In the southwestern part of Issyk-Kul lake, an initiative to restore the population of goitered gazelles—a rare species listed in the Red Book that had nearly disappeared from the wild in Kyrgyzstan—continues to be implemented. The process of restoring the gazelle population began several years ago, with ongoing efforts to care for the animals, protect their
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union are boosting access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Central Asia and Mongolia. According to the EBRD, an additional €25 million in EU guarantees will be made available to local partner financial institutions for on-lending to this business segment.
Three films from Uzbekistan have been shortlisted for the 7th ECG Film Festival in London, one of the leading British festivals promoting Central Asian cinema. The screenings will take place on May 26 and 27 at the Lumiere Romford Cinema (The Mercury Shopping Centre, London). This year, the festival received over 100 submissions from 23
The Fund for Digital Initiatives of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB FDI) has issued a grant to Kompas JSC to implement traffic simulation software in Kazakhstan. The project aims to ensure the sustainable development of the urban environment in Astana, the country’s capital characterized by the steady increase in population. Traffic simulation allows using computational
The city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan is joining the EBRD Green Cities programme – a flagship initiative run by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – with a view to addressing key climate challenges and environmental issues through investment in green urban infrastructure, the EBRD said. The city is set to launch a Green City Action Plan (GCAP),
With the support from international financial organizations, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is modernizing 1,485 irrigation canals with a total length of over 6,000 km, according to Minister of Water Resources Nurzhan Nurzhigitov. Last year, the ministry completed the reconstruction of 162 canals with a total length of 778 km. By the end
Representatives of railway companies from China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Türkiye met in Tehran on May 12 to develop multilateral cooperation in establishing a transport corridor passing through their countries. According to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the country’s national railway company, in January-April 2025 container traffic along the China-Iran route via Kazakhstan increased by 2.6
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is providing a financial package of up to US$ 23 million (€20.3 million) to Demir Kyrgyz International Bank (Demir Bank) to support trade and green innovation in Kyrgyzstan. These funds will help to stimulate trade and address pressing environmental issues in a country badly affected
The Taliban government has suspended chess in Afghanistan over gambling concerns. It has also suspended the Afghanistan National Chess Federation (ANCF), Chess.com reports. The Afghan online news service Khaama Press reported on Sunday that the country’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has banned chess due to “religious considerations.” Chess-related activities in
On May 12 in Astana, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who arrived in Kazakhstan on an official visit. The President noted that the United Arab Emirates is one of Kazakhstan’s key partners, sharing common goals and aspirations. In 2023,
The cultural stage of Ashgabat became the venue for the world premiere of the choreographic and digital show RITUALS—a unique artistic project blending the ancient traditions of Turkmenistan with contemporary dance and digital arts. The event on May 10 marked an important milestone in the development of cultural ties between Europe and Turkmenistan, the Delegation of the
Thirty trade agreements have been signed between the private sectors of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan for a total amount of nearly $50 million, TOLOnews reports. At a bilateral trade connectivity conference, Afghanistan’s deputy minister of industry and commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid stressed the need to resolve trade challenges and increase Afghan exports to Uzbekistan. Davron Vakhabov, president
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture says it continues a large-scale program to diversify agricultural crops area, with about 1 million hectares of farmland diversified across the country in 2025. The program is aimed at expanding the area under highly profitable and in-demand crops, both in the domestic and export markets. The main goal is to reduce
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Finland, organized the “Janyration Sanarip” incubation program to equip small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan with the tools and knowledge needed to transition from traditional business models to digital-first operations, enabling them to grow and compete in the e-commerce market, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported.
Kazakhstan continues its confident cultural offensive on the world stage: two short films and works by an artist from Kazakhstan will participate in the 7th ECG Film Festival in London. The films will be shown on May 26 and 27 at the Lumiere Romford Cinema, The Mercury Shopping Centre. ECG Film Festival promotes films of
Uzbekistan will host the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 59th Annual Meeting on 3 to 6 May 2026. The meeting will be held in the historic city of Samarkand, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. This is the second time that Uzbekistan will host the ADB Annual Meeting, following the successful 43rd
In 2024, Kazakhstan’s exports reached $81.6 billion, up 3.2% compared to 2023, with non-resource exports showing an impressive 11.9% growth, amounting to $28.8 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Imports totaled $59.8 billion, down 1% from the previous year. In 2025, Kazakhstan continues to maintain high export rates, which in January-February amounted
Russia’s non-profit organization for international cooperation, Eurasia, with the support of Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers, will build a cultural and amusement park in the village of Orok near Bishkek. According to Eurasia, the new park will symbolize the friendship between the peoples of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. A presentation of the project took place late in
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has welcomed Türkiye as its newest regional member, strengthening ADB’s engagement in Central and West Asia. In a ceremony during ADB’s 58th Annual Meeting in Milan, ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov said Türkiye’s transition to regional membership would provide the country with development opportunities through
The first batch of Kazakh grain has departed by rail for Morocco. The train consisting of 105 grain railcars will traverse Russia to Latvia, where in the Baltic port of Liepaja, the grain will be reloaded onto sea vessels heading to the coast of North Africa, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national
