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19 Dec 2025

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Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Available Now

December 19, 2025
By Stephen M. Bland

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region.

This week, we’re unpacking Turkmenistan’s Neutrality Summit, a rare moment where a string of big names quietly rolled into Ashgabat, and where the public messaging mattered just as much as the backroom deals. We’ll also cut through the noise on the latest reporting from the Tajik–Afghan border, where misinformation is colliding with real security developments on the ground. From there, we’ll take a hard look at the results of Kyrgyzstan’s elections, what they actually tell us about where Bishkek is heading next, and what they don’t, before examining the looming power rationing now shaping daily life and political pressure in two Central Asian states.

And to wrap it up, we’re joined by two outstanding experts for a frank conversation on gendered violence in Central Asia: what’s changing, what isn’t, and why the official statistics may only capture a fraction of the reality. On the show this week: Daryana Gryaznova (Equality Now) Svetlana Dzardanova (Human Rights and Corruption Researcher)

18 Dec 2025

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Astana Student’s Horse Milk Video Makes Finals of “Breakthrough” Science Contest

December 18, 2025
By Jonathan Campion

Another Kazakh scientist received an accolade this month, after 17-year-old Tomiris Abylkairova from Astana was voted into the final 16 of the prestigious international Breakthrough Junior Challenge.

The Breakthrough contest, an initiative of the Breakthrough Challenge Foundation in the United States, is a global science competition for young people aged 13-18. Held for the last 11 years, students are invited to create videos of up to two minutes in length that explain a particular concept or theory in the area of life sciences, physics or mathematics.

Abylkairova’s video has a Kazakh flavor, quite literally, as she uses her two minutes to discuss how fermented foods such as kymyz (horse’s milk) influence gene regulation.

Her animated video was among the top 16 in a public vote, sending her to the finals after receiving a high number of “likes” on the event website. Collectively, the 30 submitted videos were viewed more than 300,000 times.

Abylkairova, a student at Haileybury Astana School who also competes in national fencing championships, commented: “Representing Kazakhstan internationally is both an honor and a responsibility. For me it’s a chance to contribute to my country’s intellectual, scientific, and cultural legacy while engaging in meaningful global dialogue and research.”

She added: “I’m proud to help demonstrate that young people from Kazakhstan can make impactful, long-term contributions to the global scientific community”.

Isabella Leonel Lelles, also 17, from Brazil, was the overall top scorer in the popular vote, with more than 66,000 likes for her video on the protein folding problem. The videos of the 16 finalists will now be reviewed by a Selection Committee of esteemed figures in American science. It has not yet been announce when the committee will select the overall winner. The winning entry will receive $400,000, with the victorious student being awarded $250,000 in educational prizes.

Past Breakthrough Junior Challenge winners have come from Canada, India, Mauritius, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States. Alumni have gone on to attend institutions including MIT, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford.

All videos, including Abylkairova’s, can be viewed on the Breakthrough Junior Challenge’s website.

18 Dec 2025

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Thousands Donate in Name of Uzbek-American Student Killed at Brown University

December 18, 2025
By Times of Central Asia

A fundraising campaign dedicated to an 18-year-old Uzbek-American student who was killed in a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island has collected more than half a million U.S. dollars.

MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, who went to high school in Virginia, and another Brown student, 19-year-old Ella Cook of Alabama, died in the attack in a university building on December 13. Nine other students were injured. Law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect and have not publicly commented on a possible motive.

One of Umurzokov’s sisters, Samira Umurzokova, set up a GoFundMe page that had drawn more than 10,000 donations totaling over $500,000 by Thursday.

“Our family is incredibly devastated by this loss. Any donations will help significantly with any expenses my family will have to face, and the rest of the funds will be donated to charity in his name,” the page reads.

Without providing personal details, it lists a William Ackman as making the top donation of $18,000.

American billionaire investor William, or Bill, Ackman, has been active in other fundraising campaigns, including the GoFundMe campaign for Ahmed al-Ahmed, a man who disarmed one of the two shooters in the attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people on December 14. Al-Ahmed was hospitalized after being shot. One of two gunmen, believed to have been inspired by the Islamic State group, was killed; the second was injured and has been charged with murder and terrorism.

Umurzokova has said that her brother, who was a first-year student at Brown, had suffered Chiari malformation, in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, as a child. He wanted to become a doctor so that he could help people in the same way that he was helped, she said.

“He’s a real person. He had real ambitious goals and aspirations, like anyone else would,” Umurzokova said in a CNN interview.

“I want people to know that him and the other victims are not just numbers. They’re not just statistics. They’re real people and real families are genuinely hurting like crazy because of their loss.”

Umurzokova said her parents wanted people to “hear their son’s name, see their son’s picture, instead of, you know, seeing ‘two dead nine injured.´”

Cook, the other student who was killed in the Brown shooting, was a sophomore focusing on French and mathematics-economics.

18 Dec 2025

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Kyrgyz Farmers Encouraged to Adopt Water-Saving Irrigation Methods

December 18, 2025
By Sergey Kwan

Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, Bakyt Torobaev, has urged the country’s farmers to adopt modern, water-efficient irrigation technologies, specifically drip and sprinkler systems.

Citing the growing impact of climate change, glacial melt, and declining river and precipitation levels, Torobaev warned of ongoing irrigation water shortages and stressed the need for more efficient use of existing water resources.

The government is undertaking large-scale water conservation efforts, including the construction of new reservoirs, the reconstruction and cleaning of irrigation canals, and the development of a new facility to produce innovative canal-lining material.

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan and UK-based Concrete Canvas Ltd. are jointly implementing a €20 million project to build a local plant for manufacturing concrete canvas, a flexible, cement-based material designed to line canals and reduce water loss.

Torobaev noted that modern irrigation systems currently cover only 16,000 hectares of Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural land. The government aims to expand this by 30,000-40,000 hectares annually, reaching a total of 200,000 hectares under water-saving irrigation by 2030.

To support the transition, various financing options are available, including state-backed programs, bank lending instruments, World Bank project funding, and a concessional loan initiative expected to launch in 2026.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, drip and sprinkler systems will be installed on 5,270 hectares of land in 2026, funded by the state budget. In 2024-2025, systems were installed on 2,369 hectares, 641 hectares with drip irrigation and 1,728 hectares with sprinklers.

Kyrgyzstan currently has approximately 1 million hectares of irrigated agricultural land.

18 Dec 2025

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EU and Uzbekistan Discuss Steps Toward Easing Visa Access

December 18, 2025
By Sadokat Jalolova

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry has initiated the first round of consultations with experts from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, according to the Dunyo news agency. The discussions focused on the potential easing of visa procedures for Uzbek citizens traveling to the European Union for purposes such as work, study, truck driving, or group tourism.

Representatives from the European side outlined a number of preconditions Uzbekistan must fulfill before the European Commission can formally consider simplifying visa requirements. Both sides agreed to continue consultations in the coming period to advance the process.

The talks follow President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s official visit to Brussels on October 23-24, during which Uzbekistan and the EU signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The new framework replaces the 1996 agreement and expands bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, digital technologies, environmental protection, and climate resilience. Negotiations on the updated agreement began in 2019 and concluded in 2022.

While in Brussels, Mirziyoyev also held meetings with executives from leading European companies and financial institutions, including Linde, SUEZ, Meridiam, Commerzbank, and the European Investment Bank. The sides agreed to pursue new projects worth more than €10 billion across sectors such as energy, chemicals, logistics, critical minerals, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. These investments add to an existing EU-led project portfolio in Uzbekistan valued at more than €40 billion.

18 Dec 2025

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Kyrgyzstan Expands Trade Access to Afghan Market

December 18, 2025
By Sergey Kwan

Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan have taken a significant step toward deepening economic ties with the opening of the Trade House of the Kyrgyz Republic in Kabul on December 16.

The launch ceremony was attended by Kyrgyz Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakyt Sydykov and Afghan Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi.

According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the new Trade House is intended to serve as a platform for promoting Kyrgyz exports, facilitating direct business connections between entrepreneurs from both countries, and expanding bilateral trade.

The Kyrgyz delegation also participated in a Kyrgyz-Afghan business conference on December 17 in Kabul, organized by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment. Speaking at the event, Azizi announced Afghanistan’s intention to open its own Trade House in Bishkek, describing Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan as “interconnected countries” with complementary positions in regional trade. He characterized Kyrgyzstan as a gateway to Central Asia and the Eurasian Economic Union, and Afghanistan as a strategic hub linking South and West Asia.

The conference concluded with the signing of commercial contracts worth $157 million between Kyrgyz and Afghan companies.

Bilateral trade has gained momentum since Kyrgyzstan removed the Taliban from its list of prohibited organizations in September 2024. At the time, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the decision was intended to support regional stability and constructive dialogue.

According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce, bilateral trade reached $66 million in the most recent solar year (March 2024-March 2025), with Afghan exports totaling $7 million. Key Afghan exports to Kyrgyzstan include aluminum and copper utensils, pressure cookers, carpets, fruits, and vegetables. Kyrgyzstan is a significant supplier of petroleum products to the Afghan market.

In a further move to strengthen its regional trade presence, Kyrgyzstan secured a pavilion at the Termez International Trade Center in November 2024. Located in Termez, Uzbekistan, near the Afghan border, the Center serves as a key node in regional trade routes, particularly between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz pavilion offers a strategic foothold to further expand access to the Afghan market.