What Berlin Can Offer to Finance Kazakhstan’s Oil Routes
Kazakhstan has formally asked Russia to restore oil deliveries to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline after a six-month suspension. Russia suspended transit on May 1, citing unspecified technical constraints. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on November 4 that he had delivered the request personally. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chancellor Friedrich...
CSTO Without Armenia: What Keeps Yerevan From Leaving and What the Summit Means for Central Asia
Armenia has effectively stopped participating in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) but has not formally withdrawn from the military alliance. At the November 11, 2026, summit in Moscow, Armenia lost its voting rights because of unpaid membership dues, while the CSTO's five other members — Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,...
Uzbekistan Proposes Regional Disaster Warning System at COP31
Uzbekistan has proposed establishing a joint early warning system for natural disasters in Central Asia. The plan also calls for greater climate data sharing and coordinated efforts to fund land restoration. The initiative was presented by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on November 11 at the COP31 leaders' summit, part of the...
Russian Rail Curbs Put Up to $470 Million in Kazakh Coal Exports at Risk
Transit shipments of Kazakh coal through Russia toward European markets fell by 97% in two months, from 1 million metric tons in August to 30,000 in October 2026, according to figures cited by economist Yernar Serik. Russian Railways approved no requests to ship Kazakh coal to Baltic ports for October...
U.S. Financing Uncertainty Emerges for Kazakhstan Tungsten Project
Two U.S. government lenders are not currently pursuing up to $1.6 billion in financing for a major tungsten project in Kazakhstan, raising questions about construction funding for a venture intended to supply critical minerals to American industry and defense. The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation...
Bishkek’s Vanishing Spaces Through the Eyes of Artist Sonata Raiymkulova
On Abdymomunov Street in Bishkek, a café serves Qurt Mocha, a drink based on coffee, hot chocolate, and qurt, the local extra-salty Kyrgyz cheese. It’s easy to get addicted to it, and the presentation is aesthetic enough to make a captivating Instagram story. Perhaps it’s still a long way before...
Russia Tries to Keep the CSTO Relevant in Central Asia
Russia used the November 11 CSTO summit in Moscow to promote closer military cooperation with allies increasingly looking elsewhere for partners. Plans to develop the collective aviation force and supply equipment for Tajikistan's Afghan border would keep their militaries working with Russia, but Armenia's estrangement shows how far confidence in...
Kazakhstan Highlights Mining and Processing Strengths at Washington B20 Summit
Kazakhstan already produces materials central to U.S. critical minerals supply chains, from uranium used by American nuclear power plants to titanium supplied to major aerospace manufacturers, Kanat Sharlapayev told the B20 USA Summit in Washington on November 10. “We’re not just resource-rich; we’re a processing country,” said Sharlapayev, chairman of...
New NATO Base Rumours, Organised OTS Opposition, and the Future of Kazakh-Turkish Ties
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