The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Uzbekistan has a limited window of opportunity to turn its rapidly growing young population into a driver of long-term economic growth, according to a new study on demographic trends and human capital development in the country. The report, produced as part of a broader regional study on Central Asia, analyzes...

EAEU

As Armenia Looks West, Could Uzbekistan Move Closer to the EAEU?

Trade Corridors

Opinion: Eurasia’s New Corridors Are More Than a Transit Race

Across Eurasia, new transport corridors are usually described as instruments of rivalry: routes to bypass Russia, ports to outflank competitors, or rail links to shift influence between regions. The conflict around Iran, the rivalry between India and Pakistan, instability in the Afghanistan-Pakistan zone, crises in the Middle East, sanctions, competition...

Nuclear Diplomacy

Kazakhstan Offers the IAEA a Practical Option on Iran

On May 26, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Astana. The meeting pointed beyond bilateral nuclear cooperation toward Kazakhstan’s possible role in wider nuclear-security problems. Tokayev welcomed a roadmap for deepening Kazakhstan’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency through 2036, alongside documents on nuclear medicine...

EAEU

Putin’s Astana Visit Shows What Russia Still Wants From Kazakhstan

Cultural Heritage

From Golden Treasures to Looted Burial Mounds: How “Black Diggers” Are Destroying Eastern Kazakhstan’s History

Eastern Kazakhstan has gained international recognition for its extraordinary archaeological discoveries, but alongside that fame has come a growing threat: illegal treasure hunters, known locally as “black diggers,” are destroying historical monuments and depriving future generations of access to invaluable artifacts. Eastern Kazakhstan’s Archaeological Treasures In recent years, the Eastern...

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: 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

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

Business & Economy

Microloans

Kyrgyzstan’s Microloan Market Expands as Borrower Numbers More Than Double

The volume of microloans issued in Kyrgyzstan rose sharply in the first quarter of 2026, while the number of borrowers more than doubled, highlighting the growing role of digital lending in the country’s financial sector. Microcredit organizations issued loans worth more than $263 million to approximately 807,000 borrowers between January and March, according to data from the National Statistics Committee. The total value of microloans increased by 23% compared with the same period a year earlier, while the number of recipients more than doubled. The growth was driven largely by the expansion of short-term online lending services. Consumer loans accounted...

Caspian Green Energy Corridor

Kyrgyzstan Eyes Role in Trans-Caspian Green Power Route

Caspian Region

Why the Caspian Is Becoming Eurasia’s New Energy Crossroads

FAO

New FAO Project Aims to Strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s Aquaculture Sector

Population

Uzbekistan Population Growth: 20 Years To Use a Window of Opportunity

Brain Institute

Kazakhstan Opens Central Asia’s First Brain Research Institute

Kazakhstan has opened Central Asia’s first specialized Brain Institute, a new research and education center focused on neuroscience, brain health, and artificial intelligence-assisted medical research, officials said. The institute was launched at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) in Almaty and is the first facility of its kind in Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asian region. The center builds on KazNU’s Cognitive Neuroscience Center, established in 2018, and is intended to expand research into brain development, neurological disorders, cognition, and multilingualism, while training a new generation of neuroscience specialists. Research at the institute will use advanced equipment, including a 3-Tesla magnetic...

Agricultural Exports

Kazakhstan’s Agricultural Exports to Iran Nearly Double in 2025

Kazakhstan’s agricultural exports to Iran nearly doubled in 2025, driven by a sharp increase in grain shipments, Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov said during talks with Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Seyyed Mohammad Atabak. According to Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Ministry, agricultural trade between the two countries rose 55.8% year-on-year to $342 million in 2025, accounting for 79% of total bilateral trade. Exports of Kazakhstan's agricultural products increased 97% to $238.5 million. Grain exports more than doubled to 1.1 million metric tons, valued at $225.3 million, Saparov said. “Kazakhstan attaches special importance to expanding cooperation with Iran in the agricultural sector....

Textile Industry

Turkmenistan Showcases Textile Industry as Labor Concerns Linger

Textile executives from Asia and Europe will gather this week at an event in Turkmenistan, which says it is aligning its textile industry with international standards despite continuing concerns about labor conditions during the annual cotton harvest. More than 30 Turkmen firms are registered to participate in the TurkmenTextile Expo in Ashgabat on June 4-6, according to event organizers. More than 40 companies from China, Turkey, and Italy are also listed as Turkmenistan seeks to upgrade an industry that is critical to the national economy. Discussion topics include brand strategies, the new textile technology for deriving fibers from algae, and...

Pharmaceuticals

Investment in Kazakhstan’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing More Than Triples in Three Years

Investment in Kazakhstan’s pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing sector reached $142.8 million in 2025, more than three times the level recorded in 2023, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. At a recent ministry board meeting, First Vice Minister of Healthcare Timur Sultangaziyev said Kazakhstan continues to show strong growth in attracting investment into pharmaceutical production. According to Sultangaziyev, gross investment inflows into the sector totaled $46.9 million in 2023 before nearly doubling to $91.3 million in 2024. Growth continued in 2025, with investment reaching $142.8 million. “These investments are being directed toward the modernization of production facilities, capacity expansion, and...

Local Politics

Tourism

Turkmenistan Eases Restrictions for Foreign Tourists

Turkmenistan has begun gradually easing restrictions on foreign visitors and tourists, though local residents and human rights advocates say the changes have had little impact on the daily lives of the country’s citizens. Reports of a more accommodating approach toward foreign travelers have emerged from both tourists and representatives of the international tourism industry. Canadian traveler Elise Williams said that before visiting Turkmenistan in early 2026, her tour operator advised her not to stray far from her hotel and to avoid taking photographs independently in public places. Upon arrival, however, she found the situation less restrictive than expected. “I felt...

National Identity

Kazakhstan Reclaims the Golden Horde

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

Border Security

Kyrgyzstan Opens New Border Post Near Uzbekistan in Batken Region

A new border post has opened in Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region near the border with Uzbekistan, as authorities continue efforts to improve security infrastructure in sensitive frontier areas, according to 24.kg news agency. The opening ceremony for the Sogment border post took place in the village of Sogment in Batken district. The facility is part of the Charbak border outpost under the Batken regional department of Kyrgyzstan’s State Border Service. The presidential representative’s office in Batken region said the ceremony was attended online by Abdikarim Alimbaev, chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s State Border Service, while local officials, border guards, and regional authorities gathered...

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,...

International Affairs

Counter-Terrorism

Turkmenistan Seeks Bigger Counter-Terrorism Role in Central Asia

Turkmenistan wants to host a United Nations counter-terrorism facility that would contribute to cooperation among Central Asian countries, whose security concerns have included online radicalization, instability in Afghanistan, and the repatriation of citizens from Syria and Iraq. Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov discussed the initiative with Alexandre Zouev, a Russian diplomat who is acting under-secretary-general of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), during a visit by Turkmenistan’s top diplomat to the United States last week. In the May 28 meeting, the Turkmen delegation provided details about the plan to establish a program office of UNOCT in Ashgabat, according to the...

Nuclear Diplomacy

Kazakhstan Offers the IAEA a Practical Option on Iran

EAEU

EAEU Leaders Meet in Astana Amid Growing Internal Trade Disputes

Organization of Turkic States (OTS)

Opinion: Silk Seven or the OTS? Central Asia May Not Have to Choose

Humanitarian Aid

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

EAEU

As Armenia Looks West, Could Uzbekistan Move Closer to the EAEU?

Armenia’s increasingly uncertain future within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) appears to have entered a new phase. On May 29, the presidents of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint statement calling on Yerevan to clarify whether it intends to pursue deeper integration with the European Union or remain committed to the Eurasian bloc. The four leaders announced that members of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council would present a report at the next meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in December 2026 outlining the possible consequences of suspending Armenia’s participation in the EAEU treaty framework. “We share the view...

EAEU

Putin’s Astana Visit Shows What Russia Still Wants From Kazakhstan

The Eurasian Economic Union summit in Astana gave Vladimir Putin's state visit a wider stage. The summit produced technical documents and familiar language about integration. The bilateral Russia-Kazakhstan package around it was more concrete. It showed what Moscow still wants from Kazakhstan, and what Astana expects in return. The detail lies in infrastructure, where contracts can last for decades. The setting echoed history. Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed the treaty creating the Eurasian Economic Union in Astana on May 29, 2014, with Armenia joining in January 2015, and Kyrgyzstan in August of the same year. In 2026, the bloc returned...

U.S. Diplomacy

Top U.S. State Department Official Travels to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Sarah B. Rogers, a senior official at the United States Department of State whose job includes engaging foreign publics through educational, cultural, and other means, will visit Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as part of a trip to Central Asia and South Asia. Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, will also visit India and Nepal during the May 27-June 10 tour, according to the State Department. President Donald Trump nominated Rogers, a lawyer, to the post early last year and she was sworn in on October 10, 2025. The president has since nominated her to head...

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,...

Life & Culture

TEDxMarvila

Love Takes Center Stage at TEDxMarvila in Lisbon

Pátio da Galé, one of Lisbon’s most iconic public spaces, became a gathering place for ideas, art, and cultural exchange on Saturday as TEDxMarvila held its latest edition under the theme “What is Love.” Held in the heart of the Portuguese capital, the event drew an international audience for a full day of talks exploring love as emotion, language, identity, and shared human experience. Anel Imanbay, who is originally from Kazakhstan, founded and organized the event. She has built TEDxMarvila as a Lisbon-based platform that brings together people of different nationalities and creative backgrounds. This year’s edition extended beyond the stage,...

Film Festival

Eurasian Film Festival in London Showcases Cinema from Central Asia and Beyond

Cultural Heritage

From Golden Treasures to Looted Burial Mounds: How “Black Diggers” Are Destroying Eastern Kazakhstan’s History

Taxation

Kyrgyzstan Weighs Higher Sugary Drink Taxes as Child Health Concerns Rise

Medical Workers

Kazakhstan Faces Growing Shortage of Doctors and Medical Personnel

Venice Biennale

A Polyphonic Process: Kazakhstan at the 2026 Venice Biennale

"There is a Kazakh proverb that says: a foolish person arrives with noise, sweeping everything away in their path, while a wise person arrives quietly, carefully observing the world around them." Syrlybek Bekbota, the curator of the Kazakhstan Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale – the most important art event in the world – offers me this thought at the dawn of the exhibition's opening, and it feels like both a manifesto and an omen. The theme of the pavilion is perfectly in line with the overarching curatorial theme, In Minor Keys, conceived by the late Cameroonian-Swiss curator Koyo Kouoh,...

TCA Interviews

“Don’t Try to Please the West” – Screenwriter Kazybek Orazbek on Kazakh Cinema

Kazybek Orazbek is one of the screenwriters behind a recent shift in Kazakh cinema, as locally produced horror and thriller films have begun to punch above their weight, both at the domestic box-office and internationally. His credits include Dästür, the Kazakh-language horror film that earned more than 1 billion tenge ($2.2 million) in its first week, and Auru, a 2025 drama-thriller released with a 21+ rating in Kazakhstan and screened internationally under the English title Sicko. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Orazbek explains why deeply local stories can resonate globally, why Kazakhstan’s film industry needs international...

TCA Interviews

Uzbekistan’s New Visual Language: How OZBE Reimagines Culture Through Streetwear

Uzbekistani fashion is increasingly moving beyond traditional interpretations of national motifs. A new generation of local brands is engaging with cultural heritage through streetwear, using the visual language of youth culture and contemporary identity to resonate in Uzbekistan and internationally. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Raupjon Eshtemirov, a representative of the Uzbekistani streetwear brand OZBE, about how Uzbek ornaments, symbols, and cultural references are being transformed into modern fashion, why young people are rediscovering their cultural roots, and whether Uzbekistan’s fashion scene can gain greater international visibility. TCA: Please tell us a little about the OZBE brand. How...

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...

Justice

Tajik Migrants

Tajik Migrant in Russia Receives Nearly $15,000 in Unpaid Wages After Government Intervention

A Tajik labor migrant working in Russia has received nearly $15,000 in unpaid wages following an intervention by Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment, the ministry said. According to the ministry’s representative office in Russia, the worker approached officials in May, alleging that a private Russian company had failed to pay his salary. The office then contacted the employer, which later settled the debt in full. The worker received 1.065 million rubles, or about $14,800, according to the ministry. The company was not named. The ministry urged Tajik citizens seeking employment in Russia to sign formal labor contracts and...

Human Rights

Rights Groups Urge EU to Tie Turkmenistan Relations to Human Rights Progress

Rule of law

American Professor and Longtime Central Asia Researcher Denied Entry to Kyrgyzstan

Regional Security

Tokayev Urges Central Asia and China to Strengthen Law Enforcement Cooperation

Forced Labor

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

Kazzinc

Kazakhstan Says Violation of Production Procedures Preliminary Cause of Deadly Kazzinc Blast

A fatal explosion at a Kazzinc plant in eastern Kazakhstan was preliminarily caused by a violation of technological procedures, Emergency Situations Minister Chingis Arinov said on Monday, as authorities continue to investigate the incident that killed three workers. The blast occurred on May 5 at a processing workshop in Ust-Kamenogorsk, where a dust-collection unit exploded, triggering a fire and the partial collapse of the facility. Two employees were killed at the scene, while a third later died in hospital from injuries sustained in the accident. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov placed the investigation under his personal supervision following the incident. “The...

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

The authorities in Turkmenistan have again mobilized public-sector employees for the annual cotton harvest, forcing teachers, doctors, municipal workers, and other state employees either to work in the fields or pay for replacement laborers from their own salaries. The renewed campaign comes as international brands continue to face growing risks that what activists describe as “toxic” Turkmen cotton may still be entering global supply chains. According to Dialectic, the authorities have abandoned even the limited relaxations introduced in some regions during previous harvest seasons. Cotton remains one of Turkmenistan’s key export commodities. Each year, the state sets a harvest target...

Administrative Detention

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

A Russian citizen has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention in Almaty after publishing a video criticizing bureaucratic procedures in Kazakhstan and using offensive language, according to Kazakhstan’s news agency KazTAG and the Almaty police department. The woman had traveled to Almaty to obtain a bank card and later posted a video on social media describing her frustration with queues, paperwork, and banking procedures. In the recording, she said she felt “like an Uzbek in Russia,” a remark that drew criticism online, particularly among users in Kazakhstan who viewed the statement as offensive. The video quickly circulated on...

Environment

Eco Expo

Eco Expo Opens in Samarkand as Uzbekistan Pushes Green Investment

Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 opened on June 2 at the Expo Center of Silk Road Samarkand, placing Uzbekistan’s green economy plans before officials, lenders, companies, scientists, and environmental groups already gathered in the city. The exhibition is scheduled to run through June 4 and is being held alongside the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility, one of the main global forums for environmental finance. The timing gives Uzbekistan a rare week of attention on climate, water, biodiversity, and clean technology. The GEF Assembly runs from May 30 to June 6 in Samarkand. The GEF says its Assembly is...

Wildlife Restoration

Kazakhstan Releases New Group of Przewalski’s Horses Into the Wild

Irrigation Water

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

Water Supply

Tajikistan Announces Water Infrastructure Drive, Urges Central Asia Cooperation

Waste Processing

Tajikistan Waste Recycling Plant Put on Hold After Iranian Investors Withdraw

Waste Management

Dushanbe Considers Waste-to-Energy Plant as Part of Green Development Strategy

Authorities in Tajikistan’s capital are considering the construction of a modern waste-to-energy facility that would process municipal solid waste while generating electricity, as part of efforts to develop more sustainable urban infrastructure. The proposal was discussed during talks between Tajikistan’s minister of energy and water resources, Daler Juma, and Environmental Protection Committee chairman Bahodur Sheralizoda, and representatives of the Chinese company Wangneng Environment, which specializes in waste treatment and energy recovery technologies. The parties explored the possibility of introducing municipal waste-processing technologies, including electricity generation through waste incineration and other forms of energy recovery. Such systems are used in a...

Water Security

Opinion: Water Without a Guarantor – Central Asia’s Next Security Test

The Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development,“ taking place in Dushanbe on May 25-28, comes at a difficult moment. Central Asia's water problem is no longer only about environmental management; it is moving into the field of regional security. The conference agenda is familiar and necessary: climate, investment, innovation, transboundary cooperation, and the implementation of the Water Action Decade. The harder question is what happens outside the conference hall. Does Central Asia still have a credible way to stop water stress from becoming an interstate crisis? For decades, the region operated in...

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...

Why the Caspian Is Becoming Eurasia’s New Energy Crossroads

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

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ken Moriyasu

Sergey Akhmetov

Timur Serikuly

Matthew Davies

Timur Serikuly

Charles McLean

Ken Moriyasu

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ilyas Kanybek

Tsoberg Nadezhda and Marzhan Rakhymberdina

Anel Askar

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Kyrgyzstan’s Microloan Market Expands as Borrower Numbers More Than Double

Kazakhstan Opens Central Asia’s First Brain Research Institute

Kazakhstan’s Agricultural Exports to Iran Nearly Double in 2025

Turkmenistan Showcases Textile Industry as Labor Concerns Linger

Investment in Kazakhstan’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing More Than Triples in Three Years

Local Politics

Local Politics

Turkmenistan Eases Restrictions for Foreign Tourists

Kyrgyzstan Opens New Border Post Near Uzbekistan in Batken Region

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

International Affairs

International Affairs

Turkmenistan Seeks Bigger Counter-Terrorism Role in Central Asia

As Armenia Looks West, Could Uzbekistan Move Closer to the EAEU?

Putin’s Astana Visit Shows What Russia Still Wants From Kazakhstan

Top U.S. State Department Official Travels to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

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

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Love Takes Center Stage at TEDxMarvila in Lisbon

A Polyphonic Process: Kazakhstan at the 2026 Venice Biennale

“Don’t Try to Please the West” – Screenwriter Kazybek Orazbek on Kazakh Cinema

Uzbekistan’s New Visual Language: How OZBE Reimagines Culture Through Streetwear

Turkmenistan Works With WHO on Healthcare Upgrades

Justice

Justice

Tajik Migrant in Russia Receives Nearly $15,000 in Unpaid Wages After Government Intervention