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Energy deficit

Alisher Sultanov Leaves Office After a Decade of Declining Gas Production in Uzbekistan

Alisher Sultanov was relieved of his post as presidential representative on energy security on December 16, ending some ten years of dubious performance as one of Uzbekistan’s top energy officials. Under Sultanov’s watch as head of the state oil and gas company and then as a top official in Uzbekistan’s Energy Ministry, the country’s oil and gas production decreased, and Uzbekistan went from being a gas exporter to an importer. A Career in the Gas and Oil Sector Sultanov started working in Uzbekistan’s energy sector in the mid-1990s and gradually made his way through the ranks at the state oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz. In 2015, Sultanov became Uzbekneftegaz’s chairman, serving in that position until 2018. In 2017, Sultanov was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the fuel, energy, and industrial sector, and in February 2019, he was named Energy Minister. He stepped down as Energy Minister in April 2022, officially for health reasons, but by 2023 was back as presidential advisor on oil and gas, chemical, and energy matters, though that title was changed in July 2025 to the president’s representative on energy security. Stagnation and Decline Uzbekistan does not have large oil reserves. BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy has continually put Uzbekistan’s oil reserves at somewhere around 600-620 million barrels. Uzbekistan does have significant natural gas reserves of at least some 1.1 trillion cubic meters, however, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. The country has been working with international partners to explore for new deposits, particularly in areas of the recently dried out Aral Sea. In 2011, Uzbekistan’s average oil production was some 80,000 barrels per day (bpd), and gas production for that year was some 56.6 billion cubic meters (bcm). Uzbekistan was still sourcing from many fields that had been producing since Uzbekistan was a Soviet republic, and it was not surprising that yields from these depleted fields started decreasing after 2011. Sultanov became head of Uzbekneftegaz in August 2015, and that year, oil production had already dropped to some 60,000 bpd and gas to some 53.6 bcm. Both fluctuated only a little over the next three years, ending 2018 at an average of 64,000 bpd and 58.3 bcm. The 2018 figure for gas was the peak production year of the 2011-2020 period, though it fell well short of the 66 bcm Uzbekneftegaz was predicting for 2018. After Sultanov was named Energy Minister in 2019, the figure for gas production fell significantly. In 2019, gas production was 57.5 bcm, but in 2020, only 47.1 bcm, though oil output held steady at 67,000 bpd and 61,000 bpd, respectively. Gas production increased slightly in 2021 to 50.9 bcm, but then dropped to 48.9 bcm in 2022. The decrease continued after Sultanov stepped down as Energy Minister in April 2022, plummeting to 44.2 bcm in 2023 and 42.2 bcm in 2024. With a rapidly growing population and expanding industrial sector, Uzbekistan’s domestic gas consumption was sharply increasing, rising from 43.6 bcm in 2020 to 54.6...

Education

Heads Roll After Surprise School Visit by Tajikistan’s Education Minister

Several education officials in Tajikistan have been dismissed following an unannounced inspection by Minister of Education and Science Rahim Saidzoda, according to the ministry’s press service. On September 19, the minister conducted surprise visits to schools in the Yavan and Rudaki districts, inspecting teaching quality, student and staff discipline, classroom attendance, foreign language proficiency, and readiness for the autumn-winter season. At School No. 16 in Yavan, only half the students were present, and eighth and ninth-grade classes had been improperly combined. Of 21 available computers, only three were operational. Students were unable to answer basic questions in Russian and English and struggled to define “information technology.” The minister also reported poor discipline, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate winter preparedness. School director Munira Mirzozoda, who had served for over 11 years, was dismissed for what the ministry described as “irresponsible fulfillment of official duties.” At School No. 14 in Rudaki, the director was absent at the time of the visit. Classrooms were in disrepair, the transition to a 10-point grading system was delayed, and foreign language instruction was found lacking. At the kindergarten attached to the same school, the head was also absent, and the teaching staff received criticism for performance issues. On September 22, the ministry announced the dismissal of School No. 14 director Amriddin Rahmonov and kindergarten head Zarragul Faizova. Following the Yavan inspection, the ministry reported that all school computers were repaired, IT usage was improved, attendance increased, and class schedules were brought into compliance with national standards. The unauthorized practice of combining different grade levels was halted. The ministry emphasized that quality education depends on “strict compliance with standards and high responsibility from all employees of the system from management to support staff.” This was not Saidzoda’s first surprise visit. He previously inspected schools in the town of Hisor and kindergartens in Dushanbe, where similar issues were observed, including poor discipline, unsanitary conditions, and low student engagement. Experts continue to highlight long-standing problems in Tajikistan’s education sector, including shortages of qualified teachers, inadequate school infrastructure, and limited access to learning materials. Parents frequently voice concerns over the quality of instruction and are often asked to contribute funds for school maintenance and repairs.

Human rights

Turkmen Cultural Workers Fired Over Refusal to Fund Presidential TV Monitor

Another case of forced financial contributions among civil servants has emerged in Turkmenistan. In early April, four employees of the Kerki district's cultural department were dismissed after protesting salary deductions. The funds were intended to finance the purchase of a television monitor designated to display images of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Salary Deductions Without Consent According to an order from local authorities, 230 Turkmenistan Manat (TMT) was deducted from the March salaries of employees at urban and rural cultural centers to pay for a large monitor at the Kerki Palace of Culture. Given that average monthly salaries range between 1,800-2,100 TMT (officially $514-$600, unofficially $92-$108), the deduction represented a significant portion of income. The monitor was meant to display the president's image against a national flag backdrop during official events. At other times, it remained unused. Several employees independently refused the deduction and were subsequently dismissed. Among them was a cleaning staff member. Coercion and Unofficial Duties One of the dismissed workers, a resident of Taze Usul village, reported that such deductions are routine. Employees are also compelled to engage in activities beyond their job descriptions, such as growing silkworm cocoons, harvesting cotton, and cleaning streets ahead of official visits. These tasks often occur on weekends and public holidays. Following their refusal to pay, the dismissed workers were allegedly visited by police, who pressured them into signing resignation letters citing “health reasons.” “I wrote several letters to the etrap and velayat hakims, and to the Minister of Culture in Ashgabat. No action was taken, except my dismissal,” said one of the affected employees. As a result of the dismissals, only two individuals remain at each cultural center in the Kerki district, now personally bearing the costs of maintenance, repairs, and event organization. Pattern of Enforced Contributions This incident is part of a broader pattern. In January 2025, civil servants in the newly built city of Arkadag, including teachers and librarians, were reportedly pressured to purchase homes on mortgage, with down payments ranging from 75,000 to 80,000 TMT ($21,428-$22,857). In May 2024, state agency heads in Balkan velayat were ordered to purchase souvenir watches featuring portraits of former President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his son, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Prices ranged from 1,500 to 3,000 TMT ($428-$857) depending on seniority. Similar practices go back years. In August 2020, civil servants in Farap were compelled to buy domestically manufactured televisions, with 2,400 TMT ($685) deducted from their salaries in advance. Delivery was delayed by months. In February 2018, state employees had to pay for bicycles to join a mass bike ride, with contributions per worker depending on the institutional size. The cost of a bicycle reached 4,000 TMT ($1,142). According to civil servants, refusal to participate in such initiatives increasingly results in job loss, a sign of deepening authoritarian control in Turkmenistan's public sector.