The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has completed an IT skills training program for female customs officers of the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan. The training, delivered in partnership with IT Academy through USAID’s Trade Central Asia, empowered 287 customs professionals with digital skills. The attending customs professionals improved their digital competence, developed
Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, has been included in CNN Travel’s list of 25 destinations that are particularly worth visiting in 2025. According to CNN Travel, Central Asia’s dramatic landscapes and unique urban centers are proving to be particularly alluring. Leading the way is Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, which has become the region’s new “Capital of Cool”.
The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock said that China will construct three standard cold storage facilities with a capacity of 1,500 tons each for preserving fresh fruit and vegetables in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. According to the ministry, Chinese diplomats have announced that engineers from China would be sent to Afghanistan to build these
The 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will be held in the historical city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from November 24 to December 5, 2025. The agreement was signed by Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz
The Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed the new TB grant “Exit of the National Tuberculosis Program of Turkmenistan from the Global Fund.” The project, set to run from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027, is supported by a total budget of more than $6.2 million contributed by
More than 500 people in the agricultural sector will benefit from advanced cattle management, fodder cultivation, and artificial insemination initiatives supported by the U.S. government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The new partnerships drive economic growth in the south of the Kyrgyz Republic by strengthening the dairy value chain and livestock breeding.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has released its 2024 report on investments in the region. According to the report, Kazakhstan attracted $15.7 billion in new projects, securing its position as the leading destination for investments in the North and Central Asia region, Kazakh Invest reported. In 2024,
In an interview with Azerbaijan Television on December 29, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakh rescuers and medical teams for their solidarity and assistance during and after the deadly crash of an Embraer 190 of the Azerbaijan Airlines on December 25. The plane with 62 passengers and five
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China Zheng Shanjie, and Uzbekistan Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev on December 27 attended a ceremony to launch the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway in the village of Tosh-Kutchu in Kyrgyzstan’s Jalal-Abad region. Speaking at the ceremony, Japarov
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan and the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) last week held an event in Bishkek to mark the declaration of October 23 as International Snow Leopard Day by a resolution of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Asein
On December 27, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had a telephone conversation with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The presidents exchanged condolences and expressed words of support to the families of those killed in the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Kazakhstan’s Mangistau region. On December 25, the Embraer 190 of the Azerbaijan Airlines
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan has announced that a visa-free regime will be introduced for citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Bahrain starting from January 4, 2025. Citizens of these countries traveling
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a contract for the construction of a major cement production plant in Logar with a Chinese company that also has an Afghan partner, TOLOnews reported. Hedayatullah Badri, acting minister of mines and petroleum, stated during the contract signing ceremony that approximately $145 million will be invested in
As of 20 December 2024, the “Work in the EAEU” mobile app, developed by the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Fund for Digital Initiatives, has launched public and commercial services for migrant workers in Uzbekistan. This enables individuals seeking employment in Uzbekistan to access the necessary services directly from their smartphones, the EDB said. The Eurasian
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the Qazaq Green Renewable Energy Association (Qazaq Green) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to facilitate research and exchange information on renewable energy projects, among other initiatives. The document was signed by Azamat Tyuleubai, Senior Managing Director and Head of the EDB Project Unit, and Nurlan Kapenov, Chairman of
The European Union Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Toivo Klaar recently visited the Tashkent Botanical Garden to see ongoing landscaping and improvement efforts. The European Union has contributed to the enhancement of the Tashkent Botanical Garden, a cherished landmark and one of the largest and oldest natural parks in the region. Nestled in the heart of Tashkent,
A passenger plane flying from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Russia has crashed near the city of Aqtau in western Kazakhstan with 67 people on board, Kazakh authorities said on December 25, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Authorities said that dozens of people had been killed but that there were several survivors. According to preliminary information, 28
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), represented by Ruslan Dalenov, Vice Chairman of the Management Board, and Karaganda Energotsentr, a 100% subsidiary of Kazakhstan Utility Systems, represented by Flyur Garipov, General Director, have signed a 13-year, US $240 million long-term loan agreement to finance the modernization and expansion of Karaganda Combined Heat and Power Plant 3
On December 23, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on the priority tasks for 2025 to utilize additional opportunities and increase investments and employment in the northwestern region of Karakalpakstan. A project office will be established to develop three main areas in Karakalpakstan – agriculture, industry, and tourism. The office will analyze the growth
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is increasing the reliability and sustainability of Uzbekistan’s electricity supply by helping to finance the construction of a new high-voltage transmission line connecting the country’s north-western and south-western regions. The EBRD is issuing a sovereign loan of up to US$ 66.4 million (€63.9 million) to the
