From August 1-3, the cultural and ethnographic complex Rukh Ordo, on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, hosted Kyrgyzstan’s first World Festival of Traditional Culture and Music, Rukh Sanat. The event brought together more than 130 performers, researchers, and artisans from 37 countries. The festival opened with a parade of participants...
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 12, 2025, in a telephone conversation aimed at deepening the strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and India. The two leaders discussed expanding cooperation across trade, connectivity, healthcare, technology, and cultural exchanges, with Modi describing their conversation as “fruitful.”...
Despite its close economic, historical, and cultural ties with Russia, Kazakhstan has maintained constructive relations with Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. That diplomatic balance was on display again on August 10, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss prospects for a peace agreement. According to...
On August 8, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace accord in Washington and committed to the construction of the Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity, a trade route that bisects Armenia, connecting the two parts of Azerbaijan. The deal may have far-reaching repercussions on the other side of the Caspian,...
Astana is preparing to host Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on an official visit scheduled for late 2025. On August 12, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had a call with Pashinyan, during which, according to an official statement, he praised the "outstanding qualities" of the Armenian Prime Minister, "as a politician with...
“A bad peace is better than a good war.” That was the advice from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a phone call on Sunday in which the two leaders discussed prospects for a resolution to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Whether Zelenskyy agreed with...
This past weekend, discussion of the “historic joint declaration for peace” was nearly impossible to avoid. Optimism ran high, with many expressing hope that peace and cooperation might finally take hold in the South Caucasus. But how realistic is that vision? What was signed in Washington on August 8, 2025,...
Like it or not, the world is moving away from unipolar dominance and entering an era of multipolarity where national interests increasingly counter the globalist ambitions of some major powers. In this evolving landscape, as the major powers adjust to new geopolitical realities, an increasing number of states are becoming more...