Latest - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 25 - 30 of 12768

Kazakhstan’s Exports Rise Nearly 10% in First Quarter of 2026

Kazakhstan increased its foreign trade turnover to $32.9 billion during the first quarter of 2026, while exports rose by nearly 10% year-on-year, according to the country’s Ministry of Trade and Integration. The ministry stated that Kazakhstan completed the January-March period with a “confident strengthening” of its foreign trade position. Amid continued strong business activity and expanding export potential, total trade turnover reached $32.9 billion, an increase of 10.5% compared to the same period in 2025, when the figure stood at $29.8 billion. “The dynamics confirm the resilience of the country’s foreign economic sector and the gradual strengthening of higher value-added products in the structure of Kazakhstan’s exports,” the ministry said. Total exports for the first quarter of 2026 rose by 9.4% to $18 billion, while imports increased by 11.8% to $14.9 billion compared to the same period last year. According to the ministry, the faster growth in imports was primarily driven by increased purchases of investment and technological goods needed for the modernization of Kazakhstan’s industrial, energy and transport infrastructure. Among the most notable increases was the import of electric generating units, which rose to $416.8 million, more than five times the previous level. Imports of gas turbines and aircraft engines, railway locomotives, and equipment for processing and sorting raw materials also increased significantly. “This structure of imports indicates sustained high investment demand within the economy and the active implementation of infrastructure and industrial projects,” the ministry said. Officials also highlighted the performance of Kazakhstan’s non-commodity trade sector. Foreign trade turnover in non-resource goods reached $20.4 billion during the first quarter of 2026, up 13.5% year-on-year. Non-commodity exports rose by 23.4% to $6.9 billion, becoming one of the main drivers of changes in Kazakhstan’s foreign trade structure. The main non-resource exports included copper and copper cathodes, silver, uranium, ferroalloys, animal feed products, and sunflower oil. Exports of sunflower oil increased by nearly 60% to $277.8 million, reflecting what the ministry described as the growing competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s processed agricultural products. Ferroalloy exports rose by 20.1%, pointing to continued growth in the metallurgical sector and wider export markets for domestically manufactured industrial goods. “Kazakhstan’s foreign trade geography remains steadily diversified,” the ministry stated. “China became the country’s largest trading partner in the first quarter, with trade turnover reaching $7.8 billion and accounting for 23.8% of total foreign trade.” Russia retained second place with bilateral trade totaling $6.5 billion, remaining Kazakhstan’s key market for imports and industrial cooperation. Italy, Turkey, and Uzbekistan also ranked among Kazakhstan’s largest trading partners. The ministry also noted Kazakhstan’s export position in Europe. Trade turnover with Italy exceeded $3.4 billion during the first quarter, with Kazakh exports accounting for more than $3 billion of that total. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan aims to increase non-commodity exports to $52 billion by 2030.

Home Uzbekistan International Affairs Kazakhstan Kazakhstan International Affairs Uzbekistan International Affairs

Russian Official Says West Is Seeking to Reduce Moscow’s Influence in Central Asia

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has accused Western countries of attempting to weaken Russia’s position in Central Asia by expanding their economic and strategic influence across the region, according to an interview published by the Russian newspaper Izvestia. Galuzin said the United States and the European Union are seeking greater control over key transport corridors and natural resources in Central Asia, presenting their engagement as efforts to diversify economies and strengthen regional resilience. However, he argued that such initiatives are driven by broader geopolitical objectives. “We note the desire of the United States and the European Union to take control of key transport corridors and natural resources in the region,” Galuzin told Izvestia. He added that Moscow is concerned by what it sees as Washington’s growing involvement in agreements related to critical minerals and rare earth metals. “This is not simply economic competition, but an attempt to push Russia out and create Western-controlled infrastructure near our borders,” Galuzin said. The remarks reflect Moscow’s concern over Central Asia’s multi-vector diplomacy, as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and their neighbors expand ties with the European Union, China, the United States, and Gulf countries while maintaining longstanding relations with Russia. Galuzin also claimed that Western governments are promoting narratives portraying Russia as a security threat in an effort to influence regional policymakers. “We observe how the United Kingdom and some EU states systematically advance the narrative of an alleged danger coming from Moscow,” he said. According to the Russian diplomat, the aim is to encourage Central Asian governments to move away from cooperation with Russia in favor of political and economic incentives offered by Western countries. He argued that regional states are unlikely to support such a shift. “Neither Russia nor our historical friends and strategic partners in Central Asia are interested in such scenarios,” Galuzin said, adding that countries in the region “do not want to become pawns in someone else’s game.”

Business & Economy Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Kyrgyzstan to Temporarily Open Alternative North-South Highway from June to November

Kyrgyzstan’s alternative North-South highway will be open to traffic from June to November 2026, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has announced. Preparatory work for the seasonal opening is currently underway, including the implementation of additional safety measures. The long-anticipated 433-kilometer highway is a strategic transport corridor linking Balykchy in the Issyk-Kul Region with Jalal-Abad in southern Kyrgyzstan. Approximately 200 kilometers of the route pass through areas where no roads previously existed. Key engineering achievements along the route include Kyrgyzstan’s longest tunnel, located at the Kok-Art mountain pass, and two major overpass bridges. Once operational, the highway is expected to reduce travel time between Jalal-Abad and Balykchy from 13 hours to just six. Currently, the only route connecting Kyrgyzstan’s northern and southern regions is the Bishkek-Osh highway. The new North-South corridor is expected to improve both passenger and freight transportation between the regions, particularly given the absence of a direct railway connection. Construction of the North-South highway began in 2014, but the opening has been repeatedly postponed. The highway is expected to become fully operational year-round in 2028, according to Minister of Transport and Communications Talantbek Soltobaev. He said that in 2026 the highway would only operate during the summer season. “Until we resolve safety issues, we will be closing the highway for the winter,” the minister said, referring to the need to eliminate risks associated with rockfalls, avalanches and other natural hazards along certain sections of the road.

Home Kazakhstan Local Politics Local Politics Kazakhstan Features Kazakhstan Featurees

Kazakhstan Looks to the Golden Horde for a Deeper National Narrative

A major international symposium dedicated to the Golden Horde opened this week in Kazakhstan’s capital, underscoring the country’s growing effort to redefine its historical narrative and national identity through the legacy of the Great Steppe. The symposium, held under the patronage of UNESCO and titled “The Golden Horde as a Model of Steppe Civilization: History, Archaeology, Culture and Identity,” brought together more than 300 scholars, including 120 foreign researchers from over 20 countries. The event reflects Kazakhstan’s effort to align its national narrative with a growing body of scholarship that treats nomadic societies not as a “backward” alternative to sedentary civilizations, but as a distinct and highly sophisticated model of statehood shaped by the economic realities of the Eurasian steppe. Opening the symposium, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared that “no historian today questions the power of the Golden Horde, the empire that ruled the Great Steppe and occupied vast expanses of Eurasia. The empire that connected East and West and exerted a profound influence on the development of civilizations and the formation of states was unquestionably one of the largest political structures in history,” Tokayev said. [caption id="attachment_49194" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Image: Akorda[/caption] The Legacy of the Great Steppe The Golden Horde, also known as the Ulus of Jochi, emerged from the empire created by Genghis Khan across the Eurasian steppe. The wider Eurasian steppe stretched from Eastern Europe toward Mongolia, while the Golden Horde controlled a vast western portion of that world. The region long served as home to Indo-European, Turkic and Mongol nomadic peoples. Its open geography, largely free of impassable mountain barriers, enabled the large-scale movement of herds of horses, sheep and cattle in search of pastures and water sources. It was in this region, on the territory of present-day northern Kazakhstan, that horses were first domesticated about 5,500 years ago near the settlement of Botai. The archaeological Botai culture dates back to roughly 3700-3100 BCE. The Golden Horde itself traces directly to Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, whose descendants ruled the Ulus of Jochi across a vast territory from the Irtysh to the Danube. Over time, the Ulus of Jochi was divided between Jochi’s sons into western and eastern wings known respectively as the White Horde (Ak-Orda) and the Blue Horde (Kok-Orda). By the middle of the 15th century, the Ulus of Jochi had fragmented into successor polities, including the Siberian, Uzbek, Kazan, Crimean, and Kazakh khanates, as well as the Nogai Horde. Moscow’s rise also unfolded in the shadow of this post-Horde order before it later became the core of the Russian Empire. [caption id="attachment_49193" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: Akorda[/caption] Between Myth and Statehood Because written sources on the Golden Horde remain fragmented, much of its legacy survived through oral traditions, epics, myths, and legends. In Kazakh tradition, for example, khans continued to be chosen from among the Chinggisids, direct descendants of Genghis Khan, and elevated on a white felt carpet during coronation ceremonies. The period also produced oral epics preserved through the tradition of the...

Home Life & Culture Kazakhstan Life & Culture Kazakhstan

“Between Worlds”: Filmmaker Zhannat Alshanova on Migration and Identity

Kazakhstani filmmaker Zhannat Alshanova belongs to a new generation of directors whose careers have unfolded across countries and cultures. Before establishing herself as an auteur filmmaker, the London Film School graduate worked on international productions filmed in Kazakhstan, South Africa, Guatemala, Malaysia, and the United States. Her short film History of Civilization won the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival; several years later, her debut feature Becoming also premiered there. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Alshanova discusses migration, identity, the Western film industry, the creative vulnerability of young directors, and what it means to make cinema “between worlds.” TCA: Zhannat, would it be fair to call you a “Locarno star”? Your debut feature Becoming premiered there; before that, you won the Silver Leopard for your short A History of Civilization, and you also took part in the festival’s directing academy. Zhannat: We really have had a long relationship. Even before screening my own films there, I attended the festival as a co-producer of a South African film selected for competition. That was a year before my own participation. TCA: How did you end up working on a South African project, and what was the film about? Zhannat: It was made by people from my film school. We all studied together at London Film School, although they were a year ahead of me. It was a genuinely creative environment where everyone supported one another and worked on each other’s graduation films. Usually, productions took place in the filmmaker’s home country, so I ended up helping produce projects not only in South Africa, but also in Turkey and the United States. In Guatemala, I worked as a second assistant director. The South African project was a hybrid film, part fiction, part documentary, a road movie about a young man traveling to an audition. The entire story unfolds through that journey. It turned out to be a very beautiful film. [caption id="attachment_49166" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] From a personal photo archive[/caption] TCA: You all came to London Film School from completely different parts of the world. Were your themes similar or very different? Zhannat: Some were similar, others completely different. So many factors shape a filmmaker, the country you grew up in, your personal background, your experience of migration or travel. Some people had lived in one country their entire lives before leaving; others had moved between countries since childhood, while some had lived abroad and then returned home. Everyone carried different experiences. Some directors were interested in stories about children, others focused on people their own age, while some tried to imagine the future. The ideas were extremely varied, but all of them were vivid and personal. For me, the greatest asset of film school was access to different cultures and perspectives. Everyone brought their own cinematic baggage, films, directors and artistic traditions you might never otherwise encounter. It became a fascinating mix of global culture. TCA: What kind of film were you working on in Guatemala? Zhannat: It...

Home Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Features Business & Economy Uzbekistan Business & Economy Features

Uzbekistan Conducts First Dual IPO in London and Tashkent

Uzbekistan has completed its first international equity offering, as the state-backed National Investment Fund of Uzbekistan (UzNIF) began trading through a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange and the Tashkent Stock Exchange. UzNIF raised $603.6 million by selling a 31% stake to international and domestic investors. The proceeds could rise to about $692 million if an overallotment option is exercised in full, bringing the total stake sold to 35%. At the offer price, the fund was valued at about $1.95 billion. The offering was managed by Franklin Templeton, while cornerstone investors included funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Franklin Resources, and Redwheel. The shares were sold by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, so the proceeds will go to the state rather than directly to the fund. The listing attracted more than $2.8 billion in investor demand. Julia Hoggett, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, described UzNIF as the first international IPO from Uzbekistan and the largest IPO on the exchange’s markets so far this year. Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of Uzbekistan’s presidential administration, framed the transaction as part of the country’s effort to deepen capital-market reforms and draw long-term foreign investment. Speaking at the London Stock Exchange, she said the IPO was not only about raising capital, but also about building trust in a new generation of Uzbek institutions. “Uzbekistan has become a more open and reliable partner for the global capital market,” Mirziyoyeva wrote on Telegram. Uzbek officials say the country’s economy has nearly tripled in size in recent years, while investor protections and corporate governance standards have been strengthened. The listing comes as Uzbekistan intensifies efforts to position itself as a new investment destination in Central Asia. During a visit to London, Mirziyoyeva held talks with British officials, financial executives, and investors as Tashkent seeks to expand private-sector participation and develop plans linked to a proposed Tashkent International Financial Centre. Official figures show that British businesses have already invested more than $1 billion in Uzbekistan’s economy. Trading in London opened at $25 per global depositary receipt, with shares rising roughly 12% to $28 within the first hours of trading. On the domestic market, a separate tranche was made available through the Tashkent Stock Exchange, giving Uzbek investors access to a vehicle that had primarily been aimed at international institutions. UzNIF holds stakes in 13 state-linked companies in sectors including transport, energy, banking, telecommunications, utilities, and aviation. Its major holdings include Uzbekistan Airways, Uzbektelecom, Uzbekhydroenergo, and other infrastructure and energy operators. The fund was established in 2024 as part of Uzbekistan’s broader privatization and capital-market reform program. By grouping stakes in strategic state-owned enterprises into a single listed vehicle, the government is offering investors exposure to several parts of the Uzbek economy while retaining state control over the underlying assets. For Uzbekistan, the successful dual listing is a significant market-opening moment. It gives the government a benchmark for future privatizations, broadens access to Uzbek equities, and tests whether investor interest in the country’s reform story can be...