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Fuel Supplies

Tajikistan Holds Fuel Talks With U.S. After Starting Imports From Iran

Tajikistan has discussed fuel supplies with the United States after beginning imports of petroleum products from Iran, whose oil sector is under U.S. sanctions. On October 8, Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma met with Carson Relitz Rocker, chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy, to discuss the country's petroleum supplies and other issues. Tajikistan depends almost entirely on imports of petroleum products. From January through September 2026, the country imported approximately 1.37 million metric tons of oil, petroleum products, liquefied gas, and related goods worth $1.13 billion. This included 333,200 metric tons of gasoline, 424,800 metric tons of diesel, and 321,300 metric tons of liquefied gas. Russia remains the country's main fuel supplier, accounting for more than half of its imports. It delivered approximately 708,000 metric tons worth $628.9 million over the nine-month period. Dushanbe purchases some of this fuel duty-free under intergovernmental agreements. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, accounts for a significant share of liquefied gas imports, supplying 225,600 metric tons worth $153.8 million. Imports of petroleum products from Iran totaled 15,600 metric tons worth $14.7 million over the nine-month period. In September, Tajikistan's Ministry of Energy and Water Resources confirmed that shipments of Iranian oil and petroleum products had begun in late August. The two sides had previously discussed potential purchases of up to 2.55 million metric tons annually, but this was a proposed volume rather than an existing contract. Tajikistan's authorities have not disclosed the exact composition of the shipments already received or how they were transported to the country. American restrictions cover Iran's oil sector and can affect international payments, insurance, and transportation. An official at the U.S. Department of the Treasury warned in comments to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in early October that companies operating in Iran's petroleum sector face sanctions risks, but declined to comment on specific possible violations. Washington has not publicly accused Tajikistan of breaching sanctions over the shipments. Separately, Tajikistan is preparing to host the third B5+1 Forum, bringing together business representatives and policymakers from the U.S. and the five Central Asian countries. The meeting is scheduled for April 20–21, 2027. It is being organized by the U.S.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in cooperation with Tajikistan's government. B5+1 complements C5+1, the diplomatic format between the same six countries, and is intended to address trade, investment, and barriers to doing business. Previous forums were held in Almaty in 2024 and Bishkek in February 2026. According to CIPE, more than 15 memorandums were signed between American companies and Central Asian partners at the meeting in the Kyrgyz capital. The forum is expected to build on discussions of critical minerals, transport, and digitalization. However, CIPE has not announced a detailed agenda for the Dushanbe meeting, and there is no indication that American fuel supplies will be discussed.

3 weeks ago

Political Trials

Kyrgyzstan Court Jails Kadyr Atambayev and Temirlan Sultanbekov

A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced Kadyr Atambayev, the son of former President Almazbek Atambayev, to four years in prison and opposition Social Democrats leader Temirlan Sultanbekov to seven years over an alleged plot to seize power following last year's parliamentary elections. The defendants denied the allegations, and Sultanbekov described the prosecution as politically motivated shortly before the October 8 verdict. The trial at Bishkek’s Pervomaisky District Court was held behind closed doors despite defense lawyers’ requests for public hearings, preventing independent scrutiny of much of the evidence. Kadyr Atambayev entered politics in 2021, when he was elected to Bishkek's city council as a Social Democrats representative. His father served as Kyrgyzstan's president from 2011 to 2017 but fell into conflict with his successor, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, and subsequently faced several criminal prosecutions. Sultanbekov leads the Social Democrats, a party closely associated with the former president's political circle. He is also a vice president of the Socialist International, an international association of socialist and social democratic parties. He was previously convicted in a separate case involving allegations of vote buying during the November 2024 local elections. His new seven-year prison term takes into account the earlier sentence. The latest case began on November 22, 2025, eight days before Kyrgyzstan's early parliamentary elections. Police detained ten people, including Social Democrats members, former lawmakers, and associates of Almazbek Atambayev. Investigators alleged that the group was preparing to organize unrest after the vote. Atambayev and Sultanbekov were among those charged with preparing a forcible seizure of power. Defense lawyers challenged the prosecution's evidence. Lawyer Asel Argymbaeva questioned a recording used in the case, alleging that it was made before investigators obtained judicial authorization for surveillance and that expert examinations found no calls for violence. The court acquitted former lawmaker Kubanychbek Kadyrov, while some other defendants received lesser penalties or were released from custody. Those convicted have the right to appeal. The verdicts come less than four months before Kyrgyzstan's presidential election on January 27, 2027, in which incumbent President Sadyr Japarov intends to seek a second term. Since Japarov came to power in 2020, Kyrgyzstan has adopted a presidential system that concentrates greater authority in the head of state. The presidential election is taking place amid criminal prosecutions of several prominent political figures and restrictions on rallies in central Bishkek.

3 weeks ago

Migrants in Russia

They Went to Russia for Work and Ended Up at War: How Central Asians Enter the Russian Military

Twenty-year-old Ainabek Keldibek went to Russia expecting to work as a security guard. Relatives of other young Kazakh men say they had taken jobs at a sausage factory and a poultry farm. But according to reports aired in early October on Kazakhstan’s KTK television channel, the men later ended up in or near the combat zone in Ukraine. Some appeared in videos wearing Russian military uniforms and asked Kazakhstan to help bring them home. On October 7, relatives of Kazakh citizens who had reportedly ended up in Russia’s military visited the Foreign Ministry in Astana to seek help bringing them home. Lawyer Meirman Shekeyev, who accompanied the families, said his list had grown from eight to 21 people as more relatives contacted him. The same day, ministry spokesperson Zhanbolat Ussenov said officials were checking appeals and would send Russia a list of citizens after verification. Negotiations over their return were underway, he said. Exactly how the men ended up in the Russian military remains unclear. One family said their relative had already been wounded, while KTK reported that the circumstances surrounding the signing of the military contracts have not been independently established. For now, much of what is known comes from the men themselves and their relatives. Their stories raise a broader question that neither Moscow nor the capitals of Central Asia have fully answered: how many people from the region have ended up in the Russian military, and under what circumstances did they get there? Nearly 13,000, According to a Ukrainian Database Russia does not publish comprehensive statistics on foreign contract soldiers. Central Asian governments have only fragmented data from criminal cases, consular appeals, and reports from relatives. The most detailed country-by-country breakdown comes from the Ukrainian government project I Want to Live. By May 2026, the project said it had identified 12,919 citizens of the five Central Asian states who had signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense: 4,955 citizens of Uzbekistan, 3,489 of Tajikistan, 2,420 of Kazakhstan, 1,474 of Kyrgyzstan, and 581 of Turkmenistan. These figures cannot be regarded as complete or independently verified. I Want to Live operates within Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and Ukraine is a party to the war. In addition, 12,919 is a cumulative figure, not the number of Central Asians currently at the front. Some may have been killed or captured, completed their service, returned home, or obtained Russian citizenship. Another major estimate comes from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Truth Hounds, and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law. Their report estimates that Russia recruited at least 27,000 foreign nationals from more than 130 countries after February 2022. More than 10,000 of them, according to the study, came from Central Asia. The study is based on open sources, consultations with Ukrainian authorities and experts, and interviews with 16 prisoners of war and former Russian servicemen. There are no comparable publicly available Russian statistics, meaning it is impossible to...

3 weeks ago

Visa Liberalization

Tajikistan and Iran Expand Visa-Free Travel

Tajikistan says a visa-free regime with Iran has been fully implemented, allowing citizens of each country to travel more freely to the other. As of October 5, Tajik and Iranian citizens with “ordinary foreign passports” can enter, transit through, and stay in the territory of the other country without a visa for up to 30 days within a 90-day period, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “This system is implemented through international border crossings, including land crossings, international airports, and air routes from third countries, in compliance with the requirements of the national legislation of both countries,” Tajikistan’s state Khovar news agency reported in a story about the ministry’s statement. The visa-free regime has been in the works for several years. Iran and Tajikistan signed a memorandum of understanding about it in 2023 and introduced the policy in stages. In early 2025, for example, Tajikistan said the measure applied only to air travel between the two countries and that citizens traveling through third countries and/or land border crossings still had to get a visa. Iran and Tajikistan don’t share a land border, but they have close economic and cultural links. Land travel between the two countries would require passing through Afghanistan, or Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Those countries have their own, separate visa and entry requirements. The full implementation of the visa-free regime between Iran and Tajikistan comes as other Central Asian countries look for ways to ease travel requirements and strengthen economic and other ties. Turkmenistan says it has introduced an online visa system from this month as part of a modernization drive, though some details about the new process are lacking.

3 weeks ago

Kennedy’s 1978 Visit

Ted Kennedy’s 1978 Visit to Kazakhstan in Archival Photos

United States Senator Ted Kennedy’s visit to Alma-Ata in 1978 came at a time when foreign tourists were much less common in Central Asia than they are today. Most tourists from Western countries came through Intourist, the Soviet state travel organization that handled foreign visitors. Private enterprise was largely absent from the Soviet economy, although limited forms of individual work were legally permitted. But high-ranking visitors sometimes came to the region as official guests, most often to take part in international events. [caption id="attachment_57860" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Edward Kennedy (second from left) at a World Health Organization congress.[/caption] In September 1978, Kennedy, the brother of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, visited Alma-Ata, then the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (Kazakh SSR). He had first visited the Soviet Union in April 1974 and met with Leonid Brezhnev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. During that trip, Kennedy discussed arms control and Soviet emigration policy and advocated a comprehensive nuclear test ban. [caption id="attachment_57864" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kennedy with surgeon K. Ormantayev at the WHO-UNICEF International Conference on Primary Health Care.[/caption] The senator also took part in the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma-Ata, jointly sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund. The conference adopted the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which identified primary health care as the key to achieving "Health for All" and as an integral part of national health systems. More than 3,000 delegates attended; 134 governments and 67 international organizations and agencies were represented. [caption id="attachment_57862" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kennedy (second from left) with Kazakh SSR Health Minister T. Sharmanov (second from right) and Zh. Kaliev, chairman of Kaz-ODKS (far right), at the airport.[/caption] Amid the Soviet Union’s Cold War with Western countries and its intensifying rivalry with China, the conference had a clear political dimension. David A. Tejada de Rivero, WHO deputy director-general from 1974 to 1985 and twice Peru's minister of health, noted that "the choice of Alma-Ata was due to two fundamental considerations: the dynamism and leadership of Kazakhstan's minister of health (Toregeldy Sharmanov was Minister of Health of the Kazakh SSR), and the ability to prepare the necessary physical infrastructure at very short notice. Alma-Ata, which means 'father of apples,' was in the republic where the Soviet Union had its Cold War space programs. It was also close to China." [caption id="attachment_57863" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kennedy with A. Akpayev (center) and Zh. Kaliev (right) at the Medeo high-altitude skating rink.[/caption] Of course, people both inside the Soviet Union and abroad showed enormous interest in every detail of the stay of such a high-ranking guest from the U.S., a senator from a distant country across the ocean who bore such a famous name. For example, Dinmukhamed Kunaev, then first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, recalled his meeting with Kennedy in his book O moem vremeni (About My Time): "...He liked the capital of Kazakhstan, and especially the Memorial of Glory...

3 weeks ago

CAMCA

Opinion: The 2026 CAMCA Regional Forum Concludes – What’s Next?

The 2026 CAMCA Regional Forum has concluded in Baku after two full days of conversation on a range of topics shaping the future of the region. The closing ceremony included an official announcement that next year’s Forum will take place in Uzbekistan in June of 2027. The question now is: in the lead-up to next year’s convening, how do we build on the connections, ideas and momentum built in Baku to truly advance regional cooperation in the months ahead? How do we turn conversation into action? The mechanism and catalyst for this will be the CAMCA Network – the dynamic collection of more than 300 talented leaders spread throughout the entire region and beyond – united by a common conviction that a successful future of the CAMCA region lies in intraregional cooperation and collaboration. Through existing initiatives, such as CAMCA Talking magazine, and forthcoming projects – CAMCA TV and the CAMCA Conversations podcast – the network will utilize these innovative platforms to raise awareness around the important developments taking place within the CAMCA region, and, most importantly, to highlight where regional cooperation is well underway, where more is needed, and how leaders across sectors can do their part to drive tangible collaboration to the next level. While the CAMCA Network can serve as an important stimulus of this effort, it is critical that we continue to expand the CAMCA community across all sectors and build partnerships with individuals, organizations and companies that share our vision for CAMCA’s connected, collaborative and prosperous future. This is the charge we take from Baku and will be an integral part of CAMCA’s next chapter. From his time in public service and at the outset of the Rumsfeld Foundation’s work with rising leaders from the region, Secretary Rumsfeld believed in the incredible potential of the CAMCA region, predicated on the ten countries themselves recognizing the benefit of their enhanced cooperation. 20 years ago, there were few who shared his vision or his optimism. Today, on the heels of the 12th annual CAMCA Forum, this vision has come to life, and global interest and momentum are in CAMCA’s favor. As we look towards the 2027 CAMCA convening in Uzbekistan, we are eager to invite partners from within the region and across the globe to join us in building CAMCA’s next chapter. The groundwork has been laid, and a dedicated and energetic network of regional trailblazers now exists – let’s put it to work and bring CAMCA to a new level. The CAMCA Regional Forum is an annual, non-partisan event dedicated to promoting dialogue, cooperation, and sustainable economic growth across Central Asia, Mongolia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan. Established as a premier platform for high-level engagement, the Forum convenes diverse stakeholders from government, business, academia, civil society, and beyond. The Forum is co-organized by the Rumsfeld Foundation, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, and the CAMCA Network. Learn more at www.camcaforum.org. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy...

3 weeks ago

Tourism

Turkmenistan Launches E-Visa System, But Questions Remain

Turkmenistan says it has introduced an online visa system that will streamline travel for foreign citizens, though there is some uncertainty about the new procedures for visiting one of the world’s most closed countries. The State Migration Service briefed foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations about its system of processing and issuing electronic visas as well as an online system to register foreign citizens staying in Turkmenistan, along with “individuals and legal entities” hosting them. “New digital services will allow foreign citizens arriving in the country to save time, transfer documents to electronic management, and carry out all work in a short time and in a simplified manner,” the migration service said on September 30. “These systems will also increase the efficiency of the work of the migration service and ensure that services are organized in accordance with modern requirements.” State media said the new system was in line with Turkmenistan’s growing interaction with the rest of the world and comes as “the number of foreign citizens coming to our country and people traveling from our country to foreign countries is constantly increasing.” Traditionally, foreign tourists traveling to Turkmenistan have had to obtain an invitation letter from a local tour agency or other host, and preparation for a trip can take weeks or months. Additionally, movement within Turkmenistan is tightly monitored, with escorts assigned to visitors in some parts of the country. While Turkmen authorities say the new online system will make the entry process more efficient and cut wait times, one tour operator said it is still unclear how the process will work. Saiga Tours, which has experience working in Turkmenistan, said in an early assessment that the announcement of the e-visa system is significant but that key details are still lacking, including who can use it and whether the invitation letter process for tourists will be replaced altogether. “Currently on the website there is a log in page, but there is still nowhere yet for you to sign up and information on the site is limited at best,” Saiga Tours said. There are separate requirements for business and humanitarian e-visas. Turkmenistan’s portal for online visa applications is https://evisa.migration.gov.tm/web/

3 weeks ago

Rail Corridors

Kazakhstan Pursues Trans-Afghan Railway Routes to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan wants a railway route to the Indian Ocean through Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is already freight that could use such a corridor: in the first seven months of 2026, Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan approached $573 million. What does not yet exist is a continuous railway all the way to the sea. Several developments around this route took place in late September. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates agreed to study a corridor through Afghanistan to Pakistani ports. In western Afghanistan, a new section of a separate railway built with the participation of a company from Kazakhstan opened. Astana is also involved in plans for a railway from the Turkmen border through Herat and farther across Afghanistan. It is important not to treat all these projects as a single railway. The September 30 memorandum on the Central Asia-South Asia (CASA) project describes a route through Uzbekistan. The Khaf-Herat and Torghundi-Herat projects are separate schemes involving western Afghanistan. Official terminology has not always been consistent, with earlier government statements also using the CASA label for the Torghundi-Herat-Kandahar-Spin Boldak proposal. Afghanistan has already become a significant market for Kazakhstan’s food products. In January-July 2026, bilateral trade reached $581.1 million, compared with $541.6 million for the whole of 2025. Almost all of this year’s turnover, $572.9 million, consisted of exports from Kazakhstan. Flour accounted for $215.6 million, wheat for $122 million, and vegetable oil for $51.1 million. In the 2022-2023 season, Kazakhstan exported around 17,000 tons of sunflower oil to Afghanistan. The volume has risen to 75,000 tons in the current season, while the industry is targeting 110,000-120,000 tons next season. The two governments have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to $3 billion. For Kazakhstan, Afghanistan is currently primarily a market. The larger transport plans envisage a second role for the country: a transit territory through which Kazakh freight could eventually reach the sea. CASA: Across Afghanistan to the Sea The route now under consideration would run from Kazakhstan through Uzbekistan and Afghanistan to Pakistan, providing access to Pakistani ports on the Indian Ocean. Kazakh authorities say the corridor could eventually carry up to 10 million tons of freight a year. The three countries agreed to conduct technical and economic studies and examine financing options. No cost estimate, final route, or construction timetable has been announced. The infrastructure gap is clear on Afghanistan’s railway map. Short railway lines enter the country from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the north and from Iran in the west. Pakistan’s rail network, in turn, does not extend into Afghanistan. Kazakhstan is also building ties with the Pakistani end of any future corridor. During President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Pakistan in February, transport and railway organizations signed cooperation documents, while the ports of Aktau and Karachi agreed to exchange information. Talks also covered Gwadar and transit routes through Afghanistan. Why Herat Matters to Kazakhstan Herat lies in western Afghanistan, close to both Iran and Turkmenistan. That geography puts the city at the center of several...

3 weeks ago

Trade and Investment

Oman Trade Corridor Could Link Kazakhstan to Indian Ocean

Kazakhstan could gain a new trade route to the Indian Ocean through Oman’s ports, offering an alternative to its traditional northern and Caspian corridors. Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the sultan of Oman, raised the proposal during talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana on October 6. He arrived in Astana on October 5, becoming the first Omani sultan to visit Central Asia “We look forward to developing cooperation in transport and logistics, including the development of a trade corridor through Oman’s ports, as well as strengthening air links between our countries,” the Sultan said. For landlocked Kazakhstan, Omani ports would provide another potential route to the Indian Ocean. Kazakhstan is already developing the Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus, while Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates are studying the CASA railway project through Afghanistan to Pakistani ports. No route, transit countries, cargo volumes, costs, or launch timetable have yet been announced for the Omani proposal. The talks came immediately after Kazakhstan signed an agreement aimed at settling a long-running dispute over Dunga, an oil field in western Kazakhstan near the Caspian coast. KazMunayGas controls a 60% interest in the project through Dunga Operating GmbH, while Oman Oil Company Limited and Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) each hold 20%. The dispute concerned costs accumulated under the production-sharing agreement that Kazakhstan considered non-recoverable. On October 5, the Energy Ministry and KazMunayGas signed an agreement to resolve the disputed issues. The agreement will now be sent to the foreign partners, Oman Oil Company Limited and PTTEP, for signature. A new development plan for 2026-2039 provides for production of 67.4 million barrels of oil, as well as capital and operating investment. Omani capital is also present in Kazakhstan’s gold industry. Maaden International Investment, an Omani state-owned investment fund, held 31.7% of Solidcore’s voting rights as of March 31, 2026, making it the company’s largest shareholder. Solidcore operates gold-mining assets in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan and Oman have assembled a portfolio of five major joint projects worth around $3 billion. Two projects totaling approximately $1.1 billion have already been implemented in the energy and railway sectors, while others, including ore-processing projects, are at various stages of development. Oman Investment Authority and Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna are among the main partners. During the visit, Samruk-Kazyna and the Oman Investment Authority exchanged an implementation agreement on establishing a joint investment fund and a term sheet for a Rixos hotel project at Blue City in Oman. KazMunayGas and OQ Exploration and Production also agreed to cooperate on investment opportunities in oil and gas exploration and production. The package of agreements covered areas including transport, agriculture, technology, healthcare, mining, and renewable energy. Despite a joint investment portfolio measured in billions of dollars, merchandise trade between the two countries remains modest. On October 5, the Chamber of International Commerce of Kazakhstan and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a memorandum of understanding. Kazakhstan proposed expanding exports of grain, meat, and...

3 weeks ago

Kyrgyz Film

The Filmmakers Behind Kanjar on Action and Cultural Heritage

A stolen dagger drives the action in Kanjar, a Kyrgyz thriller that explores the loss of cultural heritage. Director and screenwriter Adilet Akmatov draws on his experience as a stunt performer and fight choreographer to bring the story to the screen. Co-producer and actor Mohamed Hamad Haymour took a different route into the project. Born in Canada to Lebanese parents, he moved to Kyrgyzstan with his wife intending to open a restaurant. A meeting with Akmatov led him into filmmaking and his first feature-film role, playing a villain. Following a preview screening, Akmatov and Haymour spoke to Shahsanem Murray about the film and their work together. TCA: Adilet, what drew you to make this film? Adilet Akmatov: Now a director and screenwriter, I have hands-on experience as a stunt performer, choreographing fight scenes, operating cameras, and editing. For me, a movie never starts with a genre; it starts with a story and an emotion. I love genre cinema, but a human theme should always remain at the core of the action, adventure, or thriller. This film is exactly that kind of film. It is an action thriller, but it also addresses memory, responsibility, and human choice. TCA: What inspired your screenplay? Adilet Akmatov: First and foremost, I was intrigued by the concept of a historical artifact. More than a mere object, it represents a fragment of a nation’s heritage. At one point in the script, one of my characters says: “This dagger has outlasted dynasties, wars, and migrations, absorbing the memory of several generations.” I was fascinated to see how I could develop a story that would prompt audiences to question the significance of such ancient objects in their understanding of the world and their place in it. In the plot, a dagger is stolen and, against all odds, must be retrieved. But beneath the surface, I wanted to explore what happens to people and, indeed, society at large, when memory is treated as a commodity to be bought and sold. That is the root of the conflict that runs through the film. TCA: How did you approach working with the cast? Adilet Akmatov: On my set, there is no division between stars and lesser-known actors. There is only a shared objective. Trust is paramount, especially in an action movie. Action is not just about thrilling movements; it requires precision, discipline, and a deep understanding of your partner. If one person slips up for even a second, it can directly impact someone else. Therefore, I always try to find common ground with the actors first, to understand their personalities and capabilities, and only then do I choreograph the scene. It is imperative that when an actor executes a staged movement, they truly understand why their character is doing it. Each of the male characters in the film is an individual in his own right. I did not want to create a generic mass of ‘bad guys’. Each has his own perspective on the situation and his own limit of how...

3 weeks ago

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