The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Tajikistan’s aging power grid has become part of the country’s water and climate policy. The issue returned to the agenda of European Union-Tajikistan cooperation on July 3, when the two sides held a development cooperation meeting in Dushanbe. Energy and water were included in the Global Gateway agenda, while other...

Energy Investment

Kazakhstan’s Energy Sector Without Local Business: The Anatomy of Major Projects

In late June 2026, construction began on a 1 GW wind power plant in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl Region. The project is valued at $1.4 billion. Companies based in the United Arab Emirates, Masdar and W Solar, hold 80% of the project, while Kazakhstan’s quasi-state sector holds the remaining 20% through Qazaq...

Fuel Imports

Fuel Squeeze Leaves Kyrgyzstan Competing for Costly Alternatives

Tax Policy

Uzbekistan Bank Data Plan Sparks Privacy and Tax Debate

TCA Interviews

Kazakhstan Seeking to Turn Transit Routes Into Investment Growth, Vice Minister Says

The development of transport and logistics has become one of the main priorities of Kazakhstan's economic policy as the country seeks to turn its position between China, Russia, the Caspian Sea, and Europe into long-term growth. Government transport data show the broader transport and warehousing sector grew in January-May 2026,...

Middle East Crisis

Kazakhstan’s Persian Gulf Port Plan Faces New Iran Risk

Kazakhstan has moved a long-planned southern trade project from talks to contract. The move gives Astana a possible foothold on the Persian Gulf, but it comes as a second night of U.S. strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation around the Gulf states have raised the cost of using that route....

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: 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

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

Business & Economy

Transport Infrastructure

Can Uzbekistan Challenge Kazakhstan as Leading Central Asia Logistics Hub?

Recent developments suggest that Uzbekistan is seeking to strengthen its position in regional logistics, potentially challenging Kazakhstan’s role as Central Asia’s principal transit hub. As geopolitical tensions increase, alternative transport routes are becoming increasingly important, and Central Asia stands out as a relatively stable region. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are investing heavily in expanding their transport infrastructure. The key question, however, is how practical and commercially viable these new projects will prove to be. Which country will ultimately be able to offer faster, cheaper, and more reliable transport corridors? Uzbekistan’s Plans In early July, Uzbekistan presented proposals for expanding its...

Fuel Shortages

Tajikistan Offers Farmers Subsidized Diesel as Fuel Shortages Deepen

Energy Investment

Kazakhstan’s Energy Sector Without Local Business: The Anatomy of Major Projects

TCA Interviews

Kazakhstan Seeking to Turn Transit Routes Into Investment Growth, Vice Minister Says

Fuel Supply

Kyrgyzstan Eases State Fuel Price Controls as Supply Shortages Persist

Critical Minerals

Kazakhstan and South Korea to Establish Rare Metals Research Center in Almaty

Kazakhstan and South Korea are establishing a joint research and technology center in Almaty to support the development of Kazakhstan’s rare metals and critical minerals industry. The Kazakh-Korean Center for Rare and Rare Earth Metals will be established at Satbayev University in partnership with the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and the Korea National Institute of Rare Metals. During a meeting on July 9, representatives of the three institutions discussed how the project will be carried out. They also reviewed the purchase of modern laboratory equipment and long-term scientific and technological cooperation. The center will train specialists for Kazakhstan’s growing...

Almaty-Issyk-Kul Flights

Direct Flights Between Almaty and Lake Issyk-Kul Resume

Kyrgyzstan’s state-owned Asman Airlines will resume seasonal direct flights between Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, and Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s leading summer tourist destination. One-hour flights will begin on July 10 and arrive at Issyk-Kul International Airport in the village of Tamchy on the lake’s northern shore. The service will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, in partnership with tour operator Kompas, Asman Airlines’ official partner in Kazakhstan. Round-trip fares start at $120. Asman Airlines currently operates three Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, Canadian-made short-haul turboprop planes capable of carrying up to 80 passengers over distances of up to 2,000 kilometers. The...

Fuel Imports

Fuel Squeeze Leaves Kyrgyzstan Competing for Costly Alternatives

Kyrgyzstan is moving to secure alternative fuel supplies from China and Belarus as disruptions in Russia’s refining sector expose Bishkek’s dependence on a single supplier. The new arrangements may ease immediate pressure, but they also show how costly and limited Kyrgyzstan’s options remain. First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiyev said China has confirmed a contract to supply the first 3,000 tons of jet fuel, while negotiations are under way for an additional 5,000 tons of diesel fuel. The government has also signed agreements with Belarus covering 3,000 tons of jet fuel and approximately 10,000 tons of...

Maritime Transport

Turkmenistan and Damen Shipyards Discuss Caspian Port Cooperation

Turkmenistan has held talks with Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group about increasing their collaboration at the Turkmenbashi port on the Caspian Sea. The talks come as Turkmenistan seeks a larger role in the Middle Corridor, a trade network linking Asia and Europe via Central Asia and the Caucasus. The talks took place this week during a visit by Ambassador Sapar Palvanov to the headquarters of Damen Shipyards Group in the Netherlands, according to the Turkmen embassy in Brussels, Belgium. Palvanov is also Turkmenistan’s ambassador to Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as head of Turkmenistan’s mission to NATO in Brussels....

Local Politics

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

Constitutional Reform

Kazakhstan’s Parliament Gives Way to New Kurultai Under Tokayev’s Constitutional Reset

Kazakhstan's Parliament

Kurultai Election Campaign Takes Shape in Parliament’s Final Budget Debate

Mary Power Outages

Power Outages in Turkmenistan Lead to Dismissals as Blackouts Continue

President Tokayev

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

Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court has ruled that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev may seek another term under the country’s 2026 Constitution, effectively resetting the count created under the previous Basic Law while leaving the single seven-year presidential term formally in place. The ruling, issued on July 7 after Tokayev’s request, addressed whether people who held senior offices under the 1995 Constitution could be elected or appointed to those posts under the new Basic Law, adopted in a March 15 referendum and in force since July 1. The offices covered include the president, the chair and judges of the Constitutional Court, the chair of...

Kazakhstan Constitution

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

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared the start of a “new era” in the country’s history on July 1, as Kazakhstan’s new Constitution officially came into force following its approval in a nationwide referendum on March 15. “Today marks the beginning of a new era in the history of sovereign Kazakhstan. We are embarking on the path of steady progress, political and economic reforms, and large-scale modernization,” Tokayev said in an official address published on the presidential website. According to Tokayev, the new Constitution represents a fundamental restructuring of Kazakhstan’s political system and a transformation of the country’s key state and...

State-Controlled Religion

Turkmenistan’s Chief Mufti Replacement Recalls Earlier Dismissals

Only two people in Turkmenistan, the chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and the president, have what could be considered job security. Everyone else is expendable, at a moment’s notice, and that extends to the country’s top clergy. Turkmenistan has replaced the country’s top mufti, and while the reasons for the sudden move are not clear, the removal process is very familiar for Turkmenistan. Frantic Friday On June 19, the mufti of all Turkmenistan, Yalkap Hojagulyyev, led Friday prayers at the Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque in Gypjak, some 11 kilometers from the capital, Ashgabat. Saparmurat “Turkmenbashi” Niyazov was Turkmenistan’s first...

Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border

Chongara and Tash-Tobo: The Villages That Changed Countries Without Moving

About 2,500 people in Chongara and Tash-Tobo now live under Kyrgyz jurisdiction. The transfer reduces the number of Uzbek enclaves in Kyrgyzstan and clears the way for a much shorter road across the Batken Region. For Umitbek, the change first appeared online. Chongara, his home village, passed from Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Region into Kyrgyzstan when the legal border moved. “We are welcoming the decision with joy,” Umitbek told Azattyk. “Ninety-nine percent of our village is Kyrgyz.” Umitbek already holds a Kyrgyz passport, while many neighbors have Uzbek documents. Some households include citizens of both countries. The village has Kyrgyz and Uzbek...

International Affairs

U.S.-Turkmenistan Relations

U.S., Turkmenistan Draw Closer with Senator’s Visit to Ashgabat

Turkmenistan wants to deepen cooperation with the United States in areas including fuel and energy, transport, finance, banking, and artificial intelligence, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has told a visiting U.S. senator. Senator Steve Daines, a Montana Republican who is a leading advocate of U.S.-Central Asia collaboration, also met Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Serdar’s father and powerful predecessor, as well as Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, in Ashgabat on Thursday. “Our country, endowed with rich natural resources, is implementing a strategy of diversifying energy supply routes and stands for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation based on equal consideration of the interests of producers, consumers,...

Middle East Crisis

Kazakhstan’s Persian Gulf Port Plan Faces New Iran Risk

Bilateral Relations

Uzbekistan and Georgia Deepen Ties as Tashkent Eyes Black Sea Routes

Central Asian migrants

Russia Still Dominates Uzbek Remittances Despite Falling Share

Humanitarian Aid

Twenty-Five Years Ago, Karimov and Powell Opened a Humanitarian Lifeline. Today, Global Support Wanes

Middle East Crisis

U.S. Strikes on Iranian Rail and Coastal Infrastructure Put Central Asia’s Southern Routes Under Pressure

U.S. strikes on Iranian rail and coastal infrastructure have put Central Asia's southern transport plans under new pressure. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have spent years building routes through Iran to reach the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and markets beyond Russia. Public statements so far do not show a confirmed halt in Central Asian freight, but bridge damage near Iran's border with Turkmenistan and strikes along Iran's southern coast have made the security picture more concrete. Reports and a video posted on July 9 showed damage to the Aq Taqeh Khan railway bridge, on Iran's rail link to Turkmenistan and...

South Caucasus

As Azerbaijan Pushes Back Against Moscow, Central Asia Watches

The recent diplomatic escalation between Azerbaijan and Russia appeared to have run its course in April, after Moscow agreed to pay compensation over the Azerbaijan Airlines crash in Kazakhstan. Instead, the dispute has entered a new phase, and its implications now reach beyond the South Caucasus. On July 6, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Russian Ambassador Mikhail Yevdokimov and handed him a formal note of protest over what Baku described as a Russian drone strike on a fuel station owned by Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region on the evening of July 5. The Azerbaijani Foreign...

Iran

Central Asian Governments Join Mourning for Iran’s Late Supreme Leader

Central Asian delegations have traveled to Iran for the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on Feb. 28, the first day of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. The gesture reflects how Central Asia countries want to preserve and expand longstanding ties with Iran, even as they build trade and diplomatic relationships with the United States. President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan expressed condolences and hopes for peace during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian inTehran on Friday, Tajikistan’s presidential office said. “It was noted that the volume of trade between the two countries has increased...

Strategic Partnership

Uzbekistan and Georgia Sign Strategic Partnership Declaration

Uzbekistan and Georgia have signed a declaration establishing strategic partnership relations, adding a new dimension to a relationship led by trade and Eurasian transit routes. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held talks on July 3 in Tbilisi during Mirziyoyev's state visit. The sides also exchanged agreements and memorandums on customs, digitalization, education, agriculture, tourism, environmental protection, labor migration, healthcare, and nuclear and radiation safety. The visit was the first by an Uzbek president to Georgia in 23 years. Mirziyoyev held talks with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on July 2 and with Kobakhidze the following day. Before...

Life & Culture

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

Healthcare

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

Bukhara Biennial

Bukhara Biennial Sets 2027 Dates and Names New Artistic Director

Obituary

Comedian Bakhtiyor Rahimov, Who Lamented Decline of Satire in Tajikistan, Dies

Cultural Heritage

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

Until recently, Tirgon was remembered mainly through medieval poetry and scholarly references. In 2023, an apricot festival and dried-fruit exhibition were held in its honor in Dushanbe. Now, the ancient agricultural holiday is listed in Tajikistan’s official calendar of festive dates. In 2026, it was celebrated for the first time under its new official status. A Holiday Rooted in Antiquity Tirgon belongs to the ancient seasonal traditions of Iranian peoples and is mentioned in sources including Ferdowsi’s epic poem Shahnameh. Tajik sources trace these seasonal holidays back several millennia. Tirgon was traditionally associated with the 13th day of the month...

Music Festivals

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

OYU Fest returned to Almaty’s Pervomaysky Ponds for its fifth-anniversary edition, marking another step in its rise as one of Kazakhstan’s leading contemporary music festivals. Since its launch in 2022, OYU has grown from a local initiative into an important platform for Kazakhstan’s music scene, drawing a wider audience across Central Asia. Kazakhstan has welcomed more international performers in recent years, including Jennifer Lopez, the Backstreet Boys, and Enrique Iglesias. OYU has taken a different approach. It has remained a festival without foreign headliners, keeping contemporary Kazakh music at the center of its program. Instead of competing with large international...

Turkmen Embroidery

Turkmen Embroidery Showcased at International Fashion Event in France

Turkmenistan’s traditional textile art and national costumes were presented at Art-Storytelling Paris-Deauville, an international fashion event held in the French seaside town of Deauville. The event brought together designers, fashion industry professionals, cultural organizations, and members of the diplomatic community from Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia. Turkmenistan was represented by designer Jennet Agayeva, head of the embroidery department of the Women’s Union of Turkmenistan, alongside representatives of the Women’s Union and officials from the Embassy of Turkmenistan in France. The event also included designers from France, Vietnam, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, who presented collections combining traditional craftsmanship...

Census

Uzbekistan Census Reveals Bigger Population, Younger Pressure, and Planning Gaps

Uzbekistan's first full census since the Soviet era has found more than 810,000 people who were missing from the country's running estimates, shifting the baseline for schools, clinics, housing, labor forecasts, regional budgets, and agriculture. The preliminary results put Uzbekistan's population at 39,047,321 as of January 15, 2026. That was 810,617 more than the official estimate used at the start of the year. The gap is only 2.1% in percentage terms, but in practical terms it is the size of a major city. The count also shows a country that is larger, younger, and harder to plan for than regular...

Justice

Traffic Offenses

Kazakhstan Olympic Boxing Champion Jailed for Drunk Driving After Multiple Crashes

Kazakhstan’s 2016 Olympic boxing champion Daniyar Yeleussinov has been sentenced to 20 days of administrative detention and banned from driving for seven years after being found guilty of driving under the influence and causing several traffic accidents in Astana. According to Astana’s Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court, Yeleussinov admitted his guilt during the hearing. The ruling has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed within 10 days. The incident occurred in Astana on July 9, when police detained Yeleussinov after he allegedly drove while intoxicated, causing a series of collisions and leaving the scenes of the accidents. According...

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

Anti-Corruption

Uzbekistan Creates Corruption Convicts Registry in Anti-Graft Overhaul

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...

EU-Turkmenistan Relations

EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue Presses Ashgabat on Rights

The European Union used its latest human rights dialogue with Turkmenistan to press Ashgabat on the gap between outward engagement and domestic control. The 18th annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue was held in Ashgabat on June 22. It came during a period of slightly more visible contact between Turkmenistan and the outside world, including a rare visit by a Reuters reporting team earlier this year. Reuters said its journalists were able to travel unescorted and report freely, an unusual development in a country long known for strict visa controls and heavily managed media access. Whether that points to a genuine...

Environment

Recycling

Kazakhstan Electronic Waste Project Targets Low Recycling Rates

Discarded phones, computers, and household appliances are becoming a growing waste problem in Kazakhstan, where only a small share of old electronics is formally collected and recycled. A 2023 UN-backed report estimated that the country generated 136,100 metric tons of electronic waste in 2019. Yet company reports recorded only 1,300 metric tons, suggesting that official statistics capture only a fraction of what is thrown away. Kazakhstan has now launched a project to improve collection, recycling, and monitoring. Officially unveiled in Astana on June 30, the initiative is backed by a $5 million grant from the Global Environment Facility. It will...

Water Management

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

Aral Sea

Kazakhstan’s Aral Geopark Under Review for UNESCO Global Status

Climate Change

Central Asia Disaster Risks Prompt Joint Mudflow and Flood Plan

Water Security

New Study Finds Sharp Decline in Amu Darya Flows

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...

Wildlife Conservation

Tajikistan Notes Conservation Success as Markhor Population Grows

Tajikistan’s population of markhors, a wild goat species known for its corkscrew-style horns, fell to an estimated several hundred in the 1990s, a tumultuous period marked by civil war following independence from the Soviet Union. Today, there are more than 7,000 markhors in the country, and their numbers are increasing, according to a survey conducted earlier this year. The population increase reflects years of conservation measures and local community efforts to protect the markhor, which is indigenous to mountain regions in parts of Central and South Asia. In 2014, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the species...

Global Plastic Pollution Treaty

Kazakhstan Participates in Negotiations on Global Treaty to Combat Plastic Pollution

Kazakhstan set out its approach to a planned global treaty on plastic pollution at informal talks held from June 30 to July 3 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya. Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Zhomart Aliyev led Kazakhstan’s participation in the meeting of heads of delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which is developing a legally binding international agreement to combat plastic pollution. Kazakhstan's delegation presented the country’s national approaches to the key elements of the future treaty and took an active part in discussions on possible ways of bridging differences among participating states. The Nairobi...

Water Security

Kyrgyzstan’s Water Compensation Push Tests Central Asian Unity

Central Asia’s water diplomacy is entering a contentious phase. Kyrgyzstan, where much of the region’s runoff is formed, is reviving calls for economic compensation from downstream users. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have rejected the idea, saying current agreements do not provide for payments for transboundary river water. The dispute comes as the region tries to maintain annual water-allocation deals while adapting agriculture to worsening scarcity and climate pressure. Water has long tied together the region’s upstream and downstream states. The 2021 and 2022 clashes on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border showed how disputes over land, border infrastructure, roads, security posts, and water access...

U.S. Strikes on Iranian Rail and Coastal Infrastructure Put Central Asia’s Southern Routes Under Pressure

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

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

Matthew Davies

Timur Serikuly

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Can Uzbekistan Challenge Kazakhstan as Leading Central Asia Logistics Hub?

Kazakhstan and South Korea to Establish Rare Metals Research Center in Almaty

Direct Flights Between Almaty and Lake Issyk-Kul Resume

Fuel Squeeze Leaves Kyrgyzstan Competing for Costly Alternatives

Turkmenistan and Damen Shipyards Discuss Caspian Port Cooperation

Local Politics

Local Politics

Uzbekistan Bank Data Plan Sparks Privacy and Tax Debate

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

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

Turkmenistan’s Chief Mufti Replacement Recalls Earlier Dismissals

Chongara and Tash-Tobo: The Villages That Changed Countries Without Moving

International Affairs

International Affairs

U.S., Turkmenistan Draw Closer with Senator’s Visit to Ashgabat

U.S. Strikes on Iranian Rail and Coastal Infrastructure Put Central Asia’s Southern Routes Under Pressure

As Azerbaijan Pushes Back Against Moscow, Central Asia Watches

Central Asian Governments Join Mourning for Iran’s Late Supreme Leader

Uzbekistan and Georgia Sign Strategic Partnership Declaration

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Average Marriage Age Rises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

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

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

Turkmen Embroidery Showcased at International Fashion Event in France

Uzbekistan Census Reveals Bigger Population, Younger Pressure, and Planning Gaps

Justice

Justice

Kazakhstan Olympic Boxing Champion Jailed for Drunk Driving After Multiple Crashes