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Moldova To End Visa-Free Travel for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

Moldova has formally withdrawn from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) visa-free travel agreement, a move that will introduce visa requirements for citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The Moldovan parliament approved the government’s proposal to terminate the 1992 Bishkek Agreement, according to inbusiness.kz. The CIS, which originally included 11 post-Soviet states upon its creation in 1991, now counts only seven full members. Although Moldova ended its membership in the CIS earlier, it had continued to uphold visa-free travel arrangements with several former Soviet republics, including countries in Central Asia. The new legislation does not affect Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan. Moldovan officials told local media that Chişinău intends to preserve visa-free travel with these two countries through separate bilateral agreements. “For citizens of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the procedure for travel remains unchanged,” Azattyq.org reported, citing Moldovan government sources. In 2024, Moldova also announced plans to open its first embassy in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The new visa requirements apply solely to citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, who will now need to obtain visas for work, study, or personal travel to Moldova. Authorities in Chişinău explained that the decision is part of Moldova’s broader effort to align its legal framework with European Union standards. EU regulations require visas for all CIS nationals, and Moldova is gradually adjusting its migration and visa policies in preparation for EU accession. The move comes in the wake of Moldova’s October 2024 referendum, in which voters supported the country’s path toward EU membership. Since then, the government has withdrawn from numerous CIS treaties, exited the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, ceased payments to the Mir television network, and closed its local bureau. Relations between Moldova and Kyrgyzstan have been further strained by unresolved issues, including Kyrgyzstan’s calls for the repayment of a Soviet-era debt and Moldova’s ban on Kyrgyz airlines due to their inclusion on the EU’s aviation safety blacklist. Kyrgyz civil activist Almaz Tazhybay told Vesti.kg that Kyrgyz carriers will only regain access to Moldovan airspace after meeting EU safety requirements. Moldovan authorities have emphasized that the policy is not targeted at any specific country. Officials in Chişinău describe the changes as part of a broader legal realignment as Moldova pursues its goal of joining the European Union by 2030.

U.S. and Uzbekistan Sign Landmark Economic and Strategic Agreements

The United States and Uzbekistan are deepening their economic and technological partnership. Following President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, the U.S. State Department announced a sweeping package of agreements, described as among the most significant in the history of bilateral relations in both investment and strategic scope. High-Level Business Engagements During his Washington visit, President Mirziyoyev held talks with representatives from major American corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions. The meeting was attended by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Special Assistant to the President Ricky Gill, Special Assistant to the President Ricky Gill, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden, and executives from companies such as Traxys, FLSmidth, McKinsey, Meta, Google, Amazon, Boeing, Air Products, Axiom Space, Cove Capital, Freeport-McMoRan, Orion CMC, Cargill Cotton, John Deere, Honeywell, Valmont Industries, and Flowserve Corporation. Opening the event, Mirziyoyev highlighted that trade between Uzbekistan and the U.S. has quadrupled over the past eight years, and more than 300 American companies are now operating in the country. He added that this is just the beginning of a new era in economic cooperation. Key strategic goals were outlined: by 2030, Uzbekistan aims to develop a new-generation energy system with 18-20 GW of renewable capacity, more than half of it sourced from solar and wind. In this context, the two countries plan to jointly develop and process critical minerals such as uranium, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, and graphite, establishing resilient supply chains and leveraging U.S. processing technologies. Infrastructure is another major focus. Uzbekistan intends to invest over $12 billion by 2030 to modernize roads, railways, terminals, and airports. Digital cooperation is also expanding. Projects with Google, Meta, and NVIDIA include the launch of Apple Pay and Google Pay, the creation of a Digital Academy, and the development of startup hubs. These initiatives are expected to be supported by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the U.S. Exim Bank. Mirziyoyev reaffirmed his personal commitment to supporting American investment, stressing that Uzbekistan remains a stable and favorable destination for foreign businesses. Securing Access to Strategic Raw Materials Washington’s primary interest lies in critical minerals. The U.S. will gain priority access to joint mining projects and exclusive access to geological data on rare earth and other strategically significant elements. This move is part of a broader U.S. effort to diversify global sources of inputs vital to defense, green energy, and other high-tech sectors. The two countries are also preparing a $400 million investment package to develop sustainable supply chains for critical and rare earth minerals. For Uzbekistan, this represents a key step toward integration into global value chains and reduced reliance on limited partners. Energy Cooperation: A Role for Small Modular Reactors Uzbekistan plans to acquire American small modular reactors (SMRs), a technology increasingly favored by emerging economies for its scalability and relatively low upfront costs. Interest in SMRs has grown following the 2025 approval of the upgraded NuScale Power Module (77 MW), and Uzbekistan may become one of the first countries in...

Diplomacy

Uzbekistan Introduces Visa-Free Travel for U.S. Citizens Starting January 2026

Uzbekistan will implement a visa-free regime for U.S. citizens beginning January 1, 2026, according to a presidential decree signed on November 3, 2025. The announcement was reported by UzA, the country’s official state news agency. Under the new policy, American citizens will be permitted to stay in Uzbekistan for up to 30 days without a visa from the date of entry. The measure aims to strengthen trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between the two countries, while also enhancing tourism. Since 2021, Uzbekistan has allowed visa-free entry for tourists aged 55 and older from the United States and several other nations, with a maximum stay of 30 days, according to Kun.uz. The expansion of this policy to include all U.S. citizens marks a major step in promoting bilateral travel and business engagement. The proposal to lift visa requirements for U.S. nationals was first introduced in May 2025 through a presidential decree focused on boosting foreign tourist inflows. The same document instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate negotiations with Washington on easing visa conditions for Uzbek citizens traveling to the United States. In a related development, the Uzbek government recently extended visa-free entry to citizens of six more countries, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, following a Cabinet of Ministers decision issued on October 21.