today during I Forum of the analytical centers of Central Asia.…
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Central Asia
Russia Tests Short-Range Anti-Missile System
Russian Air Force has tested a new short-range anti-ballistic missile system, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 21. The launch took place in Kazakhstan. “We successfully completed the task, hitting the target at the scheduled time,” said Aerospace Force Air Defense Chief Viktor Gumyonny. “At 7:00 a.m.…
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West Asia
Turkish PM: Anti-PKK operations over, time for reconstruction
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has declared the end of military operations in Turkey’s southeast and said the government is entering a “second phase” by launching a massive campaign for the reconstruction of cities damaged by clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Hurriyet Daily News…
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West Asia
Turkey rejects claims of border killings
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday denied claims that Turkish security forces killed Syrian civilians attempting to cross the border, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement, ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said the allegations “do not reflect the truth”. He added: “Our security forces are acting within a completely legal framework…
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