As The Times of Central Asia has noted throughout its special coverage, Kazakhstan’s new constitutional model is presented as modernization, not a rupture with the existing system. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has described the project as a response to a rapidly changing global landscape, arguing that the country’s basic law must...
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov, Turkmenistan's former president and leader of its People's Council, during the latter’s official visit to China. The meeting took place on March 18 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, according to a statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Xi...
U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to visit Miami for the G20 Summit later this year, according to an official statement released by Tokayev’s press secretary, Aibek Smadiyarov. The invitation was reportedly conveyed in a personal letter following the two leaders’ recent meeting in Washington in...
Tajikistan is sending a convoy of 110 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Iran, which has been targeted by heavy U.S. and Israeli air strikes in a war that started on February 28. The dispatch of aid follows similar deliveries by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Central Asian countries are aiming for...
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...
The Strait of Hormuz has long been regarded as a central artery of global energy trade. A substantial share of oil and gas exports moves through this corridor, and regional crises are often framed in terms of energy security. For Central Asia, however, current tensions carry broader implications. They may...
Updated March 17, 2026: This article has been updated to include remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron and a congratulatory message from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev began receiving congratulations from foreign leaders on March 16 after Kazakhstan announced that voters had approved a new constitution in...
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on March 11 and said he has no intention of delaying TRIPP, the newly proposed South Caucasus route through southern Armenia to be integrated into the existing Middle Corridor. He described the project as being “in the crystallization...