International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Humanitarian Aid

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

During the first week of June 2026, World Food Programme Afghanistan Country Director John Aylieff, Supply Chain Officer Shukhratmirzo Khodzhaev, and TCA’s Javier M Piedra visited the Termez–Hairatan border crossing and the Termez Free Economic Zone (TFEZ), a logistics hub between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the Amu Darya River. The trip was organized by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS) in connection with Termez Dialogue 2026, a flagship Uzbekistan initiative designed to advance economic integration, trade, and cultural exchange across Central and South Asia. For 25 years, Uzbekistan has maintained the Termez crossing as a key humanitarian gateway, ensuring Afghanistan’s continued access to regional and global supply chains. [caption id="attachment_51321" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Geographical position of the Amu Darya; source: snipview.com/amudarya[/caption] A quarter-century on, the gateway that has saved millions of Afghans from famine remains open, but the funding that makes it so meaningful is on life support. While Central Asia has stepped up, its increased contributions only partially offset the huge shortfall left by wealthier countries. Termez, Uzbekistan Twenty-five years ago, with winter approaching, borders closed, logistics shattered, and five million Afghans in urgent need of food, WFP's Petar Bojilov and Tim Lavelle—on loan to USAID OFDA's DART from USUN Rome—took on an impossible mission: to open a lifeline and get emergency food aid across the Amu Darya River from Uzbekistan into Afghanistan. What began with one barge and a handful of hopelessly underequipped and understaffed personnel in 2001 has become one of the world's most consequential logistics hubs, through which WFP has delivered over 220,000 metric tons of food into Afghanistan in recent years. In 2026, the Bridge of Friendship Marks its 25th Anniversary Once a barely functional border crossing, Termez is now a Free Economic Zone (AIRITOM) with multimodal connectivity and extensive storage, providing WFP with what John Aylieff calls unmatched operational flexibility. “What makes the Termez hub today so strategically important is its reliability and versatility,” says Aylieff. “It offers dependable transshipment through multiple Afghan corridors—a vital lifeline where speed matters – as well as loading and storage. Given current geopolitical tensions, from the closure of the Pakistan–Afghanistan border to the spillover of the Middle East crisis, its role has become even more essential for humanitarian operations.” [caption id="attachment_51320" align="aligncenter" width="761"] John Aylieff and Javier Piedra, Termez (June 7th, 2026). Image: TCA[/caption] Since February 2026, violence along Afghanistan's 2,400-kilometre border with Pakistan has escalated sharply, triggering the displacement of approximately 20,000 families. With heightened instability along the Afghan-Pakistan border and in Iran, forced returns of Afghan refugees have increased sharply; the Termez transit corridor has become all the more critical as a channel for humanitarian food aid. Termez's value extends well beyond WFP's own operations. "The hub not only serves WFP in Afghanistan but also supports numerous humanitarian agencies in the country, including UNHCR, UNFPA, and UNICEF," says Aylieff. "It is the backbone of the northern corridor supply chain into Afghanistan, and more and more agencies are relying on WFP's logistics capabilities to bring their...

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 return keeps the China-funded Dushanbe-Kulma corridor moving. The road links Dushanbe with the Kulma Pass on the Chinese frontier through the Pamir. The Kalai-Khumb-Vanj works sit close to the Pyanj River, where attacks from the Afghan side are impacting the cost of Chinese projects. Construction on the Kalai-Khumb-Vanj section began on Sept. 20, 2022, with the contract running until September 20, 2026. The contractor is China Road and Bridge Corporation. China is funding the work with a $230 million grant. Once complete, the road section should shrink from 109 kilometers to 92.3 kilometers. It includes two tunnels, five anti-avalanche corridors and 14 bridges. The route crosses Darvaz, one of Tajikistan's hardest mountain road sections. The Transport Ministry has described it as a route that had gone for years without major repairs. The work is meant to allow year-round movement and lower fuel and travel costs. By January, crews had finished 12 of the 14 bridges. Two bridges, avalanche corridors and tunnel systems remained under construction. Work stopped after the November 30 attack in Shodak, a village in Darvaz district. Tajikistan's Border Troops said an armed group came from Ruzvayak in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province and attacked CRBC employees. Two Chinese citizens were killed and two were wounded. Dushanbe called the attackers members of an armed terrorist group, but did not publicly name the organization. Four days earlier, another attack hit Shamsiddin Shohin district in Khatlon, also from Afghan territory. The Chinese embassy said three Chinese citizens were killed and one Chinese citizen was wounded. TCA previously reported that Tajikistan described the strike as using an unmanned aerial vehicle carrying explosives. China reacted with a rare public warning. On December 1, the Chinese embassy urged Chinese companies and personnel to evacuate the Tajik-Afghan border area. Its latest June 9 public warning still told Chinese citizens not to work or travel in Tajikistan's southern border areas, citing a complex security situation and extreme weather. Afghanistan's Taliban government promised cooperation after the killings. Reuters quoted Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as saying, "The Islamic Emirate is fully prepared to strengthen border security, conduct joint investigations, and engage in any form of coordination… joint measures against malicious elements are a pressing necessity." Taliban officials later said suspects had been detained in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province. The Tajik authorities say the border is stable and under control, while continuing to announce smuggling cases and armed incidents....

Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict

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

The United Nations says at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 injured in Pakistani airstrikes in several provinces in Afghanistan, as violence continues in the border region following ceasefire efforts that have repeatedly broken down. Women and children were among the casualties in the airstrikes in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces on Sunday night, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Monday. UNAMA said the figures were preliminary and that the toll could increase as hospitals treat the injured. Hamdullah Fitrat, a spokesman for the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan, announced a higher casualty toll than the UN. At least 36 civilians were killed and 163 others were injured, Fitrat said on X. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the airstrikes hit militant hideouts and strongholds on the Afghan side of the border, killing at least two dozen militants in retaliation for attacks on targets in Pakistan. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing sanctuary to militants who carry out attacks against Pakistani security forces, an allegation that the Taliban in Afghanistan denies. Besides humanitarian concerns, the ongoing violence is also a concern for Central Asian governments and business groups that are working to develop trade corridors and infrastructure projects linking their region with South Asia. Those projects, which would require close collaboration between Afghanistan and Pakistan, include the Trans-Afghan Railway, the TAPI natural gas pipeline, and the CASA-1000 electricity project.

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 the code gives Kyrgyzstan the legal tools to regulate merchant shipping and formalizes its right, under international law, to access the seas and participate in maritime trade, despite having no coastline. In practical terms, the legislation allows seagoing vessels to be registered under the Kyrgyz flag and lays the groundwork for an International Ship Register. It also sets out rules on maritime safety, seafarers’ rights, insurance, and shipowner liability. The move follows Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the IMO in 2024, when it became the organization’s 176th member state. Officials have presented the legislation as a way to give Kyrgyz-registered ships international recognition, attract investment, and create opportunities for Kyrgyz companies in global shipping. The more immediate use case is simpler: a ship registry can generate fees by allowing foreign-owned vessels to sail under a national flag. According to 24.kg, ministry officials told parliament that the registry could eventually bring Kyrgyzstan $10 million-$15 million a year, though they said exact calculations were not yet possible because the number and tonnage of future vessels were unknown. That model is legal and not unusual. Mongolia, another landlocked Asian state, operates a ship registry and was cited by Deputy Economy Minister Sultan Akhmatov when he presented the draft code to lawmakers. But several deputies were unconvinced. Dastanbek Dzhumabekov said the government needed to explain the proposal in clearer language, asking what the code would actually give the country and whether it would become another document that “gathers dust.” Another concern is control. In May, Dzhumabekov warned that if a vessel sailing under the Kyrgyz flag carried sanctioned goods, the result could be a damaging international scandal. Another deputy, Bolot Sagynayev, later claimed that open shipping databases already showed more than 100 vessels sailing under the Kyrgyz flag. Akhmatov said Kyrgyzstan had issued no such permissions, because the maritime administration and ship register had not yet been created, and suggested the listings could be fraudulent. The registry could prove attractive to foreign shipowners looking for a new flag jurisdiction. Open ship registries, often described as “flags of convenience,” are widely used in global shipping and are not illegal. But they have also come under scrutiny because vessels involved in sanctions evasion and shadow-fleet activity often change flags, obscure ownership, or rely on weak registry oversight. There is no evidence that Kyrgyzstan’s new registry is intended for sanctions-busting. But if the country builds a fleet on paper rather...

Tajik-Afghan Border

CSTO Says Tajik-Afghan Border Security Remains “Complicated”

A top official of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an alliance of some post-Soviet states,says its main challenge in Central Asia continues to be the threat emanating from militants in Afghanistan’s northern border region. Viktor Vasilyev, chairman of the alliance’s Permanent Council, said this week that member countries plan to increase efforts to counter militants who, according to Tajik and Chinese authorities, have attacked Chinese-backed businessinterests and staged other sporadic cross-borderincidents affecting Tajikistan. Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have expressed regret for the attacks but security remains fragile in the remote, rugged border region. “Despite Russia's and several Central Asian countries' efforts to establish contacts with the current authorities in Kabul, the security situation remains complicated," Vasilyev said at a forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. He described the problem as the CSTO’s “main concern” in the region, according to Russian state news agency Tass. "We plan to increase our joint efforts here, including to neutralize the militants and extremist groups that continue to accumulate on Afghanistan's northern borders," Tass quoted Vasilyev as saying. He described the shelling of Tajikistan's territory by militants in Afghanistan as a “particular concern." The Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO, has previously provided equipment and engaged in joint military exercises aimed at strengthening Tajikistan’s forces on the 1,200-kilometer border with Afghanistan. Member countries are Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia. However, Armenia has suspended its participation in the alliance, reflecting its dissatisfaction with what it says was CSTO inaction during past military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Additionally, Armenia is pursuing closer ties with Europe and the United States. At the St. Petersburg forum this week, Vasilyev said top leaders of the security alliance will discuss Armenia’s status in the group. Vasilyev, a longtime Russian Foreign Ministry official, took over the rotating position of chairman at the CSTO in January and will stay in the post until the end of 2026.

Middle Corridor

Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan Tighten Ties, Supporting Middle Corridor

The main maritime route between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan is about 300 kilometers long, linking the area around the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on the west coast of the Caspian Sea to Turkmenbashi port on the east coast. Now the leaders of the two countries are pursuing a years-long effort to bring their nations closer together – economically and diplomatically. The growing cooperation has broader implications for international trade because the Caspian Sea route is a critical part of a trade network dubbed the Middle Corridor, which connects China and Europe via Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Türkiye. The Middle Corridor has become more important because Russia and Iran, two other countries that have Caspian coastlines, have seen their economies and trade links come under pressure because of war, regional tension, and sanctions. North of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan also borders the sea and views it as a key alternative to more traditional trade routes through Russia that have become problematic because of Western sanctions aimed at punishing Moscow over its war with Ukraine. President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan visited Azerbaijan earlier this week and was welcomed by President Ilham Aliyev, who noted the value of their governments’ collaboration on transport and logistics to the wider world. “Of course, cooperation between our countries in this area is already long-term, I would even say that it is of strategic importance not only for us, not only for our neighbors, but also for a wide geography,” Aliyev said on Monday. “Because today in the world there are not so many very reliable, safe transport routes connecting countries that cooperate with each other.” Aliyev thanked Turkmenistan for welcoming Azerbaijan into the Consultative Council of Heads of State of Central Asia, even though the South Caucasus country is not geographically part of Central Asia. The step, the Azerbaijani president said, recognizes cultural and historical ties as well as regional challenges, creating “the prerequisites for the recognition of the great Central Asia as a single geopolitical and geoeconomic region.” Turkmenistan’s state media said upgraded port facilities in Baku and Turkmenbashi were making the transit of cargo between Asia and Europe more efficient. The leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan signed deals on energy, trade, and agriculture during Berdimuhamedov’s visit. Several years ago, the two countries resolved a dispute over an offshore oil and gas field in the Caspian, agreeing to jointly develop it in a deal that removed a hurdle to warmer relations. There were also personal touches by the two men, both of whom succeeded their fathers as president. Berdimuhamedov laid flowers at the grave of Heydar Aliyev, a former Soviet official who became president of Azerbaijan and was succeeded after his 2003 death by Ilham, his son. The Turkmen president then paid tribute to Zarifa Aliyeva, a prominent ophthalmologist who was Heydar Aliyev’s wife and the mother of the current president. She died in 1985. On Thursday, after Berdimuhamedov´s visit to Azerbaijan, the Turkmen president’s father discussed “priority areas” of the relationship between the two countries in...