The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Japan and South Korea have reached the same strategic conclusion: Central Asia matters to their economic security. Yet they are pursuing that goal through markedly different playbooks. In December 2025, Tokyo hosted the first leaders' summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue, 21 years after the format was launched....

Digital Infrastructure

Kazakhstan and China Sign Deals Worth Over $15 Billion During Tokayev’s Shanghai Visit

Kazakhstan and China signed more than 70 commercial agreements worth over $15 billion during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s working visit to Shanghai on July 16. The package covers artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, transport, finance, agriculture, vehicle production, and other high-technology industries. The documents were exchanged after a roundtable with Chinese executives....

Forestry

Tajikistan Turns to Satellites to Discover How Much Forest It Has Left

Afghanistan

Central Asia Builds a Regional Track for Engagement with Afghanistan

Internet Restrictions

A Signal from Uzbekistan: How Turkmen Border Villages Reach the Outside World

Kashagan

Kashagan Operator Faces July 20 Deadline to Pay $4.9 Billion Environmental Fine

Exclave Exchanges, Energy Anger, and Tashiev’s Trial of the Century

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Sunkar Podcast

Kazakhstan to Host 2027 Table Tennis World Championships

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Opinions

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

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

Business & Economy

Electricity Shortages

Tajikistan Prepares for Another Winter Power Shortfall

Tajikistan is preparing for another autumn and winter in which electricity demand may outstrip supply. Network losses have fallen, and investment in hydropower continues, but officials say the seasonal imbalance between generation and consumption will persist. Mahmadumar Asozoda, chairman of state-owned power company Barki Tojik, said the imbalance would persist through the colder months. Asked whether electricity rationing would return, he did not rule it out. Tajikistan generates almost all of its electricity from hydropower, leaving supply tied to seasonal river flows. Output rises during the warmer months, when the country can meet domestic demand and export surplus electricity. In winter, river...

Digital Infrastructure

Kazakhstan and China Sign Deals Worth Over $15 Billion During Tokayev’s Shanghai Visit

Digital Tenge

Digital Tenge Receives Official Legal Status in Kazakhstan

Druzhba Pipeline

South American Crude Reaches German Refinery via Poland After Russia Halts Oil Transit from Kazakhstan

Economic Growth

Kazakhstan’s GDP Growth Tops 4% in First Half of 2026 Despite Lower Oil Output

Critical Minerals

Opinion: Could Vanadium Be Kazakhstan’s Next Breakout Critical Metals Story?

Vanadium is viewed as a critical mineral by the United States, the European Union, Russia, China and many other countries because of its importance to energy storage and industrial alloys. At the Astana Metals & Metallurgy (AMM) Congress, Ferro-Alloy Resources CEO Nicholas Bridgen discussed the company’s assets, strategy, and valuation with The Times of Central Asia, noting that the company appears undervalued amid supply chain disruptions and the rising strategic importance of vanadium. The discussion highlighted vanadium’s emerging demand-supply imbalance and efforts to better align market perception with fundamentals. Of the critical metals that will define the next half-century, vanadium...

Civil Aviation

Kyrgyzstan to Launch Direct Flight Between Bishkek and Urumqi

Kyrgyzstan’s Aero Nomad Airlines will launch a new direct route between Bishkek and Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, further expanding air connectivity between the two neighboring countries. According to the airline, the inaugural flight is scheduled for August 3 and will be operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline said the route would support trade and investment and encourage tourism and cultural exchanges between Kyrgyzstan and China. Xinjiang already has established air connections with Kyrgyzstan. In November 2025, China Southern Airlines resumed direct flights between Urumqi and Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second-largest city. Earlier this year, Airports of...

Kashagan

Kashagan Operator Faces July 20 Deadline to Pay $4.9 Billion Environmental Fine

Kazakhstan says it will begin compulsory collection proceedings against the North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), operator of the giant Kashagan oil field, if it does not pay a 2.3 trillion tenge ($4.9 billion) environmental fine by July 20. The deadline follows a domestic court ruling that has entered into legal force, even as the project’s foreign shareholders pursue international arbitration over the penalty. Deputy Minister of Justice Daniyel Vaisov announced the deadline on July 14. “Foreign companies currently have an obligation to pay 2.3 trillion tenge. If they fail to pay the fine by July 20, the Republic of Kazakhstan...

AI-92 Gasoline

Kyrgyzstan Seeks to Boost AI-92 Gasoline Production as Fuel Supply Pressures Persist

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to increase domestic production of AI-92 gasoline by upgrading surplus low-octane AI-80 fuel. The country continues to face rising fuel prices and supply uncertainty because it relies heavily on imports from Russia. Kyrgyz Petroleum Company (KPC) has issued a tender for chemical additives needed to produce AI-92 gasoline from AI-80 fuel. The company operates an oil refinery in Manas, formerly Jalal-Abad, in southern Kyrgyzstan. The facility can process 500,000 tons of crude oil annually. The refinery mainly produces AI-80 gasoline. Domestic demand for this grade has virtually disappeared, leaving significant stockpiles. Earlier this year, the government authorized...

Local Politics

Public health

Kyrgyzstan Tests Public Health Emergency Response Ahead of World Nomad Games

Kyrgyzstan has carried out large-scale interagency public health emergency exercises as part of preparations for the sixth World Nomad Games, which will take place from August 31 to September 6. Authorities say health security has become one of the key components of planning for what is expected to be the country's largest international event of the year. The two-day simulation exercise was held on July 14-15 in Cholpon-Ata, in the Issyk-Kul region. It brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, healthcare institutions, the World Health Organization (WHO), other government agencies, and international development partners. Participants rehearsed the response to...

Cardiac Surgery

Kazakhstan Joins World’s Top 30 Countries in Cardiac Surgery Development

Urban Development

Urbanization: Only One in Four Tajik Residents Lives in a City

President Tokayev

Kazakhstan Court Ruling Clears Legal Path for Tokayev to Seek Another Term

Kazakhstan Constitution

Tokayev Sets August 23 Election Date as Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Takes Effect

Election Funding

Kazakhstan Allocates $73 Million for August Kurultai Elections

Kazakhstan has allocated 34.3 billion KZT, approximately $73 million, from the government’s reserve fund to finance elections for the country’s newly established Kurultai, the unicameral parliament created under the country’s new Constitution, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) member Mikhail Bortnik. Kazakhstan’s new Constitution entered into force on July 1, replacing the previous bicameral parliament with the Kurultai. Elections for the new legislature are scheduled for August 23. A total of 145 deputies will be elected from party lists. Under the new electoral rules, at least 30% of candidates nominated by each political party must come from three combined categories:...

Women’s Empowerment

Tajikistan Develops Gender Equality Strategy and Expands Support for Women

Tajikistan is developing a new strategy to address gender-related social norms for 2027–2036 while expanding programs aimed at increasing women’s economic participation and cooperation with international organizations. The draft strategy was presented at a meeting organized jointly by the Committee for Women and Family Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Representatives of 46 international organizations, development partners, and civil society groups took part in the discussions, the committee said in its review of activities for the first half of 2026. According to the committee, the strategy is intended to serve as the country’s...

Tax Policy

Uzbekistan Bank Data Plan Sparks Privacy and Tax Debate

A draft government resolution that would establish unified rules for information sharing between banks and tax authorities has triggered widespread public debate in Uzbekistan, with supporters describing it as a necessary step to combat the shadow economy while critics warn it could weaken constitutional protections for banking privacy. The proposal, published for public discussion by Uzbekistan’s State Tax Committee, aims to regulate how banks provide information to tax authorities. According to the committee, the document does not introduce new powers for tax officials or abolish bank secrecy. Instead, it seeks to define the procedures, deadlines, formats, and electronic methods for...

Gender Quotas

Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Elections: What the 30% Quota Could Mean for Women in Parliament

Kazakhstan’s new Constitution entered into force on July 1. On August 23, voters will elect the country’s first unicameral Kurultai, a 145-member legislature that replaces the former Mazhilis and Senate. Political parties are already submitting their lists, with nominations open from July 2 to July 13. Those lists must meet an inclusion requirement that has taken on new significance under the new electoral system: at least 30% of candidates must come from three combined categories, women, young people, and people with disabilities. How many women will actually enter the new parliament will become clear only after the votes are counted....

International Affairs

Diplomacy

Tashkent and Kabul Rush to Deny Taliban Minister’s Criticism of Uzbekistan

A diplomatic row erupted between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan this week after a senior Taliban official was reported to have said that Islam in Uzbekistan exists only in name. After the remarks were widely covered by Uzbek and Afghan media, officials on both sides rejected the reports, although questions remain over whether excerpts of the speech were published and later deleted by the Taliban ministry itself. The dispute is sensitive because Uzbekistan has built close working relations with the Taliban administration on trade, transport, energy, and border security, while remaining wary of religious extremism and stopping short of formally recognizing its...

Central Asia + Japan

Patient Capital, Fast Deals: Japan and South Korea Take Different Paths into Central Asia

Labor Migration

Belarus Plans to Recruit 5,000 More Workers From Uzbekistan as Labor Partnership Expands

ASEAN

Turkmenistan Builds Ties with Southeast Asia

Middle Corridor

Daines’s Tour Signals an Emerging U.S. Caspian Corridor Strategy

Artificial Intelligence

Tokayev Offers Astana to Host New Global AI Body’s First Meeting

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev put Astana forward at the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 17, saying that Kazakhstan is ready to host the first meeting of a new global AI organization. He also proposed placing the organization’s Central Asian office in Kazakhstan. Together, the offers set out Tokayev’s wider aim: Kazakhstan wants a role in writing AI rules as well as building the technology at home. Twenty-nine countries signed the agreement establishing the World AI Cooperation Organization on July 16. The founding states included Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while Turkmenistan did not sign. China...

Civil Aviation

Kazakhstan and China Agree to Expand Scheduled Air Services

Kazakhstan and China have agreed to significantly expand scheduled air services between the two countries following aviation consultations held in Beijing between Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the talks focused on bilateral cooperation in civil aviation. The two sides agreed to increase the number of scheduled passenger flights operated by airlines of both countries from 124 to 152 flights per week. They also expanded the list of major Chinese destinations available for air services with Kazakhstan to 11 cities, adding Chongqing, one of southwestern China’s largest industrial, logistics,...

Afghanistan

Central Asia Builds a Regional Track for Engagement with Afghanistan

The United States and Europe may have stepped back from Afghanistan, but the country’s instability still affects migration, security, trade, and humanitarian pressures far beyond its borders. Given their proximity, Central Asian states cannot and have not disengaged, and their efforts to keep Kabul connected to regional diplomacy and commerce serve interests that are also shared by the West. On June 16, the Center for Strategic Studies of Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened the first Afghanistan-Central Asia Think Tank Forum in Kabul, bringing together leaders and senior representatives from strategic research institutions across the region. Held under the theme...

Border Demarcation

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Begin Installing Border Pillars After Completing Border Delimitation

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have begun installing border pillars along their shared frontier, marking the start of the final stage in implementing the landmark border agreement that ended one of Central Asia’s longest-running territorial disputes. On July 14, representatives of the two countries installed the first four border pillars on the section beginning at the tri-junction where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet. The Kyrgyz-Tajik border stretches 1,008.14 kilometers, while the total perimeter of neutral territory amounts to 14.07 kilometers. The installation of border markers follows the completion of the border delimitation process, which began in December 2002 and...

Life & Culture

Games of the Future

From Controllers to Courts: Kazakhstan Prepares for Games of the Future

When the basketball begins in Astana on July 29, two players from each team will sit at screens and chase 19 digital points. After that stage, they will take the score onto a real 2-on-2 court. The physical game continues until one side reaches 39, meaning a lead earned with a controller can disappear beneath the rim. That switch gives the Games of the Future its human appeal. The format asks athletes to handle screen timing, then contact and fatigue on the court. It also creates an unfamiliar training problem. A gifted basketball player can fall behind before reaching the...

Astronomy

Two Asteroids Named After Uzbek Astronomers

Cultural Heritage

Rain Festival: How Ancient Tirgon Became an Official Holiday in Tajikistan

Music Festivals

How OYU Fest Became a Portrait of Kazakhstan’s New Music Scene

Turkmen Embroidery

Turkmen Embroidery Showcased at International Fashion Event in France

Children's Rights

Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia with 24th Place in KidsRights Index

KidsRights Foundation is an Amsterdam-based international children’s rights organization founded in 2003. Working with Erasmus University Rotterdam, it produces the annual KidsRights Index, which compares how countries uphold children’s rights using United Nations data. The 2026 edition covers 194 countries. Kazakhstan ranked 24th worldwide in the 2026 index. It was the only country from Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the top 25. Its overall score was 0.797. Its highest result was in protection, with a score of 0.944. Health followed at 0.900. Kazakhstan scored 0.847 for life and 0.765 for education. The enabling environment for children’s rights received 0.583....

Marriage Age

Average Marriage Age Rises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

Twenty years ago, women in Kazakhstan first married at an average age of about 24. Today, the figure is about 25. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan show the same gradual increase, although the pace varies from one country to another. Marriage Ages Rise Gradually in Kazakhstan According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, the average age at first marriage in 2025 was 27.9 for men and 25.3 for women. In 2014, the averages were lower at 27.1 and 24.6, respectively. The gradual rise follows a global pattern. The average age of newlyweds is rising as the number of registered marriages declines. Kazakhstan...

Religion

Opinion: Christian Missions in Central Asia: Religious Freedom and Social Tensions

Central Asia has long been a crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions. For more than two millennia, the region has connected East and West, with Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous belief systems coexisting, interacting, and, at times, competing. Christianity flourished here centuries ago through Nestorian and other Eastern Christian communities, while Russian Orthodoxy endured throughout the Soviet period. Under Soviet rule, religion was heavily suppressed, yet Christianity survived among Russians, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, and other communities that had been deported or resettled across the region. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, decades of official atheism gave way...

Healthcare

Kazakhstan’s Al-Farabi University Joins Central Asia’s First Flying Hospital Project

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) has joined a project to create what Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education described as Central Asia’s first flying hospital, a specialized medical aircraft intended to provide healthcare in remote parts of the region. A launch ceremony was held in Almaty last week for the Central Asian Flying Hospital Mission for Ophthalmology and ENT Care. The project uses a C909 aircraft and is being implemented under the global Air Silk Road of Health initiative. The initiative involves KazNU, the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University, and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC)....

Justice

Internet Restrictions

A Signal from Uzbekistan: How Turkmen Border Villages Reach the Outside World

In Diýýar, a village in northern Turkmenistan close enough to catch Uzbekistan’s mobile signal, a foreign SIM card inserted into a small Wi-Fi router can turn a barely functioning 2G connection into usable home internet. In early July, police reportedly entered around ten households in the village, identified Uzbek-connected routers, and confiscated the SIM cards. Similar inspections have been under way across close to 60 settlements in Dashoguz Province, according to Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The campaign covers parts of Shabat and Görogly districts, including Kirov, Diýýar, Bedirkent, Aýlak, and Nyýazow, in areas where...

Traffic Offenses

Kazakhstan Olympic Boxing Champion Jailed for Drunk Driving After Multiple Crashes

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Court Convicts Former Security Chief Tashiyev, Parliamentary Speaker, and Six Others

Road Accidents

Highway Crash in Tajikistan Kills Eleven

Child Online Safety

Uzbekistan Weighs Social Media Restrictions for Children Under 16

Labor Migration

Nearly 160,000 Citizens of Tajikistan Listed in Russia’s Controlled Persons Register

Nearly 160,000 citizens of Tajikistan, including about 25,000 minors, have been listed in Russia’s register of controlled persons, a senior official from Tajikistan’s migration service said. The figure reflects the impact of tighter Russian migration rules on one of Central Asia’s largest sources of migrant labor. Sharif Norzoda, Tajikistan’s deputy minister of labor, migration, and employment, said around 160,000 citizens of Tajikistan are currently listed in the register, with children included because they accompanied family members who had moved to Russia. The register, maintained by Russia’s Interior Ministry, is updated every four hours and contains information on foreign nationals who...

Fraud

Uzbekistan Busts Scam Call Centers Targeting Europe and North America

Uzbek law enforcement authorities have dismantled two illegal call centers in Tashkent that were part of a transnational fraud network targeting victims across Europe and North America, according to the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The operation, carried out jointly by the Interior Ministry’s Cybercrime Department and the State Security Service, targeted offices located in the Yashnabad and Yakkasaray districts of the Uzbek capital. Authorities found 97 people, including five foreign nationals, at the first location, while 34 more, including three foreigners, were apprehended at the second site. According to investigators, the call centers conducted fraudulent phone calls and mass...

Iran Espionage

Israel Arrests Man From Tajikistan Suspected of Spying for Iran

Israeli police said Thursday that a suspect from Tajikistan who holds a Russian passport had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran during the recent war. The suspect, identified as Behrouz Sobirgon, was arrested last month “on suspicion of security offenses involving contact with Iranian intelligence agencies and carrying out security missions under their direction,” police said on Telegram. “The investigation revealed that the suspect maintained contact with an Iranian foreign agent, with most of his security activity taking place during the 'Roaring Lion' war, when he sought to assist Iran in achieving operational gains and advancing its goals...

Digital Rights

Turkmenistan Fines Citizens Over Social Media Likes as Digital Controls Tighten

Authorities in Turkmenistan have tightened control over citizens’ online activity, with district courts in Ashgabat reportedly hearing administrative cases daily against people accused of liking or commenting on posts critical of the government on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms. The cases were reported by Chronicles of Turkmenistan. The platforms in question remain inaccessible in Turkmenistan without VPN services, which the government has systematically tried to block. According to available information, security services are identifying citizens who regularly visit banned online resources. Those individuals are then summoned to police stations, where they are interrogated and warned about the consequences...

Environment

Wildfire

Open Flames Extinguished at Semey Ormany as Crews Tackle Hotspots

Open flames at a 60-hectare forest fire in Kazakhstan’s Semey Ormany reserve had been extinguished by early July 17, although hundreds of personnel remained at the site tackling isolated smouldering hotspots. The fire prompted the evacuation of 190 children and 20 adults from a nearby summer camp. Police officers carried some of the youngest children to waiting vehicles as staff tried to prevent panic and move everyone out quickly. The blaze was reported on the morning of July 16 in the Kamyshenka forestry area of the reserve’s Borodulikha branch. By that afternoon, it had spread across an estimated 60 hectares....

Earthquakes

Central Asia Remains Highly Vulnerable to Major Earthquakes

Air Quality

Tajikistan Debuts Air Quality Website After Criticizing IQAir Report

Recycling

Kazakhstan Electronic Waste Project Targets Low Recycling Rates

Water Management

Tajikistan’s Electricity Losses Add Pressure to Water and Climate Agenda

Forestry

Tajikistan Turns to Satellites to Discover How Much Forest It Has Left

In Barvoz village in the Western Pamirs, Zarifkhon Gulchinov watched a green forest near his home become a semi-desert during the 1990s. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Tajikistan’s civil war left the isolated region short of electricity and coal. Families cut trees to heat their homes and cook. “I also went to the forest for firewood, but I cut down only old and dry trees and bushes,” Gulchinov recalled. He later joined a community forestry program and received five hectares of degraded land to restore. Villagers now plant hundreds of trees and protect young growth from livestock. They...

Extreme Heat

Uzbekistan Braces for Extreme Heat as Temperatures Could Reach 46°C

Uzbekistan is preparing for extreme heat after the national weather agency warned that temperatures across much of the country could reach dangerous levels this week. Authorities have stepped up emergency measures and urged residents to take precautions. According to Uzhydromet, very hot air masses moving north from the south are expected to affect the country between July 13 and July 17. During the hottest days, daytime temperatures are forecast to reach 41-43°C across most regions, while northern, southern, and desert areas could see temperatures as high as 44-46°C. The weather agency also warned that wind speeds could increase to 13-18...

Climate Policy

Kyrgyzstan Adopts Central Asia’s First Framework Climate Law

President Sadyr Japarov signed Kyrgyzstan’s Law on Climate Activity on July 7, giving the country Central Asia’s first framework statute devoted to climate policy. The Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) approved the measure on May 20, and it takes effect on January 1, 2027. The Cabinet has six months from official publication to bring existing regulations into line. The law puts emissions policy and climate adaptation under one legal structure. It covers climate finance, carbon neutrality, research, professional training and technology transfer. It also provides a legal base for carbon units and a national registry. Separate rules will govern how emission cuts...

Water Management

UN: Uzbekistan Makes Major Progress in Reducing Water Stress, but Challenges Remain

Uzbekistan has recorded one of the world’s fastest reductions in water stress in recent years, according to a new United Nations case study on the country’s water-management policies. The study points to efforts to conserve water, modernize irrigation, and expand regional cooperation. It also warns that Uzbekistan remains under pressure from climate change and rising water demand, while environmental damage linked to the Aral Sea disaster continues to affect the country. The study, prepared by UN-Water, examines how Uzbekistan managed to reduce water withdrawals while maintaining agricultural production and economic development. The report describes the country’s experience as particularly relevant...

Tokayev Offers Astana to Host New Global AI Body’s First Meeting

Latest

Features

Features

Exclave Exchanges, Energy Anger, and Tashiev’s Trial of the Century

Latest

Sunkar Podcast

Exclave Exchanges, Energy Anger, and Tashiev’s Trial of the Century

Sunkar Podcast

Opinions

Opinions

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

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

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Tajikistan Prepares for Another Winter Power Shortfall

Opinion: Could Vanadium Be Kazakhstan’s Next Breakout Critical Metals Story?

Kyrgyzstan to Launch Direct Flight Between Bishkek and Urumqi

Kashagan Operator Faces July 20 Deadline to Pay $4.9 Billion Environmental Fine

Kyrgyzstan Seeks to Boost AI-92 Gasoline Production as Fuel Supply Pressures Persist

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kyrgyzstan Tests Public Health Emergency Response Ahead of World Nomad Games

Kazakhstan Allocates $73 Million for August Kurultai Elections

Tajikistan Develops Gender Equality Strategy and Expands Support for Women

Uzbekistan Bank Data Plan Sparks Privacy and Tax Debate

Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Elections: What the 30% Quota Could Mean for Women in Parliament

International Affairs

International Affairs

Tashkent and Kabul Rush to Deny Taliban Minister’s Criticism of Uzbekistan

Tokayev Offers Astana to Host New Global AI Body’s First Meeting

Kazakhstan and China Agree to Expand Scheduled Air Services

Central Asia Builds a Regional Track for Engagement with Afghanistan

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Begin Installing Border Pillars After Completing Border Delimitation

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

From Controllers to Courts: Kazakhstan Prepares for Games of the Future

Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia with 24th Place in KidsRights Index

Average Marriage Age Rises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

Opinion: Christian Missions in Central Asia: Religious Freedom and Social Tensions

Kazakhstan’s Al-Farabi University Joins Central Asia’s First Flying Hospital Project

Justice

Justice

A Signal from Uzbekistan: How Turkmen Border Villages Reach the Outside World