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Travel

EU and Uzbekistan Discuss Steps Toward Easing Visa Access

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry has initiated the first round of consultations with experts from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, according to the Dunyo news agency. The discussions focused on the potential easing of visa procedures for Uzbek citizens traveling to the European Union for purposes such as work, study, truck driving, or group tourism. Representatives from the European side outlined a number of preconditions Uzbekistan must fulfill before the European Commission can formally consider simplifying visa requirements. Both sides agreed to continue consultations in the coming period to advance the process. The talks follow President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Brussels on October 23-24, during which Uzbekistan and the EU signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The new framework replaces the 1996 agreement and expands bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, digital technologies, environmental protection, and climate resilience. Negotiations on the updated agreement began in 2019 and concluded in 2022. While in Brussels, Mirziyoyev also held meetings with executives from leading European companies and financial institutions, including Linde, SUEZ, Meridiam, Commerzbank, and the European Investment Bank. The sides agreed to pursue new projects worth more than €10 billion across sectors such as energy, chemicals, logistics, critical minerals, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. These investments add to an existing EU-led project portfolio in Uzbekistan valued at more than €40 billion.

Advocacy

Uzbekneftegaz Signs $5 Million Consulting Deal With U.S. Firm Ballard Partners

Uzbekneftegaz has signed a $5 million lobbying and strategic consulting contract with the U.S.-based firm Ballard Partners, according to documents published by the Uzbek Telegram channel Revizor on December 12. The agreement outlines services for “strategic consulting and advocacy before the U.S. government.” The reported monthly fee is $83,334, implying a contract duration of approximately five years. Ballard Partners is often described by U.S. media outlets as having close ties to President Donald Trump. Reuters recently reported that several major companies, including cryptocurrency exchanges Kraken and Blockchain.com, retained Ballard Partners after the November elections for lobbying on digital asset regulation. The firm is led by Brian Ballard, a longtime Trump fundraiser, and has seen a notable uptick in clients in recent months. Politico reported earlier this year that Ballard Partners’ revenue has sharply increased, with many organizations under pressure from the current administration turning to the firm for representation. According to the report, Ballard signed around 40 new clients following the elections, exceeding its client intake from the previous ten months. The Uzbekneftegaz deal follows recent comments by Uzbekistan’s Minister of Energy, Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov, confirming that the government has been in discussions with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regarding sanctions on Russian energy giant Lukoil. However, there is no publicly available evidence linking the Uzbekneftegaz agreement with Ballard Partners to the Lukoil sanctions issue. At this stage, the specific scope of Ballard Partners’ work on behalf of Uzbekneftegaz remains undisclosed. The available documentation does not specify the precise interests the firm will advocate for in Washington, leaving open questions about the contract’s strategic goals and expected outcomes.

Natural Resources

Mirziyoyev: Uzbekistan’s Natural Resources Valued at Up to $79,000 Per Person

Uzbekistan’s vast underground wealth has drawn renewed attention following the release of an international ranking of countries by natural resource value per capita, as reported by Uzbek publication Zamin. According to the ranking, Saudi Arabia tops the list, with natural resources valued at approximately $1 million per person, driven largely by its extensive oil reserves. Canada and Australia follow, each exceeding $700,000 per capita, supported by a combination of oil, forests, minerals, iron ore, coal, and natural gas. Russia ranks fourth, with more than $520,000 in resources per person. Although accurately assessing Uzbekistan’s total natural resource value remains difficult due to fluctuating global commodity prices and ongoing geological exploration, the country's long-term potential is considered substantial. In July 2018, Azam Qadirhodjayev, then Deputy Chairman of Uzbekistan’s State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources, estimated the total potential value of the country’s mineral resources at approximately $5.7 trillion. Of this, over $1 trillion stemmed from explored and currently developed deposits. At the time, only about 20% of Uzbekistan’s territory had been fully studied, leaving considerable room for new discoveries. Additional details were provided in December 2023, when Ilyos Jumayev, a representative of the Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology, announced at a press conference that Uzbekistan officially possesses 101 gold deposits and three silver deposits. According to the ministry, the country holds nearly all mineral types found globally, including gold, silver, copper, uranium, oil, natural gas, lithium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, nickel, cobalt, tantalum, and niobium. Major gold reserves serve as the raw material base for the Navoi and Almalyk mining and metallurgical complexes, while copper deposits are primarily located in the Tashkent region. The value of Uzbekistan’s natural resources was also a key topic at the Tashkent International Investment Forum in June 2025. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that the country’s underground wealth is valued at approximately $3 trillion. He emphasized that the global demand for technological minerals is rising amid the fourth industrial revolution and identified strategic reserves of lithium, tungsten, magnesium, graphite, titanium, and vanadium as vital for developing high value-added industries. Based on the president’s $3 trillion estimate and Uzbekistan’s current population of roughly 38.24 million, the per capita value of natural resources stands at approximately $78,000 to $79,000. While lower than the per capita resource wealth in countries like Saudi Arabia or Canada, officials argue that incomplete geological surveying leaves room for this figure to grow. Uzbekistan’s resource base includes not only precious and rare earth metals but also energy resources such as oil and natural gas, underscoring the country’s strategic position in the global minerals landscape.

Digital Development

The Digital Future of Central Asia: Who Is Shaping It, and How?

Digital security is now a key component of most processes in every country. A large share of organizations is moving, or has already moved, their processes online, which requires increased attention and control. Many Central Asian countries are already rolling out AI technologies at the state level. Financial institutions, social systems, crypto services, rental services, and other high-risk areas can no longer develop effectively without biometric identification and AI. Central Asia is gradually developing its own biometric landscape, and if we look at it not as a set of disparate projects but as an emerging infrastructure, it becomes clear that the countries are moving at very different speeds. Kazakhstan: Leader in Biometrics and Digital Identity in the Region Today, Kazakhstan is the undisputed leader in Central Asia in the field of biometric technologies. In this region biometrics has long gone beyond isolated pilots and has become part of the digital infrastructure on which a significant part of the economy operates. Unlike neighboring countries, where biometrics is most often limited to video surveillance or exclusively state initiatives, Kazakhstan has developed a mature market of independent developers and technology companies creating competitive products both for private organizations and for government platforms. Thanks to active digitalization, biometrics in the country has become not an add-on, but the primary mechanism for identity verification. The state additionally stimulates this process: it expands the use of biometric identification in ministerial processes, strengthens the requirements for remote verification, and transfers critical services, such as the issuance of an Electronic Digital Signature (EDS), to biometric authentication. In this way, an environment is being built in which online processes gain full legal validity and the population receives convenient access to services without the need to visit physical offices. Kazakhstan’s key distinction is that it has a full-fledged biometrics market, not just government-driven initiatives. The private sector actively invests in biometric solutions, integrates them into its processes, and competes on the quality of the user experience. Banks strive to reduce entry barriers for clients, MFIs (software development kits) increase protection against fraud, crypto exchanges strengthen their compliance structure, and marketplaces implement biometric identification to secure transactions. This has created an effect unique for the region: biometrics has ceased to be a one-off project and has turned into an everyday part of business. Against this background, independent local companies are developing that are capable of creating advanced technological solutions within the country. Among them, Biometric.Vision stands out in particular, an international company originating from Kazakhstan, one of the key players in the Kazakhstani market that has formed its own technological stack and operates across several industries. The company has become a technological partner for banks, financial organizations, government services, and regulated industries, providing software modules for remote identification, biometric verification, liveness checks, and fraud prevention. Local products make it possible to respond quickly to new regulatory requirements, adapt to them, and address the real needs of local businesses. For Kazakhstan, the presence of local players in the biometrics market is...

Water Security

Glacier Melt Threatens Central Asia’s Water Security, Experts Warn at Regional Forum

The accelerating retreat of glaciers poses a serious risk to water security across Central and West Asia, scientists and journalists warned during an online media forum jointly hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on December 10, according to Asia-Plus. The forum focused on the growing impact of glacial melt in mountain regions, including the Pamirs, Tien Shan, Hindu Kush, and Himalayas, where shrinking ice reserves are increasingly disrupting water supplies for agriculture, energy, and drinking water. A key highlight was the ADB’s Glacier to Farms (G2F) program, presented by senior climate adaptation specialist Chris Dickinson. The initiative, spanning nine countries including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Georgia, aims to link glacier monitoring with practical, climate-resilient policy measures. Unlike past approaches that primarily diagnosed the problem, G2F offers technical and financial solutions designed to support communities in adapting to climate change. The $3.5 billion initiative, backed in part by $250 million from the Green Climate Fund, leverages a co-financing model that aims to attract $10 in additional investment for every dollar committed. The program envisions a full climate adaptation chain from satellite-based glacier monitoring and mountain observation stations to downstream interventions such as crop insurance, farmer support, and modernization of water infrastructure. “Glaciers are the origin of the entire food and water system,” Dickinson said. “Their rapid retreat threatens lives and livelihoods far beyond mountain regions.” Tajikistan serves as a pilot site for the program due to its heavy reliance on hydropower and its largely mountainous terrain. One of the project's key goals is to enhance the country’s hydrometeorological services and strengthen monitoring of snow cover, glacier movement, landslides, and related hazards. A modern early warning system is being developed for the Panj River basin, combining data on glacial lakes, mudflows, precipitation, and seismic activity. The alerts will be sent to vulnerable communities via mobile networks, complemented by local training programs to ensure proper responses. Forum participants noted that the effects of glacial retreat are already evident. Glaciers in the Tien Shan and Pamir ranges feed the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, vital water sources for Central Asia’s agriculture, energy, and drinking needs. An estimated 74% of the Amu Darya’s flow comes from snow and glacier melt. In the Indus basin, the figure is about 40%. Yet only a small number of the region’s more than 54,000 glaciers are regularly monitored, leaving gaps in early warning systems and long-term planning. Experts from ICIMOD and ADB described glacier melt as a “cascading crisis.” Rising temperatures are fueling more frequent landslides, floods, and mudflows, while droughts reduce crop yields and damage pastures. Glacial lake outburst floods, sudden and destructive releases of water, pose grave risks to nearby settlements. Since the 19th century, the region has recorded around 500 such incidents, and their frequency could triple by the end of this century. Heatwaves and water quality issues further compound the risks. Recent glacial activity in Tajikistan underscored the forum’s urgency. In October, a massive...

Afghanistan

U.S. Transfers Afghan Black Hawk Helicopters From Uzbekistan to Peru

The United States has transferred UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Uzbekistan to Peru, as part of a broader strategy for managing military equipment evacuated from Afghanistan following the collapse of the former Afghan government in 2021, Diplomat.uz reported. The helicopters were initially supplied by the U.S. to the Afghan Air Force and were flown to Uzbekistan by Afghan pilots in August 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Kabul. According to Ukrainian media, the aircraft involved are UH-60A+ Black Hawks that remained outside Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover. Reports indicate that nine Black Hawks were delivered to Peru in 2024. In February 2025, an additional seven helicopters were transferred from Central Asia to the U.S., reflecting Washington’s phased approach to reallocating military assets left abroad after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Defense experts say these transfers are part of a strategic effort to strengthen the capabilities of U.S. partner countries while resolving the status of equipment no longer operable by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The Taliban, now in control of Afghanistan, has repeatedly insisted that all aircraft flown out in 2021 remain the property of Afghanistan and must be returned. On September 10, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Uzbekistan had agreed to return 57 helicopters, calling the move a step toward rebuilding the country’s air force and improving bilateral relations with Tashkent. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly denied the claim. On September 11, ministry spokesperson Ahror Burkhanov stated that reports of an agreement to return the helicopters “do not correspond to reality” and labeled the information as false. Uzbek officials have consistently affirmed that the helicopters are U.S. property and emphasized their role in ensuring the aircraft did not fall into Taliban hands. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, 46 Afghan military aircraft, including Mi-17 and UH-60 helicopters, as well as PC-12, C-208, AC-208, and A-29 fixed-wing planes, were flown to Uzbekistan in 2021. An additional 18 aircraft were relocated to neighboring Tajikistan. Analysts say the ongoing redistribution of former Afghan military assets illustrates unresolved legal and political questions over equipment left behind in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal. The issue continues to influence regional diplomacy and international security calculations more than four years after the fall of the Afghan government.