The Bedel Pass is situated in a remote southeastern corner of Kyrgyzstan, sited roughly equidistantly from the Kyrgyz city of Karakol and Xinjiang’s Aksu Prefecture.
An updated version of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index shows Kazakhstan with 39 out 100 available points, a three-point increase on the previous edition.
Pro-government media is reporting that Garibashvili will be replaced by Irakli Kobakhidze, who is also known as fiercely loyal to the ruling party's billionaire founder.
The news opens a new chapter in the ruling regime’s campaign to wrest all the levers of control in the country from shadowy, behind-the-scenes operators.