Our People > Vagit Ismailov

Vagit Ismailov

Journalist

Vagit Ismailov is a Kazakhstani journalist. He has worked in leading regional and national publications.

Articles

Gas Supply

Turkmen Gas Exports to Europe Revived in Romanian Proposal

Romania has proposed reviving a long-standing project to transport Caspian natural gas to Europe through the Black Sea port of Constanța, with Turkmenistan identified as a potential supplier. The proposal was discussed on July 29 during a meeting between Turkmenistan’s ambassador to Romania, Annamammet Annayev, and Mihai Daraban, president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Daraban called for renewed consideration of the Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania Interconnector, known as AGRI. The project envisages transporting gas to Georgia’s Black Sea coast, converting it into liquefied natural gas, and shipping it to a terminal at Constanța for onward delivery through Romania’s gas network. Originally developed to carry Azerbaijani gas, AGRI was established by companies from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary. A feasibility study was approved in 2015, but the project has made little visible progress since then. According to the Romanian publication Capital, Daraban suggested that gas from Turkmenistan could reach Europe through infrastructure in Azerbaijan and Georgia before entering Romania’s network and the BRUA pipeline, which connects Romania and Hungary. No agreement was announced, however, and significant questions remain over how Turkmen gas would cross the Caspian Sea. The proposed Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline has been discussed for decades but has yet to be built because of Russian and Iranian opposition and uncertainty over who would finance the project and commit to buying the gas. The meeting also covered closer cooperation between the ports of Turkmenbashi and Constanța. Annayev proposed establishing a regional distribution center at Constanța for Turkmen products, while the two sides discussed maritime transport and container logistics. Constanța is Romania’s largest seaport, and Bucharest has sought to position it as a European terminus for the Middle Corridor, the trade route linking Central Asia with Europe through the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have expanded cooperation in transport, logistics, and energy. Improved links between their Caspian ports could support growing cargo traffic, although a separate and substantially more expensive infrastructure project would be required to export Turkmen gas through the AGRI route.

5 days ago

UNESCO World Heritage List

UNESCO Adds Mangystau Rock Mosques to World Heritage List

UNESCO has inscribed the Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites of Mangystau on its World Heritage List, following a decision adopted during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information said. The same session also inscribed Tashkent Modernist Architecture, giving Central Asia two new cultural inscriptions. The serial property, located on the Mangystau Peninsula bordering the Caspian Sea, comprises five sacred complexes: Beket-Ata, Shopan-Ata, Karaman-Ata, Shakpak-Ata, and Sultan-Epe. According to the World Heritage Committee, the site represents an outstanding sacred landscape shaped by centuries of interaction between Sufi spiritual traditions and the culture of the region’s nomadic communities. Each complex combines rock-cut mosques, historic necropolises, burial sites of revered Sufi figures, pilgrimage routes, sacred wells, and other religious monuments. The inscription makes the Mangystau complexes Kazakhstan’s seventh World Heritage property. The country’s previously inscribed sites are the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, the Petroglyphs of the Archaeological Landscape of Tanbaly, Saryarka – Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan, the Kazakh section of the transnational Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor, the transboundary Western Tien-Shan site, and the Cold Winter Deserts of Turan, shared with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The rock mosques remain active pilgrimage destinations where the centuries-old institution of the shyrakshy, or custodians of sacred sites, continues to play an important role. All five complexes are protected by the state and are included in Kazakhstan’s national register of historical and cultural monuments. An Integrated Management Plan for 2027–2032 covers conservation, landscape protection, visitor management, disaster risk management, and research. UNESCO’s conservation recommendations also call for Kazakhstan to reassess the use of cement mortar and other modern materials, strengthen monitoring of tourism and disaster risks, and preserve the secluded character of the sites. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Zharkent Mosque and the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty had been added to UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List, expanding the pipeline of Kazakh sites that could be considered for future inscription.

1 week ago

EU Sanctions

EU Sanctions Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Firms in Latest Russia Package

The European Union has adopted its 21st sanctions package against Russia. The measures add two companies from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan, a Kyrgyz bank, and cryptocurrency platforms registered in several jurisdictions to separate sanctions and export-control lists. Brussels said they were designed to disrupt financial and trade channels allegedly used to circumvent existing restrictions. The package imposes asset freezes and other restrictive measures on 48 people and 170 entities. A further 51 entities were added to a list subject to tighter export controls on dual-use goods and technologies. Some are based in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, India, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. According to the EU Council, the 51 entities were listed because they supported Russia’s military-industrial complex. The Council said those based outside the EU had also helped circumvent export restrictions, including those covering microelectronics, computer numerical control machine tools, and semiconductor-processing equipment. Three Bishkek-registered companies, Nova Proekt LLC, Rama Group LLC, and Shisan Ltd, were placed under the tighter export-control regime. Their inclusion means that EU exports of sensitive goods and technologies to the companies are permitted only in narrowly defined circumstances. The listing also restricts related technical and financial services, but does not automatically freeze the companies’ assets. The Council also imposed a transaction ban on EcoIslamicBank, saying it was connected to Russia’s System for Transfer of Financial Messages, or SPFS, which Moscow developed as an alternative to SWIFT. The ban, which applies to operators under EU jurisdiction, is due to take effect on August 13. The EU also extended its transaction ban to 14 cryptocurrency platforms based in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Panama, the UAE, the Marshall Islands, and Belarus. The two Kazakh companies placed under tighter export controls were TauKZ LLP and KBR-Technologies LLP. Both had previously been targeted by other Western governments: the United States sanctioned KBR-Technologies in June 2024, while the United Kingdom sanctioned TauKZ in November 2024. The measures continue a policy already reflected in earlier sanctions packages. In April, the EU used its anti-circumvention mechanism against Kyrgyzstan for the first time, banning EU exports of computer numerical control machine tools and radios to the country. Brussels said trade data showed a significant rise in the re-export of high-priority goods through Kyrgyzstan to Russia. On June 9, the EU held a sanctions seminar in Bishkek for banks, logistics operators, exporters, and virtual-asset businesses. The session covered financial restrictions, export controls, penalties, and how companies could comply with the rules. It took place less than two months after the EU first applied its anti-circumvention mechanism to Kyrgyzstan. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyz authorities have also ordered 50 companies to cease operations after state agencies identified them as presenting heightened sanctions risks. The government did not disclose their names, owners, or sectors.

2 weeks ago

FIFA World Cup

Uzbekistan’s Shomurodov Shortlisted for World Cup Goal Award

Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov’s goal against the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been shortlisted for the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament award at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Uzbek forward is among 12 finalists selected by FIFA. The winner will be decided by a public vote on FIFA’s official platform. Shomurodov scored in Uzbekistan’s final group-stage match, lifting the ball over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi from a tight angle to give his team an early lead. DR Congo recovered to win the match 3-1, ending Uzbekistan’s first World Cup campaign with three defeats. The goal had already won the vote for the best strike of the group stage. Shomurodov received 36% of the ballots, finishing ahead of Haiti’s Wilson Isidor and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Kerim Alajbegovic. Lionel Messi and Vinicius Junior were also among the players he beat in the opening round of voting. The final shortlist brings together goals scored at different stages of the tournament. Shomurodov is competing with some of world football’s biggest names, including Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Jude Bellingham is also among the finalists. Voting is due to remain open until July 27. The 31-year-old striker plays for İstanbul Başakşehir. He moved to Turkey from AS Roma in the summer of 2025, and his contract with the club runs until June 30, 2028. Shomurodov finished the 2025/26 Turkish Süper Lig season as joint top scorer with Trabzonspor forward Paul Onuachu. Both scored 22 goals. Transfermarkt currently values the Uzbek forward at €7 million. Uzbekistan was the only Central Asian country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and the first from the region to reach the final tournament. Although the team failed to advance from its group, Shomurodov’s goal gave the country one of the most widely recognized moments of the competition. At club level, Kairat Almaty became only the second Kazakhstan club to reach the UEFA Champions League league phase in 2025, after Astana in 2015. The league-phase draw paired Kairat with Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Arsenal was also among its opponents. The achievement matched the deepest run by a Central Asian club in Europe’s premier club competition.

2 weeks ago

Regional Cooperation

Turkmenistan Signs Regional Cooperation Treaty, Reaffirm $1 Billion Kazakh Trade Target

Turkmenistan has signed the Treaty on Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the 21st Century, completing another step in the five-country regional agreement during Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev’s official visit to Ashgabat, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said. During the visit, Kosherbayev was received by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and held talks with Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov. The sides discussed political ties, trade and investment, transport and logistics, energy cooperation, and humanitarian exchanges. The two countries also signed a cooperation program between their foreign ministries for 2027-2028. Trade expansion was one of the key issues on the agenda. Bilateral trade turnover rose 6.8% year-on-year in January-April 2026 to around $180 million, according to the Kazakh side. Both governments reaffirmed plans to raise annual trade to $1 billion, in line with instructions from their presidents. Kazakhstan has also signaled plans to expand non-commodity exports to Turkmenistan. At the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan business forum in Astana, the Kazakh side presented 178 export product categories with a combined potential exceeding $200 million. The products include metallurgy, machinery, food, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, and construction materials. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade, bilateral turnover has more than doubled over the past five years, surpassing $530 million. Kazakh exports to Turkmenistan rose nearly 50% to $316.3 million, while imports from Turkmenistan increased fivefold to $215.8 million. The two sides also discussed expanding trade houses, digital commerce, trade financing, and a roadmap for increasing bilateral trade. Transport and logistics cooperation was another focus, including development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, seen as a strategic route linking Asian and European markets. More than 100 Kazakh companies and around 40 Turkmen businesses took part in the forum. Several agreements were signed in logistics, e-commerce, investment, and business support.

1 month ago

Food Security

Tajikistan Nearly Halves Undernourishment, but Healthy Diets Remain Out of Reach for Many

Tajikistan has nearly halved its undernourishment rate over the past decade, but food insecurity and access to healthy diets remain major challenges for a significant share of the population, according to a new regional report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report on food security and nutrition in Europe and Central Asia said the prevalence of undernourishment in Tajikistan fell to 8.4% in 2022-2024 from 16.1% in 2014-2016, marking one of the strongest improvements in the region. Despite the progress, Tajikistan remains among the countries in Europe and Central Asia where undernourishment exceeds the FAO’s 2.5% benchmark. Central Asia remains the only subregion where the indicator stayed above that threshold, at 2.8% in both 2023 and 2024. The report said around a quarter of Tajikistan’s population faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022-2024, above the Central Asian average. Across the region, 16.2% of the population, or 13.3 million people, faced similar conditions in 2024. Access to healthy diets also remains a challenge. In 2024, about 24% of Tajikistan’s population could not afford a healthy diet, compared with the Central Asian average of 14%, according to FAO. That figure has improved from more than 30% in 2019 but remains one of the highest in the region. Only neighboring Kyrgyzstan recorded a higher rate, at 30.4%, while Uzbekistan stood at about 13% and Kazakhstan at 4% to 5%. Child nutrition indicators have improved but remain uneven. Stunting among children under five in Tajikistan fell to around 13% in 2024, nearly half the level recorded in 2012, though still above the 10% threshold. Tajikistan also recorded the highest child wasting rate in the region, at 6.4%, the report showed. The report also highlighted persistent anemia among women, affecting around 37% of women aged 15 to 49, while obesity among adults has risen to about 24%. Exclusive breastfeeding was one of the few positive trends. According to UNICEF, exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months rose to 40.8% in 2023 from 14.2% in 2000.

1 month ago

Kazakhstan Constitution

Tokayev Sets August 23 Election Date as Kazakhstan’s New Constitution Takes Effect

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared the start of a “new era” in the country’s history on July 1, as Kazakhstan’s new Constitution officially came into force following its approval in a nationwide referendum on March 15. “Today marks the beginning of a new era in the history of sovereign Kazakhstan. We are embarking on the path of steady progress, political and economic reforms, and large-scale modernization,” Tokayev said in an official address published on the presidential website. According to Tokayev, the new Constitution represents a fundamental restructuring of Kazakhstan’s political system and a transformation of the country’s key state and civil institutions. He said the March 15 referendum reflected what he described as a historic choice by the Kazakh people, one that would shape the country’s development for decades to come. Tokayev also noted that Constitution Day is now symbolically linked to the start of the “Nauryznama” decade, connecting Kazakhstan’s traditional spring renewal celebrations with the principles of the new Basic Law. In his address, Tokayev said the new constitutional framework would strengthen the values of law and order, hard work, progress, environmental responsibility, and national unity. On the same day, Tokayev signed a decree calling elections to Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, for August 23, 2026. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s new Constitution formally entered into force on July 1, 2026, following the March referendum. As part of the constitutional transition, the country’s previous bicameral legislature, the Mazhilis and the Senate, ceased operations, making way for the new parliamentary structure.

1 month ago

Digital Rights

Turkmenistan Fines Citizens Over Social Media Likes as Digital Controls Tighten

Authorities in Turkmenistan have tightened control over citizens’ online activity, with district courts in Ashgabat reportedly hearing administrative cases daily against people accused of liking or commenting on posts critical of the government on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms. The cases were reported by Chronicles of Turkmenistan. The platforms in question remain inaccessible in Turkmenistan without VPN services, which the government has systematically tried to block. According to available information, security services are identifying citizens who regularly visit banned online resources. Those individuals are then summoned to police stations, where they are interrogated and warned about the consequences of further online activity. The cases are then transferred to lower courts. In most instances, first-time offenders are fined approximately $10. There have also been separate cases in which obscene language online has served as grounds for administrative prosecution. In Turkmenabat, authorities have begun transferring internet subscribers from outdated ADSL connections to Ethernet. As previously reported by Chronicles of Turkmenistan, telecommunications workers are replacing old cables and installing new lines in apartments at no charge. However, users must purchase their own routers, which currently cost between $25 and $30 in local markets. According to the latest CIVICUS report, Turkmenistan has significantly tightened digital controls and restrictions on access to uncensored information in recent months. In its updated assessment, CIVICUS notes that despite official statements about improving digital infrastructure, Turkmenistan’s government has also increased pressure on alternative internet access channels, including equipment linked to Starlink. The organization warns that the expansion of Ethernet networks may also be intended to increase centralized monitoring and control of internet traffic. In neighboring Tajikistan, the legal direction has been different. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, President Emomali Rahmon signed a law in May 2025 decriminalizing likes and other reactions to social media posts that had previously carried criminal liability. Turkmenistan’s practice of fining citizens for online activity points in the opposite direction, toward tighter state control over the internet in a country where access to independent information remains severely restricted.

1 month ago

Foreign Trade

Switzerland Becomes Tajikistan’s Third-Largest Trading Partner

Switzerland became Tajikistan’s third-largest trading partner in the first five months of 2026, overtaking Kazakhstan and ranking behind only China and Russia, Avesta reported, citing Tajikistan’s statistics agency. Trade turnover between Tajikistan and Switzerland exceeded $1.013 billion between January and May, marking a sharp rise that pushed the country into the top three trading partners for the first time. The shift represents a significant change from 2025, when Kazakhstan held third place with trade turnover exceeding $1.19 billion, while trade with Switzerland totaled about $386.5 million, nearly half the 2024 level. In the first five months of 2026, Kazakhstan fell to fourth place with around $649 million in bilateral trade, while Switzerland moved up to third. Switzerland also became the leading destination for Tajik exports, accounting for 36.3% of the country’s total exports, or $508.2 million. China ranked second with a 25.7% share, followed by Turkey at 7.6%. China and Russia remain Tajikistan’s two largest trading partners overall. Trade with China reached nearly $1.44 billion during the reporting period, up 50% year-on-year, while trade with Russia rose 23.1% to $1.11 billion. In imports, China accounted for 24.7% of total inbound trade, followed by Russia at 24%, Kazakhstan at 13.8%, and Switzerland at 11.6%. Tajikistan’s total foreign trade turnover for January-May 2026 exceeded $5.7 billion, up 48.5% from the same period a year earlier. Imports accounted for nearly $4.37 billion, while exports totaled about $1.4 billion. The country’s main exports included mineral products, base metals and metal goods, textiles, and agricultural products. Imports were dominated by mineral products, machinery and equipment, metals, food products, and chemicals. The sharp increase in trade with Switzerland likely reflects the role of precious metals and other commodity-linked transactions in Tajikistan’s trade structure.

1 month ago

Free Economic Zones

Tajikistan Secures $1.7 Million Grant to Digitize Free Economic Zones

Tajikistan will receive a $1.7 million grant to introduce a “Single Window” digital system in the country’s free economic zones to simplify administrative procedures and improve the investment climate. The project agreement was signed in Vienna during a meeting between representatives of Tajikistan’s government, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the Russian Federation. According to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the talks were attended by Minister of Economic Development and Trade Abdurakhmonzoda Abdurakhmon Safarali, Tajikistan’s ambassador to Austria, Manuchehr Jobir, UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller, and Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov. Following the meeting, Abdurakhmonzoda and Müller signed the grant agreement, with the funding to be provided by Russia through UNIDO. The new system is expected to speed up the digitalization of Tajikistan’s free economic zones by simplifying administrative procedures and making their work more transparent. Officials say the platform will also improve conditions for attracting foreign investment and supporting business development. The “Single Window” model is widely used internationally to simplify interactions between businesses and government agencies by centralizing permits, customs procedures, and regulatory approvals within one digital platform.

1 month ago

1 2 3 … 94 Next