International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 2020

Mirziyoyev in Turkey

Uzbekistan and Turkey Set $5 Billion Trade Target at Strategic Council Meeting in Ankara

At the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Turkey on January 29, marking a new phase in the deepening partnership between the two nations. The visit was centered around the fourth meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, co-chaired by the two leaders in Ankara. Discussions focused on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Turkey, with an emphasis on political dialogue, trade and economic cooperation, transport connectivity, and cultural and humanitarian exchanges. The two presidents also exchanged views on regional and global developments, underscoring the growing coordination between Tashkent and Ankara on international platforms. Both sides highlighted the steady growth in bilateral trade, the rising number of joint ventures, and increased direct flights between the two countries. Regular cultural exchanges and growing people-to-people contacts were cited as further evidence of the strengthening relationship. Key areas for future cooperation include joint projects in industry, agriculture, and social protection, as well as enhanced collaboration in defense, security, and combating cybercrime. The timing of the Strategic Council meeting was described as symbolic, taking place on the eve of Ramadan and ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on Eternal Friendship and Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Turkey. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the growing political dialogue and the convergence of their positions on many international issues. The presidents reaffirmed their commitment to mutual support in international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization of Turkic States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Economic Cooperation Organization. Inter-parliamentary cooperation has also intensified, particularly through parliamentary friendship groups. The leaders set an ambitious goal to increase bilateral trade turnover to $5 billion in the coming years. Expanding the list of goods covered under the Preferential Trade Agreement will be a key step toward achieving that target. Ahead of the visit, new priority areas for industrial cooperation were identified and will be implemented under a separate program. Significant potential was noted for interregional cooperation, with delegations from all regions of Uzbekistan expected to visit Türkiye by the end of the year to develop joint projects. Cooperation will also be deepened in agriculture, horticulture, healthcare, and medical tourism. The two countries agreed to intensify cultural and tourism ties through joint initiatives such as theater festivals, cultural weeks, historical film productions, and heritage restoration projects. In the education sector, the fourth Rectors’ Forum will be held in Bukhara this spring. Following the Strategic Council meeting, Mirziyoyev and Erdoğan signed a Joint Statement and adopted a framework for cooperation within the comprehensive strategic partnership. A wide-ranging package of bilateral agreements was also signed, covering healthcare, education, military medicine, economic and financial cooperation, mining, transport corridors, special economic zones, nuclear safety, migration, religious affairs, foreign ministry cooperation for 2026-2027, light industry, and cultural collaboration. At the conclusion of the visit, Mirziyoyev extended an official invitation to Erdoğan to visit Uzbekistan, reflecting the continued momentum and growing trust in bilateral relations.

U.S.-Kazakhstan Relations

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev in Washington: Critical Minerals Cooperation

Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev will travel to Washington, DC, to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial on 3–4 February. A meeting with the Department of State and other rare earth element (REE) supplier countries will take place on 3 February. This will be Kosherbayev’s first official visit to the United States as foreign minister. A career diplomat, he assumed office on 26 September 2025. Prior to his appointment as foreign minister, he served as Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the Russian Federation, governor of the East Kazakhstan Region, and, earlier in 2025, as deputy prime minister, combining senior diplomatic experience with executive and regional governance roles. His visit will include engagement with Ambassador Yerzhan Kazykhan, appointed as the President’s first-ever Special Envoy to the United States on 13 January 2026, reflecting the priority Kazakhstan places on engagement with Washington. U.S.–Kazakhstan Strategic Convergence on Critical Minerals The visit follows a period of sustained diplomatic engagement beginning in November, marked by intensified trade and investment discussions. Since then, Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Donald Trump have met twice in person and held one phone call, during which an invitation was extended for the G20 meeting scheduled for 14–15 December 2026. During this period, Kazakhstan also acceded to the Abraham Accords, a signature foreign policy initiative of the Trump administration. This diplomatic momentum has converged with U.S. strategic priorities on critical minerals. Rare earth elements (REEs) are a core component of the U.S. critical minerals strategy. While the United States maintains domestic REE production, it continues to pursue supply-chain diversification to enhance resilience. In this context, Kazakhstan’s identified REE deposits and resource potential—including elements not currently produced at scale in the United States—position it as a relevant partner in broader diversification efforts. This alignment has been formalized through a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in critical minerals, signed by President Tokayev. The agreement is intended to strengthen supply chains and deepen economic ties related to strategic raw materials and has been complemented by engagement from U.S. and Kazakh stakeholders, including Amont, interest from U.S. investors such as Cove Capital, and potential financing support from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which has issued a letter of interest for up to $900 million. These signals reflect growing momentum at an early stage. Letters of interest and initial investor engagement lay the groundwork for defining commercial structures, offtake agreements, and development timelines, with progress ultimately driven by effective project sequencing and alignment between public support and private-sector risk appetite. Kazakhstan’s growing cooperation with the United States on critical minerals takes place within a well-established multi-vector foreign policy framework. Astana’s approach prioritizes stability and pragmatic engagement across a broad set of economic partners. Within this context, additional compliance and due-diligence requirements to support resilient supply chains are likely to remain part of project development, representing a manageable—but non-trivial—consideration for stakeholders. Kazakhstan’s Full-Value-Chain Advantage in Rare Earths Unlike many prospective rare earth element suppliers to the United States, Kazakhstan is not a greenfield destination limited to upstream extraction. The country...

Jackson-Vanik Amendment

Jackson-Vanik Repeal Gains Momentum as U.S. Courts Central Asia

For many years, U.S. relations with Central Asia were primarily political in nature, while economic ties developed slowly. However, in the past year, engagement has intensified significantly, with recent agreements suggesting the U.S. is poised to strengthen its economic presence in the region. A recent statement by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforces this outlook. Calls to repeal the outdated Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions have been framed by U.S. officials as a way to facilitate trade with Central Asia and strengthen U.S. energy security. The Jackson-Vanik Amendment The Jackson-Vanik Amendment, enacted in 1974, restricts trade with countries that limit their citizens’ right to emigrate. At the time of its passage, Central Asia was still part of the Soviet Union. The amendment prohibits granting most-favored-nation (MFN) status, government loans, and credit guarantees to countries that violate their citizens’ right to emigrate, and allows for discriminatory tariffs and fees on imports from non-market economies. The amendment was repealed for Ukraine in 2006, and for Russia and Moldova in 2012. However, it remains in effect for several countries, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, which continue to receive only temporary normal trade relations. In May 2023, a bill proposing the establishment of permanent trade relations with Kazakhstan, which included repealing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, was introduced in the U.S. Congress. A follow-up bill with similar provisions was submitted in February 2025. Then-nominee and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously noted that some policymakers viewed the amendment as a tool to extract concessions on human rights or to push Central Asian states toward the U.S. and away from Russia. However, he characterized such thinking as outdated, stating that, “In some cases, it is an absurd relic of the past.” Rubio has consistently supported expanding U.S. ties with Central Asia. Expanding Cooperation In 2025, relations between the U.S. and Central Asia deepened significantly, particularly with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which are seen by analysts as the primary beneficiaries of this cooperation. In late October 2025, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and U.S. Special Representative for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. One of the year’s major events was the Central Asia-U.S. (C5+1) summit held in Washington on November 6. Leaders of the five Central Asian states met with President Donald Trump and members of the U.S. business community. Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also met with U.S. Senator Steve Daines, co-chair of the Senate Central Asia Caucus, with both sides focusing heavily on economic cooperation. At the summit, Uzbekistan finalized major commercial agreements with U.S. companies, including aircraft orders by Uzbekistan Airways and deals spanning aviation, energy, and industrial cooperation. Kazakhstan signed agreements worth $17 billion with U.S. companies in sectors including aviation, mineral resources, and digital technologies. This included a deal granting American company Cove Kaz Capital Group a 70% stake in a joint venture to develop one of Kazakhstan’s largest tungsten deposits, an agreement valued at $1.1 billion. Further agreements were signed on critical minerals exploration. Kazakhstan and the...

Official Visit

Kazakhstan and Israel Deepen Cooperation in Astana

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s official visit to Astana on January 27, 2026, was the first by an Israeli foreign minister to Kazakhstan in 16 years, and it yielded a package of institutional and economic steps. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Sa’ar and Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, holding talks that both sides framed as elevating cooperation to a new level. The two foreign ministries signed documents on diplomatic training and public diplomacy, and agreed to pursue visa-free travel for holders of ordinary passports. A Kazakhstan–Israel business forum convened in parallel, with January–November 2025 trade of about US$162.4 million cited as the baseline for expansion. The visit’s value lay in its forward-looking measures to deepen cooperation. The sides agreed to convene the Kazakhstan–Israel Joint Economic Commission at a ministerial level. This move creates a regular venue where sector priorities can be translated into specific workstreams. The Kazakhstan–Israel business forum was framed as the practical feeder for that process, as both sides publicly identified a project map running from high-tech agriculture and water-resource management through digital technologies (including artificial intelligence) to infrastructure and logistics, energy efficiency and renewables, and healthcare and pharmaceuticals. In parallel, the two foreign ministries’ political consultations, in their twelfth round, covered wider international and regional agendas, including Middle East confidence-building and peaceful-settlement initiatives. Regularizing Cooperation Channels The documents signed in Astana were narrow-gauge instruments designed to regularize contacts. The memorandum on diplomatic training provides for structured interaction in the preparation of diplomatic personnel. What this means in practice is that exchanges between the two foreign-policy services will be routinized through their training institutions rather than on an ad hoc basis. The memorandum on public diplomacy set a framework for coordinated outreach, providing an agreed approach to presenting their cooperation. Taken together, these instruments are the administrative layer that will operationalize joint political intent. The visa initiative was narrowly framed as a statement of intent to conclude a visa-exemption agreement for holders of ordinary passports, not as an agreement already in force. In practice, such a regime would lead to higher tourism flows and denser business travel. The latter development would widen the base of commercial contacts, which could in turn be carried into ministerial-level economic follow-up. The visa track is thus an enabling measure for the economic agenda. At the leadership level, Sa’ar publicly invited President Tokayev to visit Israel. This move signals an intent to sustain momentum beyond merely ministerial channels. The visit coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Kazakhstan, and Sa’ar participated in a state ceremony in Astana connected to the commemoration. The ceremony included senior officials and diplomatic representatives, with official messaging from Tokayev to Israel’s president on the occasion. The civic and humanitarian nature of this event complemented a visit that otherwise concentrated on governance mechanisms, economic priorities, and institutionalizing diplomatic follow-through. First Steps Toward Joint Projects Beyond merely listing priority sectors, the business forum also surfaced first-step commercial and quasi-commercial documents providing a basis for follow-through. Kazakhstan’s investment agency reported three signed items:...

Official Visit

Astana–Israel Talks Span Technology, Trade, and Holocaust Remembrance

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Astana on January 27, marking the first official visit by an Israeli foreign minister to Kazakhstan in almost 16 years, and underscoring Astana’s stated interest in deepening economic and technological cooperation with Israel as it continues to recalibrate its foreign policy. According to the Kazakh presidential administration, the talks focused on expanding bilateral relations across trade, investment, science, and technology, with both sides emphasizing practical areas of cooperation. The visit came as Kazakhstan seeks to diversify its economy beyond hydrocarbons and strengthen partnerships with countries at the forefront of applied innovation. Tokayev said the visit demonstrated Israel’s commitment to strengthening comprehensive cooperation with Kazakhstan, while discussions highlighted concrete sectors for collaboration, including artificial intelligence, agrotechnology, water resource management, and digital governance. These areas align closely with Kazakhstan’s national development priorities, particularly its focus on digital transformation, public-sector reform, and productivity-driven growth. Economic cooperation featured prominently throughout the visit. A Kazakh-Israeli business forum was held alongside the high-level talks, aimed at translating diplomatic engagement into commercial outcomes. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said the forum is expected to support new investment partnerships and initiate joint projects in high-value sectors, with a focus on technology transfer and localized projects. Kazakh officials said bilateral trade reached $162.4 million between January and November 2025, with exports totaling $92.1 million and imports $70.3 million. While modest in absolute terms, the figures were cited as evidence of untapped potential, particularly in non-resource sectors where Israeli companies have global expertise. As part of the discussions, Kazakhstan invited Israeli firms to participate in national digital transformation initiatives, including projects related to e-government, data-driven public services, and digital infrastructure. Officials cited Kazakhstan’s recent progress in digital governance and public-sector innovation as a foundation for expanded cooperation. Kazakhstan and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992, shortly after Kazakhstan gained independence. Israel opened its embassy in Almaty in 1996, while Kazakhstan inaugurated its embassy in Tel Aviv in 2000, laying the groundwork for steady but largely low-profile bilateral ties. Political relations have traditionally been pragmatic, with cooperation focused on trade, agriculture, healthcare, and education rather than formal alliances. Bilateral trade has remained modest, reflecting limited commercial engagement beyond specific sectors such as agrotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and water management. In recent years, Astana has shown growing interest in Israel’s applied innovation ecosystem, particularly in areas aligned with Kazakhstan’s domestic reform agenda, including digital governance, artificial intelligence, and public-sector modernization. Israeli firms have previously participated in pilot projects and advisory initiatives in Kazakhstan, though large-scale joint ventures have been limited. Kazakhstan has also positioned itself as a neutral diplomatic actor in the Middle East, maintaining relations with Israel while emphasizing interfaith dialogue and mediation. Beyond economic ties, the talks also addressed regional and international issues, including developments in the Middle East and Kazakhstan’s diplomatic positioning in support of the objectives underpinning the Abraham Accords framework. Sa’ar welcomed Kazakhstan’s engagement, describing it as a constructive contribution to dialogue and cooperation between Israel and Muslim-majority countries. Sa’ar...

Russia

Russian TV Comments on Central Asia Trigger Strong Reaction from Uzbek Analysts

A recent broadcast on Russia’s state television channel Russia-1 has sparked strong backlash in Central Asia after inflammatory remarks aired on the political talk show Evening with Vladimir Solovyov questioned the independence and foreign policy choices of post-Soviet countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. The controversy began when political analyst Sergey Mikheyev, who served as a representative for President Vladimir Putin during Russia’s 2024 election campaign, criticized Moscow’s approach toward former Soviet republics, calling it “ineffective” and overly generous. “Our policy toward the post-Soviet space was not very effective,” Mikheyev said. “The situation where Russia owes everyone and no one owes Russia anything is a dead end. We solve many of their problems, labor migration, assistance, many other things and yet we are always the ones who must give.” He added, “We spoiled them. We spoiled them too much. We will not tolerate this anymore.” Program host Solovyov supported the tone of Mikheyev’s remarks, adding: “If I am forced to speak about you like this, then think about what you are doing wrong.” The broadcast quickly spread across social media platforms in Central Asia, prompting swift reactions from regional analysts, particularly in Uzbekistan, who criticized the rhetoric as imperial and patronizing. Uzbek political scientist and university professor Sherzodkhon Qudratkhodja called the discussion an emotional outburst rooted in nostalgia for a lost empire. “They spoke like sentinels, bitterly offended by the entire former Soviet Union,” he wrote on social media. He added that Mikheyev’s phrase “we spoiled them” infantilized independent states, framing them as unruly children rather than equal partners. “The logic is simple: if you don’t obey, you’re ‘nervous.’ If you want independence, you’re ‘spoiled.’ Their favorite phrase is that others ‘must know their place,’” Qudratkhodja wrote. He also rejected the idea that Central Asian countries are exploiting Russia or living at its expense. “No one is blackmailing anyone. No one owes us anything, and we owe no one anything,” he stated, emphasizing Uzbekistan’s commitment to “equal rights and mutual respect in international relations.” Another Uzbek analyst, G‘ayratxo‘ja Saydaliyev, argued that Mikheyev’s comments reflect a broader worldview within segments of the Russian political elite. “This is an open expression of a geopolitical mindset where Central Asia is not seen as a partner, but as a subordinate,” he wrote. “Independent foreign policy is treated not only as ingratitude but as illegitimate.” Saydaliyev noted Mikheyev’s additional remarks on Iran and Turkey, interpreting them as evidence of growing Russian anxiety over shifting alliances. He argued that Moscow views Iran as a counterbalance to the U.S. and Turkey, and fears that losing influence over Tehran could further weaken Russia’s position, potentially prompting it to exert more pressure on post-Soviet neighbors. Turkey’s rising role in Central Asia and the concept of a “Turkic world” were also framed by Mikheyev as a geopolitical threat. Saydaliyev concluded that deeper regional ties with Ankara are being viewed in Moscow not as legitimate foreign policy, but as a challenge to Russian dominance. “The biggest challenge for Central...