The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

A stampede throws up a great wall of dust as a scrum of white, sweating stallions tears past. A roar rises from the stands. With horsemen in hot pursuit, a rider bursts from the pack, swinging a 30-kilo plastic simulation of a goat carcass. As they charge toward the goal,...

Uranium

Kazakhstan’s Uranium Advantage Is Difficult to Replicate

Kazakhstan supplies about two-fifths of the world’s mined uranium, making it a critical supplier to nuclear markets in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. What sets it apart is not simply its resource base, but its ability to produce and deliver uranium at scale. Kazakhstan already dominates global uranium mining. It...

Opinion

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

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met on July 30 on the shores of Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul, in Cholpon Ata, to sign the Treaty on Allied Relations. It was much more than business as usual. In their press conference, the leaders largely set aside the diplomatic boilerplate...

Pax Silica

Kazakhstan’s Role in Pax Silica After WAICO

Jewelry

Bukharan Jewelry: How an Uzbek Jeweler Is Preserving a Traditional Craft

Election Engineering, Afghan Attacks, and Mirziyoyev’s Ten-Year Transformation

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Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: The Story Behind the Name

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Opinions

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

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

Business & Economy

Inflation

Kyrgyzstan Drafts $419 Million Plan to Curb Rising Prices

Kyrgyzstan has drafted a plan worth about $419 million to curb rising prices in 2026–2027. The authorities aim to increase food production and build reserves, but fuel imported primarily from Russia remains a major source of inflationary pressure largely beyond the government’s control. The draft was presented to the Cabinet on August 21. During the first seven months of 2026, consumer prices and tariffs in Kyrgyzstan rose by 6.7% from their December 2025 level. Average annual inflation over the same period was 10.7%. Food prices rose particularly sharply, with fresh fruit up 16% and meat products 14.5%. Lamb recorded the...

Uranium

Kazakhstan’s Uranium Advantage Is Difficult to Replicate

Nuclear Energy

Uzbekistan Plans Second Nuclear Power Plant Before First Is Ready

Middle Corridor

Kazakhstan Middle Corridor Railway Cuts Detour, but Caspian Bottlenecks Remain

Currency

Kazakh Tenge Rises as Foreign Investors Buy Government Debt

TCA Interviews

Suleimenov Says Stronger Policy Framework Supported Kazakhstan’s S&P Upgrade

A stronger monetary-policy framework, a resilient banking sector, and closer coordination with the government were among the strengths recognized in S&P Global Ratings’ upgrade of Kazakhstan, National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov told The Times of Central Asia. “S&P’s upgrade of Kazakhstan’s sovereign credit rating from ‘BBB-’ to ‘BBB’ is an important external assessment of the resilience of our economy amid continued global uncertainty and commodity market volatility,” Suleimenov said. On August 21, S&P raised Kazakhstan’s long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings to BBB/A-2 from BBB-/A-3. The stable outlook reflects S&P’s view that Kazakhstan’s ample fiscal and external buffers should help...

e-Commerce

Kazakhstan E-Commerce Grows as Shoppers Spend over $8 Billion in 2025

Kazakh consumers spent 3.77 trillion tenge (about $8.2 billion) on online purchases in 2025, roughly 50% more than two years earlier. E-commerce now accounts for 14.3% of the country’s retail market, with most sales taking place through marketplaces such as Kaspi.kz, Wildberries, and Ozon. A marketplace is a digital platform that brings together products from multiple sellers rather than operating as a single retailer’s online store. In 2025, they accounted for 86% of online retail sales, up from 84.9% a year earlier, according to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics. The share of sales through retailers’ own websites fell from 15.1% to 14%,...

Energy Security

Tajikistan Seeks 2.55 Million Tons of Iranian Oil and Fuel as Russian Supplies Falter

Tajikistan has asked Iran to supply 2.55 million metric tons of crude oil and petroleum products as Dushanbe looks for alternatives to increasingly unreliable Russian fuel supplies. The request includes 2 million tons of crude oil, 300,000 tons of diesel, 150,000 tons of gasoline, and 100,000 tons of aviation fuel, according to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport. The ministry said the volume would require about 51,000 railway tank cars. The proposal was discussed in Tehran on August 15 during talks between Tajik Transport Minister Azim Ibrohim and Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh. It is not yet a...

Electricity Supply

Kazakhstan Targets End to Electricity Deficit by 2027

Just days after a major disruption hit power systems across Central Asia, Kazakhstan reaffirmed its plan to fully cover domestic electricity demand by the first quarter of 2027. By the end of next year, the Energy Ministry expects the country to have a surplus of about 1.3 billion kWh. That margin would still leave relatively little room for error because it is equivalent to only about 1% of the electricity Kazakhstan consumed in 2025, when demand grew by 3.8%. The August 14 outage affected parts of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Power was cut to some consumers in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city,...

Local Politics

Kurultai Election

Reform and Moderate Conservatism: Reading Kazakhstan’s Kurultai Vote

Preliminary results have been announced in Kazakhstan’s election to its new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. Notably, they differ little from the first exit poll released the previous day. The outcome itself was largely predictable: the newly created ruling Adilet party won by a wide margin, while two parties failed to clear the threshold for representation in the Kurultai. In recent years, Kazakhstan has gone through a series of major electoral campaigns that have, quite literally, revived voters’ interest in exercising their basic civic rights. Along the way, the campaigns have developed a tradition of sorts, combining Soviet-era methods of drawing...

Kurultai Election

Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Election Draws Broad Observation

Sadyr Japarov

Japarov Says Tashiyev Was His Planned Successor as Prosecutors Seek Nine-Year Terms

Former Presidents

What Do Former Presidents Do? From Akayev to Nazarbayev, the Fates of Central Asia’s Ex-Leaders

Cremation Ban

Kyrgyzstan Reverses Cremation Policy as Japarov Signs Ban

Code of Conduct

Tokayev Calls for Firm Handshakes in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a return to more restrained forms of greeting, saying men should exchange firm handshakes and refrain from embracing or kissing one another. Tokayev made the remarks during a press briefing after casting his ballot in Sunday’s election for the new unicameral Kurultai. Asked whether traditional ethics were becoming accepted public norms, he said he had initiated what he described as a new code of conduct. Arguing that some current forms of greeting do not belong to Kazakhstan’s customs, Tokayev objected to men embracing or kissing when they meet and also criticized kisses between men...

Language Policy

Uzbekistan’s Alphabet Reform Revives a 33-Year-Old Debate

Uzbekistan began switching from Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet in 1993 and initially planned to complete the transition by 2000. Nearly 33 years later, both scripts are still widely used, and the country is preparing to revise its Latin alphabet again. On July 7, the lower house of Uzbekistan’s parliament approved a bill introducing a new version of the alphabet, with 28 letters and one apostrophe instead of the current 26 letters and three letter combinations, and sent it to the Senate. Literary scholar Dilbar Khaydarova told The Times of Central Asia that a reform originally intended to take seven years...

Internet Restrictions

Internet Restrictions in Central Asia: How the Five Countries Differ

There is no single Central Asian internet. Crossing a border can turn a freely accessible website into one that is blocked or reachable only through a virtual private network (VPN). The contrast is starkest in Turkmenistan, where years of censorship have created a black market for access to the open internet. Freedom House’s 2025 Freedom on the Net assessment covers three of the five Central Asian countries. Kyrgyzstan scored 47 out of 100 and retained its Partly Free status. Kazakhstan scored 37, while Uzbekistan scored 29; both were classified as Not Free. Turkmenistan has the most restrictive system in the region. The largest measurement...

Artificial intelligence

AI E-Government in Kazakhstan Expands Into Jobs and Benefits

Kazakhstan is preparing a deeper overhaul of its e-government system, with artificial intelligence expected to identify which service citizens need, match unemployed people with vacancies, and assist officials in identifying potential recipients of social assistance. The plans were outlined at a government meeting on August 11 by Minister of AI and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev and Minister of Labor and Social Protection Askarbek Yertayev. Several are expected to expand nationwide by the end of 2026. eGov GPT, which the government was testing earlier this year, currently works with 50 of the most frequently used public services. According to Madiyev, these...

International Affairs

Bilateral Cooperation

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan Target $1 Billion in Trade as Investment and Transit Links Expand

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030, as economic ties expand from a relatively low base into vehicle manufacturing, oil and gas, investment, and transport across the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan on August 23–24 added new projects to that list. The two presidents signed a Treaty on Eternal Friendship and a program aimed at increasing bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030. Political relations, meanwhile, have been moving faster than economic ties. In 2023, the two countries established the Supreme Interstate Council, and a year...

Opinion

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

Foreign Policy

Kazakhstan Updates Its Foreign Policy Concept in a More Difficult Era

Fuel Shortage

Russia’s Fuel Crisis Deepens as Queues and Rationing Return

Russia’s War

Ukrainian Military Says Strike Hit Rocket Workshop Linked to Baikonur

Conflict Resolution

Kazakhstan Peace Talks: Basel Al-Haj Jassem on Syria and the South Caucasus

Basel Al-Haj Jassem, a Syrian political adviser and analyst, has worked on the Middle East, the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia for many years, with a particular focus on peace processes. He is the author of the Arabic-language book Kazakhstan and the Syrian Astana, which examines Kazakhstan’s role in the Astana Process on Syria. While Al-Haj Jassem was in Kazakhstan as an observer of the first elections to the country’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, The Times of Central Asia spoke with him about Kazakhstan’s international standing and the country’s possible role as a mediator in the South Caucasus and the Middle East....

Pax Silica

Kazakhstan’s Role in Pax Silica After WAICO

Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to join the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative. It also signed the agreement establishing China’s World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, or WAICO. That dual participation could now become consequential. Reuters reported on August 14 that the State Department had prepared an undated draft letter warning the 35 signatories of the U.S. AI Opportunity Statement that participation in Pax Silica could be incompatible with membership in competing initiatives. Kazakhstan is the only country presently known to have joined both frameworks. The draft could still change, and the State Department has not publicly adopted the position...

Visa-Free Transit

China Opens 10-Day Visa-Free Transit to Kyrgyzstan

Citizens of Kyrgyzstan can now turn a stopover in China into a stay of up to 10 days without arranging a visa in advance, provided they continue to a third country or region. The rules took effect on August 20. China’s National Immigration Administration added Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to its 240-hour visa-free transit program. Travelers must have regular passports and confirmed onward tickets specifying their travel date and itinerary. The agency’s updated guidance says they may enter through any of 65 designated ports across 24 provincial-level regions, including Beijing and Shanghai, but must remain within the areas covered by the...

Middle East Crisis

Trump’s New Threat Against Iran Collides With Central Asia’s Economic Interests

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened economic consequences for any country that continues to provide support to Iran, promising Tehran “Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.” Washington has not yet announced specific new measures. For Central Asia, the warning comes as economic and transport links with Iran are developing. Kazakhstan is building its own terminal at Iran’s largest port, Tajikistan is discussing fuel purchases and new transport routes, Uzbekistan is trying to protect trade that passes through Iran, and Turkmenistan is expanding transport and energy cooperation with Tehran. Each country has its own reasons for developing these ties,...

Life & Culture

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

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 is covering one of Central Asia's leaders openly calling on Vladimir Putin to bring the war in Ukraine to an...

World Nomad Games

Kok Boru and the Art of Being Noticed: The World Nomad Games as Kyrgyzstan’s Calling Card

Gulzira Zhantemir

How a Ballerina from Kazakhstan Built a Career in German Ballet

Swimming

Tashkent to Host Uzbekistan’s First Swimming World Cup Event

Women's History

Opinion: A Century Apart, Two Official Visions of Uzbek Womanhood

Dastan Satpayev

Dastan Satpayev Burnley Debut Marks First Step in English Football

One of Central Asia’s most promising young footballers, Dastan Satpayev, made his competitive debut in English football on August 23. The 18-year-old Kazakhstan international came off the bench for Burnley in an away match against West Bromwich Albion in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Satpayev came on in the 58th minute with Burnley trailing 2-1, but was unable to prevent his side falling to a 3-1 defeat. Why Satpayev Ended Up in the Championship For a region whose footballers have rarely moved directly into leading Western European leagues, Satpayev’s career is being closely watched. In July, the...

Jewelry

Bukharan Jewelry: How an Uzbek Jeweler Is Preserving a Traditional Craft

In 2024, Uzbek jeweler Zokir Negmatov published a handbook of Bukharan jewelry making. Traditional Bukharan jewelry making left little technical documentation. Instead, its skills were transmitted largely through observation. "In jewelry making, much knowledge has traditionally been passed directly from master to apprentice," he explains. "For me it was important to preserve the tradition for future generations." A man in his mid-forties, Negmatov was born and trained in Bukhara and has nearly three decades of experience as a jeweler. His native city has been a center of gold and silver work for well over a millennium, and craftsmanship helped shape...

Archaeology

Ancient Royal Seal Discovered in Tajikistan

Archaeologists from Tajikistan’s National Museum say they have made a significant discovery, a royal seal made of fired clay from the Kushan period, which began about 2,000 years ago and lasted for several centuries. The circular, pea-green seal has a perforation for threading a cord and was found in very good condition in the Abdurahmoni Jomi district of Khatlon region in southwest Tajikistan, the museum said on August 14. “This discovery may mark a new stage in the study of the Kushan period in the region, providing a solid scholarly basis for reassessing certain existing theories and interpretations concerning its...

AI Content Creation

Kazakhstani AI Creator Alissa Kamorskaya on the Rise of AI Animation

Kazakhstani model and AI content creator Alissa Kamorskaya runs Chudno, a school and agency specializing in AI-generated content. Kamorskaya began publishing AI cartoons in February 2026, and one of her videos has since received more than 30 million views on Instagram. The Times of Central Asia spoke with her about the rise of AI animation and the role of social media algorithms in driving views. TCA: You began creating AI cartoons before the format became widespread in Kazakhstan. Why do you think your most-viewed video attracted such a large audience? Alissa: I think several factors played a role. One was...

Justice

Psychology

Psychologists in Kyrgyzstan Face New Regulation Push

Parents in Kyrgyzstan have been contacting member of parliament Elvira Surabaldieva with a basic question: the person counseling their child online calls themselves a psychologist, but are they actually qualified? There is currently no unified system through which families can check. The authorities now want to establish uniform rules for psychologists for the first time. The bill is being prepared by member of parliament Elvira Surabaldieva. The initiative followed requests from parents and other citizens who wanted to verify the qualifications of people offering psychological services online. According to Surabaldieva, some begin providing consultations after two- or three-month courses, while...

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Prosecutors Seek Nine-Year Prison Terms for Tashiyev and Seven Others

Islam and National Identity

Dombra Dispute and Niqab Bans Fuel Religious Debate in Central Asia

Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border

Kyrgyzstan Uncovers Suspected Smuggling Tunnel on Uzbek Border

Religion

Tajikistan Hijab Ban Denied by Authorities Amid Confusion

Bloggers’ Rights

Uzbekistan’s New Bloggers’ Council Has No Confirmed Leader

Uzbekistan’s Union of Journalists says it plans to help bloggers when officials refuse to provide information or when they face pressure over their work. The proposal follows several prosecutions of bloggers known for reporting on alleged local corruption or criticizing public officials. The initiative immediately encountered a leadership problem: one day after the Creative Council of Bloggers was announced, the blogger expected to lead it said he had declined the position. The Union of Journalists announced the council on August 7, saying the decision reflected the growing role of bloggers in Uzbekistan. According to the union, bloggers increasingly compete with...

Cybersecurity

Kazakhstan Examines Data Leak Claim Involving 15 Million People

A database allegedly containing the personal information of 15 million people in Kazakhstan has appeared on the dark web. The seller is asking 0.5 bitcoin, about $32,000, for a dataset containing tens of millions of records. The seller claims the information was obtained after hacking the government’s eGov portal. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development has not confirmed that account. Specialists are examining samples of the database and trying to determine where the data came from. The sale was reported by the Russian Telegram channel Mash. According to the channel, the file is about 2.7 GB and contains...

Bride Kidnapping

Bride Kidnapping in Central Asia: Why the Practice Persists Despite Tougher Laws

Bride kidnapping for the purpose of forcing women into marriage remains one of the least visible forms of gender-based violence in Central Asia. Although abduction and coercion into marriage are punishable under criminal law across the region, the offenses are defined differently from country to country. Their true scale is difficult to measure. Many victims never report the crime, while some cases are still viewed as a continuation of tradition rather than a violation of criminal law. Over the past decade, governments across Central Asia have begun revising their approaches to the problem. Kyrgyzstan strengthened criminal penalties following several high-profile...

Gulnara Karimova

Swiss Court Fines Lombard Odier $3.7 Million in Karimova Money-Laundering Case

Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court has fined Geneva-based private bank Lombard Odier 3 million Swiss francs, or about $3.68 million, after finding that it failed to take adequate organizational measures to prevent money laundering in a case linked to Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s late President Islam Karimov. The court also dismissed criminal proceedings against Karimova without ruling on the allegations against her. The ruling was delivered on July 27 in Bellinzona, following a trial that began in April. Swiss prosecutors had accused Karimova of accepting bribes and leading a criminal organization known as “The Office,” which allegedly channeled...

Environment

Environmental Safeguards

Pasture Gives Way to Solar Power in Uzbekistan as Audit Remains Unpublished

Each spring, nine households grazed livestock on a stretch of desert pasture in Uzbekistan’s Bukhara Region. The land is now the site of the Nur Bukhara solar and battery plant, but an audit intended to show whether promised livelihood protections worked remains unpublished. Seven of the households came from the nearby settlement of Kirilishon and used the state-owned pasture without permits or formal agreements. A herder and his partner, identified publicly only as H1 and H2, grazed animals there through a short-term agreement with Alat Qorakolchilik LLC, a local livestock company holding a sublease on the land. The nine households included...

Environmental Assessment

Uzbekistan’s $5 Billion Sea Breeze Resort Awaits Environmental Review

Land Degradation

Kazakh Environmental Group Proposes Trials of Chinese Land-Restoration Technologies

Climate Change

Kyrgyzstan Links Record Heatwave to Accelerating Glacier Retreat

Chemical Waste

Kyrgyzstan Hazardous Waste Cleanup Begins at Soviet Era Kristall Plant

Water Security

Kazakhstan Seeds Clouds as Kyrgyzstan Questions Regional Impact

A small aircraft climbed out of Turkestan airport on July 10 with hygroscopic salt flares fixed beneath its wings. Operated by the United Arab Emirates’ National Center of Meteorology, it was searching for a cloud suitable for seeding. Pilot Ahmed Aljaberi described the aircraft as “specifically equipped with a cloud-seeding flare system.” But no suitable cloud appeared during the mission. Cloud seeding can try to draw more rain from an existing cloud, but it cannot make one from clear air. Kazakhstan launched the project in Turkestan on May 16, targeting more than 911,000 hectares of arable land in the country’s...

Syr Darya River

Central Asian States Plan Automated Water Monitoring on the Syr Darya

Central Asian countries have agreed to prepare a plan for automated water monitoring on the Syr Darya, one of the region’s main transboundary rivers. The system is intended to provide the countries with more accurate data on water volumes and distribution across the basin, where irrigated agriculture in several countries depends on river flows. The cost of weak coordination across Central Asia is already measured in billions: the World Bank estimates the region’s annual economic losses at more than $4.5 billion. The agreement was reached on August 7 in Turkistan, Kazakhstan. A working group to prepare the plan is expected...

Glacier Retreat

Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Glaciers Have Lost One-Third of Their Area

Glacier coverage in the Issyk-Kul Basin has shrunk by 33.7% compared with records from 70–90 years ago, according to an updated inventory released by Kyrgyzhydromet, the Hydrometeorological Service under Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. The service said coverage had declined by 23.1% over the past 7–10 years, indicating that the retreat has accelerated. The revised inventory was compiled using Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, Google Earth, QGIS, and earlier glacier catalogs. Researchers refined glacier boundaries, documented fragmentation, and identified glaciers that had disappeared. Kyrgyzhydromet attributed the decline to climate change and said the new inventory would provide a baseline for assessing...

Amur Tiger

Kazakhstan Releases First Tiger into Wild in More Than 70 Years

Kazakhstan has released a tiger into the wild for the first time in more than 70 years, beginning the practical phase of a long-running program to restore the predator to the Ili River delta. The female Amur tiger, Umit, was released at the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve on July 31, the Ecology Ministry announced on August 3. “Today we witnessed a truly historic event,” Ecology Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev said. He described the release as the result of more than a decade of work by Kazakhstan, Russian specialists, scientists, and international conservation partners. Before the release, Umit underwent veterinary examinations and...

Reform and Moderate Conservatism: Reading Kazakhstan’s Kurultai Vote

Latest

Features

Features

Election Engineering, Afghan Attacks, and Mirziyoyev’s Ten-Year Transformation

Latest

Dastan: The Story Behind the Name

Election Engineering, Afghan Attacks, and Mirziyoyev’s Ten-Year Transformation

Dastan: The Story Behind the Name

Opinions

Opinions

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

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

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Kyrgyzstan Drafts $419 Million Plan to Curb Rising Prices

Suleimenov Says Stronger Policy Framework Supported Kazakhstan’s S&P Upgrade

Kazakhstan E-Commerce Grows as Shoppers Spend over $8 Billion in 2025

Tajikistan Seeks 2.55 Million Tons of Iranian Oil and Fuel as Russian Supplies Falter

Kazakhstan Targets End to Electricity Deficit by 2027

Local Politics

Local Politics

Reform and Moderate Conservatism: Reading Kazakhstan’s Kurultai Vote

Tokayev Calls for Firm Handshakes in Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan’s Alphabet Reform Revives a 33-Year-Old Debate

Internet Restrictions in Central Asia: How the Five Countries Differ

AI E-Government in Kazakhstan Expands Into Jobs and Benefits

International Affairs

International Affairs

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan Target $1 Billion in Trade as Investment and Transit Links Expand

Kazakhstan Peace Talks: Basel Al-Haj Jassem on Syria and the South Caucasus

Kazakhstan’s Role in Pax Silica After WAICO

China Opens 10-Day Visa-Free Transit to Kyrgyzstan

Trump’s New Threat Against Iran Collides With Central Asia’s Economic Interests

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

Dastan Satpayev Burnley Debut Marks First Step in English Football

Bukharan Jewelry: How an Uzbek Jeweler Is Preserving a Traditional Craft

Ancient Royal Seal Discovered in Tajikistan

Kazakhstani AI Creator Alissa Kamorskaya on the Rise of AI Animation

Justice

Justice

Psychologists in Kyrgyzstan Face New Regulation Push