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, 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...

United States

Tokayev Congratulates Trump as Kazakhstan Marks America’s 250th Independence Anniversary

Tokayev Congratulates Trump as Kazakhstan Marks America’s 250th Independence Anniversary ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, calling the milestone a symbol of the American people’s enduring commitment to freedom, equality and justice. In his message,...

Political Memory

Opinion: The Specter Is Back – A Kazakh Warning to America

I was educated and began my career under Soviet communism in Kazakhstan. For many Americans, communism may sound like a policy argument. For us, it is also family memory — famine, confiscation, repression, camps and fear, all justified in the language of equality and justice. When communism returns to the...

Gender Quotas

Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Elections: What the 30% Quota Could Mean for Women in Parliament

Art and Culture

Kanybek Kalmatov Interview: Kyrgyz Director Takes on Chinghiz Aitmatov

At 25, Kanybek Kalmatov is taking on a subject many older directors might have avoided: Chinghiz Aitmatov, Kyrgyzstan’s most internationally recognized writer and a figure deeply embedded in the country’s cultural identity. Kalmatov, a cinematographer and graduate of VGIK, the prestigious Moscow film school, is making his directorial debut with...

Exclave Exchanges, Energy Anger, and Tashiev’s Trial of the Century

00:00 / 00:00

Sunkar Podcast

Kazakhstan to Host 2027 Table Tennis World Championships

00:00 / 00:00

Opinions

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

UNDP Opinion: Central Asia – Shared Wildlife, Shared Landscapes, Shared Responsibility

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Opinion: Beyond Multivectorism – What Kyrgyzstan’s UN Security Council Win Really Shows

Zamirbek Minbaev

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

Business & Economy

Fuel Shortage

Uzbekistan Faces Fuel Shortage Pressure as Imports Rise

Central Asia is facing a new wave of tension in the market for fuels and lubricants. Shortages of gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel have affected the entire region to varying degrees, but the situation is developing differently in each country. For Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the problem is one of direct import dependence. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which have their own production and refining capacity, are in a more stable position. However, rapidly growing domestic demand is increasingly tying them to imports. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan is tightening domestic controls, building up reserves ahead of refinery...

Lithium

Kazakhstan Lithium Processing Method Tested on Low-Grade Ore

Fuel Supply

Kyrgyzstan Looks Beyond Russia as Fuel Squeeze Hits Central Asia

Foreign Investment

Kazakhstan Expands Technology Agenda, Inviting Investors into Space and Artificial Intelligence

Rogun Hydropower Plant

World Bank Approves New $300 Million Grant for Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydropower Project

Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory

Kyrgyzstan Launches Tamchy Financial Zone to Attract Foreign Capital

Kyrgyzstan officially inaugurated the Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory (SFIT) on July 3 on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, marking the launch of a new investment zone designed to attract foreign capital and position the country as a regional financial and business hub. Located near the village of Tamchy and close to Issyk-Kul International Airport, the SFIT operates under a separate legal framework aimed at attracting domestic and international investment, improving Kyrgyzstan's investment climate, and supporting growth in manufacturing, tourism, wellness services, and transport infrastructure. The zone also features an independent international dispute resolution center operating under English common...

Tourism Development

Tashkent Tourism Infrastructure to Be Upgraded After 3 Million Visitors

Nearly three million foreign tourists have visited Tashkent since the start of the year, prompting authorities to plan a series of practical upgrades aimed at making the Uzbek capital easier to navigate on foot. The measures, discussed at a July 4 government meeting on Tashkent’s development, include free digital tourist maps, more public toilets, and an increase in waste bins across the city. According to official figures cited at the meeting, close to three million foreign visitors have travelled to Tashkent so far this year. Officials said many tourists explore Tashkent on foot. Authorities now plan to install free tourist...

Chinese Loan Agreement

Kyrgyzstan’s Eldik Bank Secures CNY 1 Billion Loan from China Development Bank

Kyrgyzstan’s state-owned Eldik Bank has signed a loan agreement worth 1 billion Chinese yuan (CNY), or about $147 million, with China Development Bank to finance priority projects and deepen economic cooperation between Bishkek and Beijing. The agreement was signed on July 2 by Eldik Bank Chairman Ulanbek Nogaev and China Development Bank President Tan Jiong. According to Eldik Bank, the funds will be used to finance small and medium-sized enterprises in infrastructure, green energy, industry, agriculture, and other priority sectors. The bank said the facility would give entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan access to long-term capital to modernize production and carry out...

Central Asian migrants

Russia Still Dominates Uzbek Remittances Despite Falling Share

Remittances to Uzbekistan continued to rise in the first quarter of 2026, even as Russia’s share of migrant transfers declined, according to a new labor market review by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan. Uzbek migrant workers sent home $3.8 billion in the first three months of the year, up 13% from the same period in 2025. Russia remained by far the largest source of those transfers, accounting for 72.4% of the total, but its share fell from 77.6% a year earlier. More than 1.63 million Uzbek citizens traveled abroad in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 11.6% compared...

Local Politics

Gender Quotas

Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Elections: What the 30% Quota Could Mean for Women in Parliament

Kazakhstan’s new Constitution entered into force on July 1. On August 23, voters will elect the country’s first unicameral Kurultai, a 145-member legislature that replaces the former Mazhilis and Senate. Political parties are already submitting their lists, with nominations open from July 2 to July 13. Those lists must meet an inclusion requirement that has taken on new significance under the new electoral system: at least 30% of candidates must come from three combined categories, women, young people, and people with disabilities. How many women will actually enter the new parliament will become clear only after the votes are counted....

Constitutional Reform

Kazakhstan’s Parliament Gives Way to New Kurultai Under Tokayev’s Constitutional Reset

Kazakhstan's Parliament

Kurultai Election Campaign Takes Shape in Parliament’s Final Budget Debate

Mary Power Outages

Power Outages in Turkmenistan Lead to Dismissals as Blackouts Continue

Healthcare

Tokayev Says Kazakhstan Offers Healthcare Benefits Unavailable in Some Western Countries

Kazakhstan Constitution

Tokayev Sets August 23 Election Date as Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Takes Effect

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared the start of a “new era” in the country’s history on July 1, as Kazakhstan’s new Constitution officially came into force following its approval in a nationwide referendum on March 15. “Today marks the beginning of a new era in the history of sovereign Kazakhstan. We are embarking on the path of steady progress, political and economic reforms, and large-scale modernization,” Tokayev said in an official address published on the presidential website. According to Tokayev, the new Constitution represents a fundamental restructuring of Kazakhstan’s political system and a transformation of the country’s key state and...

State-Controlled Religion

Turkmenistan’s Chief Mufti Replacement Recalls Earlier Dismissals

Only two people in Turkmenistan, the chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and the president, have what could be considered job security. Everyone else is expendable, at a moment’s notice, and that extends to the country’s top clergy. Turkmenistan has replaced the country’s top mufti, and while the reasons for the sudden move are not clear, the removal process is very familiar for Turkmenistan. Frantic Friday On June 19, the mufti of all Turkmenistan, Yalkap Hojagulyyev, led Friday prayers at the Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque in Gypjak, some 11 kilometers from the capital, Ashgabat. Saparmurat “Turkmenbashi” Niyazov was Turkmenistan’s first...

Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border

Chongara and Tash-Tobo: The Villages That Changed Countries Without Moving

About 2,500 people in Chongara and Tash-Tobo now live under Kyrgyz jurisdiction. The transfer reduces the number of Uzbek enclaves in Kyrgyzstan and clears the way for a much shorter road across the Batken Region. For Umitbek, the change first appeared online. Chongara, his home village, passed from Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Region into Kyrgyzstan when the legal border moved. “We are welcoming the decision with joy,” Umitbek told Azattyk. “Ninety-nine percent of our village is Kyrgyz.” Umitbek already holds a Kyrgyz passport, while many neighbors have Uzbek documents. Some households include citizens of both countries. The village has Kyrgyz and Uzbek...

Biometric Identification

Turkmen Passport Applicants Sent for Medical Certificates After Fingerprint Scanner Failures

Citizens of Turkmenistan applying for biometric passports or traveling abroad are facing technical failures during fingerprint collection, according to Turkmen.news. Because Migration Service equipment often fails to recognize fingerprint patterns, people are being forced to obtain special medical certificates confirming the “impossibility of undergoing fingerprinting.” According to the publication, the problem does not lie in the absence of fingerprints themselves, but in the operation of the scanners. Many applicants say the equipment is unable to capture data even when clearly visible papillary ridge patterns are present. As a result, citizens are trying different methods to improve the chances of a...

International Affairs

Bilateral Relations

Uzbekistan and Georgia Deepen Ties as Tashkent Eyes Black Sea Routes

Uzbekistan and Georgia have elevated their relations to a strategic partnership as Tashkent seeks wider access to Black Sea ports and new routes linking Central Asia with European markets. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, Mirziyoyev traveled to Georgia on a July 2-3 state visit aimed at expanding cooperation in trade, transport, investment, and regional connectivity. The visit concluded with the signing of a Strategic Partnership Declaration and a series of agreements designed to deepen political and economic ties. Uzbekistan and Georgia established diplomatic relations on August 19, 1994. Their cooperation was formalized a year later with the...

Central Asian migrants

Russia Still Dominates Uzbek Remittances Despite Falling Share

Humanitarian Aid

Twenty-Five Years Ago, Karimov and Powell Opened a Humanitarian Lifeline. Today, Global Support Wanes

Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict

Pakistani Airstrikes in Afghanistan Kill at Least 28 Civilians, UN Says

Tajik-Afghan Border

CSTO Says Tajik-Afghan Border Security Remains “Complicated”

Iran

Central Asian Governments Join Mourning for Iran’s Late Supreme Leader

Central Asian delegations have traveled to Iran for the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on Feb. 28, the first day of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. The gesture reflects how Central Asia countries want to preserve and expand longstanding ties with Iran, even as they build trade and diplomatic relationships with the United States. President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan expressed condolences and hopes for peace during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian inTehran on Friday, Tajikistan’s presidential office said. “It was noted that the volume of trade between the two countries has increased...

Strategic Partnership

Uzbekistan and Georgia Sign Strategic Partnership Declaration

Uzbekistan and Georgia have signed a declaration establishing strategic partnership relations, adding a new dimension to a relationship led by trade and Eurasian transit routes. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held talks on July 3 in Tbilisi during Mirziyoyev's state visit. The sides also exchanged agreements and memorandums on customs, digitalization, education, agriculture, tourism, environmental protection, labor migration, healthcare, and nuclear and radiation safety. The visit was the first by an Uzbek president to Georgia in 23 years. Mirziyoyev held talks with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili on July 2 and with Kobakhidze the following day. Before...

Tajik-Afghan Border

Chinese Workers Return to Tajik Highway Under Guard After Afghan Border Attacks

Chinese engineers and workers have returned to a highway site in eastern Tajikistan under armed protection. Their return restarts work on a road toward China that stopped after two attacks from Afghanistan killed five Chinese nationals in November. Tajikistan's Transport Ministry said Chinese specialists came back in April to the Kalai-Khumb to Vanj section of the Dushanbe-Kulma highway in Gorno-Badakhshan. They are advising local crews, pouring concrete, fitting tunnel lighting and completing other works. Ozodi said its correspondent saw Tajik special forces guarding Chinese workers in Darvaz in late May, but security officers did not allow photos or video. The...

Cross-Border Trade

New Kyrgyzstan Ship Registry Raises Oversight Questions

Kyrgyzstan is preparing to enter the global ship-registration market despite having no direct access to the sea, a move that could generate revenue but also expose the country to new regulatory and reputational risks. Kyrgyz lawmakers have adopted legislation allowing merchant ships to register under the national flag, giving the landlocked Central Asian country a potential foothold in an industry normally associated with maritime powers. Lawmakers approved the Merchant Shipping Code and related legislation in late June, including provisions for Kyrgyzstan's accession to 14 international conventions developed under the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Ministry of Economy and Commerce says...

Life & Culture

Census

Uzbekistan Census Reveals Bigger Population, Younger Pressure, and Planning Gaps

Uzbekistan's first full census since the Soviet era has found more than 810,000 people who were missing from the country's running estimates, shifting the baseline for schools, clinics, housing, labor forecasts, regional budgets, and agriculture. The preliminary results put Uzbekistan's population at 39,047,321 as of January 15, 2026. That was 810,617 more than the official estimate used at the start of the year. The gap is only 2.1% in percentage terms, but in practical terms it is the size of a major city. The count also shows a country that is larger, younger, and harder to plan for than regular...

Podcast

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

Art and Culture

Kanybek Kalmatov Interview: Kyrgyz Director Takes on Chinghiz Aitmatov

Nuclear Legacy

Kurchatov: Kazakhstan’s Atomic City Finds New Life After Nuclear Tests

Historical Research

Opinion: Scents of the Silk Road – Recreating the World of 1001 Nights

Obituary

Comedian Bakhtiyor Rahimov, Who Lamented Decline of Satire in Tajikistan, Dies

Tajik satirist Bakhtiyor Rahimov, whose comic performances lampooned daily life and sometimes touched on power, corruption and bureaucracy, has died after longstanding health problems. He was 56 years old, according to media reports. Rahimov, founder of a comedy group called Gharibsho Company and a fixture on Tajikistan’s comedy scene over several decades, had performed at a resort in the western city of Hisor on the night before his death on June 30. He was buried in his home village of Nojii Bolo, near Hisor. “The news saddened thousands of his fans. Indeed, the death of such an artist is a...

World Cup 2026

World Cup: Uzbek Referee Under Scrutiny After France-Paraguay Game

Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev has come under heavy criticism over a rough FIFA World Cup match between France and Paraguay, in which the South American side went for an especially physical approach. France won Saturday’s knockout game 1-0 on a penalty kick by Kylian Mbappé, but much of the post-match debate centered on whether Tantashev had lost control of a situation on the field that was often combative. While he handed out several yellow cards to France, the Paraguayan players didn’t get any during the game while engaging in physical confrontations that critics said should have been punished. Video showed...

Contemporary Ballet

Kazakhstan’s Astana Ballet Stages a Dance of Gold and Steppe Wind

The Astana Ballet hosted the premiere of Altyn Gul - The Secret of the Golden Tulip, a production that has drawn attention in the art community. In the new performance, archaeology and national mythology meet contemporary choreography in a single stage narrative. The theater’s chief choreographer, Abubakhrieva Mukaram Saidakimovna, known professionally as Mukaram Avakhri, an Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, turned to one of the most recognizable symbols of the Kazakh steppe, the wild tulip, transforming it into a metaphor for memory, continuity, and the search for identity. From the first minutes, the audience was captivated by the beauty of the...

Venice Biennale

The Works That Waited: Uzbek Artist Vyacheslav Akhunov in Venice

Central Asia has made a striking impression at this year’s Venice Biennale. At the 61st International Art Exhibition, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have each claimed visible space through national pavilions that speak to different realities: environmental devastation, shifting cultural identity, memory, and the long afterlife of Soviet power. The national pavilions are essential viewing for art lovers. During the Biennale, Venice also fills with officially recognized exhibitions outside the main venues and national pavilions. Known as Collateral Events, these shows are staged across the city in palaces, churches, foundations, and museums. Among the most compelling this season is “Instruments of...

Justice

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Court Convicts Former Security Chief Tashiyev, Parliamentary Speaker, and Six Others

The trial of high-ranking Kyrgyz officials accused of plotting to overthrow the government concluded on July 2. All eight defendants, including the former chief of Kyrgyzstan’s security service and the former speaker of parliament, were found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. However, none will actually serve any prison time as the court ordered them all placed on probation for the next three years. The Letter of 75 It all started on February 9, 2026, when a group of 75 people, including former state officials, released an open letter calling on President Sadyr Japarov and Speaker of Parliament...

Road Accidents

Highway Crash in Tajikistan Kills Eleven

Child Online Safety

Uzbekistan Weighs Social Media Restrictions for Children Under 16

Anti-Corruption

Uzbekistan Creates Corruption Convicts Registry in Anti-Graft Overhaul

Women's Rights

Dushanbe Opens Criminal Cases Over Underage Marriage in Tajikistan

Iran Espionage

Israel Arrests Man From Tajikistan Suspected of Spying for Iran

Israeli police said Thursday that a suspect from Tajikistan who holds a Russian passport had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran during the recent war. The suspect, identified as Behrouz Sobirgon, was arrested last month “on suspicion of security offenses involving contact with Iranian intelligence agencies and carrying out security missions under their direction,” police said on Telegram. “The investigation revealed that the suspect maintained contact with an Iranian foreign agent, with most of his security activity taking place during the 'Roaring Lion' war, when he sought to assist Iran in achieving operational gains and advancing its goals...

Digital Rights

Turkmenistan Fines Citizens Over Social Media Likes as Digital Controls Tighten

Authorities in Turkmenistan have tightened control over citizens’ online activity, with district courts in Ashgabat reportedly hearing administrative cases daily against people accused of liking or commenting on posts critical of the government on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms. The cases were reported by Chronicles of Turkmenistan. The platforms in question remain inaccessible in Turkmenistan without VPN services, which the government has systematically tried to block. According to available information, security services are identifying citizens who regularly visit banned online resources. Those individuals are then summoned to police stations, where they are interrogated and warned about the consequences...

EU-Turkmenistan Relations

EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue Presses Ashgabat on Rights

The European Union used its latest human rights dialogue with Turkmenistan to press Ashgabat on the gap between outward engagement and domestic control. The 18th annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue was held in Ashgabat on June 22. It came during a period of slightly more visible contact between Turkmenistan and the outside world, including a rare visit by a Reuters reporting team earlier this year. Reuters said its journalists were able to travel unescorted and report freely, an unusual development in a country long known for strict visa controls and heavily managed media access. Whether that points to a genuine...

Surrogacy Recruitment

Central Asian Women Recruited Into Georgia’s Surrogacy Market via Social Media

Women from Central Asia are being recruited into Georgia’s surrogacy market through social media, adding a new labor channel to an industry already under pressure from foreign demand and inadequate supervision. A University of Oxford study published in Mobilities identifies Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in that recruitment chain. The author, Dr. Polina Vlasenko of Oxford’s Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), carried out fieldwork in Kazakhstan and Georgia between 2023 and 2024, drawing on more than 100 interviews across the surrogacy and egg donation market. Georgia has allowed surrogacy since 1997. Under Article 143 of the Law of...

Environment

Global Plastic Pollution Treaty

Kazakhstan Participates in Negotiations on Global Treaty to Combat Plastic Pollution

Kazakhstan set out its approach to a planned global treaty on plastic pollution at informal talks held from June 30 to July 3 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya. Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Zhomart Aliyev led Kazakhstan’s participation in the meeting of heads of delegation to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which is developing a legally binding international agreement to combat plastic pollution. Kazakhstan's delegation presented the country’s national approaches to the key elements of the future treaty and took an active part in discussions on possible ways of bridging differences among participating states. The Nairobi...

Water Security

Kyrgyzstan’s Water Compensation Push Tests Central Asian Unity

Flood Risk

Tajikistan Warns of Mudslides as Central Asia Expands Flood Cooperation

Climate Change

Kyrgyzstan Mudflows Surge Past 2024 Total as Officials Warn of Climate Risks

Pest Control

Rats Reported at Turkmen Presidential Residence Near Ashgabat

Climate Change

Central Asia Disaster Risks Prompt Joint Mudflow and Flood Plan

Central Asian countries are working on a joint plan to reduce the damage caused by floods and mudflows, as officials and environmental specialists warn that natural disasters are costing the region around $10 billion a year. The proposed roadmap was discussed at a regional meeting in Bishkek on June 24-26, attended by representatives of all five Central Asian states, the World Bank, and several UN bodies. The plan focuses on transboundary mudflows and floods, where risks often cannot be managed by one country alone. According to Kazakhstan’s state broadcaster 24KZ, experts at the meeting said disaster-related losses in Central Asia...

Water Security

New Study Finds Sharp Decline in Amu Darya Flows

Central Asia’s water woes continue to grow worse. The water flow in the Amu Darya, one of Central Asia’s two great rivers, is slowly but significantly diminishing in Tajikistan, where the river originates. A recently released report shows the Amu Darya’s water flow in the middle and lower reaches in Tajikistan has fallen over the course of recent decades by 54-77%. And the report lays the blame firmly on human activity, not climate change. Up In the Mountains of Tajikistan The study published on ScienceDirect looked at data collected over 90 years and concludes that “streamflow decreased by 54–77% in...

Uranium

Kyrgyzstan Moves to Introduce Unified Monitoring System for Uranium Waste Sites

Kyrgyzstan is preparing to introduce a unified national system for radiological monitoring of former uranium production sites, tailings storage facilities, and other radioactive waste locations, shifting the focus from cleanup work to long-term oversight of Soviet-era uranium legacy sites. The draft resolution, published for public discussion by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, would establish a single framework for monitoring reclaimed uranium sites across the country. Under the proposed rules, state monitoring would cover protective engineering structures, surface and groundwater, soil, atmospheric air, and other environmental components surrounding radioactive sites. The ministry said the initiative was developed...

Flood Forecasting

U.S. Companies to Help Kazakhstan Improve Snow Monitoring and Flood Forecasting

United States-based aviation technology firms Dynamic Aviation and Airborne Snow Observatories Inc. will work with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to improve snow monitoring, spring runoff forecasts, and early flood warnings, as the country seeks to avoid a repeat of the devastating floods of 2024. The cooperation program was discussed last week during talks between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Water Resources Minister Aslan Abdraimov and representatives of the two American companies, according to the ministry. The project will use aerial monitoring technologies to collect data from river basins, prepare cartographic materials and analytical reports, and integrate that information into Kazakhstan’s...

Kyrgyzstan Looks Beyond Russia as Fuel Squeeze Hits Central Asia

Latest

Features

Features

Exclave Exchanges, Energy Anger, and Tashiev’s Trial of the Century

Latest

Sunkar Podcast

Exclave Exchanges, Energy Anger, and Tashiev’s Trial of the Century

Sunkar Podcast

Opinions

Opinions

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Zamirbek Minbaev

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ken Moriyasu

Sergey Akhmetov

Timur Serikuly

Matthew Davies

Timur Serikuly

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Uzbekistan Faces Fuel Shortage Pressure as Imports Rise

Kyrgyzstan Launches Tamchy Financial Zone to Attract Foreign Capital

Tashkent Tourism Infrastructure to Be Upgraded After 3 Million Visitors

Kyrgyzstan’s Eldik Bank Secures CNY 1 Billion Loan from China Development Bank

Russia Still Dominates Uzbek Remittances Despite Falling Share

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Elections: What the 30% Quota Could Mean for Women in Parliament

Tokayev Sets August 23 Election Date as Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Takes Effect

Turkmenistan’s Chief Mufti Replacement Recalls Earlier Dismissals

Chongara and Tash-Tobo: The Villages That Changed Countries Without Moving

Turkmen Passport Applicants Sent for Medical Certificates After Fingerprint Scanner Failures

International Affairs

International Affairs

Uzbekistan and Georgia Deepen Ties as Tashkent Eyes Black Sea Routes

Central Asian Governments Join Mourning for Iran’s Late Supreme Leader

Uzbekistan and Georgia Sign Strategic Partnership Declaration

Chinese Workers Return to Tajik Highway Under Guard After Afghan Border Attacks

New Kyrgyzstan Ship Registry Raises Oversight Questions

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Uzbekistan Census Reveals Bigger Population, Younger Pressure, and Planning Gaps

Comedian Bakhtiyor Rahimov, Who Lamented Decline of Satire in Tajikistan, Dies

World Cup: Uzbek Referee Under Scrutiny After France-Paraguay Game

Kazakhstan’s Astana Ballet Stages a Dance of Gold and Steppe Wind

The Works That Waited: Uzbek Artist Vyacheslav Akhunov in Venice

Justice

Justice

Kyrgyz Court Convicts Former Security Chief Tashiyev, Parliamentary Speaker, and Six Others