Kyrgyzstan Sanctions: Discussions on Removal Progress On January 22, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Meder Abakirov invited U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie to a meeting to discuss issues related to the inclusion of Kyrgyzstan’s Keremet Bank, Gazprom Neft Asia LLC, and Munai Myrza CJSC in the U.S. sanctions
U.S. Secretary of State Advocates for Kazakhstan Repeal The recent comments of Marco Rubio, the new U.S. Secretary of State under the Donald Trump administration, regarding the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, a law that imposes restrictions on trade with several countries in Central Asia, raise hopes that the new U.S. administration will take steps to repeal this
The Satpayev City Court in Kazakhstan has sentenced a native of Kazakhstan’s Ulytau region to four and a half years in prison for his participation in the Russian-Ukrainian military conflict. The man served in Russian private military company Wagner, which fought in Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation, Orda.kz reported. According to the
During his first visit to Tajikistan on January 16, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian held negotiations with the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon. Welcoming the high-ranking guest, Rahmon noted that “the people of Tajikistan and Iran are united by an inextricable historical, cultural and civilizational commonality”. The leaders discussed expansion
On January 16, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with British Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kathy Leach. The parties reviewed the results of the two countries’ interaction in 2024, highlighting the meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku. The discussion also focused
On January 15, in Abu Dhabi, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan held talks to discuss key issues of further deepening Uzbek-Emirati relations of friendship and multifaceted cooperation, including in political, trade and economic, investment, innovation, cultural, humanitarian and other priority spheres. The parties emphasized
On January 15, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that it imposed sanctions on Kyrgyzstan’s Keremet Bank for its role in Russia’s scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the Treasury Department, since at least summer 2024, officials at Keremet Bank have coordinated with Russian officials and
The United States and Armenia on January 14 signed a strategic partnership agreement expanding cooperation in security and several of areas as Yerevan seeks to distance itself from traditional ally Russia, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed the agreement in Washington. The United States is “working
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Zheenbek Kulubaev paid his first official visit to Astana on January 10. During the talks, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu and Minister Kulubaev discussed priority areas of political, trade, economic, investment, water and energy, transit and transport, and cultural
In the 2025 Military Strength Ranking released by the Global Firepower, Kazakhstan ranked 57th among the 145 countries listed — the best position compared to other Central Asian countries and one position up compared to the 2024 ranking. Other Central Asian countries are ranked as follows: Uzbekistan is in 58th place, Turkmenistan in 77th place, Kyrgyzstan
The Unit for Combating Extremism and Illegal Migration of the Internal Affairs Department of Kyrgyzstan’s Chui Region says it has detained a man suspected of calling on citizens of Kyrgyzstan to participate in military conflicts in other countries. The Internal Affairs Department on December 12, 2024 received information about videos distributed on the Internet and
The government of Brazil, which holds the presidency of BRICS in 2025, on January 6 announced the formal entry of Indonesia into BRICS as a full member. The BRICS is an informal group of countries that originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. BRICS has recently expanded its membership to include Egypt,
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
A court in Moscow charged Uzbek citizen Ahmat Qurbanov on December 19 with terrorism and other charges in the high-profile killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, RFE/RL reported. In addition to terrorism, Qurbanov has been charged with murder and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition,
Kazakhstan’s contributions to addressing global challenges and its emerging role as a growing middle power were in the focus of discussions at the 17th annual World Policy Conference (WPC), organized by the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Abu Dhabi on December 13-15. Thierry de Montbrial, founder and long-standing president of IFRI – one
Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov resigned on December 16 without offering an explanation, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s office confirmed that Akylbek Japarov (no relation) had stepped down and would be moved to another position. The president named First Deputy Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev, 64, as acting prime minister. Pressure was growing on Akylbek
On December 10, the British think tank Henry Jackson Society presented a research report titled “Understanding Kazakhstan’s Strategic Importance: A Middle Power Partner for the UK in Central Asia” in the UK Parliament. The event featured speeches by the principal Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Nusrat Ghani MP, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the
On December 4 in Bishkek, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Japarov held the 12th meeting of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental Council. The meeting addressed issues of expanding trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as interaction in the field of transport and
On November 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called Putin’s visit a historic event that marks an important milestone in the development of Kazakh-Russian relations. “For Kazakhstan, Russia is a strategic partner and a reliable ally. We are united by unbreakable bonds of friendship, centuries-old good
