United States - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 33

Israel-Iran Escalation

After U.S. Strikes, Kazakhstan Warns of Deteriorating Security in Caspian Region

Kazakhstan said on Sunday that U.S. military strikes on Iran pose “serious consequences” for security in the Caspian region. “As a result of recent U.S. military actions against Iran, the international situation is rapidly deteriorating, posing serious consequences for the security of states in our region,” Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said after the United States joined Israel’s war against Iran and attacked several Iranian nuclear sites. “Kazakhstan, as one of the Caspian region states, maintains cooperation with Iran in various spheres. We believe that all disputes, including those related to nuclear issues, must be resolved through negotiations based on the United Nations Charter,” the ministry said. “We urge all relevant states to accelerate the development of an agreement aimed at preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and providing security guarantees for states that comply with the non-proliferation regime under international oversight,” it said. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Russia border the Caspian Sea. The area is an important trade route.

United States

Kazakhstan Reshapes Its U.S. Partnership

On June 12, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister–Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in Washington. According to the State Department readout, the American side reiterated its commitment to Kazakhstan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity while the two diplomats discussed the expansion of “opportunities for bilateral trade and investment” and the importance of “trusted infrastructure and a favorable regulatory landscape for U.S. companies in Kazakhstan.” Other policy issue-areas targeted for cooperation included the expansion of security cooperation, promotion of regional integration (through the C5+1 diplomatic platform), and exploration of commercial opportunities “particularly in the technology and critical minerals sectors.” The bilateral meeting is an expression of deeper structural adaptation within a rapidly transforming international system. While U.S.-Kazakhstan relations were once characterized by only episodic contact and simple tactical cooperation, they have recently been reconstituted into a stable and operationally integrated bilateral relationship with system-wide relevance. Trade between the United States and Kazakhstan reached $4.1 billion in 2023, a 30 percent increase from the year prior, with projections for 2025 surpassing $4.5 billion by mid-year. Long anchored in oil exports and machinery imports, the bilateral trade structure is now undergoing strategic deepening. Kazakhstan’s 12 percent share of global uranium reserves, alongside its emerging lithium sector and other rare earth elements, makes one of the most alluring partners in U.S. efforts to restructure supply chains and reduce overdependence on China, owing to its export reliability, geographic position between major powers, and regulatory openness to Western investment. Kazakhstan, for its part, is demonstrating a granular grasp of what structural integration into global supply networks requires. Domestic reforms have included the modernization of investment regimes and coordinated institutional adjustments across ministries and frameworks such as the Astana International Financial Centre. Nonetheless, uneven rail capacity, limited downstream processing, and gaps in customs harmonization still pose material constraints to full Western alignment. The C5+1 framework, launched in 2015 and revitalized since 2021, has matured into a semi-institutionalized platform for intra-regional coordination. Thanks partly to Kazakhstan's initiatives, it now offers both practical counterweights to Russian influence and Chinese economic presence, including infrastructure collaboration and trade diversification, as well as symbolic ones like diplomatic visibility and regional leadership signaling. More than a diplomatic forum, it reflects a broader regional strategy in which Central Asian states, led by Astana, seek to institutionalize a distinct strategic space through multilateral formats. This architecture enables selective cooperation on infrastructure, trade, and regulatory standards while preserving flexibility amid the competing pressures of a multipolar order. Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu has been instrumental in this conceptual and operational shift. After serving as Chief of Staff to the President from 2022 to 2023, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister–Minister of Foreign Affairs in April 2023. His career trajectory—including postings at Kazakhstan’s UN Mission in Geneva (overlapping with Tokayev's tenure as Director General of the UN Office in Geneva) and his leadership in Asia-Africa diplomatic affairs—reflects an evolving strategic mindset. Nurtleu has emerged not merely as a representative of state policy but...

China

Opinion – The Quiet Competition: How the U.S. Is Losing Ground to China in Central Asia

Over the past decade, China has steadily expanded its presence in Central Asia, not through military force, but by building roads, trade corridors, and digital infrastructure. As the United States scaled back its regional footprint following its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Beijing moved quickly to fill the void. Today, China has positioned itself as the region's dominant external power, while the U.S. risks being left on the sidelines. At the heart of China’s strategy is the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has provided over $1 trillion into infrastructure projects globally since its launch in 2013. This includes $704 billion in construction contracts and $470 billion in non-financial investments. In 2024 alone, BRI engagement reached $121.8 billion – $70.7 billion in construction and $51 billion in investments – and trade between China and the countries of Central Asia hit a record $95 billion, highlighting the depth of China's economic integration. This engagement has also created significant financial dependencies. Central Asian countries owe China roughly $15.7 billion, about 8% of the region's total external debt, and these loans are often opaque and carry terms that provide Beijing with outsized political leverage. Chinese firms are also laying fiber-optic networks and constructing electric vehicle corridors to link western China with its neighbors. In Tajikistan, for example, contractors are upgrading the Pamir Highway to support cross-border EV transport. Huawei and other Chinese tech giants are also expanding the region’s telecommunications infrastructure, raising serious concerns about surveillance, data sovereignty, and long-term digital dependency. China’s economic outreach is reinforced by high-level diplomacy. The China–Central Asia (C+C5) format has become the centerpiece of Beijing’s regional engagement. At the 2025 summit, leaders from across the region gathered to coordinate on connectivity, climate resilience, and trade facilitation. The regularity and substance of these summits stand in sharp contrast to the United States’ more sporadic diplomatic presence. The U.S. maintains the C5+1 platform and launched a promising Critical Minerals Dialogue in 2024. However, these initiatives have yet to match the scale or consistency of China's approach as U.S. infrastructure investment is limited, its commercial footprint is small, and diplomatic engagement is too infrequent to shift the region’s strategic trajectory. This matters. Central Asia is strategically located, resource-rich, and increasingly central to global supply chains and geopolitical competition. Kazakhstan alone supplies more than 40% of the world’s uranium. The region also serves as a testing ground for competing development models, and if the United States fails to become a more engaged and credible partner, China’s infrastructure-heavy, state-centric model may become the default. To remain competitive, Washington should recalibrate its approach in Central Asia. This includes pursuing bilateral deals that deliver real impact, such as deepening ties with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan through targeted investment packages, trade agreements, and joint-sector initiatives. It also means securing access to critical minerals by expanding private-sector investment in mining, processing, and transport infrastructure aligned with U.S. supply chain needs. Offering digital infrastructure alternatives is equally essential; the United States must support secure, interoperable, and transparent technology networks that...

Migrants

U.S. Deports Over 100 Central Asian Migrants on Uzbek Charter Flight

More than 100 people from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan who were illegally in the United States have been deported on a charter flight organized by the Uzbek government, the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent said on Thursday. The operation, which happened on Wednesday, was “the first in which a U.S. partner proactively provided a dedicated flight to repatriate its citizens” and underscores collaboration on issues such as counterterrorism and law enforcement, according to the embassy. “By organizing and funding the removal of its citizens present illegally in the United States and allowing the removal of nationals from other countries on Uzbek flights, Uzbekistan demonstrated its role as a trusted and proactive partner in the realm of international security,” it said. The embassy statement did not provide details on the people who were deported. U.S. President Donald Trump had campaigned on the promise of the mass deportation of migrants that he said were in the country without permission, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement has carried out deportations in line with that pledge since he took office for a second term in January. The speed and severity of the crackdown have alarmed advocates who have argued in court that the U.S. administration is denying due process to some migrants. U.S. relations with some of its traditional allies, including Canada and European countries, have frayed since Trump took office. But Uzbekistan and several other Central Asian countries appear to have maintained a relatively harmonious dialogue with the Trump administration while also collaborating with regional powers Russia and China. On April 9, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov met in Washington to discuss investment, critical minerals and security matters. Rubio “thanked Uzbekistan for their efforts to facilitate the return of their deportees from the United States,” the U.S. State Department said. U.S. plans for mass deportations have been a source of concern for Central Asian communities in the United States. This month, Kazakhstan urged any of its citizens who are subject to a U.S. deportation order but remain in the United States to voluntarily return home by using a U.S. Department of Homeland Security mobile app. The Kazakh Embassy in Washington urged those nationals to do so in order “to prevent possible negative consequences” such as fines, a ban on re-entry to the United States and other penalties. In January, Kyrgyzstan warned its citizens to follow U.S. immigration law and always carry relevant documents with them.

RFE/RL

Exposing the Cracks: Asem Tokayeva on the Decline of RFE/RL and Central Asia’s Media Future

Speaking to The Times of Central Asia, Asem Tokayeva, a seasoned journalist with years of experience at Radio Azattyq - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, offers a compelling critique of RFE/RL's challenges, from internal corruption allegations to its declining relevance in Central Asia's evolving media landscape. Tokayeva started her career with Express K and other publications in Astana before joining Radio Azattyq as a freelancer in 2004 and contributing to the groundbreaking Russian-language program, Паровоз ("locomotive"). In 2008, she played a pivotal role in launching Radio Azattyq’s Russian-language website, a platform recognized for tackling sensitive issues and fostering free discussion. Her work contributed to the site's recognition by the Online News Association in 2009 for "Protecting Citizens' Rights to Information." After nearly 14 years at Azattyq, including over seven at its Prague office, Tokayeva left in late 2017 to further her academic pursuits, earning a Master's degree from Charles University in Prague, where her dissertation focused on Media Framing: Transformation of Nursultan Nazarbayev's Image in the U.S. Media. TCA: How do you feel about the funding cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees projects like RFE/RL and Voice of America? I have always advocated for the reform of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and now the new U.S. administration has simply cut its funding in one fell swoop. However, I don't see this as just Trump's whim. The work of this media outlet had long been criticized in Washington, and not only during his tenure. During Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s presidencies, American media published investigations into abuses, including the infiltration of pro-Kremlin agents, within international broadcasting corporations funded through USAGM. When Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, she called the entire U.S. international broadcasting structure, which includes Radio Azattyq, "practically defunct." Even during Bill Clinton’s presidency, there were serious discussions in Washington about shutting down these radio stations, as they were considered outdated following the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War. By the 1990s, it was already difficult to claim that Radio Liberty was the sole source of alternative information. During the August 1991 coup in Moscow, other radio stations provided more timely and comprehensive field reports. For instance, Echo of Moscow became one of the most listened-to stations at the time. Today's media landscape has different challenges, such as media literacy and combating fake news, rather than a shortage of news organizations. While the mission and goals of Radio Liberty have renewed significance, given the persistence of authoritarianism in many former Soviet countries, the U.S. administration no longer sees value in its international broadcasting system. They simply decided to shut down another bloated bureaucratic structure, one that had also been plagued by corruption. For example, its parent agency had been overpaying exorbitant amounts for office space in downtown Washington D.C. for 15 years. Radio Azattyq destroyed its uniqueness when it completely shut down shortwave broadcasting in 2012 at the insistence of its then-editor, Yedige Magauin. Yet, in 2011, during the protests...

Uzbek-U.S. Realtions

Congressman Trent Kelly and Ambassador Furkat Sidikov Drive U.S.-Uzbekistan Trade and Investment Progress

On March 26, 2025, Ambassador Furkat Sidikov hosted a Congressional Breakfast featuring Congressman Trent Kelly (R, Mississippi), Co-Chair and founding member of the U.S.-Uzbekistan Caucus. The event focused on the theme of trade, investment, and U.S.-Uzbekistan relations. Business leaders and policy experts also joined to discuss the evolving economic landscape and the future of U.S.-Uzbekistan relations. Ambassador Sidikov highlighted the presence of over 300 American companies in Uzbekistan and expressed optimism about bilateral trade soon surpassing $1 billion annually. The Ambassador emphasized the strengthening of multifaceted partnership with the U.S. over economic and security partnerships, alongside ongoing reforms in democracy and human rights. Congressman Kelly praised the strong partnership between the United States and Uzbekistan, highlighting the country’s reforms and its openness to U.S. business and trade. He expressed deep admiration for the Uzbek people and their government, emphasizing the growing ties fostered through the State Partnership Program with Mississippi. Congressman Kelly voiced strong support for removing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment (a Cold War-era provision that restricts trade with certain countries), stating that the time was right for such action. He noted ongoing collaboration with congressional and senatorial colleagues to advance this effort. Referring to Uzbekistan Day on the Hill as a growing tradition, he encouraged stronger connections between the two nations, underscoring Uzbekistan's vibrant culture, abundant resources, and welcoming spirit. [caption id="attachment_30169" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Ambassador Furkat Sidikov, Congressman Trent Kelly (R, Mississippi), and Congresswoman Carol Miller (R, West Virginia) display the Uzbekistan Normalized Trade Act, H.R. 2329[/caption] The Uzbekistan Caucus was established in 2018 to strengthen bilateral relations between the United States and Uzbekistan by encouraging dialogue on issues such as trade, security, governance, and cultural exchange. While bilateral caucuses are often seen as ceremonial with limited tangible outcomes, the Uzbekistan Caucus has proven to be an exception by driving meaningful progress in U.S.-Uzbekistan relations. This success reflects the contributions of both officials. Ambassador Sidikov has served as Uzbekistan's ambassador to the United States since 2023, playing a key role in strengthening bilateral ties. During his tenure, he facilitated the signing of the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA), streamlining trade and enhancing border security, and supported Uzbekistan’s reforms to align with World Trade Organization (WTO) standards, fostering a more open and competitive economic environment. These efforts have not only expanded market access, such as enabling U.S. meat and poultry exports to Uzbekistan, but also fostered deeper economic and strategic ties between the two nations. Congressman Kelly's 36 years of military service, including his role as a brigadier general, two Bronze Star Medals, and deployments to Iraq, have been instrumental in advancing collaboration with Uzbekistan through the State Partnership Program. His efforts have supported joint training, disaster preparedness, and modernization initiatives, providing valuable U.S. expertise and strengthening defense ties between the two nations. Uzbekistan ranks 58th in the Global Firepower Index, which ranks countries by military strength.