Draft - The Times Of Central Asia

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UN General Assembly

At the UN, Mirziyoyeva Champions “Human Dignity” as Central Asia Seeks a Greater Voice

Uzbekistan called for a more effective United Nations and sought support for its Security Council candidacy during the General Assembly’s September 23 debate. Delivering the national address, presidential administration chief Saida Mirziyoyeva urged countries to work together despite deepening international divisions. “Our choice is human dignity,” said Mirziyoyeva. “Openness does not mean weakness.” Speaking in Uzbek at the Assembly’s 81st session in New York, she argued that a country’s strength should be judged by its ability to protect people’s rights and interests. The message offered a basis for cooperation beyond competing geopolitical camps, with particular emphasis on young people’s opportunities to study and shape their futures. [caption id="attachment_56825" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Image: Saida Mirziyoyeva/Telegram[/caption] A Larger Role at the UN Mirziyoyeva sought support for Uzbekistan’s candidacy for a nonpermanent Security Council seat in 2035–2036. She also highlighted the country’s forthcoming chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027, presenting it as an opportunity to widen dialogue during a period of international tension. She backed the secretary-general’s UN80 reform initiative and an expanded Security Council, arguing that the organization needed greater capacity to prevent conflict and implement its decisions. Her appeal was for international rules that apply consistently, rather than changing with the interests of powerful states. That concern also ran through Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s address, although he focused on unilateral sanctions and their impact on developing countries. The two speeches approached the issue differently, but both sought stronger multilateral protections for states with limited influence over the restrictions and conflicts affecting them. Kyrgyzstan has already secured its first Security Council seat for 2027–2028, giving Bishkek a vote on the sanctions and security decisions Japarov criticized. Afghanistan and Regional Cooperation Mirziyoyeva pointed to improving relations among neighboring Central Asian states as evidence that political will can help resolve longstanding disputes. She said disagreements over borders and water had increasingly given way to cooperation, with countries coming to see one another as partners. She applied the same argument to Afghanistan, warning against treating the country solely as a source of danger or abandoning its people to their difficulties. Her emphasis was on giving Afghans the prospect of peaceful development. Kazakhstan’s UN agenda also extends to Afghanistan through the regional Sustainable Development Goals center in Almaty, established to serve Central Asia and Afghanistan. Alongside its longstanding nuclear disarmament priorities, Kazakhstan is promoting cooperation on water security and has proposed an international water organization within the UN system. Measuring Progress in People’s Lives Mirziyoyeva linked her foreign policy message to Uzbekistan’s domestic reforms, citing economic growth and wider access to education. She said the economy had expanded from $50 billion to $147 billion over a decade and that poverty had fallen to 4%, presenting the figures as evidence of improvements in living standards. “The true value of reforms is reflected in people’s lives. Especially in children’s lives,” she said. She outlined forthcoming discussions with the UN Population Fund on demographic stability and human capital, and an international gathering in Samarkand in October focused on children’s...

Swimming

Tashkent to Host Uzbekistan’s First Swimming World Cup Event

Tashkent will host a World Aquatics Swimming World Cup event for the first time from October 8 to 10, as Uzbekistan prepares to join the international swimming circuit. The competition will be the second leg of the 2026 Swimming World Cup, which World Aquatics has branded the Silk Road Tour. The series begins in Baku on October 1 before moving to Tashkent and concluding in Astana from October 15 to 17. More than 750 swimmers representing over 50 national federations are expected to compete across the three events. The series has a total prize pool of $1.2 million, with additional bonuses available for world records and swimmers who win the same event at all three stops. The tour will also serve as preparation for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), which will be held in Beijing from December 1 to 6. Competition in Tashkent will take place at the Aquatic Palace in the capital’s new Olympic City. World Aquatics officials inspected the venue in January as preparations for the event continued. “Taking the Swimming World Cup to Uzbekistan for the first time ever is a very exciting milestone for World Aquatics,” World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam said. Tashkent has previously hosted international competitions in other aquatic disciplines, including World Aquatics artistic swimming events in 2017 and 2018. The October competition will mark Uzbekistan’s first appearance as a host on the Swimming World Cup circuit.

Artificial Intelligence

Kazakhstan Navigates Rival U.S. and China AI Frameworks

Kazakhstan has found itself in an unusual position as the technological rivalry between the United States and China intensifies. Within a matter of weeks, Astana first joined the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative and then became a founding member of the Beijing-backed World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO). Washington is now preparing to warn countries aligned with its AI strategy that participation in competing frameworks may be incompatible, Reuters has reported. For Kazakhstan, such a choice would be uncomfortable for more than political reasons. The United States is home to many of the world’s leading AI and semiconductor companies and offers access to investment and advanced technology. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, has critical mineral reserves that Washington is keen to bring into secure supply chains. China is next door, remains one of Kazakhstan’s leading trading partners, and offers countries without their own advanced technologies broader access to Chinese developments. Zamir Karazhanov, a political scientist and director of the Kemel Arna Public Foundation, believes Kazakhstan is unlikely to abandon cooperation with China on artificial intelligence. Much, he says, will depend on how far Washington is prepared to go and whether technological alignment becomes a condition for continued partnership with the United States. Pax Silica was launched by Washington in late 2025. Despite its name, the initiative goes far beyond silicon and chips. It covers the supply chains and physical infrastructure underpinning AI, including critical minerals, semiconductors, energy, and computing capacity. Kazakhstan officially joined Pax Silica on June 25, 2026, becoming the first Central Asian country to enter the initiative. The accession declaration was signed in Washington by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev. For Kazakhstan, participation also has a tangible economic dimension: the country has a substantial mineral resource base needed for high-tech manufacturing. The Times of Central Asia has previously examined why joining Pax Silica could help Kazakhstan attract foreign investment into mining, energy, data centers, and manufacturing for the AI economy. U.S. interest in Kazakhstan’s mineral resources predates Pax Silica. In June, Astana hosted a C5+1 critical minerals dialogue involving representatives of all five Central Asian states and U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor. The American side spoke openly about expanding cooperation with the region on secure supply chains. But in July, Astana took another step, this time toward Beijing. Kazakhstan became one of 29 founding members of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. The agreement establishing WAICO was signed in Shanghai, where the organization will also be headquartered. Beijing has presented the new organization as a mechanism for international cooperation on AI governance and narrowing the technological gap between countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also promoted China’s open-weight AI models as a more accessible alternative for countries that cannot afford or easily access leading proprietary systems. However, Beijing is also considering restrictions on overseas access to some of China’s leading AI models. In July, Xi Jinping pitched WAICO as part of China’s effort to advance its own model of global...

Wheat

Kazakhstan Flour Exports Surge as Afghanistan Drives Demand

Kazakhstan is heading for its strongest wheat flour export season in years, reviving an industry that once made the country the world's largest flour exporter. Exports are forecast to reach 2.12 million tonnes in the 2025/26 marketing year, according to Yevgeny Karabanov, chairman of the Analytics Committee of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan. Shipments had already reached 1.87 million tonnes after ten months, up 18.3% from a year earlier. That is a substantial volume by global standards. Kazakhstan exported 1.88 million tonnes of wheat flour in 2024, making it the world's second-largest exporter by volume after Turkey. The country has been an even bigger player in the past: around 15 years ago, Kazakhstan was the world's leading flour exporter, although its share of the market subsequently declined as competitors expanded their own milling industries. Afghanistan is central to the current recovery. In 2024, it bought about 1.23 million tonnes of Kazakh flour, roughly two-thirds of Kazakhstan's total exports, and Karabanov said shipments increased by a further 21.5% during the first ten months of the current season. Wheat flour is simply wheat that has been milled into the powder used to make bread and other foods, but the distinction matters for Kazakhstan. Exporting flour allows Kazakh companies to carry out the processing – and retain more of the value – before the product crosses the border. Exporting raw wheat leaves that business to mills in the importing country. That shift is already visible in Uzbekistan. Its purchases of Kazakh flour fell 15.8% during the period cited by Karabanov, while its imports of Kazakh wheat rose by 35%, as more grain is processed domestically. Afghanistan may eventually move in the same direction: its government has raised the tariff on imported flour while lowering duties on wheat in an effort to support domestic mills. Wheat imports subsequently jumped sharply in March and April. For now, however, Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on its neighbors for basic food supplies. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated its cereal import requirement at 3.7 million tonnes in 2025/26, mostly wheat flour, citing limited domestic milling capacity. Dry conditions have also affected Afghan wheat production. Meanwhile, Pakistan closed its main Torkham and Chaman border crossings after clashes in October, disrupting another important Afghan trade route. Kazakhstan's flour revival forms part of a wider increase in agricultural exports. From September 2025 to July 30, 2026, the country exported 13.9 million tonnes of grain and flour in grain equivalent, up 12.6% year-on-year, with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan among the main destinations. The growth also fits Kazakhstan's broader attempt to make more money from its grain before exporting it. Earlier, The Times of Central Asia reported that the country plans to increase its grain deep-processing capacity nearly tenfold by 2028, targeting products with greater added value than raw grain.

Tungsten

Kazakhstan Tungsten Project Targets 2028 Production Amid Questions Over Ownership

A tungsten project first launched more than a decade ago in northern Kazakhstan is targeting commercial production from 2028, as the country draws growing international attention for minerals used in defence and advanced manufacturing. Kazakh company Esil-Mining plans to develop the Aksoran tungsten-molybdenum deposit using underground mining, with preparatory work beginning in 2027 and production scheduled for the following year, according to mining industry portal Qazba. The mine is designed to process up to one million tonnes of ore a year. Tungsten is prized for its exceptional hardness and heat resistance, and is used in cutting tools, high-strength alloys, electronics, and defence and aerospace equipment. Aksoran's reserves are estimated at 13.9 million tonnes of ore, containing about 61,900 tonnes of tungsten trioxide, alongside smaller quantities of molybdenum. The overall project is planned to run for 16 years, including 13 years of commercial mining, with construction of a processing plant scheduled for 2027. The ownership of the project, however, is less straightforward than some reports suggest. Esil-Mining’s sole owner is Resources Enterprise Limited, which Kursiv described as a British company, however, The Times of Central Asia was unable to independently verify an active UK company under that name. Indeed, there are also indications of Chinese involvement in the project. In 2024, Qazinform, citing Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction, listed Aksoran among 15 joint Kazakhstan-China investment projects. Esil-Mining’s director had previously said in 2017 that the company was seeking investors and was particularly interested in cooperation with China. Aksoran also sits in an environmentally sensitive location. The deposit is outside Kokshetau National Park itself but within its two-kilometre protection zone. Kazakhstan banned mineral exploration and extraction in national-park buffer zones in 2021; Esil-Mining’s mining licence was issued a year earlier, however, allowing the project to proceed under the earlier rules. China dominates global tungsten production, accounting for about 83% of mined output in 2023, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That concentration has increased Western interest in alternative sources of the metal, while Kazakhstan is trying to bring more of its critical-mineral deposits into commercial production. Aksoran is considerably smaller than Kazakhstan’s most prominent internationally backed tungsten project. U.S.-based Cove Kaz Capital Group and state mining company Tau-Ken Samruk are developing the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty deposits in the Karaganda Region, which together contain a reported 1.4 million tonnes of tungsten trioxide. Cove holds 70% of the venture and Tau-Ken Samruk 30%, with the project intended in part to supply U.S. industrial and defence markets.

Power Grid

Central Asia Electricity Demand Surges in Summer Power Reckoning

At 5:22 p.m. on July 20, after days of extreme heat, Uzbekistan's electricity system hit its highest load on record. Air conditioners were running on overdrive across the country as demand reached 14.2 gigawatts. Over the full day, consumers used 301.9 million kWh, almost 11% more than the previous year's summer peak. The pressure was visible elsewhere. In Kyrgyzstan, electricity consumption jumped 18% year-on-year on July 19. Parts of Bishkek and the Chui Region lost power for periods of up to two hours as operators tried to stop overloaded equipment from failing. In Almaty, where temperatures reached 40°C, 35 repair crews were deployed as record demand triggered faults across parts of the city's electricity network. Central Asia has spent years preparing for power shortages during freezing winters. July demonstrated that 40°C-plus summer days can now pose a different version of the same problem. The Demand Problem Governments across Central Asia have largely approached energy shortages from the supply side: more generation, new plants, stronger transmission, and greater investment. The summer peak exposed another weakness, however: demand is rising faster than many networks can comfortably absorb it. The pressure comes from new apartment blocks, shopping centers, construction sites, cooling systems, and the rapid spread of air conditioning. In Tashkent, Almaty, Bishkek, and other expanding cities, hotter summers also intensify the urban heat-island effect as concrete and glass retain heat and increase cooling demand. Much of the region's electricity infrastructure was built for a different pattern of consumption. That makes demand-side management increasingly important alongside new generation. Building another plant increases the amount of electricity available, but does little by itself to control when households and businesses consume it. Efficiency standards, more responsive tariffs, modern metering, and investment in distribution networks will become more important as peak demand rises. Four Systems, Shared Pressure Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are not facing identical problems, but July highlighted a common vulnerability: electricity systems are being asked to meet demand patterns for which they were not originally designed. Kazakhstan is pursuing major long-term additions to generation. In May 2026, it signed a $16.5 billion agreement with Russia's Rosatom for its first nuclear power plant near Lake Balkhash. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the first reactor scheduled for commissioning in early 2034. For a coal-heavy system facing rising demand, the baseload argument is clear. But new capacity will take years to arrive. Tariff reform and modernization of existing infrastructure remain politically sensitive, especially if households are asked to pay more before improvements in reliability become visible. Uzbekistan is racing to add capacity, especially solar, in response to a rapidly growing population and dwindling gas reserves. Solar can reduce daytime strain and free gas for other uses, but it does not resolve the evening peak. Cooling demand can remain high after sunset, when solar output falls. Without sufficient storage, flexible backup generation, and stronger transmission and distribution networks, rapid additions of renewable capacity can coexist with local shortages and outages. Uzbekistan's July records underline the...