The European Union and UN Women officially launched the Zero Violence Against Women and Girls (Zero VAWG) initiative at an inception and signing event held on 23 January in Bishkek. The event brought together senior representatives of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, development partners, and UN agencies to reaffirm their shared commitment to preventing
Uzbekistan has launched the second phase of the “Islands of Integrity” anti-corruption methodology, expanding a local governance approach that has already shown practical results in several regions of the country, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan reported. The launch took place in Turtkul District and brought together national and international partners, including the
On January 27, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yermek Kosherbayev held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Gideon Sa’ar, who arrived in Astana on an official visit. The sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of political dialogue, trade, economic and investment ties, cooperation in the field of tourism,
Uzbekistan participated in one of the largest international tourism exhibitions of the United States — Travel & Adventure Show 2026, which took place on January 24-25 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee reported. The exhibition brought together representatives of leading US travel agencies, airlines, investment structures, and mass
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia Khasuuriyin Gankhuyag on January 24. Zhumangarin noted that Mongolia is an important partner of Kazakhstan in the Asian region, and that bilateral cooperation has been consistently developing in the spirit of mutual respect and
Air Products and the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan announced the opening of the American Makerspace in Qarshi, a state-of-the-art collaborative workspace designed to empower youth and foster innovation. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to advancing education, creativity, and technical skills, aligned with the U.S. dedication to excellence in science and technology. Providing its educational
The 3rd meeting of the Steering Committee of the project “EU for a Green Turkmenistan: Policy Dialogue and Climate Action 2024–2028,” co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ was held in Ashgabat on January 22, the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan reported. The co-financed European Union project “EU for a green
Kazakhstan is making progress with the restoration of the North Aral Sea, an ambitious project initiated in response to the catastrophic shrinkage of the Aral Sea. During the next 4-5 years, the water volume in the North Aral is to be increased to 34 cubic kilometers and its area expanded to 3,913 square kilometers, Minister
A new report shows that despite the ongoing efforts to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in all spheres of life, Central Asian countries still lag significantly behind the world leaders in AI adoption. Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s leader in AI use, ranking 72nd among 147 countries, with 13.7% of the working age population
Kazakhstan’s Cybernet AI startup has unveiled an automatic speech recognition (ASR) model for Turkic languages. This is the first-ever AI model designed specifically for the Turkic language group, not adapted from existing English-language solutions, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. The project was implemented with the support of the Astana
China-Central Asia economic and trade cooperation made considerable progress in 2025, with the total value of trade in goods reaching $106.3 billion, an increase of 12% compared to the previous year, Xinhua news agency reported citing the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. The trade volume between China and Central Asia exceeded the $100-billion mark for the
The first cross-Caspian Sea China-Central Asia freight train from north China’s Tianjin Municipality to Baku, Azerbaijan, departed on January 19, carrying goods such as stainless steel pipes and household appliances, Xinhua reported. The train, operated by China Railway Beijing Group, will leave China via Khorgos Port in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, traverse Kazakhstan,
Hideki Tanabe is a senior international development expert who stood at the origins of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Tajikistan. Having completed his tenure as the first Head of JICA’s independent office in the country, which he led since its establishment in 2017, he played a key role in integrating Japanese technical assistance
Chinese and Uzbek archaeologists have found early city walls constructed and modified between the 3rd century BC and the 10th century AD at the ancient city of Kuva in Uzbekistan, Xinhua reported. Located in the Fergana Valley in eastern Uzbekistan, the Kuva site, now spanning about 110,000 square meters, used to be a very important
At a government meeting on January 15, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to link cultural projects with tourism development objectives. It was noted that in 2025, the number of tourists visiting Uzbekistan exceeded 11 million, exports of tourism services reached $4.8 billion, and the number of countries whose citizens are eligible for visa-free travel
On January 15, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired an expanded meeting on the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Uzbek diplomatic missions abroad. The President emphasized that in the current global environment, an ambassador is not just a person who conducts political dialogue. An ambassador is a state representative who attracts investment and technologies,
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it continues to invest in renewable energy power generation and in the safe and reliable connection of variable renewables to Uzbekistan’s power grid by organizing a financing package of up to US$195.5 million (€168.5 million) for the construction and operation of a 300 MW greenfield solar
The official opening ceremony of the 240 MW Khizi-Absheron wind power plant, constructed by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, was held on January 8 in Baku, Azerbaijan’s state news agency AZERTAC reported. Approximately $340 million in foreign investment has been attracted for the project. The plant’s annual electricity generation is expected to reach 1 billion kilowatt-hours,
A large-scale series of trainings aimed at strengthening anti-corruption practices at the regional level has concluded in Uzbekistan. Covering all 14 regions of the country, the initiative enhanced the practical capacities of territorial anti-corruption councils, developed region-specific recommendations, and laid the groundwork for subsequent action plans to reduce corruption risks, increase transparency, and strengthen public
Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Edil Baisalov has suggested Bishkek reassess its visa-free regime for Americans following the imposition of visa bond requirements for Kyrgyz citizens traveling to the United States. The United States has included Kyrgyzstan in a list of countries subject to visa bonds. Visa applicants from these countries are