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Air Cargo

Turkmenistan Says Air Belgium Will Launch Cargo Flights via Ashgabat

Air Belgium will start cargo flights through Ashgabat International Airport in early August, reflecting Turkmenistan’s hopes of becoming an air cargo hub between Asia and Europe despite its traditional restrictions on the aviation market. Sapar Palvanov, Turkmenistan’s ambassador in Brussels, discussed the plan with Air Belgium CEO Georges Chachati during a recent visit to the headquarters of the Belgian carrier, which focuses on cargo operations through aircraft charter and leasing operations. “Special attention was paid to the practical aspects of the upcoming launch of cargo flights, as well as to technical details related to the organization of this process,” the Turkmen embassy in Belgium said on Friday. “The parties also discussed the possibility of holding a symbolic ceremony to mark the first launch of cargo flights, which is expected to take place in early August of this year.” The embassy said that Chachati, who had met transport leaders during a visit to Turkmenistan, noted the “attractive conditions” at Ashgabat International Airport, including refueling services and technical support. Palvanov said “the development of air logistics is an important part of the country’s broader strategy to expand international transport connectivity and diversify cargo transportation routes,” according to the embassy. Air Belgium’s fleet includes Boeing B747-8F and Airbus A330-243F freighters, according to the Belgian Air Transport Association. The carrier originally served passengers but ran into financial trouble in the early 2020s and shifted its focus to cargo traffic. After entering bankruptcy last year, Air Belgium was rescued when CMA CGM, a French multinational that is one of the world’s top shipping groups, took over the carrier’s cargo operations. Relatively few foreign carriers fly to Turkmenistan compared with other Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which have taken more robust steps to welcome competition and visitors. Although Turkmenistan tightly regulates aviation and favors its national carrier, the country has invested in airport infrastructure and says it hopes to attract more international cargo carriers. Central Asia has become more important as a regional hub for air traffic because many carriers are seeking alternative routes between Europe and Asia amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and periodic conflict in the Middle East.

2 weeks ago

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.

2 weeks ago

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...

2 weeks ago

TCA Interviews

From Bishkek to Yakutsk: What Unites Eurasia’s Emerging Cinema

Stepan Burnashev is a Sakha filmmaker from Yakutia who has helped bring Yakut cinema to audiences far beyond the republic. His films have screened at international festivals, appeared on Amazon, and helped turn Yakut cinema into one of the most distinctive regional film movements in Eurasia. In Bishkek, where Burnashev served on the jury of the national KyrgyzBox section, The Times of Central Asia spoke with him about the phenomenon of Yakut cinema, international ambitions, and what connects Yakutsk, Bishkek, and other emerging cinemas of Eurasia. TCA: Stepan, this is not your first time attending the Bishkek International Film Festival. What attracts you to it? Stepan Burnashev: I love Bishkek very much. There is good cinema here, wonderful people, and Kyrgyz culture feels very close to me in many ways. I have attended three of the four festivals held so far. Still, I have never shown my own films here. The first time I came to Bishkek was at the invitation of Erke Jumakmatova, the head of the festival’s industry program. We met back in Busan, and she invited me to participate in a pitching session. Back then, I flew in with a team of Yakut filmmakers: Apollinaria Degtyareva, Alexey Egorov, and me. Apollinaria and I both participated in the pitching, and this year she entered the main competition of the Bishkek Film Festival with that project. The second time, I came on my own initiative because I had really fallen in love with the festival. It has a special warmth and atmosphere. This time I was invited as a jury member for the national KyrgyzBox program. TCA: How do you assess the KyrgyzBox program? Do you see any common ground between Kyrgyz and Yakut cinema? Stepan Burnashev: The program is interesting, though, as everywhere, there are weaker films and stronger ones. From what I understand, mainstream cinema, such as comedies, is more popular here, while in Yakutia, auteur films are also audience-driven. It is interesting, but I noticed that music is used much more actively in Kyrgyz films. In our films, music usually does not dictate anything to the viewer or tell them what to feel. Here I saw films with a different approach. It is curious. TCA: What kind of cinema interests you more today, auteur or mainstream? Stepan Burnashev: In fact, I do not divide cinema into auteur and mainstream. I divide films into good and not-so-good. I even try not to use the word “bad.” It seems unfair to the people who create films. Any director starts working on a film convinced they will make a great one. And I sincerely believe that no one sets out to make a terrible movie. Of course, there are cases where the result does not meet expectations, but behind every project there is the labor of many people. That deserves respect. TCA: What do you think about contemporary Kazakh cinema? Do you know it well? Stepan Burnashev: To say that I know Kazakh cinema very well would be an...

2 weeks ago

Financial Services

Turkmenistan Cash Shortage Forces Residents to Pay Middlemen for Their Own Money

Residents of the town of Kaka in Turkmenistan’s Ahal region are facing a shortage of cash. Queues at ATMs stretch for dozens of people, but many residents are unable to withdraw money because the machines quickly run out of banknotes. As a result, some are turning to intermediaries who help them obtain cash for a fee. In recent weeks, an unusual service has become widespread in the town. So-called “cash-out agents” travel directly to customers with a bank terminal, check the balance on their card, and immediately hand over the requested amount in cash. For this service, they charge a commission of 10 manats for every 1,000 manats withdrawn, or roughly 1%. The intermediaries then take the owner’s bank card and withdraw the money themselves to recover the amount they have advanced. According to local residents, these agents likely know of ATMs with few or no queues, such as those located inside government institutions. The card is later returned to the owner. Despite the relatively small commission, residents use the service less for convenience than because of constant difficulties accessing cash. Many prefer paying a middleman to standing in line for several hours, only to find that the ATM is empty. The exact reasons for the current cash shortage remain unclear. So far, Turkmen.news sources have reported such difficulties only in Kaka. However, similar situations are not new in Turkmenistan. In spring 2025, the same problem was reported in the Mary and Lebap regions, while during the economic crisis of 2020-2021, cash was distributed across the country using vouchers. Authorities have regularly tried to ease the consequences of such crises. Measures have included restrictions on cash withdrawals, limits on withdrawal amounts, assigning specific ATMs to employees of particular enterprises, and allowing customers to use only machines linked to their servicing branch. In some cases, ATMs have even been moved to the outskirts of towns to keep long queues out of public view. Turkmenistan has also periodically imported new banknotes, which are printed in Malta. Residents cannot simply switch to cashless payments. Non-cash transactions are often disrupted by frequent internet outages, while the country’s banking system remains underdeveloped. According to sources, customers have reported missing funds, international transfers can take weeks, and foreign currency can be purchased at the official exchange rate only in limited circumstances and in small amounts. Under these conditions, alternative payment methods have become widespread. For domestic transfers, money is often sent to a mobile phone balance, after which it can be converted into cash through intermediaries for a commission. A similar system is also used for transfers from countries with large Turkmen diaspora communities. Money is handed over to intermediaries abroad, while their partners inside Turkmenistan provide recipients with the equivalent amount in manats. Such informal networks complicate oversight of financial flows. They have also emerged in response to the limitations and weak development of the country’s banking system.

2 weeks ago

Foreign Investment

Opinion: Why Deals Go Quiet – Contracts, Trust, and Business Development in Central Asia

The meeting had gone well. The counterpart had nodded at the right moments, asked sensible questions, and shaken hands warmly at the door. There had been no objection, no pushback, no obvious red flag. Then nothing happened. No follow-up call. No revised term sheet. No polite email explaining what had changed. Just silence, stretching from weeks into months, until the deal that had seemed close was quietly, undeniably dead. Foreign executives who have spent time in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or elsewhere in Central Asia may recognize this pattern. It is often filed away as bad luck, an unresponsive partner, or a market that “just isn’t ready.” Sometimes those explanations are partly true. But in many cases, something more basic is at work: the parties are operating with different assumptions about trust, commitment, communication, and timing. There is a way to put this more precisely. In many Western commercial settings, the contract gives the commercial relationship its legal form: it records binding obligations, allocates risk, and defines what each side can enforce. In Kazakhstan, and in many business settings across Central Asia, the broader business relationship often remains the framework within which the contract is negotiated, performed, and sustained. Neither approach is irrational. The trouble begins when either side assumes its own is simply how serious business works everywhere. The issue is not that contracts are meaningless or unenforceable. It is that many deals do not close. They stall because the relationship, the people who actually back the deal, or trust around the transaction was never strong enough to carry it forward. In many Western commercial settings, the contract is treated as the main container of trust. Negotiation builds toward a signature, and the signature defines what each party now owes the other. After that point, performance is supported by process: lawyers, clauses, deadlines, courts, regulators, and dispute mechanisms. The relationship matters, but it is often understood as something that produces the contract. In Kazakhstan and across much of Central Asia, business development can work differently. The relationship often remains the container in which an agreement sits. A memorandum of understanding (MOU), for example, may be seen less as the end of the conversation than as one stage in a longer process of confidence-building. A foreign negotiator may believe the signature closes the matter. A local counterpart may believe it has only moved the relationship into a new phase. Neither approach is irrational. Both are ways of managing uncertainty. The difficulty begins when either side assumes its own approach is simply how serious business works everywhere. This is one of the details foreign investors often miss: failure rarely announces itself. There is no confrontation, no dramatic breakdown, no final meeting in which the deal is formally pronounced dead. It shows up instead as an absence. A phone that stops ringing. A term sheet that does not move. A relationship that goes quiet without explanation. A Western team may read silence as the absence of a problem. No news is good news. In...

2 weeks ago

Mary Power Outages

Power Outages in Turkmenistan Lead to Dismissals as Blackouts Continue

Complaints from residents of Turkmenistan’s Mary Region over widespread power outages have led to inspections and the dismissal of several local officials, but electricity disruptions continue, Turkmen.news reported. The outages began in mid-June during extreme heat, with temperatures in the region regularly exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Residents have struggled to use air conditioners, refrigerators, and water pumps. Locals say power has been cut almost daily for three to four hours at a time. On June 17, hundreds of residents, mostly women from the Bayramaly district, gathered outside the Mary regional administration building and demanded a solution, Radio Azatlyk reported. The demonstrators sought a meeting with Dovranberdi Annaberdiyev, the hakim of Mary Velayat. After the talks, residents said outdated transformers were unable to cope with demand and warned of a possible failure of the local power system. Participants in the meeting said they also proposed arranging a video call with the country’s president if local authorities could not resolve the issue. The regional hakim promised to take action within days. After the protest, inspectors from Ashgabat arrived in the region. Turkmen.news, citing sources, said several officials were dismissed after the inspection over suspected abuses in electricity distribution. Local residents claim some officials increased power supplies to commercial facilities in exchange for payments, while restricting deliveries to residential neighborhoods. Despite the personnel changes, electricity disruptions continue in parts of Mary Region. Authorities have also begun partial infrastructure upgrades. In Bayramaly district, residents were promised that worn-out transformers would be replaced, although no information has been released about modernization work in other areas. Power supply problems during the hot season occur regularly in Turkmenistan. They are often linked to aging electricity grids that cannot cope with higher demand from household appliances and cooling systems. Although modernization of the energy system is included in state development programs, local residents say infrastructure upgrades in some districts have been delayed for years.

3 weeks ago

Water Security

Opinion: The Amu Darya Stress Test – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Politics of Agricultural Adaptation

Central Asia’s water crisis is usually discussed as a problem of rivers, reservoirs, and diplomacy. But in 2026, the Amu Darya is also becoming something else: a test of state adaptation. The river basin entered the irrigation season under acute pressure. According to data cited by Kabar, the flow of the Amu Darya stood at only 66.8% of its normal level as of February 11, compared with 101.8% a year earlier. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the river’s flow could fall to around 65% of its historical norm, raising risks for food security and agriculture across downstream states. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Qosh-Tepa Canal is advancing. The canal, one of the Taliban government’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, is designed to divert water from the Amu Darya to irrigate large areas of northern Afghanistan. Carnegie Politika has estimated that, once fully operational by 2028, it could take up to 10 cubic kilometers of water annually from the river. For Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the implications are direct. Both rely heavily on Amu Darya water. Both inherited agricultural systems shaped by Soviet-era irrigation, cotton production, and centralized planning, and both are now facing a combination of climate stress, upstream extraction, and aging water infrastructure. Yet their responses are increasingly different. The emerging contrast is not simply between two agricultural policies; it is between two institutional logics: adaptation and control. Uzbekistan’s Adjustment Strategy Uzbekistan is one of the most exposed countries in the region. Its population is large, its agriculture remains water-intensive, and some of its most vulnerable regions, including Khorezm and Karakalpakstan, sit near the lower reaches of the Amu Darya. For decades, the old model relied on large-scale irrigation, cotton, rice, and the assumption that water would continue to move through the regional system much as it had before. That assumption is now weakening. Tashkent’s response remains costly and far from complete. Uzbekistan still faces serious water losses, degraded land, salinization, and uneven implementation of reform. But the direction of travel is visible: the state is trying to reduce exposure by changing crops, infrastructure, and diplomatic behavior. Rice is one example. Traditional flooded rice cultivation is extremely water-intensive, and water shortages have already pushed some Uzbek rice farmers away from traditional Amu Darya regions toward areas with more stable access to water. Uzbekistan has also begun experimenting with less water-intensive methods. In Karakalpakstan, UNDP has supported the introduction of upland rice, which can reduce water consumption by up to 40% compared with traditional rice cultivation. Separately, Uzbekistan has announced plans to expand resource-efficient rice cultivation, including drip irrigation and drought-resilient rice varieties. The state is no longer treating the old water-intensive model as untouchable. In 2026, Uzbekistan allocated significant public financing for water-saving technologies. Government-linked reporting has described plans to expand drip irrigation, sprinkler systems, and laser land leveling across hundreds of thousands of hectares, with a broader target of expanding water-saving technologies to 3.5 million hectares by 2028. Laser leveling may sound technical, but its use reflects a shift from simply demanding more...

3 weeks ago

Biometric Identification

Turkmen Passport Applicants Sent for Medical Certificates After Fingerprint Scanner Failures

Citizens of Turkmenistan applying for biometric passports or traveling abroad are facing technical failures during fingerprint collection, according to Turkmen.news. Because Migration Service equipment often fails to recognize fingerprint patterns, people are being forced to obtain special medical certificates confirming the “impossibility of undergoing fingerprinting.” According to the publication, the problem does not lie in the absence of fingerprints themselves, but in the operation of the scanners. Many applicants say the equipment is unable to capture data even when clearly visible papillary ridge patterns are present. As a result, citizens are trying different methods to improve the chances of a successful scan, including moisturizing or de-greasing their skin and testing multiple devices. In some cases, this works: one scanner may fail to recognize fingerprints while another successfully completes the procedure. If fingerprinting is unsuccessful, Migration Service staff direct applicants to dermatology and venereology clinics for an official certificate confirming the inability to take fingerprints. This procedure is provided for under Turkmenistan’s legislation. However, possession of such a certificate does not always resolve the problem. Journalists report that in some cases, officials have refused to accept the document, citing an alleged age restriction for citizens under 40, even though no such requirement appears in the official list of documents. The difficulties are not limited to passport applications. The same procedure is required when crossing the border. There have been cases where fingerprints were successfully recorded during passport issuance, but at the airport the system suddenly failed to recognize them, creating the risk of missing a flight. According to Turkmen.news, such incidents occur frequently enough that migration officers treat them as a routine part of the process.

3 weeks ago

Kazakhstan-Canada Relations

Beyond Resources: Ambassador Kussainov on Kazakhstan and Canada’s Partnership in AI, Education, and Innovation

For decades, Kazakhstan and Canada built their partnership around natural resources. Today, that relationship is expanding into new territory. From artificial intelligence and innovation to education and workforce development, both countries are increasingly looking beyond traditional sectors to shape the next phase of cooperation. This trend is already reflected in economic indicators. More than 160 Canadian-linked enterprises operate in Kazakhstan, Canadian investment has exceeded U$ 6 billion since 1994, and bilateral trade reached approximately U$ 458 million in 2025. At the same time, sectors that will shape the competitiveness of both economies in the coming decades are gaining greater importance. “I believe Kazakhstan-Canada relations are entering a new and dynamic phase,” said Dauletbek Kussainov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Canada, in an interview with The Times of Central Asia. According to him, changes in the global economy are creating new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries. “Canada brings world-class expertise, technology and investment, while Kazakhstan offers significant resource potential, industrial capacity, and a strategic position connecting major markets,” the ambassador said. Although mining and energy remain central to bilateral cooperation, the scope of engagement is expanding into areas linked to technology, innovation and workforce development. This shift is also visible in the practical agenda of bilateral relations. In June, Astana hosted several major events involving Canadian business representatives. The Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress brought together representatives of around 70 companies from 15 countries, including Canada, while the seventh meeting of the Kazakhstan-Canada Business Council brought together more than 100 participants, including senior representatives of Kazakhstani government agencies, the business communities of Kazakhstan and Canada, experts and academics. “This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Inkai joint venture, a lasting example of successful cooperation between Canadian and Kazakh partners,” Kussainov noted. Three decades after the creation of one of the most successful joint projects in the uranium sector, bilateral cooperation is gradually moving beyond the traditional resource-based partnership and expanding into new areas, from education and technology to innovation and workforce development. From Extraction to Value Creation Critical minerals remain one of the key areas of cooperation between the two countries. As Western economies seek to diversify supplies of strategic raw materials, Kazakhstan is attracting growing attention because of its mineral resources. Canada, in turn, has one of the world’s strongest areas of expertise in geological exploration, mining engineering and sustainable resource development. According to Kussainov, the greatest potential lies in three areas: geological exploration, mineral processing, and human capital development and knowledge transfer. Processing is becoming especially important. “Today, the key challenge for many resource-rich countries is not simply extracting minerals, but creating more value from them domestically,” the ambassador said. This point reflects a broader shift in Kazakhstan’s economic strategy. In recent years, the country has been placing greater emphasis on developing processing industries and localizing technological processes. In this context, Canadian expertise in engineering, metallurgy, processing technologies and industrial project management is particularly relevant. The discussion is not limited to traditional industrial competencies. “The same applies...

3 weeks ago

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