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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...

UN General Assembly

Central Asia at the UN: Iran Threats and Sanctions Disputes

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to “annihilate” Iran brought the vulnerability of Central Asia’s southern trade routes into focus as the UN General Assembly’s general debate opened in New York. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov challenged unilateral sanctions, while diplomacy over Ukraine raised the prospect of a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. For landlocked Central Asia, these developments carry consequences far beyond the speeches. Iranian ports provide access to overseas markets, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan rely heavily on fuel from Russian refineries, and restrictions on international payments can complicate commerce even where transport links remain intact. Iran and Access to the Sea Addressing the General Assembly on September 22, Trump presented a choice between reaching an agreement with Tehran and carrying out his threat to “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly.” He also predicted that an agreement could follow the U.S. midterm elections, while defending U.S. military action against Iran. [caption id="attachment_56719" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Image: UN[/caption] That framing leaves Central Asian countries facing costs regardless of their position on Tehran. Iran provides overland connections to ports serving the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Damage to Iranian infrastructure can therefore disrupt trade between Central Asia and countries that are not parties to the conflict. Uzbekistan’s exposure illustrates the distinction. According to its Ministry of Economy and Finance, goods worth $3.9 billion entered Uzbekistan through Iran in 2025. That represented about 9% of total imports, including approximately $1 billion in technological equipment. Uzbek exports transiting Iran were worth another $1.4 billion. Those figures measure transit, not simply purchases from Iranian suppliers. Pressure intended to isolate Tehran can also obstruct Uzbekistan’s access to equipment and customers elsewhere. Kazakhstan has also sought a larger southern outlet. A 27-year agreement provides for a Kazakh transport and logistics terminal at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade says the project would expand access to Gulf markets and destinations in Asia and East Africa. The risks differ by port. Bandar Abbas faces the Strait of Hormuz, while Chabahar sits on the Gulf of Oman, outside the strait. Both depend on Iranian infrastructure and remain exposed to the wider conflict and sanctions environment. Developing alternative routes does not make these southern connections dispensable. Nor is exposure uniform. Kazakh officials have emphasized the limited existing role of Persian Gulf shipments in the country’s logistics. For Astana, the threat concerns future diversification as well as current trade. For Uzbekistan, the transit figures show a substantial flow already at risk. Tajikistan, meanwhile, has sought 2.55 million tons of Iranian crude oil and fuel following shortages in Russian supplies. Its search for an alternative leaves Dushanbe exposed to two conflicts, with attacks on Russian refineries disrupting its established supplier, and the conflict involving Iran threatening a potential replacement. Japarov Challenges Sanctions In his General Assembly address, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov argued that unilateral sanctions harm smaller developing states and can become instruments of political pressure. “The right to impose sanctions against a particular state should, in our view,...

Cold War

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

Central Asia’s contemporary security dilemma is partly rooted in Cold War strategies that transformed Muslim identity into a factor of geopolitical competition. Washington viewed Soviet Central Asia’s Muslim populations as a potential pressure point against Moscow. The Soviet Union itself mobilized Central Asian Muslim personnel during its intervention in Afghanistan. These policies did not alone create later radical movements, but they contributed to a regional environment where existing grievances, ideological narratives, and transnational networks could be redirected and intensified. The origins of Washington’s interest in Soviet Muslim populations as a strategic factor emerged during the final years of the Cold War. In 1977, the Nationalities Working Group, an interagency task force within the National Security Council, was established to examine vulnerabilities among the Soviet Union’s non-Russian nationalities. Declassified U.S. records show that American officials studied ethnic, cultural, and religious identities as possible sources of pressure against Moscow. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, this approach became part of Washington’s broader effort to weaken Soviet influence. Through Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the United States provided assistance to Afghan resistance organizations, while Saudi Arabia contributed significant financial support. Pakistan’s military government under General Zia-ul-Haq favored Islamist factions among Afghan resistance groups, helping connect military assistance with religious mobilization against Soviet forces. During his visit to the Khyber Pass in early February 1980, U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski addressed Afghan resistance fighters, declaring: "That land over there is yours. You will go back to it one day because your cause is right and God is on your side." The remarks reflected how the anti-Soviet struggle was framed not only in geopolitical terms but also through religious language and symbolism. [caption id="attachment_56711" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Soviet T-62 tank leaving Afghanistan; image: U.S. Department of Defense.[/caption] The Afghan conflict was also fought through education and information campaigns. Between 1986 and 1992, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded an approximately $50 million educational program through the University of Nebraska–Omaha’s Center for Afghanistan Studies for Afghan refugees and schools. Research has shown that some textbooks incorporated violent imagery, references to weapons and combat, and themes glorifying holy war and the duty of martyrdom. Produced for wartime Afghanistan, these materials reflected, and arguably helped sustain, a militarized ideological environment. Islamic religious life in Central Asia had its own deeper roots. Despite Soviet restrictions, religious learning survived through underground hujra networks and unofficial scholarship. Figures such as Muhammadjon Hindustoniy-Rustamov, born in the Fergana Valley and later one of Soviet Central Asia’s most influential unofficial Islamic scholars, shaped generations of students even as Afghanistan became an arena of international rivalry during the 1980s. Moscow also used Central Asian Muslim identity for strategic purposes. The 154th Separate Spetsnaz Detachment, known as the “Muslim Battalion,” was composed largely of Uzbek, Tajik, and Turkmen soldiers from the Soviet Turkestan Military District. The unit participated in Operation Storm-333 in December 1979, the Soviet operation that killed Afghan President Hafizullah Amin and installed Babrak Karmal. The selection of Central Asian...

U.S.-Kyrgyzstan Relations

President Japarov Pursues U.S. Partnerships in Utah and New York

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov attended the opening of the United Nations General Assembly’s general debate in New York on Tuesday. His program in the city began with business meetings on Monday, following an earlier stop in Utah. Japarov was welcomed at UN headquarters by Secretary-General António Guterres and was scheduled to address delegates on the opening day. On Monday, Japarov met executives from Wabtec, an American locomotive manufacturer. During the meeting, a contract was signed for the purchase of 10 freight locomotives for Kyrgyzstan’s state railway company. Delivery is expected by the end of 2027. Japarov said the purchase would modernize about 30% of the company’s fleet and instructed officials to examine its full renewal within five years. He said additional locomotive capacity would be needed once the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is completed. Later that day, Japarov visited StoneX Group for talks on precious-metals trading and international settlements. StoneX and Eldik Bank signed a memorandum. Japarov also met Citibank Managing Director Stephanie von Friedeburg. Their talks covered correspondent banking and access to international financial infrastructure. Citibank signed separate memoranda with the Finance Ministry and the two state lenders, Eldik Bank and ABank. The possibility of opening a branch in Kyrgyzstan was also discussed. Japarov began his visit to the United States in Utah, arriving in Salt Lake City on September 18. The following day, he met Governor Spencer Cox and toured the Utah State Capitol with state Senate President Stuart Adams. Adams had invited him during an April trade mission to Kyrgyzstan. The Utah program drew on the mountain geography shared by the two places. At Utah Olympic Park, Japarov examined venues from the 2002 Winter Olympics and preparations for Salt Lake City’s 2034 Games. He later visited Deer Valley to study its investment and year-round resort model, which Kyrgyz officials are considering for the Ala-Too Resort project. The Utah stop also brought Japarov together with Ladd Howell, captain of the U.S. kok-boru team at this month’s World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan. Howell was among those who welcomed him on the tarmac in Salt Lake City. During the visit, he presented Japarov with his Team USA jersey and cowboy hat. Japarov grinned and gave a thumbs-up as Howell settled the hat on his head, a warm exchange after a tournament in which the American captain had scored six of his team’s seven points in a 16-7 defeat to Kyrgyzstan.

Food Security

Interview: Berik Aryn on Kazakhstan’s Role in a Regional Food Reserve

Kazakhstan could anchor a Central Asian food reserve intended to help participating countries respond to shortages without giving up control of their national stocks. The proposal comes from the Astana-based Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), an institution affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Rather than establish a single supranational stockpile, it would connect existing national reserves through agreed rules for monitoring supplies and releasing food during a crisis. Food security is closely tied to water in Central Asia, where irrigation depends on rivers shared across borders. The five states are already seeking an agreement on regional water management, while climate change is making supplies less predictable. IOFS Director General Berik Aryn, who has led the organization since April 2024, was previously Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia and permanent representative to the OIC. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, he explains what must happen before the reserve becomes operational, why Kazakhstan is central to the plan, and how international support for Afghanistan could move from emergency aid toward agricultural recovery. TCA: During periods of severe water scarcity, how should Central Asian states reconcile the competing demands of agriculture, energy, and ecosystems? Should food security guide interstate decisions on water allocation? Berik Aryn: Food security is a fundamental pillar of regional stability and human dignity, and IOFS firmly believes it must be recognized as a core criterion in interstate water allocation decisions, particularly during periods of acute scarcity. However, in the complex landscape of Central Asia, food security cannot be treated in isolation. It is part of an inseparable water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus. To reconcile these competing demands during severe droughts, regional mechanisms must move away from zero-sum competition over water volumes. Instead, the focus must shift toward mutual optimization, safeguarding basic human needs, protecting vital ecological flows, and honoring energy requirements through holistic, cross-sectoral cooperation. To achieve this reconciliation in practice, Central Asian states would benefit from a formal, data-driven regional drought management framework. IOFS advocates for a strategy in which water allocation during crises is guided by real-time hydrological data, transparent information exchange, and joint seasonal forecasting. Rather than asking nations to compromise on their development goals, the solution lies in maximizing water productivity. By investing in modern transboundary irrigation infrastructure, broadly deploying water-saving technologies, including drip irrigation, adopting digital precision agriculture, and transitioning to high-yield, drought-resistant crops, the region can significantly reduce water losses. Headquartered in Astana, IOFS stands ready to mobilize international green investment and facilitate technology transfers to help Central Asian states transform water challenges into a shared opportunity for long-term food security and climate resilience. TCA: IOFS has developed a model for regional food reserves and is considering a pilot involving Central Asian and other OIC states. How close is the initiative to implementation, and what obstacles remain? Aryn: The establishment of the OIC Regional Food Security Reserve represents a flagship institutional milestone for IOFS and is aimed at developing a more flexible and interconnected regional mechanism for responding to food crises....

UN General Assembly

Central Asia at the UN: Saida Mirziyoyeva to Represent Uzbekistan

Saida Mirziyoyeva, the head of Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration and daughter of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is expected to deliver the country’s address at the UN General Assembly’s general debate in New York. Her appearance comes as Central Asian delegations seek support for regional development and prepare for a larger role in UN diplomacy. On September 22, Gazeta reported that Mirziyoyeva would represent Uzbekistan in the debate. Her father delivered the country’s address last year. The report did not specify the proposals she would present. Mirziyoyeva met UN Secretary-General António Guterres on September 21. Her public account described discussions on cooperation with the UN, but provided no detailed negotiating agenda. The assignment follows her appointment as administration chief in June 2025, when the president restored a post abolished two years earlier. She had previously served as his assistant. This month, Mirziyoyev also appointed her to head the planned Tashkent International Financial Centre, which aims to attract private capital through tax incentives and a legal framework drawing on English common law principles. Mirziyoyeva’s UN appearance adds a major diplomatic assignment to her domestic responsibilities. She has addressed UN events before, including a water conference in 2023. Delivering Uzbekistan’s national statement in the General Assembly would give her a broader platform to present government policy. What is On the Agenda The general debate runs from September 22 to 26 and resumes on September 28. It is the centerpiece of the General Assembly’s high-level week, when world leaders address the UN and hold bilateral talks on the sidelines. The gathering is based at UN headquarters in New York, with additional events around the city. This year’s theme is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.” Practical discussions include reforming the organization and financing development. The European Council’s published priorities call for a more effective, cost-efficient UN and stronger international peace and security mechanisms. The week also brings diplomacy over the war in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in New York to press for a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, Reuters reported. Those talks take place amid continuing strikes on power facilities and refineries. The week’s program includes separate meetings on climate action and a just transition on September 23, according to Kazakhstan Today. Pandemic prevention and preparedness will be discussed on September 25. Central Asia in New York The region’s countries are attending at different political levels. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov is in New York after visiting Utah. His announced program combines participation in the UN gathering with meetings with national leaders and U.S. businesses. On September 21, Japarov met financial services group StoneX. The meeting produced memoranda involving Kyrgyzstan’s Finance Ministry and Eldik Bank, following discussions about precious metals trading and access to international financial services. Kyrgyzstan is also preparing for its 2027–2028 Security Council term. In a recent interview with The Times of Central Asia, Shumkarbek Adilbek uulu, director of the National Institute for Strategic Initiatives, described efforts to secure financing for...