The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Kyrgyzstan’s virtual asset market has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing segments of the national economy. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, the country’s cryptocurrency turnover exceeded $7.9 billion, a figure that industry insiders believe could continue to rise substantially. Kyrgyz law currently permits fully legal cryptocurrency transactions,...

Wildlife Conservation

Up to Eighty Persian Leopards Now Roam Turkmenistan

Between 60 and 80 Caucasian leopards, also known as Persian leopards, currently inhabit Turkmenistan, according to extensive monitoring conducted throughout 2025. The findings confirm not only the stable presence of this rare predator in key ecological zones but also provide encouraging signs of population recovery. A recent report by Conservation...

Afghanistan

Opinion: Afghanistan and Central Asia – Security Without Illusions

Over the past year, Afghanistan has become neither markedly more stable nor dramatically more dangerous, despite how it is often portrayed in public discourse. There has been neither the collapse that many feared, nor the breakthrough that some had hoped for. Instead, a relatively unchanged but fragile status quo has...

Dismissals

Kyrgyz President Dismisses Right-Hand Man to “Prevent a Split in Society”

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode – B5+1, Sanctions, and a New Constitution – 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, from October 19, 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...

Sunkar Podcast

Central Asia and the Troubled Southern Route

00:00 / 00:00

Opinions

Opinion: Afghanistan and Central Asia – Security Without Illusions

Aidar Borangaziyev

Opinion: The New Silk Road to the Sea – Connecting Central Asia to Karachi and Gwadar

Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo & Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi

Breaking into Project Vault: A U.S. Role for Central Asia’s Strategic Minerals

Dr. Eric Rudenshiold

Opinion: Tokayev’s National Kurultai Address: A Moral Message, Not a Political One

Javier M. Piedra

Opinion: Central Asia–Japan Summit Signals Shift in Eurasian Geoeconomics — and Russia’s Waning Role

Anvar Nazirov

Opinion: Iranian Unrest Creates Opening for U.S., Partners in Central Asia

Nilaya Magidish

Opinion: Prospects for Central Asia’s Access to Persian Gulf Infrastructure

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Is Uzbekistan Importing a Future Crisis?

William Cui

Opinion: Kazakhstan Bets Big on AI to Power Local and Global Growth

Altair Akhmetov

Opinion: After the UN Gaza Resolution – Kazakhstan’s Potential Role

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Abraham Accords Can Help Kazakhstan Reshape Its Energy Future

Dr. Robert M. Cutler

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Electoral Reforms – Why Officials and Experts Are Reconsidering Local Democracy

Andrei Matveev

Business & Economy

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Foreign Capital Inflows to Tajikistan Jump by One-Third, Approaching $7 Billion

Foreign investment in Tajikistan increased sharply in 2025, rising by more than one-third compared to the previous year, as the authorities also announced new investment agreements and long-term development strategies extending to 2040. Speaking at a press conference, Sulton Rahimzoda, chairman of the State Committee for Investment and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan, said that by the end of 2025, total foreign capital inflows had reached $6,925.3 million. This represents an increase of $1,798.6 million, or 35.1%, compared to 2024. In absolute terms, the economy attracted nearly $1.8 billion more in foreign investment than a year earlier....

Kazakhstan to Launch AI Fund Backed by National Bank

Crypto Market

Kyrgyzstan’s Crypto Market Generates More Tax Revenue Than Country’s Largest Bazaar

Infrastructure Development

Uzbekistan and Islamic Development Bank Sign $164 Million Agreements for Roads and Schools

Data Centers

Kazakhstan to Establish International Computing Hub in Pavlodar Region

Coal

Kazakhstan’s Largest Coal Mine to Increase Production from 2026

Bogatyr Kömir LLP, the operator of Kazakhstan’s largest coal mine in Ekibastuz, in Pavlodar region, plans to gradually increase production beginning in 2026, the Ministry of Energy reports. The company, which uses open-pit mining, is the country’s largest supplier of coal to the domestic market, accounting for about 38% of total coal output. According to the ministry, coal production in Kazakhstan reached 120.5 million tons in 2025. With balance reserves estimated at 2.4 billion tons, the company is positioning itself for long-term growth. Under current plans, output is expected to rise from 42.7 million tons in 2024 to 45.2 million...

Economy

Kazakhstan Targets Raising Wage Share of GDP to 40%

The Kazakh government is preparing a series of measures aimed at accelerating wage growth and increasing the overall wage fund, with the goal of raising its share in the country’s GDP to 40%, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov announced during an expanded government meeting. According to government estimates, household incomes are currently growing more slowly than the broader economy and corporate profits, including those generated with state support. At present, wages account for roughly 31% of Kazakhstan’s GDP, a figure considered relatively high by Central Asian standards but still below the levels seen in developed economies, where wage funds typically exceed...

Electric Vehicles

Kyrgyzstan to Install Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Key Tourist Region

State-owned Chakan GES OJSC will install 10 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the Issyk-Kul region, Kyrgyzstan’s primary tourist destination, and home to Lake Issyk-Kul and the country’s largest mountain ski resort in Karakol. The initiative is being implemented with support from the Ministry of Energy as part of ongoing efforts to promote environmentally friendly transportation and enhance tourism and transport infrastructure in the region. The new stations will be located in Karakol, the administrative center of the Issyk-Kul region (2 stations); Cholpon-Ata, the main resort hub (2); Balykchy (2); and the villages of Bokonbaevo (1), Kyzyl-Suu (1), and Tyup...

Freight Industry

Kyrgyzstan Launches e-Permit System for Freight Transport to China and Turkic States

Kyrgyzstan has launched a new digital system for international freight transport, replacing paper permits with an electronic platform for cross-border trucking to China and several Turkic states. The Ministry of Transport and Communications introduced the e-Permit system in January 2026, allowing domestic carriers to obtain permits online for shipments to China, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Previously, Kyrgyzstan and China operated under a fixed annual quota of paper permits exchanged on a parity basis; 130,000 permits were issued in 2025 alone. The digital platform eliminates in-person applications, significantly reducing queues and administrative burden. According to the ministry, the new system has...

Local Politics

Politics

Amid Questions, Tajikistan’s Presidency Says Rahmon Has Upcoming Meetings

President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan has several meetings in the coming days, his office said this week, following reports that the leader had not been seen in public this month. Rahmon, 73, will meet Zou Jiayi, head of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as well as Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, who will visit Tajikistan, the presidential office said on Wednesday. Zou took up her job as president of the Beijing-based bank last month. Kosherbayev, who assumed his position in September, was scheduled to visit Kyrgyzstan on Thursday and Friday, media in Kyrgyzstan reported. “Several other events are also planned...

Referendum

Kazakhstan To Hold Referendum on New Constitution On March 15

Revolution

Kyrgyzstan’s Revolutions Since Independence: Three Uprisings That Remade the State

Healthcare

Tokayev to Personally Oversee Probe Into Medical Insurance Fund Embezzlement

Civil Service

Kazakh Civil Servants Fined Nearly $100,000 for Poor Public Services

Constitution

Six Months to Rewrite the State: Kazakhstan Accelerates Its Constitutional Reset

Speaking on September 8, 2025, in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan in Parliament, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined plans for new political reforms. At the time, nothing in his remarks suggested either the scale of the changes his initiative would entail or the speed with which they would be implemented. Yet on March 15 of this year, Kazakh citizens will vote in a referendum on a new draft Constitution, developed at high speed over roughly six months, including a period of state-organized public consultations and expert review. According to materials published on the Constitutional Court’s page on the state...

Dismissals

Kyrgyz President Dismisses Right-Hand Man to “Prevent a Split in Society”

A political earthquake hit Kyrgyzstan on February 10. The tandem of President Sadyr Japarov and security chief Kamchybek Tashiyev was seemingly broken when Japarov dismissed Tashiyev from his post. The reason given for relieving Tashiyev of his position was that it was “in the interests of our state, in order to prevent a split in society, including between government structures,” which hinted that something serious had caused the rift. Old Friends After the brief tumultuous events of October 5-6, 2020, that saw the government of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov ousted in the wake of parliamentary elections plagued by violations, Japarov came...

Presidential Election

Is Kyrgyzstan About to Have a Snap President Election?

Kyrgyzstan held early parliamentary elections at the end of November 2025 that were moved forward by a year so that they would not overlap with the campaign for the presidential election scheduled for January 2027. On February 9, a group of 75 former officials and notable figures from various spheres of society publicly submitted a letter to the president and speaker of parliament calling on them to “immediately initiate a new election for president.” While there has yet to be any official response, such a proposal is likely to be accepted, leaving anyone who planned on running against incumbent President...

Armed Forces

In the Line of Duty: Hazing, Tragedy, and Reform in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces

Kazakhstan mandates universal military conscription for men between the ages of 18 and 27, with a standard service term of 12 months. Tens of thousands of young men are drafted into the military each year during two annual call-up periods. Evasion is illegal, yet public attitudes toward mandatory service are increasingly ambivalent. Officially, military service is presented as an honorable civic duty, with promises of educational preferences and social benefits upon completion. In practice, many young Kazakhs seek ways to avoid conscription, motivated not just by the disruption of a year out of civilian life, but by fears of hazing...

International Affairs

Sports

Astana to Host UEFA Congress in 2027

The Union of European Football Associations has announced that the 51st UEFA Congress, at which a new president and members of the organization’s Executive Committee will be elected, will take place on March 4, 2027, in Astana. The decision was announced at the 50th anniversary UEFA Congress in Brussels. Kazakhstan was represented at the event by David Loria, Secretary General of the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF). The KFF confirmed the selection of the Kazakh capital as the venue for the next congress. UEFA brings together 55 national football associations and is responsible for organizing major international tournaments for clubs and...

Trans-Afghan Railway

Uzbekistan Approves Feasibility Study for Trans-Afghan Railway

Afghanistan

Opinion: Afghanistan and Central Asia – Security Without Illusions

Human Rights

Up to 300 Tajik Women and Children Remain in Syria and Iraq

Fatal accident

11-Year-Old Uzbek Girl Killed by School Bus in Brooklyn

TRIPP

TRIPP and the Middle Corridor After Vance

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s Armenia and Azerbaijan tour is being sold as a “peace dividend” for the South Caucasus, but for Central Asia, the significance is the infrastructure potential of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Vance’s trip is another move in positioning the new Caucasus transit route for the Middle Corridor. His visit necessarily focuses on the Armenia–Azerbaijan fix, but recent diplomatic context makes clear that it is at least equally a Central Asia to Europe proposition. Current constraints on Trans-Caspian connectivity have been the shortage of dependable shipping capacity across the Caspian, port access,...

Lake Issyk-Kul

Kazakhstan Ratifies Agreement to Modernize Four Resort Facilities on Issyk-Kul

Kazakh investors are set to modernize four resort facilities on Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan after the Senate ratified an intergovernmental agreement regulating property rights and project implementation, Senator Nuria Niyazova has said. On February 12, the upper house of Parliament approved the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on the settlement of Kazakhstan’s property rights to resort and recreational facilities in the Issyk-Kul region. The document had previously been endorsed by the Mazhilis. Under its terms, Kazakhstan undertakes to upgrade the facilities to the standards of three- and four-star hotels operating year-round by the end of 2029. Kyrgyzstan...

TCA Interviews

Ukrainian Ambassador to Kazakhstan: “The War Will End This Year. I Truly Believe In That.”

As the war between Russia and Ukraine approaches its fifth year, diplomatic efforts to reshape trade routes, energy flows, and regional partnerships are intensifying far beyond the battlefield. For Ukraine, Central Asia has emerged as an increasingly important economic and logistical partner, particularly as Kyiv seeks alternatives to disrupted transport corridors and supply chains. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Viсtor Mayko, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, about the prospects for deeper economic cooperation with Central Asia, the role of the Middle Corridor, energy transit challenges in the Caspian region, Kyiv’s expectations for international support, and a possible path toward...

Trump Administration

U.S. to Host “Board of Peace” Meeting on February 19

The United States plans to host a meeting this month of the “Board of Peace” that President Donald Trump set up. The attendance list is still in the works, and there is no word yet on whether the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which are among more than two-dozen member countries, will attend the gathering in Washington on February 19. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev traveled to Davos, Switzerland, last month to join Trump for the signing ceremony of the board, which supporters say is aimed at resolving Gaza and other conflicts around the world....

Life & Culture

Society

On the Eve of Valentine’s Day: Customs of Love and Marriage in Central Asia

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Central Asia is once again debating whether to celebrate the holiday or regard it as a symbol of foreign influence. Yet the region has its own rich and diverse customs related to love, matchmaking, and marriage. Accusations of Alien Influence and “Corruption” Valentine’s Day, like Halloween, spread to the former Soviet republics after the collapse of the USSR. In the first decades, young people embraced the new holidays. In recent years, however, critics have increasingly argued that commemorating a Catholic saint in a format centered on romantic love contradicts the traditions of the region’s...

Healthcare

Uzbekistan and Russia to Develop Nuclear Medicine Strategy Ahead of 2026 Center Opening

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode – B5+1, Sanctions, and a New Constitution – Out Now

Sports

A Eurasian Imprint on Judo’s Paris Grand Slam

Nurlan Saburov

A Stranger Among His Own: Rejected by Russia, Kazakh Comedian Nurlan Saburov Faces Cold Reception at Home

Tourism

Kyrgyzstan Moves to Expand Domestic and International Rail Tourism

Rail transport is expected to play a greater role in Kyrgyzstan’s tourism strategy as authorities seek to promote railways as an affordable and comfortable travel option for both domestic and international visitors. On February 11, the national railway operator Kyrgyz Temir Jolu and the Tourism Development Support Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at the sustainable development of domestic and international tourism through rail infrastructure and passenger services. The agreement provides for joint promotional campaigns and coordinated railway tourism projects. According to Kyrgyz Temir Jolu Chief Executive Officer Azamat Sakiev, rail-based tourism has demonstrated steady...

Population

Uzbekistan’s Population Reaches 38.2 Million Despite Second Year of Declining Birth Rate

Uzbekistan’s permanent population stood at 38,236,704 as of January 1, 2026, marking a nearly 85% increase since independence, according to data released by the National Statistics Committee. In 1991, when Uzbekistan gained independence, the population was approximately 20.6 million. Over the past 35 years, the country has added 17.6 million people, a steady demographic expansion. However, the latest figures suggest emerging shifts in birth rate trends. In 2025, the number of registered births totaled 879,500, a 5.1% decrease compared to 2024, or 46,800 fewer births year-on-year. This marks the second consecutive annual decline in the national birth rate. Economist Mirkomil...

Winter Olympic Games

Parents of Olympic Gold Medalist Ilia Malinin Skated for Uzbekistan

Known as the “Quad God,” American figure skater Ilia Malinin helped the United States win a team gold medal at the Winter Olympics with a performance that included a rare backflip. The young star is building on a family legacy: his Russia-born parents, Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, skated at the elite level for Uzbekistan for many years. “It runs in the family,” the Olympic Games organization said on social media. Malinina, 53, and Skorniakov, 49, decided to compete in figure skating for Uzbekistan after its independence from the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. They represented the country at...

Education

Uzbekistan Bets on Digital Schools to Turn Demographic Growth into Human Capital

With one of Central Asia’s youngest populations and a rapidly changing economy, Uzbekistan is betting that education – particularly digital and inclusive schooling – can determine whether demographic growth becomes an economic asset or a long-term challenge. Officials from Uzbekistan's Ministry of Preschool and School Education say the country’s education system is being reshaped to support a development model centered on human capital, equal opportunity, and modern skills. The reforms are anchored in the national Uzbekistan 2030 Strategy, which identifies education and human capital development as central pillars of long-term economic and social transformation. Around 6.8 million students are enrolled...

Justice

Fraud

Telephone Scammers in Kyrgyzstan Begin Using AI Tools

Kyrgyzstan has recorded an increase in telephone fraud cases involving AI. According to law enforcement agencies, dozens of citizens have fallen victim to such schemes, with total losses amounting to millions of soms. Fraudsters use AI tools to imitate voices and images, posing as law enforcement officers, representatives of the National Bank, or acquaintances of their targets. Police say international criminal groups most often target pensioners and public sector employees, including teachers, doctors, and other government workers, whom they consider more susceptible to social engineering tactics. Complaints are received on a regular basis, but in most cases the transferred funds...

Healthcare regulation

Kazakhstan Moves to Regulate Chinese Medicine Clinics

Ministerial Dismissals

Uzbekistan Fires Counter-Narcotics Chief as Drug Trade Surges

Karachaganak

Shell and Eni Face Up to $4 Billion Payout to Kazakhstan After Arbitration Ruling

Criminal justice reform

Uzbekistan Proposes Tougher Penalties for Violence Against Women and Children

Social Media

Kazakhstan Proposes Restrictions on Social Media Access for Minors

An active and ongoing debate is taking place in Kazakhstan over proposed amendments to legislation that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media. The initiative has been raised repeatedly by lawmakers, although many experts believe teenagers would still find ways to circumvent such restrictions. The primary objective cited by lawmakers is to protect children from harmful content, including violence and pornography, and to reduce cyberbullying. The Ministry of Culture and Information has already prepared draft amendments that would affect the regulation of social media. Mechanisms for verifying users’ ages will be developed jointly with the...

Karachaganak

Why Kazakhstan Is Not Celebrating Its Multi-Billion-Dollar Win in the Karachaganak Oil Arbitration Just Yet

In late January 2026, international media reported that Kazakhstan had won a significant arbitration case against the shareholders of the Karachaganak oil field, with compensation estimated between $2 billion and $4 billion. The Ministry of Energy has not commented on the substance of the ruling, citing confidentiality, though experts say it strengthens Kazakhstan’s position in ongoing legal proceedings related to the Kashagan oil field. According to Bloomberg and Reuters, the Kazakh government initiated legal action in 2023 over what it described as unjustified cost deductions. Originally filed for $3.5 billion, the claim later expanded to include additional allegations, such as...

Alisher Usmanov

German Court Restricts Media Claims About Russian-Uzbek Billionaire Alisher Usmanov

A German court has ruled in favor of Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov, barring the publication of several contested statements made about him by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), according to court documents cited by Reuters. In a decision dated January 23, the Hamburg Regional Court prohibited FAZ from further disseminating specific sections of its April 2023 article titled On the Kremlin’s Instructions. The statements in question allegedly linked Usmanov to senior Russian officials. The court determined that these claims may no longer be repeated in their current form. Usmanov, who was born in Uzbekistan, has an estimated net worth of...

Protests

Killing of Uzbek Migrant Woman in Istanbul Sparks Protests in Turkey

The killing of an Uzbek migrant woman in central Istanbul has sparked protests in Istanbul and Ankara, and reignited debate over violence against women, the safety of migrants, and the effectiveness of state protection mechanisms. The body of a 36-year-old Uzbek national was discovered on January 24 in a waste container in Istanbul’s Şişli district, one of the city’s busiest areas. According to Turkish media reports, the body was found by a person collecting recyclable materials, who immediately alerted the authorities. Police later confirmed that the victim had been wrapped in bedding material and that parts of her body were...

Environment

Air Pollution

Choking on Smog: Air Crisis in Öskemen Deepens

Heavy smog and sustained NMU-II adverse meteorological conditions reported by Kazhydromet continue to affect the city of Öskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk) in eastern Kazakhstan, after authorities moved all students in grades 0–11 to remote learning on February 2. The decision followed several days of windless weather and a temperature inversion that trapped pollutants close to the ground. According to Kazhydromet forecasts, unfavorable meteorological conditions are likely to remain in place, limiting dispersion. Air quality monitoring platforms show persistent spikes in fine particulate matter, raising renewed health concerns among residents. Data from IQAir indicates that PM2.5 concentrations in Öskemen have at times reached...

Wildlife Conservation

Up to Eighty Persian Leopards Now Roam Turkmenistan

Water Resources

Kyrgyz MP Questions Why Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Don’t Pay for Irrigation Water

Lake Issyk-Kul

Kyrgyzstan Draws International Attention to Climate Risks for Lake Issyk-Kul

Water Conservation

Kazakhstan’s Water Ministry Approves Roadmap to Eliminate the “Black Market” for Water

Water-Saving Technologies

Kyrgyzstan Plans Full Transition to Water-Saving Irrigation in Issyk-Kul Region

Kyrgyzstan’s government is preparing to fully transition the Issyk-Kul region to water-saving irrigation technologies, offering farmers preferential financing amid growing concerns over falling water levels in the country’s largest lake and key tourist destination. Speaking in parliament on February 11, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Bakyt Torobaev announced that farmers adopting drip or sprinkler irrigation systems will be eligible for low-interest loans at a preferential 2% rate. Lending is expected to begin next month. Torobaev emphasized the urgency of reducing agricultural water consumption to stabilize inflows into Lake Issyk-Kul....

Water Access

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Resume Data Sharing on Reservoirs and Transboundary Rivers

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have renewed formal cooperation in hydrometeorology, agreeing to exchange key hydrological data on major reservoirs and transboundary rivers, a development officials say is vital for regional flood management and agricultural planning. The agreement covers data exchange on the Kirov, Orto-Tokoy, and Toktogul reservoirs, all located in Kyrgyzstan but directly influencing downstream water supply in Kazakhstan. The signing took place on February 9 in Astana, where Kyrgyzstan’s First Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations Mambetov Muratovich and Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Aldamzharov endorsed a 2026-2028 cooperation program between Kazhydromet and the Kyrgyz Hydrometeorological...

Rogun Hydropower Plant

Rogun Dam’s Cross-Border Environmental Impact Draws Scrutiny

An international environmental coalition has raised new concerns about the environmental assessment of Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydropower Plant, warning that its potential cross-border and cumulative impacts on downstream countries are being underestimated. The group, Rivers without Boundaries, presented its latest report, Eyes Wide Shut: Ignoring the Transboundary and Cumulative Impacts of the Rogun Hydropower Plant, highlighting what it describes as serious shortcomings in the project’s environmental and social review. According to the report, the current assessment of Rogun’s transboundary effects does not fully comply with the environmental and social standards of the World Bank. Experts argue the analysis relies on outdated...

Qosh Tepa Canal

Opinion – Qosh Tepa Canal: Transboundary Impacts Without a Transboundary Mechanism

In recent months, media attention has increasingly focused on infrastructure projects underway in Afghanistan. Chief among them is the Qosh Tepa Canal, widely seen not only as an irrigation initiative but as a development with significant transboundary implications for the Amu Darya River basin. The canal draws water from one of Central Asia’s most critical transboundary rivers. For downstream countries, primarily Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the Amu Darya is a vital water source, directly linked to agricultural output and the sustainability of rural communities. As such, the conversation surrounding Qosh Tepa extends well beyond Afghanistan’s domestic agenda. Concerns voiced by experts...

TRIPP and the Middle Corridor After Vance

Latest

Features

Features

Latest

Sunkar Podcast

Sunkar Podcast

Opinions

Opinions

Aidar Borangaziyev

Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo & Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi

Dr. Eric Rudenshiold

Javier M. Piedra

Anvar Nazirov

Nilaya Magidish

Timur Serikuly

William Cui

Altair Akhmetov

Timur Serikuly

Dr. Robert M. Cutler

Andrei Matveev

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Foreign Capital Inflows to Tajikistan Jump by One-Third, Approaching $7 Billion

Kazakhstan’s Largest Coal Mine to Increase Production from 2026

Kazakhstan Targets Raising Wage Share of GDP to 40%

Kyrgyzstan to Install Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Key Tourist Region

Kyrgyzstan Launches e-Permit System for Freight Transport to China and Turkic States

Local Politics

Local Politics

Amid Questions, Tajikistan’s Presidency Says Rahmon Has Upcoming Meetings

Six Months to Rewrite the State: Kazakhstan Accelerates Its Constitutional Reset

Kyrgyz President Dismisses Right-Hand Man to “Prevent a Split in Society”

Is Kyrgyzstan About to Have a Snap President Election?

In the Line of Duty: Hazing, Tragedy, and Reform in Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces

International Affairs

International Affairs

Astana to Host UEFA Congress in 2027

TRIPP and the Middle Corridor After Vance

Kazakhstan Ratifies Agreement to Modernize Four Resort Facilities on Issyk-Kul

Ukrainian Ambassador to Kazakhstan: “The War Will End This Year. I Truly Believe In That.”

U.S. to Host “Board of Peace” Meeting on February 19

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

On the Eve of Valentine’s Day: Customs of Love and Marriage in Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan Moves to Expand Domestic and International Rail Tourism

Uzbekistan’s Population Reaches 38.2 Million Despite Second Year of Declining Birth Rate

Parents of Olympic Gold Medalist Ilia Malinin Skated for Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Bets on Digital Schools to Turn Demographic Growth into Human Capital

Justice

Justice

Telephone Scammers in Kyrgyzstan Begin Using AI Tools