The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has embraced the voluntary artificial intelligence accord signed by President Donald Trump and leaders of major U.S. technology companies as a model for wider international adoption. Tokayev has termed this approach the “Washington Model,” arguing that it could eventually form the basis of a treaty under...

UNDP

How Central Asian Small Businesses Are Earning More From Local Products

Religious Freedom

Why Central Asian Governments Are Regulating Religious Life

CAMCA

At CAMCA, Uzbekistan Revives Push for a Stronger Regional Body

Uzbekistan has renewed its call for a stronger regional institution, with senior senator Sodiq Safoev urging Central Asian leaders to move beyond their consultative meeting format. His remarks in Baku return attention to a proposal President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined last November, when he called for a Community of Central Asia....

CAMCA

Opinion: Central Asia’s Wider Future: The CAMCA Network Brings Regional Cooperation to Baku

Central Asia is helping shape a wider regional agenda, one that connects trade and investment with technology, education, and security. In Baku, the CAMCA Regional Forum is bringing together the people who can carry that agenda forward, with the CAMCA Network helping turn shared interests into opportunities for cooperation. Taking...

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Coming Sunday

Kashagan Oil Field

Kazakhstan Resumes Collection of $5.2 Billion Kashagan Fine

Kazakhstan has restarted enforcement proceedings to collect a 2.3 trillion tenge ($5.22 billion) environmental fine from North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), operator of the Kashagan oil field, ending a three-week procedural pause. The proceedings resumed on September 29, according to the Justice Ministry’s online enforcement database. NCOC continues to reject...

Start-ups

Central Asian Startups Go Global

Startups with their roots in Central Asia are increasingly building businesses for customers in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. International funds are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in these companies, founders are joining Y Combinator and other Silicon Valley programs, and some startups are moving...

Caspian Catastrophe, Opposition Overhaul, and Turkmenistan at 35

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Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: Sobir Ruziev, Soviet Fencer Who Elevated Uzbek Sport

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Opinions

Opinion: Central Asia Is More Than Minerals

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Opinion: Weaponizing Faith – The Cold War Roots of Central Asia’s Security Dilemma

Zabikhulla Saipov

From Lenin to Kenesary: What Kazakhstan’s Renamed Streets Say About Power

Issatay Minuarov

Opinion: Why Central Asia Cannot Afford to Abandon the Iranian Route

Timur Serikuly

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Show What Diplomacy Can Deliver as Vast Rail Project with China Advances

Javier M. Piedra

Uzbekistan’s Heritage Did Not Stop With the Silk Road

Mathieu Lemoine

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Demining Expertise Could Provide Boost to Afghanistan

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Uzbekistan Census – When the Village Reappears in the City

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: The Specter Is Back – A Kazakh Warning to America

Askar Alimzhanov

Opinion: The Amu Darya Stress Test – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Politics of Agricultural Adaptation

Zamirbek Minbaev

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

Igor Klevtsov

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

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

Business & Economy

Foreign Investment

China Accounts for Nearly Half of Foreign Direct Investment in Kyrgyzstan in 2025

Kyrgyzstan received $1.31 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, up 27.3% from the previous year. Nearly half came from China, according to a new report from the country's National Statistical Committee entitled Investments in the Kyrgyz Republic 2021-2025. The figures are for gross FDI inflows, meaning they measure investment entering Kyrgyzstan without subtracting money flowing back out. China accounted for 47.5% of gross FDI, followed by Russia with 13.9%, Kazakhstan with 9.3%, Turkey with 9.1%, and the Netherlands with 5.4%. Together, these five countries accounted for more than 85% of the total. The sources of foreign capital shifted...

Trade Logistics

World Bank Says Middle Corridor Needs More Than $55 Billion by 2040

Oil Refining

Kazakhstan Plans Fourth Major Oil Refinery by 2033

Railway Digitalization

EBRD Provides €38.4 Million for Digital Transformation of Uzbekistan Railways

Start-ups

Central Asian Startups Go Global

Telecommunications

M360 Eurasia Mobile Industry Forum Set for Astana in 2027

M360 Eurasia, a regional mobile-industry forum organized by the GSM Association (GSMA), will be held in Astana in the fall of 2027. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the GSMA agreed to bring the event to the capital during AI & Digital Bridge 2026. The GSMA represents mobile operators and companies across the wider mobile ecosystem. It also organizes Mobile World Congress events and the regional M360 series. The forum will address artificial intelligence (AI) and connectivity, including access to digital services and the rules governing them. The memorandum was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister...

UNDP

How Central Asian Small Businesses Are Earning More From Local Products

For Ikhtiyor Alimov, finding foreign buyers was only part of the challenge. His dried-fruit business in northern Tajikistan also needed enough equipment to fill its orders. Alimov founded Mevai Zarrin in Isfara with eight workers and handmade machinery. Its processing capacity eventually reached 200 kilograms a day, but manual production limited further growth. With the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the company upgraded its equipment and packaging. It can now process 600–650 kilograms daily, according to the organization’s account of its development. “We were able to reduce our product waste by 20%,” Alimov said in UNDP’s regional...

Trans-Afghan Rail Corridor

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and UAE Study CASA Rail Route to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to study a proposed railway corridor through Afghanistan to Pakistan’s seaports. The transport ministries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure signed a memorandum on the Central Asia-South Asia (CASA) project on September 30. They agreed to study its technical and economic feasibility and examine possible financing. The memorandum leaves the route and construction timetable open and provides no cost estimate. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are both landlocked, and Uzbekistan is one of only two countries worldwide that must cross at least two national borders to reach...

Galkynysh Gas Field

Turkmenistan Expands Galkynysh Gas Field With $5.1 Billion Fourth Phase

Turkmenistan has renewed its focus on the $5.1 billion fourth phase of the Galkynysh gas field, with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov telling the Halk Maslahaty on September 23 that the expansion would increase gas production and boost the country’s export capacity. The CNPC-built project, launched in April, is expected to add ten billion cubic meters of commercial gas capacity a year. The fourth phase involves drilling production wells and building a commercial gas treatment facility. CNPC is also responsible for gas gathering and treatment systems, pipelines, and related infrastructure. Although CNPC is building the project, Turkmenistan is financing the expansion itself. In...

Local Politics

Population

Kyrgyzstan Aging Population Puts Growing Pressure on Pension System

The number of people above working age in Kyrgyzstan has increased by more than 146,000, or 25%, over the past five years. The country still has a relatively young population, but the growing number of older people is nevertheless raising questions about the long-term sustainability of its pension system. At the beginning of 2026, Kyrgyzstan had a population of 7.4 million, including 737,000 people above the standard retirement age – 63 for men and 58 for women – accounting for about 10% of the population. Women outnumber men in this group by roughly two to one, as they not only...

Saida Mirziyoyeva

Opinion: Why Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration Was Given Sweeping Powers and Broad Immunity

Opposition

Tajikistan’s Islamic Opposition Changes Leader After 20 Years

Secularism

Kazakhstan Hijab Debate Exposes Divide Over Secularism

Education

Kazakhstan Tests AI After Finding 700 Errors in School Textbooks

Independence Day

Turkmenistan Marks 35 Years of Independence Amid Reports of Shortages

Turkmenistan marked 35 years of independence on September 27 with a military parade and mass celebrations in Ashgabat. The festivities followed independent reports of food shortages and disrupted public transport in the capital. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov attended the parade at the State Tribune complex, where military units and armored vehicles passed before the country’s leaders. The official account described mounted formations and a simultaneous naval display on the Caspian Sea. A civilian procession followed, with decorated floats representing the country’s regions and economic sectors. Performers in traditional dress joined the celebrations, while the government presented Berdimuhamedov with an Akhal-Teke horse...

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Orders Military Overhaul After 14 Die in Caspian Drills

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has replaced the country’s defense minister, three days after 14 servicemen were killed during military exercises in the Caspian Sea. Tokayev appointed Aidos Myrzakhmetov to lead the ministry, ordered a broad inspection of the Defense Ministry, and gave officials ten days to prepare a military reform plan. Dauren Kosanov, who had held the role since June 2025, was dismissed on September 27. On the same day, Tokayev appointed Myrzakhmetov and introduced him at a meeting of senior Defense Ministry officials. Myrzakhmetov, 45, is a career officer who spent much of his career in the State Guard...

Education Policy

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

Kazakhstan is considering whether to eliminate the 12th grade at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS), as some families transfer their children to regular schools after the 10th grade so they can graduate a year earlier. Established in 2008, NIS is a state-funded network of elite schools specializing in science, mathematics, and languages. It operates its own 12-year curriculum. Education Minister Zhuldyz Suleimenova said 88% of NIS graduates finish school at age 18, while about 300 received their diplomas at age 19 last year. A commission is examining whether the curriculum can be compressed into 11 grades, with conclusions expected by January...

Latin Alphabet Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Senate Approves Latin Alphabet Changes

Uzbekistan’s Senate has approved changes to the country’s Latin-based alphabet, replacing four existing forms with individual letters: Oʻ will become Ö, Gʻ will become Ğ, Sh will become Ş, and Ch will become Ç. The revised alphabet will contain 28 letters and one apostrophe instead of the current 26 letters and three letter combinations. The law was approved at the Senate’s 19th plenary session on September 10 and sent to the president for consideration. The changes are expected to affect schools, official documents, media, publishing, and digital technologies. The reform follows years of debate over Uzbekistan’s transition from Cyrillic to...

International Affairs

Latvia-Uzbekistan relations

Latvia Proposes Temporary Visa Suspension for Uzbek Citizens

Latvia’s Interior Ministry has proposed temporarily suspending visa issuance to Uzbek citizens after several Uzbek nationals were accused of committing crimes shortly after arriving in the country, including offenses against minors. Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava said the measure was necessary to protect public order and give Latvian authorities time to work with Uzbekistan on tighter screening procedures. Latvian law allows the government to temporarily restrict visa applications and entry for citizens of a particular third country if authorities identify risks to internal security or public order. The proposal has not yet been approved – the Interior Ministry wanted the Cabinet...

CAMCA

Opinion: Building Bridges, Backing the Future: Why Entrepreneurs Must Connect Across Borders

Donald Trump

Tokayev Seeks to Take Trump’s AI ‘Washington Model’ Global

Transporter-18 Mission

Two Central Asian Satellites Reach Orbit on SpaceX Rocket

CAMCA

At CAMCA, Uzbekistan Revives Push for a Stronger Regional Body

Avaza Summit

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

On Thursday, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is due to receive Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rahmon, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Ilham Aliyev in a place built to impress visitors. Thursday’s meeting will be the first formal consultative summit since Azerbaijan joined the format as a full participant in November 2025. The six presidents have already met once in the new configuration, at an informal gathering in Cholpon Ata on July 31, where they signed a declaration covering closer cooperation on transport, energy, trade, and security. Construction of Avaza began in late 2007, as Turkmenistan sought to create a national showcase on...

CAMCA

Opinion: CAMCA: From Regional Connectivity to Cross-Border Innovation

What would it take for a fintech company that succeeds in one CAMCA country to enter another without starting from zero? That question guided a roundtable on the next digital Silk Road at the CAMCA Regional Forum in Baku. The discussion brought together leaders in financial services, investment, and technology from a region spanning Central Asia, the Caucasus, Mongolia, and Afghanistan. As moderator, I wanted to move beyond the broad ambition of regional connectivity and examine what companies need to operate across borders: working payment systems, partnerships, regulatory clarity, and a path to their first customer in a new market....

Cyber Security

U.S. Commits $5 Million for Cybersecurity in Central Asia

The United States has committed $5 million in foreign assistance to support cybersecurity and the digital sector in Central Asia. The funding will be administered through the U.S.-based nonprofit CRDF Global, State Department official Mark Cameron said at a conference in Astana. The assistance is intended to strengthen cyber defenses across the five Central Asian states, including the protection of critical infrastructure and the financial sector. CRDF Global is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization which works with governments and institutions on security-related programs, including cybersecurity and efforts to reduce technological and biological threats. Cameron said Central Asian startups would also be...

Labor Migration to Russia

Uzbekistan Proposes One-Stop Center for Migrant Workers Heading to Russia

Uzbekistan has proposed establishing a one-stop center where citizens planning to work in Russia could complete key migration procedures before departure. The initiative was discussed at a meeting between Uzbekistan Migration Agency Director Muhsinxo‘ja Abdurahmonov and Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Alexey Yerkhov. The Migration Agency also wants Russian-language examinations to be available in the regions so applicants do not have to travel to Tashkent. It said the necessary infrastructure has been prepared in four regions. Uzbekistan is proposing that citizens travel to Russia for specific vacancies. Prospective workers would know their employer and working conditions in advance. In 2025, Tashkent...

Life & Culture

Asian Games

Central Asia Wins 186 Asian Games Medals as Uzbekistan Finishes Fifth

Athletes from Central Asia’s five countries won 186 medals at the Asian Games in Japan, where Uzbekistan finished fifth overall and Kazakhstan claimed the region’s largest medal haul. The 20th Summer Asian Games were held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. China once again topped the medal table, followed by Japan and South Korea. Uzbekistan won 70 medals, including 21 golds, matching its fifth-place finish at the previous Games in Hangzhou. The result follows a 13th-place finish in the medal table at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kazakhstan won 84 medals, including 12 golds, and finished eighth in...

antidoping

WADA Executive Committee to Meet in Astana Ahead of 2027 Anti-Doping Code

Nobel Prize in Literature

Uzbek Writer Hamid Ismailov Appears in Bookmakers’ Odds for 2026 Nobel Prize

Central Asian Music

Put the Needle on the Record: Anvar Kalandarov on Rescuing Soviet Central Asia’s Lost Sounds

Stand-Up Comedy

Interview: Kazakhstan’s Dinara Kerey on Borat, the Boundaries of Humor, and International Stand-Up

Live Music

Shakira Will Bring World Tour to Kyrgyzstan

Last month, it was still unclear whether Shakira would perform in Kyrgyzstan. No longer. Shakira will be at the Bishkek Arena on October 18 as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour, her official website says. Kanybek Tumanbaev, head of the presidential affairs department, had earlier teased the concert in a social media post that stirred fans and was widely reported by Kyrgyz media. The government-run GovTicket platform is offering ticket prices ranging from $137, or 12,000 Kyrgyz som, for a restricted view in the stands; to $309, or 27,000 som, for the “main standing area behind...

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Coming Sunday

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team looks at the newly released World Bank report, "Integration: World-Class Trade Logistics Along the Trans-Caspian Trade Corridor," which looks at...

Korean Heritage

K-PARK: A Space for Memory, Gratitude, and Cooperation

In the history of every nation, some places come to mean more than their architecture, squares, or parks. They become part of a country’s collective memory, preserving the experiences of previous generations while looking toward the future. K-PARK, an international cultural and business center under development in Alatau City, is designed to be such a space. The foundation stone was laid on September 12, 2025. The project was initiated by the Association of Koreans of Kazakhstan and is timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Korean presence in Kazakhstan, marked in 2027. K-PARK is the first investment project...

Archaeological Heritage

Paleolithic Sites and Pamir Petroglyphs Added to Tajikistan UNESCO Tentative List

Tajikistan has added two groups of archaeological sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List: Paleolithic sites in southern Tajikistan documenting early human occupation, and petroglyph complexes in the high-altitude Pamirs. Tajik authorities announced the additions on September 21, although both entries were submitted to UNESCO on June 19, 2026. The first group comprises Kuldara, Lohuti, Obi Mazor, and Khonakho in the Khovaling district of southern Tajikistan’s Khatlon region. UNESCO describes the archaeological complex as one of the most significant Paleolithic heritage areas in Central Asia. The sites provide evidence of early human occupation and adaptation to mountainous and semi-arid environments...

Justice

Ukrainian Childen

Ukrainian Woman Detained in Astana at Russia’s Request

Ukrainian citizen Lyubov Rozhanska has been detained at Astana airport at Russia’s request in connection with a criminal case over an alleged attempt to abduct a child, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. She had flown from Istanbul to collect her grandson. Ukraine has called for her release and opposed her possible transfer to Russia. Rozhanska was detained on October 1 while passing through border control. She is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility in Astana, her Kazakhstan-based lawyer Riza Nurbayeva told DW. A court is expected to consider whether she should remain in custody. According to Nurbayeva and Russian...

Kashagan Oil Field

Kazakhstan Resumes Collection of $5.2 Billion Kashagan Fine

Counter-Terrorism

Uzbek-U.S. Citizen Extradited from Georgia on Charges of Supporting ISIS and al-Nusrah Front

Child Protection

Uzbekistan Kindergarten Case Over Alleged Assault Prompts Calls for Tougher Penalties

Caspian Sea

At Least Nine Kazakh Servicemen Killed During Caspian Sea Exercises

Religious Freedom

Why Central Asian Governments Are Regulating Religious Life

Kyrgyzstan is requiring bloggers and other social media users who publicly preach religion online to obtain a special certificate. The website of the National Agency for Religious Affairs and Interethnic Relations includes an application form for registration as a “religious preacher.” Nurgazy Kyrgyzbaev, a chief specialist at the agency, announced the measure on local radio. He said the requirement stems from the country’s new religion law, which introduced the legal category of “religious preacher.” “People who want to publicly call others to religion must obtain a special certificate. Their religious education will be considered first and foremost. Recently, people have...

Child Protection

Uzbekistan Considers Life Imprisonment for Child Sexual Offenses

Uzbekistan is considering life imprisonment for rape and certain other violent sexual offenses involving children under the age of 14. A bill introducing this penalty and other measures to protect minors has passed its first reading in the lower house of parliament. The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis approved the bill on September 29. It proposes lengthy prison terms or life imprisonment for these offenses. Under current law, the rape of a child under 14 is punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison. The proposed amendments would also eliminate certain limitation periods for sexual offenses against children, preventing...

Rule of Law

Uzbekistan Strikes Down Ten-Day Border Detention Without Court Approval

Uzbekistan’s Constitutional Court has struck down provisions allowing people accused of breaking border rules to be held for up to ten days without a judge’s approval. The decision followed complaints about detention beyond the constitution’s 48-hour limit. The court adopted its ruling on September 22. It took effect on September 25, removing the legal basis for extended detention periods. The case reached the court through parliamentary ombudsman Feruza Eshmatova. Her office received six complaints in 2025–2026 concerning alleged unlawful administrative detention lasting more than 48 hours, according to the court’s account of the case. The challenged provisions were part of...

Military Deaths

Deaths During Caspian Military Drills: Kazakhstan Investigates Commanders’ Actions

Fourteen servicemen in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces were killed during military exercises on the Caspian Sea on September 24, and five Armed Forces officials were detained. On the same evening, around 100 relatives and Aktau residents gathered outside the city morgue as a serviceman read out the names of the dead. People demanded the chance to identify the bodies, and screams and crying could be heard after some names. September 25 was declared a day of national mourning in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Defense later reported that 17 had been swept into the sea; three were rescued, one of whom was...

Environment

Water Governance

“Water Insecurity Is Not Experienced Equally”: Why Scarcity Is Also a Social Problem

A water crisis begins long before a river runs dry. Across Central and South Asia, retreating glaciers and the overuse of groundwater are putting supplies under growing pressure. Environmental sociologist Devendraraj Madhanagopal argues that the more revealing question is often who gets the water that remains. An assistant professor at XIM University’s School of Sustainability, Madhanagopal has studied climate adaptation among fishing communities on India’s southern coast. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, he draws on that research to discuss why water scarcity can deepen social inequalities in the Aral Sea region. Giving local people more responsibility...

Satellites

Kyrgyzstan Prepares to Launch Its First Homegrown Satellite

Japanese Investment

Japanese Investment Tackles Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea Crisis

Aral Sea

From Solastalgia to Solutions: What the First Aral School Cohort Discovered in Karakalpakstan

Natural Disasters

Tajikistan Turns to Early Warning Systems as Climate Risks Grow

Chemical Safety

22 Uzbek Pupils Hospitalized After Cotton Field Spraying Near School

Twenty-two pupils in southern Uzbekistan were hospitalized after chemicals were sprayed on a cotton field beside their school, the Interior Ministry said. Seven remained in hospital as of September 29, while 15 had been discharged. The children, all in grades 10 and 11 at School No. 51 in Guzar district, Kashkadarya region, fell ill on September 23. They were taken to the district medical center around midday with nausea and headaches. The ministry said the Shokhmalik Shermurod Ugli farm had sprayed the nearby field at about 9 a.m. It used Agro Augron, a chemical applied to make cotton plants shed...

Water Security

Opinion: Chinese Firms Expand Their Role in Kyrgyzstan’s Water Infrastructure

Kyrgyzstan plays a central role in Central Asia’s water system and is of growing interest to China. According to figures cited by President Sadyr Japarov in April 2026, approximately 50 billion cubic meters of surface runoff are generated annually within the country. About 12 billion cubic meters are used domestically, while around 7 billion, or 14% of the total, flow to China. Kyrgyzstan has five main water-management basins. The Issyk-Kul–Tarim management area includes both the closed Issyk-Kul basin and rivers flowing toward China, making its transboundary component a distinct area of bilateral cooperation. The Aksu River, which originates in Kyrgyzstan...

Nature Investment

Opinion: Financing Nature: Why Biodiversity Investment Matters for Central Asia

Just imagine: only 50 years ago, wildlife was far more abundant across many of the world’s forests, grasslands, rivers, and seas. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report 2024, the average size of monitored vertebrate populations fell by 73% between 1970 and 2020, based on data from almost 35,000 populations worldwide. That extraordinary decline has taken place within a single human lifetime. We are used to treating this as an environmental statistic, a sad fact trotted out in a nature documentary to which we have little emotional connection. Seen this way, we miss a vital truth:...

Nuclear Waste

Central Asia Makes Progress on Uranium Cleanup, but Major Risks Remain

Radioactive waste lies beside the river in Mailuu-Suu, a former uranium town in Kyrgyzstan’s picturesque mountain landscape. Engineers preparing to secure it found a problem inside one of its dams. Additional drilling revealed tailings within the dam structure itself. Two subsequent studies concluded that waste from two connected ponds would have to be moved to a safer location. The discovery changed the cleanup design and increased its cost, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s revised master plan. Material that planners had intended to secure in place could no longer safely remain there. Once known as Mailbox 200, the town...

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

Latest

Features

Features

Caspian Catastrophe, Opposition Overhaul, and Turkmenistan at 35

Latest

Dastan: Sobir Ruziev, Soviet Fencer Who Elevated Uzbek Sport

Caspian Catastrophe, Opposition Overhaul, and Turkmenistan at 35

Dastan: Sobir Ruziev, Soviet Fencer Who Elevated Uzbek Sport

Opinions

Opinions

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Zabikhulla Saipov

Issatay Minuarov

Timur Serikuly

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

China Accounts for Nearly Half of Foreign Direct Investment in Kyrgyzstan in 2025

M360 Eurasia Mobile Industry Forum Set for Astana in 2027

How Central Asian Small Businesses Are Earning More From Local Products

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and UAE Study CASA Rail Route to Indian Ocean

Turkmenistan Expands Galkynysh Gas Field With $5.1 Billion Fourth Phase

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kyrgyzstan Aging Population Puts Growing Pressure on Pension System

Turkmenistan Marks 35 Years of Independence Amid Reports of Shortages

Kazakhstan Orders Military Overhaul After 14 Die in Caspian Drills

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

Uzbekistan’s Senate Approves Latin Alphabet Changes

International Affairs

International Affairs

Latvia Proposes Temporary Visa Suspension for Uzbek Citizens

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

Opinion: CAMCA: From Regional Connectivity to Cross-Border Innovation

U.S. Commits $5 Million for Cybersecurity in Central Asia

Uzbekistan Proposes One-Stop Center for Migrant Workers Heading to Russia

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Central Asia Wins 186 Asian Games Medals as Uzbekistan Finishes Fifth

Shakira Will Bring World Tour to Kyrgyzstan

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Coming Sunday

K-PARK: A Space for Memory, Gratitude, and Cooperation

Paleolithic Sites and Pamir Petroglyphs Added to Tajikistan UNESCO Tentative List

Justice

Justice

Ukrainian Woman Detained in Astana at Russia’s Request