The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

At the Tashkent International Investment Forum 2026, a panel on “Digital Diplomacy and Soft Power” examined how governments use online platforms, artificial intelligence and direct public communication to shape their international reputation and attract investment. Vladimir Norov, Uzbekistan’s former foreign minister, former secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and current...

Humanitarian Aid

Kazakhstan Afghanistan Ties Expand With Aid, Medicine and Trade Talks

Mining

S&P Global Energy Executive Says Kazakhstan Can Move Toward Mining’s Top Tier

Wesley Monteiro, Global Market Engagement Lead at S&P Global Energy/Platts, said Kazakhstan has one of the strongest chances among mining jurisdictions to move from tier-two toward tier-one, speaking to The Times of Central Asia on June 12 on the sidelines of the Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress in Astana. “This...

Kazakhstan and U.S. AI Companies Sign Agreements Worth $10 Billion

Tashkent International Investment Forum

Women in Enterprise Panel Highlights Uzbekistan’s Push for Female Entrepreneurship

The “Women in Enterprise” panel at the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) 2026 put female entrepreneurship and gender-inclusive growth at the center of Uzbekistan’s investment agenda. Held on June 16, the session, formally titled Women in Enterprise: The Economic Case for Gender-Inclusive Growth, examined how greater female participation...

Digital Development

Turkmenistan’s Digital Push Gains Ground Despite Tight Internet Controls

Mining

Azerbaijan Moves Into Uzbekistan’s Gold and Critical Minerals Sector

Azerbaijan has moved from preliminary mining talks to signed project agreements in Uzbekistan. On June 16, state-owned AzerGold signed an agreement to jointly develop a gold deposit in Uzbekistan. A separate document covered a critical minerals project with NEQSOL Holding. Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla...

Tashkent International Investment Forum

Washington and Tashkent Deepen Economic Ties at TIIF

Uzbekistan and the United States launched a joint investment platform in Tashkent on June 16 as senior U.S. officials and corporate executives gathered for the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum, advancing cooperation in energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, and advanced manufacturing. On the eve of the forum, Mirziyoyev hosted a delegation...

Defence Deals, Cotton Conscription, and Kyrgyzstan’s UN Victory

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Sunkar Podcast

Kazakhstan to Host 2027 Table Tennis World Championships

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Opinions

Opinion: Central Asia’s Shift from Silk Road Romance to Infrastructure Finance – What the June Forums Are Building

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Opinion: Central Asia – Shared Wildlife, Shared Landscapes, Shared Responsibility

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Opinion: Beyond Multivectorism – What Kyrgyzstan’s UN Security Council Win Really Shows

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: Eurasia’s New Corridors Are More Than a Transit Race

Aidar Borangaziyev

Opinion: Silk Seven or the OTS? Central Asia May Not Have to Choose

Ken Moriyasu

Opinion: How AI Is Reshaping the Global Image of Nations

Sergey Akhmetov

Opinion: Middle Powers and the “Voice of the Region” – Is Central Asia Becoming a Coordinated Actor?

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: UK’s C6 Engagement and the Opportunity for British Geostrategic Renewal

Matthew Davies

Opinion: The Southern Dimension of the Middle Corridor – Afghanistan’s Role in Eurasia’s New Logistics Landscape

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Kazakhstan, Oil, the Iran War and Dutch Disease

Charles McLean

Opinion: The U.S. Still Doesn’t Know Where Central Asia Belongs

Ken Moriyasu

Opinion: Hormuz Crisis Pushes Afghanistan Aid Routes Toward Central Asia

Aidar Borangaziyev

Business & Economy

Minerals

Kazakhstan Afghanistan Mining Talks Focus on Aquamarine and Zinc

Kazakhstan is interested in processing Afghan technical aquamarine and zinc ore at its own facilities, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin has said. He spoke during talks in Kabul with Afghanistan’s acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund and acting Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar. Kazakhstan holds a key position in Central Asia’s mining and metallurgical sector as an industrial and technological hub. According to Kazakhstan’s government, the country is among the few in the world with expertise in processing technical aquamarine, a beryllium-bearing mineral. Against this backdrop, Kazakh companies are showing growing interest in Afghanistan’s...

Tashkent International Investment Forum

Digital Diplomacy and Soft Power at TIIF 2026

Mining

S&P Global Energy Executive Says Kazakhstan Can Move Toward Mining’s Top Tier

Energy cooperation

Petronas Turkmenistan Deal Deepens Malaysia Energy Ties

Tashkent International Investment Forum

Women in Enterprise Panel Highlights Uzbekistan’s Push for Female Entrepreneurship

Income Growth Plan

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s New Income Growth Plan: Administrative Measures Against Market Realities

Kazakhstan’s government has unveiled a Comprehensive Plan to Increase Household Incomes for 2026-2029. The Ministry of National Economy says it contains 59 measures. The stated goals include higher wages and lower inflation. The plan also aims to ease household debt. The full text of the plan has not yet been published in open access. First Vice Minister Azamat Amrin presented its main provisions at a Government press conference on June 11. The central contradiction lies in the fact that guaranteed income growth applies to only a small segment of the population. The plan creates fundamentally different conditions for the public...

Investment

Kazakhstan Strengthens Position as Central Asia’s Investment Hub, AIFC Head Says

Central Asia is moving beyond its traditional role as a transit corridor and emerging as an investment destination in its own right, according to Renat Bekturov, Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre. He said investors increasingly value transparent institutions, predictable law and capital protection alongside geography and natural resources. Bekturov noted that Kazakhstan remains the European Union’s largest partner in Central Asia, accounting for more than 80% of the EU’s trade with the region. In 2025, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the European Union reached $45.1 billion, while cumulative European investment since 2005 exceeded $200 billion. More than 4,000...

Kazakhstan and U.S. AI Companies Sign Agreements Worth $10 Billion

Kazakhstan took a major step toward its goal of becoming an AI leader in the heart of the Eurasian continent when new investment deals were signed with U.S. companies NVIDIA and Firebird. Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov hosted NVIDIA Vice President Rev Lebaredian and Firebird co-founders Razmig Hovaghimian and Alexander Yesayan on June 15. They signed agreements on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure cooperation worth up to $10 billion, for Kazakhstan’s Data Center Valley project. Top Ten in Global AI Infrastructure Representatives of the U.S. companies and Kazakh officials at the signing ceremony paid tribute to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev...

Transport Corridors

EDB Says Uzbekistan Is Becoming a Eurasian Transport Hub

Uzbekistan is becoming a crossroads of Eurasian transport corridors, Alexei Skatin, deputy chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), said at the Tashkent International Investment Forum on June 18. Skatin made the remarks during a panel session titled Transforming the Railway Sector and Developing New Logistics Corridors in Central Asia: Investment Opportunities and Regional Connectivity. According to Skatin, three key railway corridors will pass through the country: the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which is already under construction; the Trans-Afghan railway; and the planned Tashkent-Samarkand high-speed rail line. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan corridor is expected to provide a direct container link...

Local Politics

Healthcare

Tokayev Says Kazakhstan Offers Healthcare Benefits Unavailable in Some Western Countries

Kazakhstan provides its citizens with a range of social guarantees that, according to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, are unavailable even in some of the world’s most developed countries. Tokayev made the remarks during an awards ceremony for healthcare workers ahead of their professional holiday. Kazakhstan marks Medical Workers’ Day annually on the third Sunday of June, which falls on June 21 this year. Speaking at the ceremony, Tokayev said Kazakhstan remains a social state and that fulfilling social obligations is a constitutional responsibility of all branches of government. He noted that more than 9 trillion tenge, or almost $18 billion, was...

Smartphones

Turkmen Schools Introduce New Rules for Smartphone Use

Education

Turkmenistan Sets New Rules for Mobile Devices in Schools

Kazakhstan's Parliament

Amanat Adilet Merger as Kazakhstan Prepares for New Parliament

Cancer Treatment

Uzbekistan Cancer Care Reforms to be Launched in 2027

Digital Development

Turkmenistan’s Digital Push Gains Ground Despite Tight Internet Controls

Turkmenistan remains one of the world's most tightly controlled online environments. Yet its state services portal now advertises more than 500 services, the country has more than 100,000 registered mobile-banking users, and the flagship city of Arkadag has launched a 5G network. The figures are official or state-linked and difficult to verify, and the scale remains modest by regional standards. Taken together, however, they point to a shift: digitalization is beginning to move beyond government rhetoric and into everyday administrative and financial life. A Shift That Is Hard to Measure Turkmenistan's digital transition is difficult to quantify. Official statistics are...

Political Parties

Kazakhstan’s Party System Faces Its First Kurultai Test

Kazakhstan’s shift to a unicameral, party-list Kurultai is meant to strengthen political parties. But the ruling Amanat party’s June 12 vote to join the newly created Adilet party, followed by Adilet delegates’ approval on June 14, shows the first test of the new system will show whether the new party-list model broadens competition or mainly reorganizes the pro-presidential camp before the vote. Why Parties Matter Now On July 1, 2026, Kazakhstan’s new Constitution enters into force, abolishing the bicameral parliament and replacing it with a unicameral Kurultai of 145 deputies elected exclusively through party lists for a five-year term. The...

Adilet Party

Fraudsters Attempt to Exploit Kazakhstan’s Adilet Party Name

Kazakhstan’s pro-presidential Adilet party says fake online accounts are unlawfully using its name to mislead citizens with offers of party membership cards as it prepares to merge with the ruling Amanat party. On June 12, Astana hosted Amanat’s 26th congress, where delegates voted in favor of the merger. For Adilet, joining Amanat would provide access to the ruling party’s nationwide branch network and large membership base. For Amanat, the merger is expected to help the party move beyond a political brand still closely associated with former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Adilet, whose name translates as “Justice,” held its founding congress on...

Drone Production

Kyrgyzstan Expands Domestic Drone Production

A private research center near Bishkek is expanding production of unmanned and robotic systems as Kyrgyzstan invests more heavily in drones, robotics, and military modernization. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kyrgyzstan’s armed forces have expanded alongside sharp increases in defense spending, with drones receiving particular attention since Bishkek acquired its first combat drones in late 2021. The Nanospace Research Center, which operates with private funding, was established with support from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who allocated land for the facility and helped its founders establish cooperation with the country’s armed forces. According to Nanospace Director Ulan Salamatov,...

International Affairs

EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation

Tokayev Heads to Brussels as Kazakhstan and EU Seek Progress on Trade, Minerals and Transport

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Brussels on June 22 seeking to advance cooperation with the European Union on critical minerals, transport connectivity, investment, and visa facilitation, as Kazakhstan and the EU move from framework agreements toward implementation. Tokayev’s official visit brings him together with the European Union's two senior institutional leaders and Belgium's prime minister. Tokayev is scheduled to meet European Council President António Costa at 7 p.m. on Monday. A joint meeting with Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set for Tuesday. His program also includes Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and a Kazakhstan-EU...

Transport & Logistics

Kazakhstan and Iran Expand Port Access to Boost Cargo Transit

Tashkent International Investment Forum

Mirziyoyev Says Uzbekistan’s Doors Will “Always Remain Open” as Fifth Tashkent Investment Forum Begins

TRIPP

The 43 Kilometers That Could Rewire Eurasia

Central Asia + Japan

Japan Extends $229 Million Loan to Boost Energy Efficiency in Uzbekistan

Humanitarian Aid

Kazakhstan Afghanistan Ties Expand With Aid, Medicine and Trade Talks

A Kazakhstani delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin visited Kabul on June 19-21, combining humanitarian aid, medical cooperation, education and trade talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban-led authorities. Kazakhstan has long treated Afghanistan as a central regional issue, arguing that stability and economic integration there are in the interests of Central Asia as a whole. Kazakh officials have framed engagement with Kabul as part of a broader effort to support Afghanistan’s reconstruction while keeping the country linked to regional trade, transport and humanitarian initiatives. Kazakhstan has also taken steps to formalize working contacts with Kabul....

Bilateral Relations

Uzbekistan Mahallasi Opens in Turkey’s Earthquake-Hit Hatay

A residential complex built by Uzbekistan in Turkey’s Hatay Province has officially become the center of a new neighborhood named “Uzbekistan Mahallasi,” marking another milestone in the growing partnership between the two countries. According to Uzbekistan’s Dunyo Information Agency, an opening ceremony was held in the Arsuz district of Hatay. Officials also inaugurated Shavkat Mirziyoyev Boulevard, along with Tashkent and Samarkand Streets. The event brought together senior officials from both countries, including Nuriddin Ismoilov, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis; Jurabek Rakhimov, governor of Khorezm Region; Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey; Hatay...

Termez Dialogue 2026

Opinion: Indian Ambassador Says Shared Spiritual Legacy Reflects Indo-Uzbek Solidarity

TASHKENT, June 10, 2026 - Indian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Smita Pant used her official remarks at the Termez Dialogue 2026 to argue that connectivity between Central and South Asia cannot be judged by infrastructure alone. Roads, railways, ports, energy links, financial channels, and digital systems are essential. But durable cooperation also depends on confidence, cultural memory, and a willingness to treat sovereignty as a condition for partnership rather than an obstacle to it. The second meeting of the Termez Dialogue was held under the theme “Peace, Connectivity, and Resilience: Shaping the Foundation for Shared Prosperity.” It was organized by the...

Iran

U.S.-Iran Framework Could Reopen Central Asia’s Southern Route

The United States and Iran said on June 15 that they had reached a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The sides said a memorandum of understanding could be signed on June 19 in Switzerland. The exact terms were not immediately known, with Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief left for later talks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the pact called for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Trump posted, on Truth Social, “Ships of the World, start...

Life & Culture

Cultural Heritage

Mikhail Borisoglebsky’s Dzhangyr-Bai: Kazakh Steppe Culture and a Society in Transition

Among the overlooked literary works of the early Soviet period, Mikhail Borisoglebsky’s Dzhangyr-Bai stands as a fascinating cultural and historical artifact. Published in Moscow and Leningrad in 1926, the illustrated book follows Dzhangyr-Bai, a Kazakh figure of the old steppe order, as he confronts a changing world. It is also a vivid ethnographic portrait of the Kazakh steppe, with close attention to its music, clothing, traditions, and spiritual atmosphere. The surviving illustrated edition shows how literature once acted as a bridge between cultures, documenting a way of life being rapidly reshaped by modernization and Soviet reform. The opening pages immediately...

World Nomad Games

Tea, Tug-of-War, and Team GB at the World Nomad Games

Archaeology

Kazakhstan’s Ancient Karakabak Reveals New Silk Road Links

Photography

19th Century Photographs of Central Asia on Display in Turkmenistan

Robotics

Kazakh Robotics Team Wins Top Judged Award at U.S. Tech Event

FIFA World Cup

World Cup: Diaz’s quality shows as Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1

In the breathless air of Mexico City, Colombia overcame a spirited Uzbekistan 3-1 in the first-ever FIFA World Cup game involving a Central Asian side. In a match which was otherwise low on quality, the difference-maker was Bayern Munich’s Luis Díaz. He created Colombia’s first goal, scored the second after Uzbekistan had briefly equalized, and gave the favorites a cutting-edge that they had otherwise lacked. For Uzbekistan, the defeat was not a humiliation. Abbosbek Fayzullaev’s second-half equalizer, the first World Cup goal scored by a Central Asian country, will go down in history. There was even a spell late when...

Film Industry

Bishkek Film Festival Positions Itself as Central Asia’s New Cinema Hub

In only four editions, the Bishkek International Film Festival has begun to look less like a young local event and more like one of Central Asia’s key meeting points for cinema. This year’s edition, held in the Kyrgyz capital, brought guests from more than 30 countries, and saw nine world premieres and a competition slate that revealed how closely filmmakers across Asia and Europe are now speaking to one another. Alongside its three competition strands — International, Central Asian and the national KyrgyzBox section, which featured some of the country’s highest-grossing projects — the festival hosted industry events, pitching sessions...

Breastfeeding

Turkmenistan Promotes Breastfeeding After Reported Decline

Turkmenistan and the United Nations are encouraging Turkmen mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children in the first six months of life, following a decline in exclusive breastfeeding rates in the Central Asian country in recent years. UNICEF said its survey data showed that 84.7% of infants in Turkmenistan are breastfed within the first hour after birth. However, the proportion of babies who are exclusively breastfed over the first six months dropped from 56.5% in 2019 to 35.5% in 2024, the agency said on Monday. UNICEF is coordinating with health officials in Turkmenistan, as well as national media and social media influencers,...

Academy of Sciences

Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov Awarded Academic Titles

Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has been awarded the title of professor in economic and political sciences and elected as an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. The announcement was made by the state-run Golden Age. The award ceremony took place at the Academy of Sciences on the eve of Science Day, observed annually in Turkmenistan on June 12. According to the official statement, Berdimuhamedov received the professorship for his “outstanding contributions to scientific-production, innovation-industrial, socio-economic, and scientific-technical transformations,” as well as for promoting modern science and expanding international cooperation. The academy also said his election as an academician...

Justice

Women's Rights

Dushanbe Opens Criminal Cases Over Underage Marriage in Tajikistan

The authorities in Tajikistan have reported several cases involving the marriage of underage girls, with criminal cases opened in Dushanbe since the beginning of the year over violations of the country’s legal marriage age. According to the Dushanbe branch of the Interior Ministry, law enforcement agencies have identified five cases this year in which parents arranged marriages for their underage daughters. Criminal investigations have been launched in all cases, and inquiries are ongoing. Officials reminded the public that under Article 13 of Tajikistan’s Family Code, the legal age for marriage is 18. The only exception is by court decision, which...

Amnesty

Tajikistan Amnesty to Free or Reduce Sentences for More Than 18,000

Drug Crime

Kazakhstan Seeks to Block Nearly 12,000 Drug-Related Websites in 2026

Bloggers

Kyrgyzstan Proposes Blogger Tax Breaks as Kazakhstan Tightens Scrutiny

Drug Trafficking

Uzbekistan Toughens Anti-Drug Laws as Synthetic Narcotics and Online Trafficking Rise

Police Drones

Kazakhstan Opens Drone Operator Training Lab for Interior Ministry

Kazakhstan is actively integrating modern unmanned aerial technologies into law enforcement, with the Interior Ministry opening a new training laboratory where police officers will receive comprehensive instruction in drone operations. According to Polisia.kz, the training program includes several stages: theoretical coursework, simulator-based exercises, and practical computer-based training. Particular attention is being given to the use of drones in real operational tasks, from rapid response missions to search and rescue operations. “On the instructions of the minister of internal affairs, a training laboratory for unmanned aerial systems has been established at the ministry’s Operational and Forensic Department. Our task is to...

Saddam Gulamov

Russian Diplomats Report No Complaints From Imprisoned Turkmen Activist Saddam Gulamov

Russian embassy officials in Turkmenistan have visited activist Saddam Gulamov, who is serving his sentence at the LB-E/12 penal colony in Lebap Region. Gulamov was said to have described his detention conditions and food as acceptable, and his health as satisfactory, according to a letter sent by Kamil Magomedov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Third CIS Department, to Gulamov’s relatives. According to the document, Russian diplomats met Gulamov in person at the correctional facility in late May. The letter states that during the conversation, Gulamov described his detention conditions and food as acceptable, and said his health was...

Public Health

Tajikistan Shuts Down Counterfeit Children’s Medicines Operation

Law enforcement authorities in Dushanbe have shut down an underground operation that allegedly produced counterfeit pharmaceutical products, including medicines intended for children. According to the Dushanbe police department, the seized products included syrups sold under well-known brands including Nurofen, Paracetamol, Lazolvan, Theraflu, and others. Authorities said the products were manufactured in unsanitary conditions and distributed with falsified branding. During searches, police confiscated around 35,900 bottles of syrup, more than 405,000 packages and labels, over 600 kilograms of raw materials, and equipment allegedly used in the production process. A 42-year-old Dushanbe resident, Otabek Dadachonov, has been detained on suspicion of organizing...

Forced Labor

ILO Urges Turkmenistan to Abolish Cotton Quota System

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has again criticized Turkmenistan over the continued use of forced labor in its cotton sector, calling on the country to dismantle its state-imposed cotton quota system and submit a detailed progress report by September 1. The call followed discussions at the annual International Labour Conference in Geneva, where the ILO’s Committee on the Application of Standards reviewed Turkmenistan’s compliance with Convention No. 105 on the Abolition of Forced Labour. This was the fifth time Turkmenistan’s implementation of the convention had been examined by the committee. The country ratified the convention in 1997, but concerns persist...

Environment

Snow Leopard

Kyrgyzstan to Host Snow Leopard Eco Festival in Chon-Kemin

Kyrgyzstan will host the environmental festival “Snow Leopard EcoFest Chon-Kemin 2026” on July 11 at the hippodrome in the village of Shabdan in the Chon-Kemin Valley, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision announced. The festival, themed “Snow Leopard: Eco-Education as the Foundation for a Sustainable Future in Kyrgyzstan,” aims to raise environmental awareness, promote eco-education and sustainable tourism, and draw public attention to the conservation of the snow leopard, Kyrgyzstan’s national symbol. The event is being organized by the Ilbirs-Green Generation Public Foundation, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, the Secretariat of the Global...

Environmental Research

Kyrgyzstan-Germany Project Studies Lake Issyk-Kul Ecosystem

Water Management

Tajikistan and ADB Discuss Modernization of Tajik Sea Reservoir

Central Asia + Japan

Japan Extends $229 Million Loan to Boost Energy Efficiency in Uzbekistan

Forest Fires

Kazakhstan Develops Specialized Firefighting Vehicle for Forest Fires

Wastewater Treatment

Naryn Begins Wastewater Upgrade with EBRD, Swiss, and EU Support

Construction has begun on a new wastewater treatment plant in Naryn, the administrative center of Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn region, under a project backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Switzerland, and the European Union. The financing package includes a €2 million sovereign loan from the EBRD, a €3.6 million grant from Switzerland, and a €1 million grant from the EU. The funds will be used to build a new wastewater treatment plant, extend the city’s sewerage network, construct two new pumping stations, and purchase operational equipment. According to the EBRD, Naryn, a city of around 42,000 people, currently has...

Irrigation

International Donors Commit $172 Million to Upgrade Kyrgyzstan’s Irrigation System

International financial institutions and development partners have committed $172 million to a major irrigation modernization project in Kyrgyzstan, aimed at improving water security and farm productivity as climate pressures grow. The World Bank approved $95.75 million in financing on June 12 for the Kyrgyz Republic National Irrigation Investment Program, which seeks to improve irrigation services in selected areas across the country. The financing package also includes $50 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, $20 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development, and a $6.25 million grant from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The project is also...

Recycling

Uzbekistan Draft Proposes Annual Fee for Vehicles Over 30 Years Old

A draft government resolution in Uzbekistan has proposed annual environmental compensation payments for owners of vehicles manufactured 30 or more years ago, as part of a wider plan to regulate end-of-life transport and expand vehicle recycling. The proposal has not yet been adopted. The draft document, titled “On Organizing the Utilization of Vehicles with Expired Service Life and Recycling of Their Components,” was released through official public consultation channels and outlines a phased approach to introducing scrappage and recycling mechanisms across the country. According to the proposal, from January 1, 2027, owners of passenger vehicles manufactured 30 or more years...

Waste Management

Bishkek Launches Second Phase of Waste-to-Energy Plant

Bishkek has begun construction of the second phase of its waste-to-energy plant, a project city officials say will significantly expand waste processing capacity and add to the Kyrgyz capital’s energy supply. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 11. The facility, located at Bishkek’s main sanitary landfill, is the first waste-to-energy plant in Central Asia. Its first phase was officially inaugurated in December 2025 and was designed to process 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste per day. The plant was built by China’s Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., which invested $95 million in the project. The second phase will...

Tokayev Heads to Brussels as Kazakhstan and EU Seek Progress on Trade, Minerals and Transport

Latest

Features

Features

Defence Deals, Cotton Conscription, and Kyrgyzstan’s UN Victory

Latest

Sunkar Podcast

Defence Deals, Cotton Conscription, and Kyrgyzstan’s UN Victory

Sunkar Podcast

Opinions

Opinions

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Zamirbek Minbaev

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ken Moriyasu

Sergey Akhmetov

Timur Serikuly

Matthew Davies

Timur Serikuly

Charles McLean

Ken Moriyasu

Aidar Borangaziyev

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Afghanistan Mining Talks Focus on Aquamarine and Zinc

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s New Income Growth Plan: Administrative Measures Against Market Realities

Kazakhstan Strengthens Position as Central Asia’s Investment Hub, AIFC Head Says

Kazakhstan and U.S. AI Companies Sign Agreements Worth $10 Billion

EDB Says Uzbekistan Is Becoming a Eurasian Transport Hub

Local Politics

Local Politics

Tokayev Says Kazakhstan Offers Healthcare Benefits Unavailable in Some Western Countries

Turkmenistan’s Digital Push Gains Ground Despite Tight Internet Controls

Kazakhstan’s Party System Faces Its First Kurultai Test

Fraudsters Attempt to Exploit Kazakhstan’s Adilet Party Name

Kyrgyzstan Expands Domestic Drone Production

International Affairs

International Affairs

Tokayev Heads to Brussels as Kazakhstan and EU Seek Progress on Trade, Minerals and Transport

Kazakhstan Afghanistan Ties Expand With Aid, Medicine and Trade Talks

Uzbekistan Mahallasi Opens in Turkey’s Earthquake-Hit Hatay

Opinion: Indian Ambassador Says Shared Spiritual Legacy Reflects Indo-Uzbek Solidarity

U.S.-Iran Framework Could Reopen Central Asia’s Southern Route

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Mikhail Borisoglebsky’s Dzhangyr-Bai: Kazakh Steppe Culture and a Society in Transition

World Cup: Diaz’s quality shows as Colombia beat Uzbekistan 3-1

Bishkek Film Festival Positions Itself as Central Asia’s New Cinema Hub

Turkmenistan Promotes Breastfeeding After Reported Decline

Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov Awarded Academic Titles

Justice

Justice

Dushanbe Opens Criminal Cases Over Underage Marriage in Tajikistan