Kyrgyzstan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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Central Asia-U.S. Relations

In Bishkek, Gor and Daines Put Business First

U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and U.S. Senator Steve Daines used their visit to Bishkek this week to put business squarely at the center of Washington's engagement with Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, with discussions focused on investment, trade, infrastructure and practical steps for turning ideas into deals. Gor and Daines arrived for the opening of the World Nomad Games to cheer on the U.S. team, a visit that coincided with the SCO Summit on its 25th anniversary. The Games were only part of the visit. Much of the agenda focused on economic engagement. They were accompanied by Bethany Morrison, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia at the U.S. Department of State. “Called on President Zhaparov today in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic,” Gor tweeted. “Many great opportunities for our two nations to work together. We look forward to welcoming President Zhaparov to the United States next month to further advance our growing partnership.” U.S. officials met President Sadyr Japarov on Aug. 31 and held separate talks in Bishkek with Economy and Commerce Minister Sydykov and other officials. Edil Baisalov, Kyrgyz Ambassador to the U.S., accompanied the delegation to their meetings with Kyrgyz officials. Their Bishkek schedule also included meetings with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. Discussions with Kyrgyz officials covered steps needed to advance different types of projects, opportunities for business-to-business cooperation and ways to connect U.S. companies with projects and partners in Kyrgyzstan and the wider region. Mining was among the sectors in focus, as expected, alongside infrastructure, energy, technology and trade. The discussions focused on identifying viable projects, connecting companies and resolving financing and implementation issues. [caption id="attachment_55339" align="aligncenter" width="690"] Daines and Gor. Image: https://x.com/USAmbIndia/status/2094364843390476459[/caption] More than Business The agenda was overwhelmingly commercial, though not exclusively, as Gor himself tweeted: “A very productive meeting with President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan. We discussed ongoing cooperation in energy, commerce, and building more robust security ties between our nations. Looking forward to big announcements soon between the U.S. and Uzbekistan.” Or consider this tweet: “Pleased to meet with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon. Together, the U.S. and Tajikistan are growing our commercial engagement, expanding our health cooperation, and strengthening security and counterterrorism cooperation.” Gor mentioned “security cooperation” with Kazakhstan as well. The latest visit builds on an economic agenda already being developed through the B5+1 business forum, which Gor attended in Bishkek earlier this year. The forum brought together businesses and government officials from the United States and the five Central Asian states, with an emphasis on investment, market access and reducing obstacles to private-sector activity. The discussions in Bishkek also touched on the next C5+1 summit, the U.S.-Central Asian leaders' format involving Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan offered to host the next summit in Bishkek. [caption id="attachment_55340" align="aligncenter" width="622"] L/R – Bethany Morrison, Daines, Gor, US Amb Lesslie Viguerie. Image: https://x.com/USAmbIndia/status/2094303173481844848[/caption] For Daines, the visit extended work he has been pursuing on Capitol Hill as chairman...

Fertilizer Plant

Kyrgyzstan Fertilizer Plant Opens With $260 Million Chinese Investment

Kyrgyzstan has opened a major mineral fertilizer plant after years of dependence on imports. The $260 million project is being developed with a Chinese investor in the country’s south. Its first production line has an annual capacity of 100,000 tons, while the capacity announced for the completed project would significantly exceed current domestic demand. The plant opened on August 28 in the village of Torobai Kulatov in the Osh region. The first production line is currently operating in test mode. According to the Kyrgyz government, its capacity is 100,000 tons of fertilizer per year. At the next stage, capacity is expected to increase to 300,000 tons, and after completion of the project in 2028, to 1 million tons. For Kyrgyzstan, this represents substantial capacity. In March 2025, a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture estimated the country’s annual demand for mineral fertilizers at about 287,000 tons: 163,500 tons of nitrogen fertilizers, 105,800 tons of phosphate fertilizers, and 17,200 tons of potash fertilizers. The ministry described Kyrgyzstan at the time as entirely dependent on imports. The plant’s intermediate capacity of 300,000 tons would therefore roughly match the country’s current annual demand, although demand is split between different types of fertilizer. If it reaches the government’s stated capacity of 1 million tons, production would far exceed current domestic demand, meaning a substantial share could be exported. According to the Kyrgyz government, the plant will produce ammophos – a fertilizer containing nitrogen and phosphorus – as well as compound fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the main nutrients used by agricultural crops. The project began with the signing of a $260 million investment agreement in May 2023 between Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and China’s Hebei Bai Dou Jia. Construction began in 2024. Equipment worth around $15 million was supplied from China. The Chinese investor also plans to participate in distributing the output. A network of local dealers is expected to be established to supply products directly to farmers. Zhao Xuejun, chairman of Baidoujia Fertilizer, told China Daily that the company intends to combine Chinese fertilizer technology and production experience with local raw materials, labor, and agricultural demand. However, figures for the plant’s eventual capacity differ. The Kyrgyz government says it will reach 1 million tons per year by 2028, while Baidoujia told China Daily that the facility will produce 500,000 tons annually once fully operational. Earlier reports from Kyrgyzstan had also put the eventual capacity at 500,000 tons. Neither side has publicly explained the discrepancy. The scale of Kyrgyzstan’s dependence on imports is evident in trade statistics. World Bank trade data show that in 2025, the country imported approximately $44 million worth of fertilizers. Russia accounted for $20.9 million and Uzbekistan for $19 million. Together, the two countries supplied about 91% of Kyrgyzstan’s fertilizer imports by value. The dependence continued in 2026. Between January and April, Kyrgyzstan imported 12,700 tons of mineral fertilizers worth $7.8 million. Import volumes increased by 13.5% year-on-year. Russia supplied 9,100 tons, or more than 71% of the total...

SCO Summit

SCO Summit Delivers Institutional Reform but Leaves Development Bank Unsettled

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization adopted amendments to the bloc's Charter and approved regulations for two security bodies in Bishkek on September 1, but stopped short of launching the proposed SCO Development Bank. The official outcome list contains 28 documents. They include the Bishkek Declaration marking the SCO's 25th anniversary, a statement on assistance to countries affected by emergencies, and measures covering transport, digital policy, energy, and climate cooperation. For Kyrgyzstan, which used its fourth chairmanship to press for new financial and emergency response mechanisms, the results were mixed. The emergency statement gave political backing to a Kyrgyz initiative, while the bank remained under negotiation. Kazakhstan then made a competing offer to host its headquarters. An institutional package The member states signed a protocol amending the 2002 SCO Charter and approved regulations for the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats. They also approved rules for the executive committee of the SCO Anti-Drug Center. The package included programs against drug addiction and synthetic narcotics through 2030, as well as amendments to the 2010 agreement on cooperation against crime. The decisions continue an institutional reorganization begun at the 2025 Tianjin summit. That meeting approved agreements establishing the Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe and a Universal Center based on the SCO's existing regional counterterrorism structure in Tashkent. President Sadyr Japarov said the organization should remain free of bloc politics and confrontation. He called for the rapid launch of the Universal Center and said Bishkek had prepared the conditions for an SCO center against transnational organized crime. Opening the meeting, he said the anniversary should become the start of a new phase for the organization. Bank progress, but no launch The Bishkek Declaration records progress toward creating an SCO Development Bank among interested member states during Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship, though the wording is qualified. The summit did not produce a founding agreement, capital commitment, or a launch date. Japarov urged members to reach a practical decision on the bank and invited them to use Kyrgyzstan's Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory for joint projects. Kyrgyzstan had already proposed Bishkek as the bank's headquarters. However, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used his summit address to make a rival offer. Kazakhstan supports directing the proposed bank's resources toward infrastructure, technology, and industry, he said. "If there is consensus among the member states, Kazakhstan could host this institution, its headquarters," Tokayev said in the official transcript. The two bids underline how much remains unresolved. Members reached political consensus to establish the bank in Tianjin last year, but its membership, governance, capital, and location are still being negotiated. Kyrgyz emergency initiative advances The heads of state adopted a separate statement on assistance to countries affected by emergencies. Kyrgyzstan had spent its chairmanship promoting an SCO assistance mechanism and, in May, sought support for a special account to finance emergency aid after major natural disasters. The statement's adoption is a clear political success for Bishkek. Its published title does not establish whether members accepted the proposed special account or how...

SCO Summit

Kyrgyzstan Hosts SCO Summit as Bloc Marks 25 Years

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's ten member states are due in Bishkek on September 1 for the final summit of Kyrgyzstan's 2025-2026 chairmanship. The meeting is expected to produce a Bishkek Declaration marking the SCO's 25th anniversary, alongside thematic statements and other decisions. For Kyrgyzstan, the gathering is more than a turn in the organization's rotating chairmanship. As many as 21 heads of state are expected in the country during the week, according to presidential spokesman Askat Alagozov. The summit coincides with Kyrgyzstan's Independence Day and the August 31 opening of the World Nomad Games. The member-state session will bring together Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with President Sadyr Japarov as host. Chinese President Xi Jinping will also make a state visit, giving the summit a substantial bilateral program alongside the formal meetings. Kyrgyzstan's Diplomatic Week The summit comes less than three months after Kyrgyzstan was elected to the UN Security Council for 2027-2028, its first term on the body. Hosting the SCO gives Japarov an opportunity to reinforce that diplomatic profile before the Security Council term begins in January. The SCO's foreign ministers reiterated in July that Central Asia is the organization's core and backed a larger role for it in the region's security and economic development. Their statement also praised Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship and confirmed that the Council of Heads of State and SCO Plus meetings would take place in Bishkek on August 31 and September 1. What Cholpon Ata Already Settled At their July 24 meeting in Cholpon Ata, SCO foreign ministers approved the draft declaration and accompanying documents as a basis for the summit. The language is therefore largely negotiated before the leaders arrive, although the final package can still change. The ministerial statement gives a clearer indication of the political agenda, supporting a multipolar world order and rejecting unilateral sanctions. It also calls for more intra-SCO trade. Terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crime remain its stated security priorities. The statement says the SCO is entering a period of institutional reform, including changes to its legal framework and cooperation procedures. A Development Bank Still Taking Shape Economic cooperation will occupy a significant part of the summit. In Tianjin last year, interested member states reached political consensus to establish an SCO Development Bank. The institution is not yet operational. At the fourth consultation meeting in Shenzhen in June, delegates discussed its key elements and the next stage of negotiations. A timetable or capital commitments announced in Bishkek would move the proposal beyond its current design stage. The bank could eventually provide another source of finance for infrastructure, but its structure and membership remain unsettled. Currency diversification will also remain part of the discussion. The 2024 Astana Declaration called for gradual growth in the use of national currencies for settlements among interested members. Sanctions on Russia and Iran have increased the political importance of that effort, although the SCO has not created a common payment system. SCO Plus, but Not...

SCO Summit

Xi Jinping Heads to Bishkek as Kyrgyzstan Prepares to Host 21 Heads of State

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek and make a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, Beijing has confirmed. The trip, which also includes a state visit to Egypt, will run from August 30 to September 3. The formal meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is scheduled for September 1. As many as 21 heads of state are expected in Kyrgyzstan during the week, according to presidential spokesman Askat Alagozov. Xi had long been expected to be among the leaders traveling to the Kyrgyz capital, but the formal confirmation turns attention from the guest list to the business that may be conducted around the main session. For Kyrgyzstan, the most consequential part of the visit may come in Xi's talks with President Sadyr Japarov rather than in the summit hall. The Times of Central Asia will be reporting from Bishkek as the delegations arrive, and from the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games on August 31. Several visiting heads of state are expected to attend the ceremony, which will bring summit diplomacy and Kyrgyzstan’s biggest cultural showcase together on the eve of the SCO meeting. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has already confirmed that he will be there. The spectacle will be considerable, but the substance is likely to emerge in the bilateral meetings, signed agreements, and final documents released around the September 1 summit. The State Visit and the Railway The state visit format gives Xi and Japarov a bilateral program alongside the summit. The most prominent economic issue is likely to be the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a project discussed for decades that is now under construction across some of Kyrgyzstan's most difficult terrain. The Kyrgyz authorities put the railway’s construction cost at about $4.7 billion. China holds 51% of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Company LLC, while Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan each hold 24.5%. Roughly half of the cost is being financed through a 35-year Chinese loan to the company. The summit could bring clearer evidence of how quickly construction is progressing. Any new financing, contracts, or cross-border arrangements would be more significant than another general statement of political support. The railway also places Kyrgyzstan inside a larger shift in regional trade. Commerce between China and the five Central Asian states passed $100 billion in 2025. Bishkek wants a larger share of that traffic and more of the value created along transit routes. Xi's visit offers Japarov an opportunity to press the case for logistics hubs, local employment and supporting roads rather than transit alone. The Documents Behind the Ceremony The SCO's national coordinators have been finalizing the outcome documents in the weeks leading up to the summit. Under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship, the SCO has emphasized regional stability and economic cooperation, alongside digital transformation, cyber threats, environmental policy, and cultural exchange. SCO decisions require consensus, which tends to soften disagreements in final communiqués. Any agreements that specify funding, deadlines, or responsibility would give the Bishkek package more weight. Bilateral Meetings Around the Summit The summit will bring...

Power Grid

August 14 Blackout: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Continue to Dispute Its Cause

The blame game over Central Asia’s August 14 blackout continues. Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov says the large-scale blackout began with the shutdown of two generating units at the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) in Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek does not dispute that the failure occurred but rejects the claim that it was the direct cause of the subsequent outages across several countries. Akkenzhenov identified the events in Kyrgyzstan as the starting point of the emergency. According to him, the initial disturbance occurred on August 14 at 2:37 p.m. Kazakhstan time, or 3:37 p.m. in Kyrgyzstan, when generating units No. 1 and No. 2 at the Toktogul HPP went offline. The loss of generation altered operating conditions in Central Asia’s interconnected power system and led to a redistribution of power flows in southern Kazakhstan. A government commission in Kazakhstan is expected to make the final determination. Kazakhstan’s grid operator KEGOC had earlier provided a more detailed chronology. At 2:37 p.m., three 500 kV transmission lines tripped, separating southern Kazakhstan and the Central Asian grid from the rest of Kazakhstan’s power system. About 2,810 MW of consumer load was temporarily cut off. KEGOC later said that immediately beforehand, two generating units at the Toktogul HPP, with a combined capacity of about 600 MW, had gone offline. The resulting changes in power flows overloaded Kazakhstan’s North–East–South transmission corridor, triggering emergency protection systems. Akkenzhenov said the protection systems had worked effectively and praised KEGOC’s response. Kazakhstan’s power system was restored in approximately 2.5 hours. Kyrgyzstan acknowledges that the two units went offline. The country’s Energy Ministry described the incident as the “initial disturbance” in the interconnected power system, but stressed that the first event in an emergency sequence cannot automatically be considered the cause of all subsequent outages. According to its account, by 3:55 p.m. Kyrgyzstan time — 2:55 p.m. in Kazakhstan — the frequency in the interconnected power system had returned to the normal 50 Hz. At that point, Kyrgyzstan was also supplying neighboring power systems with about 250 MW. Bishkek maintains that the outage affecting the Almaty power hub occurred after normal frequency had already been restored. Kyrgyz energy officials therefore consider it premature to directly attribute all subsequent events to the failure at the Toktogul HPP. The disagreement, therefore, is less about what happened first than about the causal link between the initial failure and the chain of outages that followed. Why the Regional Grid Is Vulnerable The vulnerability is rooted in the architecture of the region’s power system itself. During the Soviet period, its power plants and high-voltage transmission lines were designed to operate as a single interconnected system rather than around today’s national borders. Energy ties weakened after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but in recent years the countries have again expanded parallel operation of their power systems. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan are connected through the Integrated Power System of Central Asia. Cross-border power flows are coordinated by the Energia Coordinating Dispatch Center in Tashkent. Hydropower in Kyrgyzstan and...