ASHGABAT (TCA) — Managing Director of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) Hamid-Reza Araqi says by next month, Iranian and Turkmen experts will investigate Iran-Turkmenistan differences concerning the natural-gas dispute between the two countries and the sides hope to reach an agreement on the issue so that the case is not referred to international arbitration, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported on April 24.

Continue reading

KABUL (TCA) — The Afghan Taliban group has announced the launch of its annual spring offensive.

Continue reading

BISHKEK (TCA) — Centerra Gold Inc., the Canadian-based gold mining company which operates the Kumtor gold mine in Kyrgyzstan, has commented on a news release issued on April 24 by Chaarat Gold Holdings Limited and called it “market speculation”.

Continue reading

BISHKEK (TCA) — Recent climate resilience research has shown that Kyrgyzstan is the third most vulnerable to climate change impacts in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, primarily due to the sensitivity of its agricultural systems to climatic change. Impacts such as climate temperature change could cause altered precipitation patterns and more frequent heat extremes, leading to increased incidence of aridity and drought, particularly in the mountain pastures. Since Kyrgyzstan’s land area is 90% mountainous, it is increasingly important to build resilience to these climate changes and to enable communities to continue thriving.

Continue reading

BEIJING (TCA) — Militants of the Islamic State terrorist organization are moving to Central Asia and Southeast Asia after having been defeated in Syria and Iraq, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on April 24 at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers in Beijing, Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported.

Continue reading

ASTANA (TCA) — The Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states have agreed on the agenda for the upcoming SCO Summit to be held in June in Qingdao, China, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Continue reading