The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, 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 of The Red...

AI Adoption

Industrial AI Reaches Kazakhstan’s Factories, but Many Projects Remain Experimental

Avaza Summit

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

Donald Trump

Tokayev Seeks to Take Trump’s AI ‘Washington Model’ Global

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has embraced the voluntary artificial intelligence accord signed by President Donald Trump and leaders of major U.S. technology companies as a model for wider international adoption. Tokayev has termed this approach the “Washington Model,” arguing that it could eventually form the basis of a treaty under...

UNDP

How Central Asian Small Businesses Are Earning More From Local Products

Religious Freedom

Why Central Asian Governments Are Regulating Religious Life

Kyrgyzstan is requiring bloggers and other social media users who publicly preach religion online to obtain a special certificate. The website of the National Agency for Religious Affairs and Interethnic Relations includes an application form for registration as a “religious preacher.” Nurgazy Kyrgyzbaev, a chief specialist at the agency, announced...

CAMCA

At CAMCA, Uzbekistan Revives Push for a Stronger Regional Body

Uzbekistan has renewed its call for a stronger regional institution, with senior senator Sodiq Safoev urging Central Asian leaders to move beyond their consultative meeting format. His remarks in Baku return attention to a proposal President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined last November, when he called for a Community of Central Asia....

Religious Regulations, Russian Rehearsals, and the TCTC’s Regional Roadblocks

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Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: Why Are Uzbekistan’s Snipers So Good?

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Opinions

Opinion: Central Asia Is More Than Minerals

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Opinion: Weaponizing Faith – The Cold War Roots of Central Asia’s Security Dilemma

Zabikhulla Saipov

From Lenin to Kenesary: What Kazakhstan’s Renamed Streets Say About Power

Issatay Minuarov

Opinion: Why Central Asia Cannot Afford to Abandon the Iranian Route

Timur Serikuly

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Show What Diplomacy Can Deliver as Vast Rail Project with China Advances

Javier M. Piedra

Uzbekistan’s Heritage Did Not Stop With the Silk Road

Mathieu Lemoine

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Demining Expertise Could Provide Boost to Afghanistan

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Uzbekistan Census – When the Village Reappears in the City

Zamirbek Minbaev

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

Business & Economy

Rail Corridors

Kazakhstan Pursues Trans-Afghan Railway Routes to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan wants a railway route to the Indian Ocean through Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is already freight that could use such a corridor: in the first seven months of 2026, Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan approached $573 million. What does not yet exist is a continuous railway all the way to the sea. Several developments around this route took place in late September. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates agreed to study a corridor through Afghanistan to Pakistani ports. In western Afghanistan, a new section of a separate railway built with the participation of a company from Kazakhstan opened. Astana...

Satellite Development

Kazakhstan Plans Six New Earth Observation Satellites

Foreign Investment

China Accounts for Nearly Half of Foreign Direct Investment in Kyrgyzstan in 2025

Trade Logistics

World Bank Says Middle Corridor Needs More Than $55 Billion by 2040

Oil Refining

Kazakhstan Plans Fourth Major Oil Refinery by 2033

Gas Trade

Uzbekistan Gas Exports Fall 35% as Imports Rise

Uzbekistan is spending more on gas imports while earning less from exports. In January-August 2026, exports of natural and manufactured gas fell 34.8% year-on-year to $322.3 million, according to data from the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Over the same eight months, the country imported $1.22 billion worth of gas, 15.2% more than a year earlier. Of that amount, $124.3 million was spent on liquefied gas, including propane, with the value of those imports rising about 3.5-fold. In value terms, Uzbekistan imported almost four times as much gas as it exported. The country continues to sell gas...

AI Adoption

Industrial AI Reaches Kazakhstan’s Factories, but Many Projects Remain Experimental

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already monitoring mining trucks, production lines, and workplace safety at industrial sites in Kazakhstan. Yet a gap remains between a successful experiment and technology that works every day at a factory or mine. Closing it was one of the main issues discussed at the third meeting of Kazakhstan’s Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence. A study by the British Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, with contributions from Narxoz University and the Kazakh-British Technical University, found that 58.8% of AI projects among the industrial companies surveyed remained at the pilot stage, with none reaching full-scale deployment....

Telecommunications

M360 Eurasia Mobile Industry Forum Set for Astana in 2027

M360 Eurasia, a regional mobile-industry forum organized by the GSM Association (GSMA), will be held in Astana in the fall of 2027. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the GSMA agreed to bring the event to the capital during AI & Digital Bridge 2026. The GSMA represents mobile operators and companies across the wider mobile ecosystem. It also organizes Mobile World Congress events and the regional M360 series. The forum will address artificial intelligence (AI) and connectivity, including access to digital services and the rules governing them. The memorandum was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister...

UNDP

How Central Asian Small Businesses Are Earning More From Local Products

For Ikhtiyor Alimov, finding foreign buyers was only part of the challenge. His dried-fruit business in northern Tajikistan also needed enough equipment to fill its orders. Alimov founded Mevai Zarrin in Isfara with eight workers and handmade machinery. Its processing capacity eventually reached 200 kilograms a day, but manual production limited further growth. With the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the company upgraded its equipment and packaging. It can now process 600–650 kilograms daily, according to the organization’s account of its development. “We were able to reduce our product waste by 20%,” Alimov said in UNDP’s regional...

Local Politics

Tourism

Turkmenistan Launches E-Visa System, But Questions Remain

Turkmenistan says it has introduced an online visa system that will streamline travel for foreign citizens, though there is some uncertainty about the new procedures for visiting one of the world’s most closed countries. The State Migration Service briefed foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations about its system of processing and issuing electronic visas as well as an online system to register foreign citizens staying in Turkmenistan, along with “individuals and legal entities” hosting them. “New digital services will allow foreign citizens arriving in the country to save time, transfer documents to electronic management, and carry out all work...

Independence Day

Turkmenistan Marks 35 Years of Independence Amid Reports of Shortages

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Orders Military Overhaul After 14 Die in Caspian Drills

Education Policy

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

Latin Alphabet Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Senate Approves Latin Alphabet Changes

Population

Kyrgyzstan Aging Population Puts Growing Pressure on Pension System

The number of people above working age in Kyrgyzstan has increased by more than 146,000, or 25%, over the past five years. The country still has a relatively young population, but the growing number of older people is nevertheless raising questions about the long-term sustainability of its pension system. At the beginning of 2026, Kyrgyzstan had a population of 7.4 million, including 737,000 people above the standard retirement age – 63 for men and 58 for women – accounting for about 10% of the population. Women outnumber men in this group by roughly two to one, as they not only...

Saida Mirziyoyeva

Opinion: Why Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration Was Given Sweeping Powers and Broad Immunity

Saida Mirziyoyeva, the 41-year-old daughter of Uzbekistan’s president who has headed his administration since 2025, is taking an increasingly active role on the international stage. She participated in the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, and was received by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. During the meeting, the two sides discussed further expansion of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates. Combined with the law on Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration adopted in August, Mirziyoyeva’s growing international profile raises a broader question: how far could her political influence extend? A New...

Opposition

Tajikistan’s Islamic Opposition Changes Leader After 20 Years

The Islamic Renaissance of Tajikistan (formerly the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan) has elected a new chairman after longtime leader Muhiddin Kabiri decided to step down. The IRP has been one of the most influential groups in Tajikistan since the country became independent in late 1991. The organization subsequently became the principal target of a sustained government crackdown, which culminated in its activities being banned in Tajikistan and pressure being applied to members who fled the country. The New Leader Members of the IRP’s Supreme Presidium met in Vilnius, Lithuania, on September 19 to choose from three candidates: Abubakr Nuri,...

Secularism

Kazakhstan Hijab Debate Exposes Divide Over Secularism

Kazakhstan’s long-running controversy over hijabs in schools has collided with a wider public argument about religion, exposing sharp differences among prominent public figures and institutions over the boundaries of the country’s secular model. The latest religious controversy in Kazakhstan’s social media space was triggered by two statements made within the span of a week. On September 3, well-known Kazakhstani film and entertainment producer and former television host Bayan Alaguzova wrote on Threads that she was “tired of religion and its propaganda.” “I’ll say this right away,” she added. “There’s no need to frighten me with hell – it doesn’t exist...

International Affairs

Trade and Investment

Oman Trade Corridor Could Link Kazakhstan to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan could gain a new trade route to the Indian Ocean through Oman’s ports, offering an alternative to its traditional northern and Caspian corridors. Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the sultan of Oman, raised the proposal during talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana on October 6. He arrived in Astana on October 5, becoming the first Omani sultan to visit Central Asia “We look forward to developing cooperation in transport and logistics, including the development of a trade corridor through Oman’s ports, as well as strengthening air links between our countries,” the Sultan said. For landlocked Kazakhstan, Omani ports...

Latvia-Uzbekistan relations

Latvia Proposes Temporary Visa Suspension for Uzbek Citizens

CAMCA

Opinion: Building Bridges, Backing the Future: Why Entrepreneurs Must Connect Across Borders

Donald Trump

Tokayev Seeks to Take Trump’s AI ‘Washington Model’ Global

Transporter-18 Mission

Two Central Asian Satellites Reach Orbit on SpaceX Rocket

Arms Trade

India Says It Exported Akash Missile System to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

India says Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are customers of its Akash surface-to-air missile system, which can be used to counter threats including drones, missiles, and fighter aircraft. The two Central Asian countries have not commented publicly on the Akash exports, and Indian officials have not provided details about the transactions. But Indian Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has told Asian News International (ANI) that there is growing international interest in the Akash system, which Indian officials regard as a success of their indigenous defense industry. "Akash, I would say that it is one of our success stories. It shows the maturing...

Avaza Summit

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

On Thursday, Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is due to receive Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Sadyr Japarov, Emomali Rahmon, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Ilham Aliyev in a place built to impress visitors. Thursday’s meeting will be the first formal consultative summit since Azerbaijan joined the format as a full participant in November 2025. The six presidents have already met once in the new configuration, at an informal gathering in Cholpon Ata on July 31, where they signed a declaration covering closer cooperation on transport, energy, trade, and security. Construction of Avaza began in late 2007, as Turkmenistan sought to create a national showcase on...

CAMCA

Opinion: CAMCA: From Regional Connectivity to Cross-Border Innovation

What would it take for a fintech company that succeeds in one CAMCA country to enter another without starting from zero? That question guided a roundtable on the next digital Silk Road at the CAMCA Regional Forum in Baku. The discussion brought together leaders in financial services, investment, and technology from a region spanning Central Asia, the Caucasus, Mongolia, and Afghanistan. As moderator, I wanted to move beyond the broad ambition of regional connectivity and examine what companies need to operate across borders: working payment systems, partnerships, regulatory clarity, and a path to their first customer in a new market....

Cyber Security

U.S. Commits $5 Million for Cybersecurity in Central Asia

The United States has committed $5 million in foreign assistance to support cybersecurity and the digital sector in Central Asia. The funding will be administered through the U.S.-based nonprofit CRDF Global, State Department official Mark Cameron said at a conference in Astana. The assistance is intended to strengthen cyber defenses across the five Central Asian states, including the protection of critical infrastructure and the financial sector. CRDF Global is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization which works with governments and institutions on security-related programs, including cybersecurity and efforts to reduce technological and biological threats. Cameron said Central Asian startups would also be...

Life & Culture

Public Health

Reports of Suspected Plague in Russia Prompt Central Asian Health Checks

Reports surrounding the death of an employee at an anti-plague research institute in Russia’s Irkutsk region have prompted health authorities across Central Asia to tighten sanitary controls and review preparedness measures. Russian officials have not confirmed that the employee contracted plague or that a laboratory accident occurred. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have nevertheless announced additional checks or heightened readiness in response. Officials across the region say there is no cause for alarm, but the response reflects the sensitivity that remains around cross-border infectious disease threats after the COVID-19 pandemic. What Is Known Russian authorities have released few details, but...

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

Live Music

Shakira Will Bring World Tour to Kyrgyzstan

Nobel Prize in Literature

Uzbek Writer Hamid Ismailov Appears in Bookmakers’ Odds for 2026 Nobel Prize

Central Asian Music

Put the Needle on the Record: Anvar Kalandarov on Rescuing Soviet Central Asia’s Lost Sounds

Kyrgyz Film

The Filmmakers Behind Kanjar on Action and Cultural Heritage

A stolen dagger drives the action in Kanjar, a Kyrgyz thriller that explores the loss of cultural heritage. Director and screenwriter Adilet Akmatov draws on his experience as a stunt performer and fight choreographer to bring the story to the screen. Co-producer and actor Mohamed Hamad Haymour took a different route into the project. Born in Canada to Lebanese parents, he moved to Kyrgyzstan with his wife intending to open a restaurant. A meeting with Akmatov led him into filmmaking and his first feature-film role, playing a villain. Following a preview screening, Akmatov and Haymour spoke to Shahsanem Murray about...

Asian Games

Central Asia Wins 186 Asian Games Medals as Uzbekistan Finishes Fifth

Athletes from Central Asia’s five countries won 186 medals at the Asian Games in Japan, where Uzbekistan finished fifth overall and Kazakhstan claimed the region’s largest medal haul. The 20th Summer Asian Games were held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. China once again topped the medal table, followed by Japan and South Korea. Uzbekistan won 70 medals, including 21 golds, matching its fifth-place finish at the previous Games in Hangzhou. The result follows a 13th-place finish in the medal table at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kazakhstan won 84 medals, including 12 golds, and finished eighth in...

antidoping

WADA Executive Committee to Meet in Astana Ahead of 2027 Anti-Doping Code

The Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will meet in Astana on November 23-27, around five weeks before a revised World Anti-Doping Code comes into force on January 1, 2027. WADA is an independent international organization established in 1999 to coordinate and monitor anti-doping rules and policies across global sport. The meeting also comes ahead of a busy year for international sport in Kazakhstan. Six world championships are scheduled to take place in Astana in 2027: junior short track speed skating, boxing, table tennis, judo, taekwondo, and esports. The packed calendar puts added focus on Kazakhstan’s anti-doping preparations,...

Korean Heritage

K-PARK: A Space for Memory, Gratitude, and Cooperation

In the history of every nation, some places come to mean more than their architecture, squares, or parks. They become part of a country’s collective memory, preserving the experiences of previous generations while looking toward the future. K-PARK, an international cultural and business center under development in Alatau City, is designed to be such a space. The foundation stone was laid on September 12, 2025. The project was initiated by the Association of Koreans of Kazakhstan and is timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Korean presence in Kazakhstan, marked in 2027. K-PARK is the first investment project...

Justice

Military Deaths

Kazakhstan Defense Ministry Inspection Leads to 13 Criminal Cases in Wake of Soldiers’ Deaths

A comprehensive inspection of Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry has resulted in 13 criminal cases involving suspected theft of state property, abuse of office, and other violations. The inspection follows the deaths of 14 servicemen during military exercises in the Caspian Sea on September 24. On October 5, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev heard the inspection's initial findings. The commission found serious shortcomings in the preparation and planning of the exercises, risk assessment, organization of the landing operation, and measures to ensure the servicemen’s safety. Criminal cases also concern hazing and violence against servicemen. The tragedy was followed by a reshuffle at the top...

Religious Freedom

Why Central Asian Governments Are Regulating Religious Life

Child Protection

Uzbekistan Considers Life Imprisonment for Child Sexual Offenses

Rule of Law

Uzbekistan Strikes Down Ten-Day Border Detention Without Court Approval

Military Deaths

Deaths During Caspian Military Drills: Kazakhstan Investigates Commanders’ Actions

Ukrainian Childen

Ukrainian Woman Detained in Astana at Russia’s Request

Ukrainian citizen Lyubov Rozhanska has been detained at Astana airport at Russia’s request in connection with a criminal case over an alleged attempt to abduct a child, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported. She had flown from Istanbul to collect her grandson. Ukraine has called for her release and opposed her possible transfer to Russia. Rozhanska was detained on October 1 while passing through border control. She is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility in Astana, her Kazakhstan-based lawyer Riza Nurbayeva told DW. A court is expected to consider whether she should remain in custody. According to Nurbayeva and Russian...

Kashagan Oil Field

Kazakhstan Resumes Collection of $5.2 Billion Kashagan Fine

Kazakhstan has restarted enforcement proceedings to collect a 2.3 trillion tenge ($5.22 billion) environmental fine from North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), operator of the Kashagan oil field, ending a three-week procedural pause. The proceedings resumed on September 29, according to the Justice Ministry’s online enforcement database. NCOC continues to reject both the allegations behind the fine and the penalty itself, and says it is challenging them through available legal channels. Collection had been suspended on September 7 after NCOC challenged the actions of a state enforcement officer. The Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court of Atyrau Region requested the enforcement case materials,...

Counter-Terrorism

Uzbek-U.S. Citizen Extradited from Georgia on Charges of Supporting ISIS and al-Nusrah Front

Davud Ansariy, an Uzbek citizen who is also a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been extradited from Georgia to New York. U.S. prosecutors accuse him of leading a network that raised money to support ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front and helped aspiring fighters travel to Syria. Ansariy, 41, also known as Kozimjon Gafurov and Kozim, was arrested in Tbilisi in August 2026 and extradited to the United States on September 23. He faces one count of conspiracy to provide material support and one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and the al-Nusrah Front, both designated by...

Child Protection

Uzbekistan Kindergarten Case Over Alleged Assault Prompts Calls for Tougher Penalties

Authorities in Uzbekistan are investigating the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl at a state kindergarten in the Namangan region. The suspect has been detained, while the case has prompted a wider debate over tougher penalties for sexual crimes against children. The alleged assault occurred at a kindergarten in Uchkurgan district. Police opened a criminal case on September 12 under two provisions of the Criminal Code, one covering the rape of a child under 14 and the other covering a threat to kill or use violence. The suspect, identified as K.M., worked as the kindergarten’s head of maintenance and...

Environment

Caspian Sea

Japan Funds $3 Million Caspian Sea Monitoring Project in Kazakhstan

Japan is funding a $3 million project to improve monitoring of the shrinking Caspian Sea, focusing particularly on Kazakhstan’s shallow northern basin. The project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with Kazakhstan, was officially launched in Aktau on October 5. Experts from across the Caspian region are expected to take part in joint research and a regional scientific platform designed to improve the exchange of data and expertise. For Kazakhstan, the most immediate problem lies in the northern Caspian. The water there is extremely shallow, meaning that even relatively small declines in sea level can push the...

Water Security

Opinion: Central Asia’s Old Water Bargain Was Built for Cotton

Water Governance

“Water Insecurity Is Not Experienced Equally”: Why Scarcity Is Also a Social Problem

Satellites

Kyrgyzstan Prepares to Launch Its First Homegrown Satellite

Japanese Investment

Japanese Investment Tackles Uzbekistan’s Aral Sea Crisis

Environmental Assessment

Sea Breeze Uzbekistan Clears Second Stage of Environmental Review

The $5 billion Sea Breeze Uzbekistan project has completed the first two stages of its environmental impact assessment, receiving positive state environmental opinions for both, according to the Ecology Committee. The controversial resort is planned for the shores of the Charvak Reservoir, one of the most popular recreation areas near Tashkent. Its location has made the project the subject of sustained environmental scrutiny. Uzbekistan’s National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change said the second-stage opinion was issued on September 10. The review will continue with a final assessment planned after construction is completed and before the complex is put into...

Rogun Dam

Tajikistan Ratifies $300 Million World Bank Grant for Rogun Dam

Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament has ratified a $300 million World Bank grant for the Rogun Hydropower Plant, providing fresh financing for the country’s largest infrastructure project. The agreement was approved on October 1. The funding comes from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional financing arm for low-income countries. It will support continued construction and equipment installation, alongside safety and environmental safeguards and support for communities affected by resettlement. The World Bank approved the grant in June. Together with an earlier package, its approved financing for Rogun now totals $650 million. Tajikistan is also raising money from...

Chemical Safety

22 Uzbek Pupils Hospitalized After Cotton Field Spraying Near School

Twenty-two pupils in southern Uzbekistan were hospitalized after chemicals were sprayed on a cotton field beside their school, the Interior Ministry said. Seven remained in hospital as of September 29, while 15 had been discharged. The children, all in grades 10 and 11 at School No. 51 in Guzar district, Kashkadarya region, fell ill on September 23. They were taken to the district medical center around midday with nausea and headaches. The ministry said the Shokhmalik Shermurod Ugli farm had sprayed the nearby field at about 9 a.m. It used Agro Augron, a chemical applied to make cotton plants shed...

Water Security

Opinion: Chinese Firms Expand Their Role in Kyrgyzstan’s Water Infrastructure

Kyrgyzstan plays a central role in Central Asia’s water system and is of growing interest to China. According to figures cited by President Sadyr Japarov in April 2026, approximately 50 billion cubic meters of surface runoff are generated annually within the country. About 12 billion cubic meters are used domestically, while around 7 billion, or 14% of the total, flow to China. Kyrgyzstan has five main water-management basins. The Issyk-Kul–Tarim management area includes both the closed Issyk-Kul basin and rivers flowing toward China, making its transboundary component a distinct area of bilateral cooperation. The Aksu River, which originates in Kyrgyzstan...

Reports of Suspected Plague in Russia Prompt Central Asian Health Checks

Latest

Features

Features

Religious Regulations, Russian Rehearsals, and the TCTC’s Regional Roadblocks

Latest

Dastan: Why Are Uzbekistan’s Snipers So Good?

Religious Regulations, Russian Rehearsals, and the TCTC’s Regional Roadblocks

Dastan: Why Are Uzbekistan’s Snipers So Good?

Opinions

Opinions

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Zabikhulla Saipov

Issatay Minuarov

Timur Serikuly

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Pursues Trans-Afghan Railway Routes to Indian Ocean

Uzbekistan Gas Exports Fall 35% as Imports Rise

Industrial AI Reaches Kazakhstan’s Factories, but Many Projects Remain Experimental

M360 Eurasia Mobile Industry Forum Set for Astana in 2027

How Central Asian Small Businesses Are Earning More From Local Products

Local Politics

Local Politics

Turkmenistan Launches E-Visa System, But Questions Remain

Kyrgyzstan Aging Population Puts Growing Pressure on Pension System

Opinion: Why Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration Was Given Sweeping Powers and Broad Immunity

Tajikistan’s Islamic Opposition Changes Leader After 20 Years

Kazakhstan Hijab Debate Exposes Divide Over Secularism

International Affairs

International Affairs

Oman Trade Corridor Could Link Kazakhstan to Indian Ocean

India Says It Exported Akash Missile System to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

Central Asia and Azerbaijan Head to Avaza for First Formal Summit

Opinion: CAMCA: From Regional Connectivity to Cross-Border Innovation

U.S. Commits $5 Million for Cybersecurity in Central Asia

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Reports of Suspected Plague in Russia Prompt Central Asian Health Checks

The Filmmakers Behind Kanjar on Action and Cultural Heritage

Central Asia Wins 186 Asian Games Medals as Uzbekistan Finishes Fifth

WADA Executive Committee to Meet in Astana Ahead of 2027 Anti-Doping Code

K-PARK: A Space for Memory, Gratitude, and Cooperation

Justice

Justice

Kazakhstan Defense Ministry Inspection Leads to 13 Criminal Cases in Wake of Soldiers’ Deaths