The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Fuel prices in Kazakhstan are expected to rise significantly, according to Kazakh energy analysts. Although the country remains a major oil exporter and plans to expand its refining capacity, analysts warn that these measures alone will not resolve the structural problems behind rising fuel costs. Some Kazakh energy analysts have...

Venice Biennale

Kyrgyzstan Pavilion Brings Nomadism to the 2026 Venice Biennale

Aral Sea

Kazakhstan Says Aral Sea Bed Afforestation Has Reached 1.2 Million Hectares

EAEU

EAEU Summit in Astana: Is Moscow Pushing Armenia Toward the Exit?

Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to arrive in Astana on May 27 for a state visit, while the Eurasian Economic Forum and a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will take place in Kazakhstan’s capital on May 28-29. Against the backdrop of increasingly strained relations between Moscow and...

Fuel Prices

Central Asia Feels Fuel Strain as Kazakhstan Prices Edge Higher

Kazakhstan's fuel market is moving into a new phase after the end of the government freeze on AI-92 gasoline and diesel. Pump prices have risen by small amounts so far. Retail prices are rising cautiously amid growing pressure from neighbors where fuel costs more. Kazakhstan still has some of the...

Kazakh Language

How Social Media Is Turning Kazakh Language Into A Form Of Self-Expression for Gen Z

Water Security

Dushanbe Water Talks Put Tajikistan’s Climate Diplomacy in Focus

OTS Optimism, Afghan Ambushes, and a Deep Dive on the Next President of Tajikistan

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Sunkar Podcast

Kazakhstan to Host 2027 Table Tennis World Championships

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Opinions

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

Opinion: The Regional Ecological Summit and the Making of a Central Asian Voice

Ilyas Kanybek

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Critical Minerals Promise Is Running Out of Time

Tsoberg Nadezhda and Marzhan Rakhymberdina

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Human Capital Problem – How State Scholarships Are Building a Talent Pipeline for the West

Anel Askar

Opinion: Expect China to take its 2+2 diplomacy to Central Asia

Ken Moriyasu

Opinion – Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Sends a Key Signal for Global Partners

Javier M. Piedra

Business & Economy

QR Payments

Kyrgyzstan Connects to International Alipay+ QR Payment Network

Kyrgyzstan has launched international QR payments through Alipay+, allowing users of the national Elkart payment system to pay for purchases abroad through a mobile app without relying on cash or foreign payment apps. The launch of the project was announced by the Interbank Processing Center, operator of the national payment system Elkart, with support from the National Bank of Kyrgyzstan. According to the payment operator, the system is already functioning in Kazakhstan and Malaysia, while another 57 countries are expected to join the network within the next month. China is also scheduled to connect to the platform on June 15,...

Driverless Taxis

Kazakhstan Prepares to Launch Driverless Taxi Service in 2026

Fuel Prices

Why Oil-Rich Kazakhstan Is Bracing for Higher Fuel Prices

Small Business Lending

Uzbekistan Plans AI-Based Lending Platform to Expand Financing for Small Businesses

Fuel Prices

Central Asia Feels Fuel Strain as Kazakhstan Prices Edge Higher

Fuel Prices

Kyrgyzstan Introduces State Regulation of Fuel Prices

Kyrgyzstan has introduced temporary state regulation of motor fuel prices amid continued increases in the cost of gasoline and diesel, which the country imports largely from Russia. The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution introducing measures to stabilize fuel prices, ensure economic security, maintain uninterrupted fuel supplies, and support businesses. Under the resolution, the government will subsidize imports of gasoline, diesel fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas from May 25 through September 30, 2026. Authorities have established fixed benchmark prices for imported fuel: AI-92 gasoline: $860 per ton; AI-95 gasoline: $940 per ton; diesel fuel: $950 per ton; liquefied petroleum gas:...

Middle Corridor

Can Caspian Cargo Fleets Meet Middle Corridor Demands?

Construction of infrastructure along the Middle Corridor, also called the Trans-Caspian International Trade Route, to ship goods between China and Europe is progressing at a frantic pace. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, it inadvertently gave a new impetus to the development of a trade network through Central Asia and the South Caucasus that had been slowly taking shape since the end of the 1990s. One of the most formidable challenges along the Middle Corridor is boosting maritime cargo across the Caspian Sea. Steps are being made, including some significant recent moves, but the...

Automotive Industry

Kazakhstan’s Auto Industry Maintains Growth Despite Slowing Momentum

Production of cars and other automotive equipment in Kazakhstan continued to grow rapidly in early 2026, although the pace of expansion has begun to slow amid intensifying competition and changing market conditions. According to the Kazakhstan Automobile Union, domestic manufacturers produced 63,403 units of automotive equipment between January and April, an increase of 35.1% compared to the same period last year. During the first quarter, growth had stood slightly higher at 36.8%. In April alone, Kazakh factories produced 18,144 units of automotive equipment, up 31% year-on-year and nearly 4% higher than in March. The figures include passenger cars, trucks, buses,...

Copper Industry

Kazakhstan and Chinese Investors Launch “Green” Copper Metallurgy Project in Aktobe

Kazakhstan has begun construction of a copper scrap recycling and copper rod production plant in Aktobe with the participation of Chinese investors, as the country seeks to develop higher-value metals processing and expand lower-carbon industrial production. The $100 million project is being implemented in the Aktobe Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with support from KAZAKH INVEST and the Aktobe Region administration. It involves China’s Beijing Jinyi Yuanfang Holding Group and Kazakhstan’s Phoenix Industrial Group. The new facility will process copper scrap collected across Kazakhstan and produce up to 25,000 tons of refined copper annually. Authorities hope the project will help turn...

Local Politics

National Identity

Kazakhstan Reclaims the Golden Horde

Kazakhstan’s symposium on the Golden Horde opens, in formal institutional terms, the question of where the country locates its statehood. Held in Astana on May 19–20 under UNESCO patronage, it brought together more than 300 scholars and experts, including 120 foreign researchers from more than 20 countries. Its title was “The Golden Horde as a Model of Steppe Civilization,” with history, archaeology, culture, and identity named as focal points of inquiry. The initiative places Kazakhstan’s history outside the narrow frame of post-Soviet chronology, treating the medieval past as a problem in the formation of Central Eurasia. Kazakhstan’s turn to the...

National Identity

Kazakhstan Looks to the Golden Horde for a Deeper National Narrative

Education

Kyrgyzstan Seeks Foreign Teachers to Ease Education Staff Shortage

Animal Rights

Kazakhstan Renews Debate Over Stray Animals After Parliament Approves Euthanasia Amendments

Mandatory Contributions

Healthcare Workers in Turkmenistan Reportedly Forced to Pay Mandatory Fees to Public Association

AI in Education

Turkmenistan Looks to OpenAI as it Modernizes Education

Officials from Turkmenistan have met with OpenAI to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in the country’s education system. The London meeting between a delegation from Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Education and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, took place during the Education World Forum 2026 this week, according to state media. The forum is a major annual gathering in which governments, the private sector, international NGOs, and others network and discuss ways of improving education systems. The meeting between ministry officials and OpenAI representatives addressed the “practical possibilities” of using AI in schools, the state-run Turkmenistan: Golden Age outlet reported. “The...

Education Reform

Kazakhstan Reshapes Education System to Meet Industrial and Labor Market Needs

Kazakhstan has begun a large-scale restructuring of its education system in 2025-2026 as authorities attempt to address labor shortages, overloaded school infrastructure, and the growing mismatch between graduates’ qualifications and the needs of the economy. While previous reforms focused primarily on expanding access to education, the government is now shifting toward tighter administrative management of student enrollment, stronger support for technical and vocational training, and the integration of digital technologies into schools. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the reforms are unfolding amid growing pressure on Kazakhstan’s labor market. One of the most pressing issues remains the...

Afghan Refugees

Tajikistan Officially Confirms Deportation of Afghan Refugees

Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB) has publicly commented for the first time on the deportation of Afghan citizens from the country, citing alleged violations of national law and crimes that the authorities said had sparked public outrage. The statement followed an appeal by Afghan citizen Muhammad Hakim Tursun, who criticized the deportation of his compatriots. In its response, published through the state news agency Khovar, the security service claimed that some Afghan citizens living in Tajikistan had “grossly violated the requirements of the law” despite being provided with conditions for residence, work, and education. To justify the deportations,...

Elections

Kazakhstan Rules Out Fines for Not Voting in Elections

Kazakhstan does not plan to introduce compulsory voting or impose fines on citizens who fail to participate in elections and referendums, Central Election Commission (CEC) Secretary Shavkat Utemisov said. Speaking on the sidelines of a joint session of parliament, Utemisov acknowledged that declining voter participation, particularly among young people, remains a challenge in Kazakhstan. He said, however, that the country does not intend to adopt practices used in some states where voting is mandatory. Utemisov added that some countries have lowered the voting age, citing Belgium, while others impose penalties, including fines, on citizens who fail to appear at polling...

International Affairs

Energy Security

Putin Visit Puts Nuclear Power and Oil Transit at Center of Russia-Kazakhstan Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan is becoming more than a diplomatic event. It is increasingly being seen as a demonstration of how Russia and Kazakhstan are shaping one of Eurasia’s key energy and logistics axes amid the restructuring of global markets, sanctions pressure, and the continued shift of economic flows toward Asia. Symbolically, ahead of the visit, Putin published a programmatic article in Kazakh media titled “Russia-Kazakhstan: An Alliance at the Heart of Eurasia,” in which he outlined a new framework for bilateral relations. The Russian president focused on nuclear energy, oil and gas cooperation, transport corridors,...

EAEU

EAEU Summit in Astana: Is Moscow Pushing Armenia Toward the Exit?

Border Disputes

UN General Assembly Adopts Kyrgyzstan-Led Resolution on Border Disputes

UN Security Council

Japarov Calls for Support of Kyrgyzstan’s Bid for UN Security Council Seat

Iran

Kazakhstan Signals Nuclear Diplomacy Role as Iran Uranium Dispute Intensifies

Humanitarian Aid

Uzbekistan Sends Nearly 200 Tons of Aid to Flood-Hit Afghanistan Ahead of Eid al-Adha

Uzbekistan has delivered nearly 200 tons of humanitarian aid to northern Afghanistan in response to recent deadly floods and ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to the administration of Uzbekistan’s southern Surkhandarya region. The shipment arrived in Afghanistan’s Balkh province and included flour, rice, sugar, pasta, confectionery, vegetable oil, chickpeas, and ready-to-eat meals. Uzbek authorities said the assistance was sent on the instructions of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a gesture of solidarity and support for Afghan communities affected by natural disasters. The aid was officially handed over in the border city of Hairatan at facilities operated by...

Counterterrorism

China to Supply Tajikistan With Intelligence and Counterterrorism Equipment

China will provide Tajikistan with intelligence, police, and counterterrorism equipment worth more than $7.6 million under a grant assistance program approved by the two governments. The governments of the two countries signed the corresponding memorandum of understanding on May 8. The agreement provides for the transfer of equipment by China for the needs of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. Under the terms of the deal, the Chinese side will deliver 34 intelligence devices along with additional police and counterterrorism equipment. The shipment is expected to enter Tajikistan through the Karasu border crossing. China will also dispatch eight specialists to Tajikistan...

Russian Influence

Russian Official Says West Is Seeking to Reduce Moscow’s Influence in Central Asia

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has accused Western countries of attempting to weaken Russia’s position in Central Asia by expanding their economic and strategic influence across the region, according to an interview published by the Russian newspaper Izvestia. Galuzin said the United States and the European Union are seeking greater control over key transport corridors and natural resources in Central Asia, presenting their engagement as efforts to diversify economies and strengthen regional resilience. However, he argued that such initiatives are driven by broader geopolitical objectives. “We note the desire of the United States and the European Union to take...

Middle Powers

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

Against the backdrop of growing global fragmentation and the weakening of universal international institutions, the role of so-called middle powers is increasing. These are states able to influence regional agendas without possessing great-power status. In this changing system, Central Asia is gradually moving beyond its long-standing image as a geopolitical periphery and is beginning to act more like a region with shared interests. For decades, the region was viewed mainly as a space where the interests of external powers, including Russia, China, the U.S., and others, intersected. Today, that paradigm is beginning to shift. Central Asia is showing greater signs...

Life & Culture

Healthcare

Turkmenistan Works With WHO on Healthcare Upgrades

Turkmenistan and the World Health Organization went through a delicate period during the pandemic, when the Turkmen government said there had been no COVID-19 cases in the country. The global health agency didn’t publicly challenge the claim, which was met with widespread international skepticism. While Turkmenistan retains many of the tight controls on information that were in place at the height of the pandemic, its relationship with the World Health Organization, or WHO, has evolved into one of closer cooperation aimed at bringing parts of the country´s health system into line with international practices. In the latest initiative, WHO experts...

Education

Opinion: The Cultural Bridge Kyrgyzstan Needs for Global Education

Tourism Development

Kyrgyzstan Looks to Turn Former Uranium Mining Town Into Tourist Destination

UFO Files

Pentagon UFO Files Add CIA Report on Kazakhstan’s Sary Shagan Range

TCA Interviews

From a Student Initiative to a Youth Movement: How Volunteering Is Developing in Kyrgyzstan

Medical Workers

Kazakhstan Faces Growing Shortage of Doctors and Medical Personnel

The availability of medical personnel in Kazakhstan continues to decline amid rapid population growth and mounting pressure on the healthcare system, particularly in the country’s regions, according to a study published by the analytical portal Ranking.kz. Analysts say the shortage of doctors and mid-level medical staff is becoming a key structural problem facing Kazakhstan’s healthcare sector, affecting access to treatment, timely diagnosis, and the overall quality of medical services. As of the first quarter of 2026, Kazakhstan had slightly more than 57,000 doctors. While the total number has remained almost unchanged compared to the previous year, the number of physicians...

Venice Biennale

Kyrgyzstan Pavilion Brings Nomadism to the 2026 Venice Biennale

Central Asia is increasingly visible on the contemporary art map, and few events carry more symbolic weight than the Venice Biennale, often described as the Olympics of the art world. In recent years, Kazakhstan’s privately funded art scene and Uzbekistan’s state-backed art scene have often led the region’s international push. This year, Kyrgyzstan is is determined not to lag behind. The country’s pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale marks its second dedicated national participation. Kyrgyzstan first appeared in this format in 2022 with Gates of Turan, a state-commissioned installation by Firouz FarmanFarmaian on the Venetian island of Giudecca that drew...

Kazakh Language

How Social Media Is Turning Kazakh Language Into A Form Of Self-Expression for Gen Z

Not long ago, for many of Kazakhstan's urban teenagers, the Kazakh language sounded like something between a school subject, a family obligation, and an official norm. They studied it, took tests in it, heard it in classrooms, in the news, and in the speech of older generations. But on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads, Kazakh is increasingly living a different life: as the language of memes, stories, self-irony, flirting, debates, local humor, and personal expression. It is no longer only a question of: “Do you know Kazakh?” For Generation Z, another question is becoming more important: “Can you be yourself in...

AI in Education

AI in Kazakh Universities: Institutions Are Not Ready for the ChatGPT Era

AI in Kazakh universities is rapidly transforming higher education, but many institutions appear unprepared for how quickly such tools are becoming normalized in the academic process. While authorities increasingly urge educators to treat AI as a professional tool for the future workforce, universities continue spending tens of thousands of dollars on systems designed to detect texts generated by ChatGPT and similar AI models. By the spring of 2026, the use of generative AI in Kazakh universities had effectively become a new academic norm. Students now routinely use AI systems to write coursework, dissertations, and analytical papers. However, instead of fundamentally reconsidering...

Justice

Prisons

Uzbek Diplomats Visit Prisoners in Russia’s Sakhalin Region

Officials from Uzbekistan’s Consulate General have visited Uzbek nationals serving prison sentences in Russia’s Sakhalin region to discuss their living conditions, health, and requests for transfer back to Uzbekistan, according to Uzbekistan’s state-run news agency Dunyo. The meeting took place at Correctional Institution No. 1 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk during a working visit by consular staff. Dunyo reported that eleven Uzbek citizens are currently incarcerated at the facility after being convicted under various articles of Russia’s Criminal Code. During the visit, consular representatives inspected residential quarters, dining areas, and recreation facilities before holding a group meeting with the prisoners. Discussions focused on...

Forced Labor

Turkmen State Employees Forced Back Into Cotton Harvest Campaign

Administrative Detention

“I Felt Like an Uzbek in Russia”: Russian Woman Detained in Almaty After Video Sparks Backlash

Jeffrey Epstein

Woman From Uzbekistan Says Jeffrey Epstein Abused Her for Years

Pension

Tajikistan Pension Payments Suspended For 14,000 People Over Biometric Identification Rules

Rule of law

American Professor and Longtime Central Asia Researcher Denied Entry to Kyrgyzstan

Professor Steve Swerdlow of the University of Southern California (USC) arrived at the Bishkek airport at 4:30 am on May 19, leading a group of 16 students for a trip of a lifetime: two weeks in Kyrgyzstan and two weeks in Kazakhstan. Swerdlow, a veteran Central Asian researcher who had previously worked for Human Rights Watch in Uzbekistan (2010), Kazakhstan (2011), and Kyrgyzstan (2012-2019), had led similar trips to Kyrgyzstan with USC students in 2022 and 2024. This time, however, there were problems immediately upon his arrival at Bishkek. “I was taken out of line at passport control and whisked...

Regional Security

Tokayev Urges Central Asia and China to Strengthen Law Enforcement Cooperation

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hosted the interior and public security ministers of the “Central Asia-China” format in Astana during the second meeting of regional law enforcement agencies. The meeting was attended by Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, Kyrgyz Interior Minister Ulan Niyazbekov, Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda, Turkmen Interior Minister Muhammet Hydyrov, and Uzbek Interior Minister Aziz Tashpulatov. Participants discussed transnational crime, drug trafficking, cybercrime, and extremism. Tokayev said strengthening cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Central Asia and China is essential for maintaining regional stability. “Transnational organized crime is becoming increasingly flexible and interconnected. Cybercrime has...

Forced Labor

Forced Labor in Turkmenistan the Target of New EU-ILO Project

A new joint project is being launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union aimed at combating child and forced labor in Turkmenistan. Its focus is primarily on the country’s cotton sector, which has long faced criticism from human rights groups and international companies. The ILO announced the initiative on May 13. The program, titled Promoting Decent Work and Preventing Child and Forced Labour in Turkmenistan, is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2027 with the project’s budget estimated at approximately €2 million ($2.3 million). The initiative will focus on three main areas: updating labor legislation, implementing...

U.S. Scholar Wins Copyright Case in Uzbekistan Over Unauthorized Distribution of Bygone Days Translation

American translator and scholar Mark Reese has won a copyright infringement case in Uzbekistan after a court ruled that his translated work had been distributed without permission. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice, the Uchtepa Interdistrict Court for Civil Cases in Tashkent ordered an employee of the Uzbekistan State World Languages University (UzSWLU) to pay 20.6 million Uzbekistani som (approximately $1,700) in compensation to Reese for violating his copyright. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by Reese in April seeking damages caused by the unauthorized use of his intellectual property. The dispute centers on Reese’s English translation of O‘tkan Kunlar...

Environment

Irrigation Water

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan Agree on Summer Water Releases from Bahri Tojik Reservoir

Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have agreed on water releases from Tajikistan’s Bahri Tojik reservoir for the June-August 2026 irrigation period, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has announced. The agreement was formalized in a trilateral protocol signed by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources Juma Daler, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Resources Shavkat Khamrayev. Under the agreed schedule, water from the Bahri Tojik reservoir will be released during the summer to support agricultural producers in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region, particularly in the Maktaaral and Zhetysai districts, where irrigation demand rises...

Water Supply

Tajikistan Announces Water Infrastructure Drive, Urges Central Asia Cooperation

Waste Processing

Tajikistan Waste Recycling Plant Put on Hold After Iranian Investors Withdraw

Aral Sea

Opinion: Can the Aral Sea Be Saved? Central Asia’s Water Cooperation Test

Water

Turkmenistan Has World’s Highest Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita

Compensation Mechanisms

Kyrgyzstan Calls for Compensation Mechanisms to Maintain Regional Water Infrastructure

Kyrgyzstan is calling for compensation mechanisms with neighboring countries to help finance the maintenance of water infrastructure and glacier preservation. Officials warn that shrinking glaciers and declining precipitation already pose serious risks for Central Asia. The issue was raised by Erlist Akunbekov, Kyrgyzstan’s deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and minister of water resources, agriculture, and processing industry, during the opening of the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development,” 2018-2028, in Dushanbe on May 26. Akunbekov described the melting of glaciers as a regional challenge, not solely a national problem. “Without...

Aral Sea

Kazakhstan Says Aral Sea Bed Afforestation Has Reached 1.2 Million Hectares

The environmental disaster of the Aral Sea, once the world's fourth-largest lake, remains one of the most serious ecological challenges facing Central Asia. The total area of the dried seabed now covers approximately 6 million hectares, including 2.8 million hectares in Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea once covered about 68,000 square kilometers and supported fishing communities along what is now the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border. Its collapse followed decades of Soviet-era irrigation projects that diverted water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, a history The Times of Central Asia previously reported. As full restoration of the Aral Sea's water level is no...

Water Security

Dushanbe Water Talks Put Tajikistan’s Climate Diplomacy in Focus

Conference-related events began in Dushanbe on Monday, May 25, as Tajikistan hosts the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development,” 2018-2028. The week gives Tajikistan a fresh stage for a role it has built for years: using water, climate risk, and glacier protection as its clearest route into global diplomacy. President Emomali Rahmon gave the week an early political signal when he met three senior U.N. officials in Dushanbe: Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, U.N. Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP; Retno Marsudi, U.N. Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy on Water; and Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of...

ARYK.AI

From Ancient Aryks to AI: Almaty Student Proposes Digital Water Solution

In Almaty, 10th-grade student Amir Alniyazov has developed an artificial intelligence project called ARYK.AI that aims to help city services respond more quickly to clogged aryk channels, localized flooding, and water overflow after heavy rainfall. At first glance, the issue may appear purely municipal: aryks, trash, leaves, rainwater, and utility workers clearing blocked channels. But the aryk system is tied to a much longer urban history. In Central Asia, an aryk is not simply a ditch. It is a traditional water channel that has helped sustain settlements in dry climates for centuries. Aryks irrigated gardens, cooled streets, supplied water, and...

Can Caspian Cargo Fleets Meet Middle Corridor Demands?

Latest

Features

Features

OTS Optimism, Afghan Ambushes, and a Deep Dive on the Next President of Tajikistan

Latest

Sunkar Podcast

OTS Optimism, Afghan Ambushes, and a Deep Dive on the Next President of Tajikistan

Sunkar Podcast

Opinions

Opinions

Sergey Akhmetov

Timur Serikuly

Matthew Davies

Timur Serikuly

Charles McLean

Ken Moriyasu

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ilyas Kanybek

Tsoberg Nadezhda and Marzhan Rakhymberdina

Anel Askar

Ken Moriyasu

Javier M. Piedra

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Kyrgyzstan Connects to International Alipay+ QR Payment Network

Kyrgyzstan Introduces State Regulation of Fuel Prices

Can Caspian Cargo Fleets Meet Middle Corridor Demands?

Kazakhstan’s Auto Industry Maintains Growth Despite Slowing Momentum

Kazakhstan and Chinese Investors Launch “Green” Copper Metallurgy Project in Aktobe

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kazakhstan Reclaims the Golden Horde

Turkmenistan Looks to OpenAI as it Modernizes Education

Kazakhstan Reshapes Education System to Meet Industrial and Labor Market Needs

Tajikistan Officially Confirms Deportation of Afghan Refugees

Kazakhstan Rules Out Fines for Not Voting in Elections

International Affairs

International Affairs

Putin Visit Puts Nuclear Power and Oil Transit at Center of Russia-Kazakhstan Ties

Uzbekistan Sends Nearly 200 Tons of Aid to Flood-Hit Afghanistan Ahead of Eid al-Adha

China to Supply Tajikistan With Intelligence and Counterterrorism Equipment

Russian Official Says West Is Seeking to Reduce Moscow’s Influence in Central Asia

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

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Turkmenistan Works With WHO on Healthcare Upgrades

Kazakhstan Faces Growing Shortage of Doctors and Medical Personnel

Kyrgyzstan Pavilion Brings Nomadism to the 2026 Venice Biennale

How Social Media Is Turning Kazakh Language Into A Form Of Self-Expression for Gen Z

AI in Kazakh Universities: Institutions Are Not Ready for the ChatGPT Era

Justice

Justice

Uzbek Diplomats Visit Prisoners in Russia’s Sakhalin Region