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humanitarian aid

Uzbekistan Sends Nearly 200 Tons of Aid to Flood-Hit Afghanistan Ahead of Eid al-Adha

Uzbekistan has delivered nearly 200 tons of humanitarian aid to northern Afghanistan in response to recent deadly floods and ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to the administration of Uzbekistan’s southern Surkhandarya region. The shipment arrived in Afghanistan’s Balkh province and included flour, rice, sugar, pasta, confectionery, vegetable oil, chickpeas, and ready-to-eat meals. Uzbek authorities said the assistance was sent on the instructions of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a gesture of solidarity and support for Afghan communities affected by natural disasters. The aid was officially handed over in the border city of Hairatan at facilities operated by Astras. The ceremony was attended by Uzbekistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ismatilla Irgashev; Surkhandarya regional governor Ulugbek Kosimov; and Balkh deputy governor Nurulhodi Abuidris, along with officials from both countries. Afghan representatives expressed gratitude to the Uzbek government and people for their continued humanitarian support and extended Eid greetings, according to Uzbek officials. The assistance comes as Afghanistan faces renewed destruction caused by severe weather. The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on May 23 that at least 28 people had died in the previous 48 hours due to heavy rainfall and flash floods across 17 provinces. Ten others were injured, while 176 homes were destroyed and another 534 were partially damaged. Taliban disaster management officials said flooding, storms, hail, and lightning had caused widespread losses in several parts of the country. Uzbekistan has maintained active engagement with Afghanistan despite international uncertainty surrounding the Taliban administration, combining humanitarian assistance with efforts to deepen trade and transport links. A few days earlier, a new railway logistics terminal, Port No. 5, opened on the Hairatan-Mazar-i-Sharif line. The project aims to increase cargo capacity and strengthen regional transport routes between Central and South Asia. The Hairatan crossing remains one of Afghanistan’s main gateways for imports, making cooperation with neighboring Uzbekistan strategically important for both humanitarian deliveries and commercial flows.

Iran

Kazakhstan Sends Humanitarian Aid to Iran

Kazakhstan has dispatched 30 railway wagons of humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Iran, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced on May 16. The shipment – which included staple food supplies such as canned meat, sugar, flour, as well as medicines – is intended to support the Iranian population and help meet essential social needs. A diplomatic handover ceremony to mark the occasion was arranged at Serakhs railway station, on Turkmenistan's border with Iran. Those present included Ontalap Onalbayev, Kazakhstan's ambassador to Iran; representatives of the Iranian Red Crescent Society; and the head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s representative office in its northwestern province of Razavi Khorasan. “Friends are revealed in difficult times. Kazakhstan has consistently supported the people of Iran in times of hardship,” said Ambassador Onalbayev. Kazakhstan has attempted to tread a careful line towards Iran since the US/Israeli offensive which began on February 28. Astana had gone out of its way to court the Trump administration, with President Tokayev describing his US counterpart as "sent by heaven" in November 2025. Tokayev has also signed Kazakhstan up to Trump's Board of Peace initiative. Meanwhile, Iran is seen as an important part of Kazakhstan's future infrastructure links to the outside world, with its Indian Ocean ports viewed as a valuable alternative to land-based routes via Russia and China. Kazakhstan and Iran continue to maintain trade and economic cooperation. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan began exporting vegetable oil to Iran via the Caspian Sea in spring 2026. That said, in April, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov noted that several joint projects between Kazakhstan and Iran had been frozen because of military tensions in the region. A representative of the Iranian Red Crescent Society thanked Kazakhstan for the humanitarian assistance and said the gesture would help strengthen bilateral relations and mutual support between the two countries.

Afghanistan

Opinion: Hormuz Crisis Pushes Afghanistan Aid Routes Toward Central Asia

The crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz is usually viewed through the lens of energy security or military escalation. But it also has another, less visible, humanitarian dimension. A recent article in The Guardian, “Calls for humanitarian corridor through Strait of Hormuz as Iran war hits vital aid,” points to a critical shift: because of the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, along with instability around Hormuz, traditional humanitarian supply routes are beginning to break down. For Afghanistan, this is no longer a theoretical concern but an operational reality. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), cited by The Guardian, the cost of delivering food to Afghanistan has tripled. Cargo that previously moved by sea through Hormuz and onward to Pakistani ports must now travel overland across multiple countries, adding weeks to delivery times. The consequences are felt most acutely by vulnerable populations, particularly children. Predictability is one of the core requirements of any humanitarian system, and that predictability is now disappearing. Some shipments are stranded in regional hubs. Routes are constantly changing. Fuel costs continue to rise. Even modest increases in oil prices significantly raise operational expenses for humanitarian agencies. For Afghanistan, the implications are severe. The country has been in a prolonged food crisis for several years, with millions dependent on external aid. Delays of even one or two weeks can directly affect malnutrition and mortality rates. According to United Nations estimates, around 3.7 million Afghan children are currently suffering from wasting, nearly one million of them from severe wasting, a condition associated with sharply elevated mortality risks. UNICEF estimates that in 2026 alone, 1.304 million children aged 6-59 months will require treatment for acute malnutrition, including severe cases and other high-risk groups. Another 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are also suffering from acute malnutrition. Under these conditions, even temporary disruptions in aid deliveries become a direct threat to human life. The situation is being compounded by several overlapping factors. First, instability around the Strait of Hormuz has made maritime routes both more expensive and riskier. Second, the Pakistani corridor, previously the main overland route, has become unreliable, as repeated border closures and restrictions have tied humanitarian deliveries to the fluctuating political and security relationship between Kabul and Islamabad. Third, Iran has imposed restrictions on food exports and has itself become part of the conflict zone, undermining its role as both a supplier and transit route for Afghanistan. Together, these developments are creating what can be described as a “triple crisis” for humanitarian logistics into Afghanistan. The previous aid delivery system is effectively ceasing to function. In response, the WFP is restructuring its logistics network. One solution has been increased use of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor: Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan via the Caspian Sea-Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Although this route is longer and more expensive, it offers predictability and an alternative to disrupted maritime pathways. The key issue is no longer which route is cheapest, but which is reliable. This shift places Central Asia increasingly at the center of...

Caspian

Caspian Escalation Raises Stakes for Central Asia

Central Asia, which has increasingly sought to present itself as a coordinated actor on the global political stage, has until recently maintained a cautious, non-aligned stance regarding the escalation in the Middle East. However, attacks affecting infrastructure in the Caspian region have altered the diplomatic balance. The Caspian Sea is a critical transit zone for Central Asia, linking Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan and onward to European and Middle Eastern markets. It forms part of key east–west and north–south trade corridors that have gained importance since Russia’s war in Ukraine disrupted traditional transit routes. In recent years, regional dynamics have also been shaped by Azerbaijan’s growing engagement with Central Asian states, including its formal inclusion in the expanded Central Asian consultative format, which has effectively evolved from the C5 into the C6. Baku has played an important role in regional connectivity. It has developed close relations with both Turkey and Israel, factors that influence geopolitical calculations in the Caspian basin, which directly borders Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. This growing alignment has reinforced efforts to develop the Middle Corridor across the Caspian, linking Central Asia to Europe via the South Caucasus. Turkey maintains political, economic, and cultural influence in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan through the Organization of Turkic States. Russian political discourse has at times portrayed this cooperation as part of a broader pan-Turkic geopolitical project, a characterization widely dismissed by officials and analysts in Central Asia. Nevertheless, Astana and Baku continue to maintain strong relations with Ankara, a development that has periodically caused concern in Moscow. Under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan has also strengthened ties with Gulf states. Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have become significant investors in the country’s economy. In this context, Iranian attacks on Gulf states not directly involved in the conflict have shaped Astana’s diplomatic positioning during the current crisis. Reports of drone attacks widely blamed on Iran targeting the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan have further heightened regional tensions. At the initial stage of the escalation, Kazakhstan’s response was largely limited to diplomatic contacts with regional leaders. At the same time, several Central Asian countries, along with Azerbaijan, expressed concern over the humanitarian consequences of the conflict and began dispatching aid to Iran. Azerbaijan sent nearly 30 tons of food and medical supplies on March 10, followed by another 82 tons of humanitarian aid on March 18. Uzbekistan delivered approximately 120 tons of humanitarian supplies, including flour, vegetable oil, sugar, and canned food, according to regional media reports. Turkmenistan also sent humanitarian aid consisting of medicines, medical supplies, and other goods, primarily intended for children. The Tajik government reported sending a convoy of 110 heavy trucks carrying humanitarian cargo to Iran, with a total weight of 3,610 tons. The diplomatic environment shifted further after Israeli air strikes on March 18 targeting Iranian naval facilities in the Caspian Sea. According to Israeli military statements cited by international media, the targets included a major port of the Iranian Navy, where, reportedly, "dozens of ships were destroyed,”...

Gaza Reconstruction

Uzbekistan Pledges Support for Gaza Reconstruction

United States President Donald Trump introduced Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as “a friend” during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, setting a cordial tone for a summit focused on post-conflict recovery in Gaza. In brief remarks while welcoming Mirziyoyev, Trump said Uzbekistan was “doing great” and had “no problems.” The summit, held on February 19 at the United States Institute of Peace, brought together heads of delegations from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Argentina, Paraguay, Romania, Egypt, Qatar, Pakistan, Hungary, Albania, Armenia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Morocco, among others. Discussions focused on reconstruction and humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip, as well as broader efforts to promote stability in the Middle East. In his address, Mirziyoyev thanked Trump for convening the inaugural meeting of the Board, describing the summit as the result of his “political will and pragmatism.” Uzbekistan supported the initiative to establish the Board of Peace and declared its readiness to participate in its practical implementation. “I am confident that the Board’s work will create favorable conditions for the economic and social restoration of Gaza,” Mirziyoyev said. He stressed that any mechanism for external governance in Gaza must be based on the support of its population. Coordinated efforts by all stakeholders, he added, would help ensure that the post-conflict process remains sustainable and that reconstruction advances efficiently. Mirziyoyev also announced that Uzbekistan is prepared to contribute to the construction of residential buildings, kindergartens, schools, and hospitals in Gaza. He described the meeting as a symbol of international solidarity and urged participants to seize what he called a historic opportunity to help build a renewed Gaza with a functioning economy and improved living conditions.

Afghanistan Earthquake

Tajikistan Sends Large Convoy with Quake Aid to Afghanistan

Tajikistan has said it has sent more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, one of the biggest dispatches of supplies from another country since a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghan provinces on August 31. Photographs released by the office of President Emomali Rahmon show a long line of trucks on a highway, apparently headed to the border with Afghanistan on Monday. The delivery came as the United States and other countries congratulated Tajikistan ahead of the 34th anniversary of its Sept. 9, 1991 independence from the collapsing Soviet Union. “The aid loaded on a caravan of trucks consists of 24 types of necessary products and materials, including flour, oil, sugar, rice, bedding, clothing and footwear for children, adolescents and adults, tents, building materials, reinforcement, boards, slate, cement, and other goods and products,” Tajikistan’s presidential office said. It said the aid exemplified Tajikistan’s “humane and good-neighborly policy.” Tajikistan retains security concerns about its border with Afghanistan. Tajik border guards and fighters with Afghanistan’s Taliban government exchanged fire in an area along the border on August 24, though the two sides later met to reduce tensions. Tajikistan’s aid convoy traveled to Afghanistan two days after Uzbekistan handed over 256 tons of aid in the Afghan border city of Hairatan. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also thanked Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan for assistance following the quake, which killed at least 2,200 people. It expressed gratitude in a post on X that listed dozens of countries that have sent help. Central Asian countries in particular have been building ties with Afghanistan as they seek to expand trade routes. The quake destroyed thousands of homes, and humanitarian workers are still struggling to reach affected communities in remote, mountainous areas. Shannon O’Hara, a senior United Nations aid coordination official in Afghanistan, said on Monday that emergency responders are prioritizing aid to women, children, and people with disabilities. “In Afghanistan, in recent years, women and girls have been pushed to the very margins of society and survival,” O’Hara said, according to a U.N. statement. “We know from previous earthquakes and other crises that women and girls always bear the heaviest burden.”