Director for Asia and Pacific at the European Commission Directorate General for International Partnerships Mr Peteris Ustubs participated in a Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor Coordination Platform strategic roundtable for the private sector hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan in Tashkent on May 22. Business leaders, international banks and government representatives discussed how
To help drive Kyrgyzstan’s transition to clean energy and meet its growing demand for renewables, the OSCE organized a joint initiative in Bishkek focused on both high-level policy dialogue and technical training. This effort was carried out in partnership with the Kyrgyz State Technical University (KSTU) and the Bulan Institute for Peace Innovations, the OSCE
The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, which will be located at the Central Asian University of
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University to launch joint initiatives in the academic and scientific spheres. According to the ministry, the parties agreed to organize academic exchanges, including scholarships and research internships in such areas as
The number of Kyrgyz labor migrants in Russia has significantly decreased in recent years. Today, about 600,000 Kyrgyz citizens are in labor migration, including 379,000 in Russia, compared to 680,000 in 2020, according to Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Security and Migration Bakyt Darmankul uulu. Over the past 30 years, hundreds of thousands of
An inauguration ceremony was held on May 15 in the city of Antalya for the opening of the Manas Park, a symbol of Kyrgyz-Turkish friendship. The park was established as a gesture of deep respect for the rich historical and cultural heritage of the Kyrgyz people, as well as to further strengthen the friendly ties
Kazakhstan and the World Bank have reaffirmed their commitment to joint efforts aimed at the restoration of the North Aral Sea. On May 16, at the Kokaral dam in Kazakhstan’s Kyzylorda region, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov met with Sameh Wahba, the Regional Director for Sustainable Development at the Europe and Central Asia
The European Union is allocating €200,000 to help mitigate the impact of the serious measles situation on the most vulnerable populations, particularly children, in Kyrgyzstan. The funding will benefit around 70,000 people in some of the most affected areas, including the capital of Bishkek and the second most populated city of Osh, according to the
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
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
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
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
Kyrgyzstan has proposed introducing a single visa-free regime for foreign tourists that will allow visitors to travel freely throughout all countries of Central Asia. The initiative was put forward by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov during his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in March. Japarov said that Central Asian countries need to introduce a single
More than 120 passengers went on a trip on the tourist train Jibek Joly on April 30. The tourist train was organized by Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the country’s national railway company, with the assistance of Uzbekistan Railways, the Tourism Committee and the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, and Kazakh Tourism. The trip allows tourists to
The 11th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom was held in London last week. The Kazakh delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov. The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK Magzhan Ilyassov, UK Ambassador to Kazakhstan
On April 30, the U.S. government deported over 100 Uzbekistani, Kazakhstani, and Kyrgyzstani citizens present illegally in the United States on a charter flight organized by Uzbekistan’s government, the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan said. This operation, the first in which a U.S. partner proactively provided a dedicated flight to repatriate its citizens, exemplifies the productive
The UN General Assembly in New York has adopted the resolution initiated by Uzbekistan titled “Decade of Action on Afforestation and Reforestation in Accordance with Sustainable Forest Management”. The resolution was co-sponsored by over 80 countries representing all regions of the world, including Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan, Russia, Brazil, Austria, Germany, Finland, Portugal, India, Iran,
On April 30 in London, the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Kingdom, Ulan Djusupov, held a meeting with Lord John Alderdice, the UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia. During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for expanding Kyrgyz–UK trade, economic, and investment cooperation. Ambassador Djusupov briefed the Trade Envoy on
The Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan on April 28 launched five new civil society projects under its “EU Support to Civil Society Organisations in Uzbekistan” initiative at the event in Tashkent. With a combined value of nearly EUR 2.9 million — co-funded by the EU and its partner organisations — the new initiatives
