The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon just finished a state visit to China. Rahmon has made trips to China many times during the nearly 34 years he has been in power in Tajikistan, but this visit came during a critical period. Simply put, Tajikistan is losing the international importance it once had,...

CA5+UK

Opinion: UK’s C6 Engagement and the Opportunity for British Geostrategic Renewal

Along with Nicholas Spykman, Sir Halford Mackinder is one of the most pre-eminent thinkers in the field of geopolitics. Whilst today geopolitics is a term used interchangeably with “world affairs,” “international relations,” and “foreign policy,” Spykman and Mackinder used the phrase to describe the narrow academic study of how geography...

OTS Optimism, Afghan Ambushes, and a Deep Dive on the Next President of Tajikistan

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Sunkar Podcast

Uzbekistan’s Sindarov Makes Breakthrough in World Chess

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Opinions

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

Opinion: Expect China to take its 2+2 diplomacy to Central Asia

Ken Moriyasu

Opinion – Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Sends a Key Signal for Global Partners

Javier M. Piedra

Opinion: Trump Has Golden Opportunity to Launch C6+1 on Sidelines of UN

Ken Moriyasu

Opinion: Islamic State Khorasan Province and the Strategic Risks for Central Asia

Aidar Borangaziyev

Business & Economy

Astana LRT

Astana Launches First Light Rail Transit Service After Years of Delay

Kazakhstan has officially launched Astana’s long-awaited light rail transit (LRT) system, connecting the capital’s international airport with Nurly Zhol railway station. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the inauguration ceremony despite previously expressing doubts about the project’s viability. The Astana LRT project, envisioned as a high-speed elevated transport system designed to bypass road congestion, was first launched in 2011. Authorities initially planned to complete construction by 2017, ahead of the international EXPO exhibition hosted in the capital. However, the project was suspended in 2013 because of rising costs. In 2015, Astana’s city administration attempted to revive the initiative with the...

Food Security

Turkmenistan Pushes for Food Security with International Help

Minimum Wage

Kyrgyzstan Retains Lowest Minimum Wage in the Eurasian Economic Union

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Labor Minister Briefs on Kazzinc Explosion and Effects of AI

Energy

Uzbekistan Expands Energy Cooperation With SOCAR and BP at Energy Week Forum

Critical Minerals

Central Asia Seeks More Local Value From Critical Minerals

Rising demand for critical minerals is drawing Central Asia deeper into global supply chains, but the region’s harder test is not whether it has the deposits. It is whether more value can stay at home. Copper, tungsten, graphite, antimony, rare earths and other metals now sit at the center of battery production, power grids, chips, weapons systems, and renewable energy. Governments across the region want the sector to bring capital, jobs, and technology. The risk is another cycle in which raw materials leave the region, and most of the value is created elsewhere. The scale of the region’s reserves explains...

Trade

EDB: Central Asian Trade Has Doubled in Five Years

Mutual trade between Central Asian countries reached $12.3 billion in 2025, nearly doubling compared to 2020, according to analysts at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). The figure underlines how Central Asia is increasingly emerging as a more interconnected regional market after years of relatively limited internal trade links following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan remains the largest participant in regional trade, accounting for 54% of all intraregional exports, valued at $6.6 billion. The country's key export commodities to the region include grain products (18%), ferrous metals (13%), crude oil and petroleum products (8%), sunflower oil (7%), and beverages...

Vegetable Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Begins Vegetable Oil Exports to Iran via Caspian Route

Vegetable oil producers in Kazakhstan have launched a new export route to Iran across the Caspian Sea, completing several trial shipments of rapeseed and sunflower oil in spring 2026, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture said. According to Kazakhstan’s National Association of Oilseed Processors (NAOPK), the first shipment, consisting of 5,000 tons of rapeseed oil, departed from the Port of Aktau on April 4. The buyer was the Iranian company Kourosh Food Industry, while the supplier was one of Kazakhstan’s largest oil-processing plants affiliated with the association. On May 13, loading was completed for a second vessel carrying 5,000 tons of sunflower...

Critical Minerals

Central Asia Enters the Minerals Race

Central Asia is entering the critical minerals race at a time when deposits alone no longer confer strategic advantage. The Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress, scheduled for June 11–12 at Hilton Astana, gives the issue operational form: supply chains, investment, and commercial projects. U.S. Under Secretary Jacob Helberg will participate there and in the preceding C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue on June 10–11. The Astana agenda also puts Central Asia’s role in global supply chains directly into view. The test is how quickly governments, investors, and industrial buyers can finance, process, move, and purchase minerals before they are locked into industrial...

Local Politics

Education

Kyrgyzstan Seeks Foreign Teachers to Ease Education Staff Shortage

A group of deputies in Kyrgyzstan’s Jogorku Kenesh, the national parliament, has drafted legislative amendments aimed at attracting foreign teachers and modernizing the country’s educational infrastructure through new legal and economic incentives. The proposed amendments were submitted for parliamentary consideration. Under the draft legislation, foreign teachers working in Kyrgyzstan would be exempt from income tax and mandatory social security payments. The bill would also grant foreign educators the right to obtain temporary residence permits. Additional measures include tax incentives for educational institutions and exemptions from value-added tax (VAT) on imported educational equipment. The authors of the amendments argue that modernizing...

Animal Rights

Kazakhstan Renews Debate Over Stray Animals After Parliament Approves Euthanasia Amendments

Mandatory Contributions

Healthcare Workers in Turkmenistan Reportedly Forced to Pay Mandatory Fees to Public Association

Parental Responsibility

Turkmenistan Introduces New Fines for Parents Over Children’s Misconduct

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Tashiyev Charged as Kyrgyzstan’s Elite Rift Deepens

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,...

Elections

Kazakhstan Rules Out Fines for Not Voting in Elections

Kazakhstan does not plan to introduce compulsory voting or impose fines on citizens who fail to participate in elections and referendums, Central Election Commission (CEC) Secretary Shavkat Utemisov said. Speaking on the sidelines of a joint session of parliament, Utemisov acknowledged that declining voter participation, particularly among young people, remains a challenge in Kazakhstan. He said, however, that the country does not intend to adopt practices used in some states where voting is mandatory. Utemisov added that some countries have lowered the voting age, citing Belgium, while others impose penalties, including fines, on citizens who fail to appear at polling...

Armed Forces

Tokayev Sets Two-Year Deadline for Military Reform in Kazakhstan

Speaking at a traditional ceremony ahead of Defender of the Fatherland Day, celebrated in Kazakhstan on May 7, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the country must reform its armed forces within the next two years. “Our country must be prepared to prevent various challenges and respond to any threats. Therefore, we need to strengthen our defense potential and continue, above all, the technological modernization of the Armed Forces. This is a requirement of today’s unstable and turbulent times. In this regard, it is first necessary to carry out deep reforms in our Armed Forces and militarized structures. This is a strategically...

Education

School Digitalization in Turkmenistan Increases Workload for Teachers

The rollout of electronic gradebooks in Turkmenistan, intended to streamline teachers’ work, has had the opposite effect, with educators reporting increased workloads, technical issues, and tighter oversight. As part of a broader push toward digitalization, authorities have required school staff to use the eMekdep system to record grades, manage lesson plans, and generate analytics. According to its developers, the platform enables work “anytime, anywhere” and is designed to reduce paperwork. Teachers, however, say the reality is far less efficient. Electronic journals can only be filled out with a stable internet connection, which remains unreliable even in the capital. “If two...

International Affairs

Organization of Turkic States (OTS)

OTS Summit in Turkistan Reveals Strains Beneath Turkic Unity

Last Friday, the Kazakh city of Turkistan, officially promoted as the “spiritual capital” of the Turkic world, hosted an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The official theme was artificial intelligence and digital development, but the meeting also highlighted older questions about the OTS’s political identity, its relationship with Russia, and Ankara’s influence within the Turkic world. Because the gathering was informal, much of what took place remained behind closed doors. Yet public statements, official readouts, and subsequent commentary offered clues about the tensions and competing agendas within the organization. The summit brought together the presidents of...

Iran

Kazakhstan Sends Humanitarian Aid to Iran

Trade

EDB: Central Asian Trade Has Doubled in Five Years

State Visit

Rahmon Looks to China as Tajikistan’s Options Narrow

CA5+UK

Opinion: UK’s C6 Engagement and the Opportunity for British Geostrategic Renewal

TRACECA

Kazakhstan’s TRACECA Chairmanship Pushes Transit Corridor Expansion

Kazakhstan has assumed the chairmanship of the Intergovernmental Commission of the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), following a decision adopted during the organization’s 18th annual meeting in Astana on May 15. The TRACECA program was launched in 1993 with support from the European Union and the participation of post-Soviet states in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Today, TRACECA includes 14 member states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, Astana intends to focus its chairmanship on further developing the Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor and strengthening the region’s...

Organization of Turkic States

Turkic States Focus on AI and Trade at Kazakhstan Summit

Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) are holding an informal summit in the city of Turkistan, focused on artificial intelligence, digitalization, and economic integration, as Central Asia gains importance as an alternative trade corridor between Europe and China. The meeting brings together the leaders of Kazakhstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, along with representatives of observer states. Discussions are centered on digital platforms, joint AI projects, transport corridors, and industrial cooperation. The summit comes amid rapid growth of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, which links China and Europe through Central Asia and...

State Visit

Erdoğan Visit Highlights Kazakhstan’s Middle Corridor Strategy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Kazakhstan highlighted the growing importance of the Middle Corridor in Ankara-Astana relations, while also showing how Kazakhstan is trying to deepen ties with Turkey without abandoning its multi-vector foreign policy. According to experts, the central issue discussed during negotiations was the development of the Middle Corridor, officially known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). The importance of the route was underscored directly by Erdoğan during a joint media briefing following the talks. The Turkish president highlighted the strategic significance of the East-West-Mediterranean transit corridor crossing the Caspian Sea, describing it as a...

Organization of Turkic States

Opinion: Turkey’s Third Vector: How the Turkic States Are Expanding Central Asia’s Room for Maneuver

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s May 13-14 state visit to Kazakhstan and the May 15 informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Turkistan should not be read as isolated diplomatic events. Together, they point to a larger shift in Central Asia’s geopolitical architecture. During Erdoğan’s visit to Astana, Kazakhstan and Turkey signed the Declaration on Eternal Friendship and Expanded Strategic Partnership, along with agreements covering trade, transport, energy, education, investment, defense cooperation, oil and gas, and financial-sector collaboration. The two sides also reaffirmed their goal of raising bilateral trade to $15 billion. Erdoğan was awarded the newly established Khoja...

Life & Culture

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode 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 of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team will be covering the highly successful OTS summit in Turkistan, alongside Putin's notably bad day at the...

Space Exploration

Uzbekistan Plans to Send First National Cosmonaut Into Space by 2028

TCA Interviews

Identity and a New National Canon: Interview with Kazakhstan Historian Zhaxylyk Sabitov

UFO Files

Pentagon UFO Files Include 1994 Tajik Air Report Over Kazakhstan

Victory Day

Opinion: What May 9 Means to a Generation Without War Memories

TCA Interviews

Screenwriter Yefrat Sharipov on AI and the Future of Kazakhstani Cinema

Screenwriter Yefrat Sharipov is a graduate of Kazakhstan’s Academy of Civil Aviation and the New York Film Academy (NYFA), and one of the country’s most sought-after screenwriters in recent years. He worked on the box office hit Dos-Mukasan, a film about the legendary Kazakhstani musical group often described as the local equivalent of The Beatles. He now reflects on the future of global cinema, the role of artificial intelligence, and why Kazakhstani stories can resonate far beyond the country’s borders. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Sharipov discusses how engineering thinking shapes his approach to storytelling, why...

Demographics

Kazakhstan’s Demographic Shift Puts Labor Market Under Strain

Kazakhstan’s population surpassed 20.5 million in the spring of 2026, but the country’s rapid demographic growth is increasingly being accompanied by structural economic imbalances. Kazakhstan is simultaneously facing the effects of declining birth rates, population aging, and a widening gap between the education system and labor market needs. Economists warn that the country is entering a phase in which the large generation born during the baby boom of the 2000s is placing growing pressure on the labor market, even as the share of the working-age population gradually declines. According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, the number of births peaked...

History

How Koreans Were Deported to Central Asia: Myths and Reality

The 1937 deportation from the Soviet Far East was the greatest tragedy in the history of Soviet Koreans, Koryo-saram, the self-designation of ethnic Koreans living across the former Soviet Union. It became the first case in Soviet history in which an entire ethnic group was forcibly relocated solely on the basis of ethnicity. Later, Soviet Germans, Crimean Tatars, Chechens, Ingush, Kalmyks, Poles, Kurds, and many other peoples would endure similar repression. For decades, this history remained largely suppressed, giving rise to numerous myths and misconceptions surrounding the deportation. Yet it is inaccurate to claim that Koreans first appeared in Kazakhstan...

Aging Population

Kazakhstan’s Population Is Aging Rapidly as Demographic Pressures Mount

Kazakhstan’s population is aging rapidly, with the number of elderly citizens growing significantly faster than the child population as birth rates continue to decline. According to a study by analysts at Energyprom.kz, the country’s aging index has been steadily rising. In 2021, Kazakhstan had 26.7 elderly people for every 100 children under the age of 15. By 2025, that figure had increased to 32.9. The data suggests Kazakhstan is gradually entering a demographic phase in which the proportion of elderly citizens is growing much faster than the younger population. The trend is particularly pronounced in urban areas, where the aging...

Justice

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...

Jeffrey Epstein

Woman From Uzbekistan Says Jeffrey Epstein Abused Her for Years

Pension

Tajikistan Pension Payments Suspended For 14,000 People Over Biometric Identification Rules

Anti-Corruption

Uzbekistan Introduces Anti-Corruption Reviews for $50 Million Investment Projects

Student Driving Ban

Dushanbe Students Face Expulsion for Driving Private Vehicles to University

Forced Labor

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

A new joint project is being launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union aimed at combating child and forced labor in Turkmenistan. Its focus is primarily on the country’s cotton sector, which has long faced criticism from human rights groups and international companies. The ILO announced the initiative on May 13. The program, titled Promoting Decent Work and Preventing Child and Forced Labour in Turkmenistan, is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2027 with the project’s budget estimated at approximately €2 million ($2.3 million). The initiative will focus on three main areas: updating labor legislation, implementing...

U.S. Scholar Wins Copyright Case in Uzbekistan Over Unauthorized Distribution of Bygone Days Translation

American translator and scholar Mark Reese has won a copyright infringement case in Uzbekistan after a court ruled that his translated work had been distributed without permission. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice, the Uchtepa Interdistrict Court for Civil Cases in Tashkent ordered an employee of the Uzbekistan State World Languages University (UzSWLU) to pay 20.6 million Uzbekistani som (approximately $1,700) in compensation to Reese for violating his copyright. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by Reese in April seeking damages caused by the unauthorized use of his intellectual property. The dispute centers on Reese’s English translation of O‘tkan Kunlar...

Religious Freedom

Uzbekistan National Deported From Russia Over Public Prayer

A court in St. Petersburg has fined a citizen of Uzbekistan and ordered his deportation from Russia after finding him guilty of illegal missionary activity for leading prayers in a public place, according to Russian judicial authorities. The case was announced by Darya Lebedeva, head of the joint press service of the courts of St. Petersburg, who said the Primorsky District Court found the man guilty of violating Russian legislation governing freedom of conscience, religion, and religious associations. According to the court statement, the incident took place on May 12 at approximately 7:45 p.m. near Savushkina Street in St. Petersburg....

Visa Corruption

Former Italian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Arrested in Rome Over Visa Scheme Allegations

Former Italian ambassador to Uzbekistan Piergabriele Papadia de Bottini di Sant’Agnese has been arrested in Rome on accusations of corruption and facilitating illegal migration, according to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica. Italian prosecutors allege that the former diplomat and his associate, Tatiana Tarakanova, operated a scheme involving the issuance of Schengen visas from the Italian embassy in Tashkent. Tarakanova, a 53-year-old Russian-born Italian citizen living in Bulgaria, had reportedly worked with Papadia during his earlier diplomatic service at the Italian consulate in Moscow. According to the report, Papadia assumed control of the embassy’s visa office shortly after taking charge of...

Environment

Water Consumption

Central Asian Countries Rank Among World’s Highest Water Consumers

Several Central Asian countries rank among the world’s highest consumers of water per person, according to data compiled by the Worldometer portal. The figures, based on statistics from UN agencies including UNESCO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), place Turkmenistan first globally, with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan also in the top ten. The figures highlight a long-standing regional challenge: heavy dependence on water-intensive agriculture combined with aging irrigation systems that lose substantial amounts of water before it reaches fields. Turkmenistan leads the global ranking with daily water consumption of 15,445 liters per person. Uzbekistan ranks fourth worldwide at...

Irrigation

Kazakhstan Sets Irrigation Limits for Southern Regions and Reduces Water-Intensive Crops

Kapchagay Reservoir

Kazakhstan’s Kapchagay Reservoir Reaches 98% Capacity

TCA Interviews

UNEP Interview: From Space, Central Asia’s Methane Challenge Comes Into Focus

kazakhstan wind power

China Energy Begins Construction of Major Wind Power Plant in Kazakhstan

World Bank

Launch of Kyrgyzstan Carbon Finance Initiative with World Bank Support

Kyrgyzstan has launched a new carbon finance initiative with support from the World Bank under the Innovative Finance for Resilient and Sustainable Energy Transition (iFIRST) program. The Kyrgyzstan carbon finance initiative forms part of broader efforts to modernize the country’s energy sector and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The project was discussed during consultations in Bishkek between Kyrgyz Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev and World Bank Country Manager for Kyrgyzstan Hugh Riddell. “This project opens up new opportunities for attracting climate finance while advancing reforms in Kyrgyzstan’s energy sector,” Ibrayev said. Riddell said Kyrgyzstan is taking an important step toward implementing modern...

Toktogul Reservoir

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan Agree on Toktogul Water Releases

Energy and water ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan signed a trilateral protocol in Tashkent on May 7 establishing agreed water release volumes and schedules from the Toktogul Reservoir for the next two months. The Toktogul Reservoir plays a central role in maintaining water and energy stability across Central Asia. The Toktogul Hydropower Plant, located on the Naryn River, the main tributary of the Syr Darya, is Kyrgyzstan’s largest power station and supplies around 40% of the country’s electricity. The reservoir serves a dual purpose: generating electricity for Kyrgyzstan while regulating water flows essential for downstream agriculture in Kazakhstan and...

Electric Vehicles

Kazakhstan to Introduce Green License Plates for Electric Vehicles

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has backed a proposal by Mazhilis deputy Arman Kalykov to introduce green license plates for electric vehicles (EVs). Kalykov, a member of the Mazhilis Committee on Ecology and Nature Management, said separate identification for EVs is needed for traffic monitoring, road police checks, and access control. According to Kalykov, the measure is particularly relevant in environmentally protected areas. In the Shymbulak area near Almaty, for example, vehicles with internal combustion engines face restrictions, while EVs and emergency transport are allowed to enter. EVs are also allowed to remain in residential zones while running, while conventional...

Regional Ecological Summit

Opinion: The Regional Ecological Summit and the Making of a Central Asian Voice

On 22–24 April, Astana hosted the Regional Ecological Summit—a gathering of governments, international organizations, financial institutions, and civil society that marked a new level of ambition in Central Asia’s environmental diplomacy. Fifty-eight sessions were held across three days at a moment when Central Asia’s ecological agenda is becoming inseparable from its political and economic future. The opening ceremony was attended by the presidents of all five Central Asian states. The summit adopted the Astana Declaration on Ecological Solidarity in Central Asia and brought renewed attention to the need to reform the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). Taken...

Central Asia Seeks More Local Value From Critical Minerals

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

Matthew Davies

Timur Serikuly

Charles McLean

Ken Moriyasu

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ilyas Kanybek

Tsoberg Nadezhda and Marzhan Rakhymberdina

Anel Askar

Ken Moriyasu

Javier M. Piedra

Ken Moriyasu

Aidar Borangaziyev

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Astana Launches First Light Rail Transit Service After Years of Delay

Central Asia Seeks More Local Value From Critical Minerals

EDB: Central Asian Trade Has Doubled in Five Years

Kazakhstan Begins Vegetable Oil Exports to Iran via Caspian Route

Central Asia Enters the Minerals Race

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kyrgyzstan Seeks Foreign Teachers to Ease Education Staff Shortage

Tajikistan Officially Confirms Deportation of Afghan Refugees

Kazakhstan Rules Out Fines for Not Voting in Elections

Tokayev Sets Two-Year Deadline for Military Reform in Kazakhstan

School Digitalization in Turkmenistan Increases Workload for Teachers

International Affairs

International Affairs

OTS Summit in Turkistan Reveals Strains Beneath Turkic Unity

Kazakhstan’s TRACECA Chairmanship Pushes Transit Corridor Expansion

Turkic States Focus on AI and Trade at Kazakhstan Summit

Erdoğan Visit Highlights Kazakhstan’s Middle Corridor Strategy

Opinion: Turkey’s Third Vector: How the Turkic States Are Expanding Central Asia’s Room for Maneuver

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

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

Screenwriter Yefrat Sharipov on AI and the Future of Kazakhstani Cinema

Kazakhstan’s Demographic Shift Puts Labor Market Under Strain

How Koreans Were Deported to Central Asia: Myths and Reality

Kazakhstan’s Population Is Aging Rapidly as Demographic Pressures Mount

Justice

Justice

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