Kyrgyzstan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Civil Aviation

Kyrgyzstan to Launch Direct Flight Between Bishkek and Urumqi

Kyrgyzstan’s Aero Nomad Airlines will launch a new direct route between Bishkek and Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, further expanding air connectivity between the two neighboring countries. According to the airline, the inaugural flight is scheduled for August 3 and will be operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline said the route would support trade and investment and encourage tourism and cultural exchanges between Kyrgyzstan and China. Xinjiang already has established air connections with Kyrgyzstan. In November 2025, China Southern Airlines resumed direct flights between Urumqi and Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second-largest city. Earlier this year, Airports of Kyrgyzstan JSC also announced the launch of a new route between Osh and Kashgar, another major city in Xinjiang, to be operated by Chengdu Airlines. Xinjiang serves as Kyrgyzstan’s principal gateway to China. Most bilateral trade passes through the region via the Torugart and Irkeshtam border crossings, the two fully operational road links between the countries. According to Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Liu Jiangping, bilateral trade reached a record $27.2 billion in 2025, representing a 20% increase compared with the previous year. Growing commercial ties have also been supported by institutional cooperation. In June 2024, the Kyrgyzstan-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Center opened in Urumqi, Xinjiang, to facilitate business contacts, promote investment opportunities, and support joint projects between companies from both countries. Kashgar is the Chinese starting point of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, one of the region’s largest infrastructure projects. The planned line would connect western China with Central Asia. The Bishkek-Urumqi service adds another transport link between Kyrgyzstan and China as bilateral trade grows and work continues on the railway.

Public Health

Kyrgyzstan Tests Public Health Emergency Response Ahead of World Nomad Games

Kyrgyzstan has carried out large-scale interagency public health emergency exercises as part of preparations for the sixth World Nomad Games, which will take place from August 31 to September 6. Authorities say health security has become one of the key components of planning for what is expected to be the country's largest international event of the year. The two-day simulation exercise was held on July 14-15 in Cholpon-Ata, in the Issyk-Kul region. It brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, healthcare institutions, the World Health Organization (WHO), other government agencies, and international development partners. Participants rehearsed the response to a simulated outbreak of acute intestinal infection and cases of an unidentified illness during a major international gathering. Field exercises were conducted in the Kyrchyn Gorge, one of the main venues for the upcoming Games, and at the infectious diseases department of the Issyk-Kul District Center for General Medical Practice. The drills tested early detection of health threats, laboratory diagnostics, medical response, interagency coordination, and crisis communication. According to Gulbara Ishenapysova, Kyrgyzstan's Deputy Minister of Health and Chief State Sanitary Doctor, the exercises provided an opportunity to assess the country's emergency response system under conditions closely resembling a real public health crisis and to identify areas requiring further improvement. Acting WHO Representative in Kyrgyzstan Zhanara Bekenova said such exercises are essential for evaluating coordination, information sharing, and decision-making mechanisms ahead of large international events. Preparations for the Games extend well beyond sports infrastructure. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the 2026 World Nomad Games mark the event’s return to Kyrgyzstan. The event is also intended to promote tourism and the country’s nomadic cultural heritage internationally. Following the exercises, the Ministry of Health plans to prepare recommendations to improve interagency cooperation and the preparedness of healthcare institutions. The recommendations will also cover risk communication and revisions to national public health emergency response plans. The sixth World Nomad Games are expected to attract participants from more than 95 countries. More than 3,000 members of sporting delegations and delegations representing culture and science are expected to attend. The event is also expected to draw more than 600 domestic and international media representatives.

Earthquakes

Central Asia Remains Highly Vulnerable to Major Earthquakes

Earthquakes accounted for more than half of all deaths linked to natural hazards worldwide between 2000 and 2023, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency warns that millions of people across its European Region still live or receive medical treatment in buildings that may not withstand a major seismic event. WHO has focused on hospitals because they must continue treating patients when injuries rise and local infrastructure is damaged. The agency estimates that earthquake-resistant standards add less than 4% to the cost of a new hospital, while retrofitting an existing facility typically costs about 1% of its value. Although WHO highlighted the danger facing Istanbul, the warning also applies to Central Asia. Nearly all of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan lie in areas of high seismic hazard, along with parts of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Recent tremors in Almaty have brought the issue back into public view. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, a magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck 74 kilometers northeast of the city on February 17, 2026. Residents left homes and offices, although no major damage was reported. Almaty introduced its Mass Alert system in May 2024 after an earlier earthquake caused panic across the city. Forty-four people sought medical treatment, most after being injured while leaving buildings. The system is connected to 28 seismic stations and sends warnings to mobile phones through cell towers. Up to 200 minor tremors are recorded each year within an 80-kilometer radius of Almaty. Approximately 30 tectonic faults run through the city and surrounding area. Experts estimate that an earthquake measuring 9-10 points in intensity could destroy as many as 30% of local buildings, given the density of high-rise construction in vulnerable foothill districts. A major earthquake could also interrupt hospital care without causing a building to collapse. Loss of electricity or water could halt surgery and emergency treatment, while blocked roads could prevent staff from reaching medical facilities. Kazakhstan resumed mandatory earthquake drills in Almaty after the strong tremors of 2024. Medical personnel have trained with rescue workers at emergency assembly points, and the military has practiced deploying mobile hospitals. The preparations reflect concern about the condition of older buildings and the rapid expansion of high-rise development. The densely populated Fergana Valley also poses a cross-border challenge because a single earthquake could affect communities in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Damage to roads or delays at border crossings could slow medical assistance when hospitals are under pressure. WHO recommends regular emergency exercises and medical teams that can continue operating when communications fail. Hospitals also need access to essential supplies if damaged transport routes delay deliveries. Central Asia's seismic history shows the possible scale of destruction. The 1911 Kemin earthquake, estimated at magnitude 8.2, destroyed hundreds of buildings in Verny, now Almaty. A magnitude-7.3 earthquake devastated Ashgabat in 1948, and the 1966 Tashkent earthquake left more than 300,000 people homeless. Those disasters occurred before much of the region's current urban growth. Dense construction has increased the number of people exposed to seismic...

Border Demarcation

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Begin Installing Border Pillars After Completing Border Delimitation

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have begun installing border pillars along their shared frontier, marking the start of the final stage in implementing the landmark border agreement that ended one of Central Asia’s longest-running territorial disputes. On July 14, representatives of the two countries installed the first four border pillars on the section beginning at the tri-junction where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet. The Kyrgyz-Tajik border stretches 1,008.14 kilometers, while the total perimeter of neutral territory amounts to 14.07 kilometers. The installation of border markers follows the completion of the border delimitation process, which began in December 2002 and is widely regarded as a historic breakthrough in relations between the two neighboring countries. On March 13, 2025, in Bishkek, Presidents Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan signed the Treaty on the Kyrgyz-Tajik State Border, establishing the legal framework for long-term stability, confidence-building, and sustainable development in border regions. The joint Kyrgyz-Tajik demarcation commission has since carried out field surveys covering approximately 416 kilometers of the border between Kyrgyzstan’s Batken Region and Tajikistan’s Sughd Region. It has identified locations for 1,627 border signs, comprising 1,954 border pillars. Both governments describe the completion of legal border formalization and physical demarcation as a key step toward improving regional security, promoting socioeconomic development in border areas, expanding bilateral cooperation, and deepening relations between the two countries. For decades, the Kyrgyz-Tajik border was one of the most volatile in Central Asia. Disputes rooted in conflicting Soviet-era maps, competition over water resources and pastureland, and the complex geography of enclaves such as Vorukh repeatedly triggered clashes between local communities and security forces. The most serious confrontations occurred in April 2021 and September 2022, when fighting involving heavy artillery and armed drones resulted in military and civilian casualties and forced thousands of residents to flee their homes. The border settlement forms part of efforts by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to resolve territorial disputes inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At a summit in Khujand on March 31, 2025, Presidents Japarov, Rahmon, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed an agreement defining the junction point of the three countries’ state borders, formally ending decades of territorial disagreements. The three leaders also inaugurated the Friendship Stele, erected at the point where the three national borders meet as a symbol of reconciliation and a new phase of regional cooperation. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has also proposed establishing the Dostuk, or Friendship, International Trade and Economic Park jointly with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the tri-border area. The initiative is expected to boost cross-border trade, attract investment, and create new economic opportunities throughout the Ferghana Valley.

AI-92 Gasoline

Kyrgyzstan Seeks to Boost AI-92 Gasoline Production as Fuel Supply Pressures Persist

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to increase domestic production of AI-92 gasoline by upgrading surplus low-octane AI-80 fuel. The country continues to face rising fuel prices and supply uncertainty because it relies heavily on imports from Russia. Kyrgyz Petroleum Company (KPC) has issued a tender for chemical additives needed to produce AI-92 gasoline from AI-80 fuel. The company operates an oil refinery in Manas, formerly Jalal-Abad, in southern Kyrgyzstan. The facility can process 500,000 tons of crude oil annually. The refinery mainly produces AI-80 gasoline. Domestic demand for this grade has virtually disappeared, leaving significant stockpiles. Earlier this year, the government authorized exports of domestically produced AI-80 gasoline and diesel fuel to Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The move comes as Kyrgyzstan faces growing pressure from disruptions in the Russian fuel market. Russia supplies more than 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s imported petroleum products. It has imposed temporary restrictions on gasoline exports after Ukrainian drone attacks on oil-processing facilities reduced refinery output. Kyrgyzstan imports approximately 1.2 million tons of petroleum products annually. Domestic refineries currently satisfy only about 5% of national demand, while total annual fuel consumption is estimated at 1.6 million tons. KPC’s refinery is undergoing a $410 million modernization project designed to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuel. SPEC Engineering, based in the United States, is carrying out the work. External investors are providing $200 million, and Kyrgyzstan’s government is contributing $110 million. Kyrgyzneftegaz, KPC’s parent company, is providing the remaining $100 million. When the project is completed at the end of 2027, the refinery is expected to begin producing AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline that meets K-4 and K-5 Eurasian Economic Union environmental standards. At the launch of the project in September 2024, President Sadyr Japarov said the refinery met only 6.5% of Kyrgyzstan’s demand for high-quality gasoline and diesel fuel. He said its share would rise to 32% after the upgrade. The Manas refinery is one of Kyrgyzstan’s two largest refining facilities. The other is the Junda refinery in Kara-Balta, also known as the Zhongda refinery. It is being upgraded, with completion scheduled for August 2026. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has recently eased its temporary fuel price controls in an effort to stabilize supplies. The government introduced emergency regulation of fuel prices on May 25. Benchmark import prices were set at $860 per ton for AI-92 gasoline and $940 per ton for AI-95 gasoline. The benchmarks for diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gas were $950 and $575 per ton, respectively. However, a resolution signed on July 7 by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev removed AI-95 gasoline from the list of socially significant goods subject to state price regulation. It also abolished the caps on retail fuel prices set earlier. The government said the changes were intended to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies after AI-95 temporarily disappeared from filling stations in Bishkek.

Climate Policy

Kyrgyzstan Adopts Central Asia’s First Framework Climate Law

President Sadyr Japarov signed Kyrgyzstan’s Law on Climate Activity on July 7, giving the country Central Asia’s first framework statute devoted to climate policy. The Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) approved the measure on May 20, and it takes effect on January 1, 2027. The Cabinet has six months from official publication to bring existing regulations into line. The law puts emissions policy and climate adaptation under one legal structure. It covers climate finance, carbon neutrality, research, professional training and technology transfer. It also provides a legal base for carbon units and a national registry. Separate rules will govern how emission cuts are recorded and verified. UNDP gave technical and expert support during its preparation. The regional first refers to the breadth of the framework. Uzbekistan passed a law on limiting greenhouse gas emissions in July 2025, and Kazakhstan already regulates carbon inventories, quotas and emissions trading through its Environmental Code. Kyrgyzstan has now put mitigation and adaptation in one dedicated statute, with provisions for finance and institutional duties. The law replaces a narrower statute adopted in 2007. That measure governed greenhouse gas emissions and removals, with a focus on state regulation, inventories and monitoring. It did not create a full legal base for adaptation or climate finance, and lacked the new law’s provisions on climate technology and education. MP Zhyldyz Egenberdieva set out the case for reform at a parliamentary committee meeting in April. The existing law “does not reflect current realities or practice,” she said. The new statute gives public bodies a basis for climate policy and low-carbon development plans. It also brings resilience measures into the same system. Kyrgyzstan signed the Paris Agreement in September 2016 and ratified it on February 18, 2020. Japarov announced a 2050 carbon-neutrality goal at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021. The Cabinet approved a national carbon-neutrality concept in July 2025. The Coordination Council then approved updated climate targets and the country’s first biennial transparency report in September 2025. The law turns those international pledges and policy documents into a domestic framework. It defines state responsibilities and creates a base for climate finance. The practical detail will come through regulations, including standards for carbon accounting and the operation of a registry. The statute arrives as glacier loss puts pressure on water, farming and electricity supply. Mountain ice feeds rivers used for drinking water and irrigation. The same flows feed the country’s hydropower plants. At COP29 in Baku in November 2024, Japarov gave a stark figure. “Over the past 70 years, the area of glaciers in Kyrgyzstan has shrunk by 16%,” he said. TCA has previously reported on how continued glacier retreat could reduce river flows and deepen water shortages. Hydropower provides about 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s electricity, meaning drought and erratic runoff can cut generation when demand peaks. Floods and mudslides can damage roads and canals, as well as homes and crops. The law now makes adaptation a formal part of national climate policy. Coal-fired heating and traffic drive much of Bishkek’s severe winter smog. Vehicles...