Afghanistan’s trade with Central Asian countries reached more than $1.27 billion in the first five months of 2026, including around $74 million of Afghanistan’s exports, TOLOnews reported citing the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce. According to the ministry, dried fruits, fresh fruits, talc stone, vegetables, medicinal plants, and various types of juice are among
Kyrgyzstan and China have launched a strategic project aimed at increasing coal exports to China. Kyrgyz and Chinese officials last week attended a time capsule-laying ceremony in the village of Nura in the southern Osh region to mark the official launch of the project with a total investment of $430 million. The project is being
On May 21-23, government representatives, international organizations, tourism professionals, civil society organizations, and local communities gathered in Min-Kush village for the Touristic Forum “Development of Min-Kush Village through Sustainable Tourism – Revival of Forgotten Cities,” UNDP in Kyrgyzstan reported. The forum served as a platform to discuss sustainable tourism, local economic development, and new opportunities
In Central Asia, much of the conversation still revolves around oil, logistics, borders, and geopolitical influence. Yet the most decisive resource of the region’s future is neither hydrocarbons nor transit corridors. It is water. Stripped of diplomatic language, the reality is stark: the region is entering a phase where the Soviet-era water management system –
On May 20, at the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the resolution entitled “Peaceful Settlement of Border Disputes,” according to the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry. More than 40 countries co-sponsored the document. The resolution was presented by the Kyrgyz Republic jointly with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The main purpose
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are continuing their joint efforts to strengthen the national system for monitoring, forecasting, and early warning of climate-related emergencies, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported. As part of this cooperation, a new component of the early warning system has been commissioned in
Hosted by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, an informal Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held on 15 May in Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic World. The summit was also attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President
Of course, the transition of the Former Soviet Republics from Communism to Market Economy witnessed a dramatic fall in infrastructure spending. Consequently, different republics progressed at different speeds, though with an increasing realization that such spending is necessary to develop their economies. Ironically, it is their western counterparts who are arguably underinvesting in their own
An informal summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will be hosted by Kazakhstan on 15 May 2026 in Turkistan, the spiritual capital of the Turkic World, under the theme “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.” The summit will bring together the heads of state and government of
The collapse of the Soviet Union is rarely seen as a deliberate project. Rather, it is viewed as a crisis or a chain of events that spiralled out of control. Yet, when the early years of independence across the post-Soviet space are examined through the lens of sustainable development, it becomes clear that this period
The first sale of refined gold took place on the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange on April 30. The transaction amounted to about $45,000. State gold company Kyrgyzaltyn was the seller and the Kyrgyzstan accumulative pension fund was the buyer, according to the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange. The transaction follows an agreement signed on April 3, 2026
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) issued its first Disaster Relief Bond (DRB) offerings, also known as catastrophe bonds, as part of its regional Risk-Layered Disaster Relief Finance Program which aims to reduce the financial impact of natural hazards and climate-related shocks. The bonds are designed to protect against severe disasters and provide quick liquidity to Kyrgyzstan and
On April 25, in Bishkek, energy and water ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan discussed ensuring the sustainable and coordinated operation of Central Asia’s water and energy systems during the upcoming 2026 growing season. The meeting focused on mutual obligations of each country. The ministers noted the historical interconnectedness of national energy systems, with
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has formed a regional investment portfolio in the field of climate and ecology in Central Asia and intends to expand it, Evgeny Vinokurov, Deputy Chairman of the Bank’s Management Board, said at the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 in Astana on April 22. For 20 years, the Eurasian Development Bank has
As sustainable development is increasingly shaped not only by environmental factors but also by intellectual and technological ones, a new type of leadership is emerging – leaders capable of rethinking the future of education. Elena Savchenko, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, and Rector of the International University of Kyrgyzstan, is one of such figures. Her
On 23 April, high-level representatives of the European Union, its EU Member States, the Central Asian countries and international financial institutions convened in Astana, Kazakhstan, for the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) High-Level Meeting on Water, Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia, the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan reported. Participants
On April 22, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in a meeting of the Council of the Heads of Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). The event, chaired by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was also attended by President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali
At the Regional Environmental Summit (RES) in Astana on April 22, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, convened a high-level plenary session titled “Central Asia Initiative – Harmony with Nature for Sustainable Development of the Region,”
Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has amended the country’s Medium-Term Electricity Tariff Policy for 2025–2030, providing a new state support measure for farmers using water-saving irrigation technologies. According to the Cabinet’s resolution of April 10, 2026, the current electricity tariff will not be increased until May 1, 2030 for farmers producing agricultural products with the use
Kyrgyzstan’s Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliyev last week met with World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Antonella Bassani in Washington, D.C. The meeting concluded with the signing of an agreement between Kyrgyzstan and the World Bank Group on the Regional Electricity Market Interconnectivity and Trade (REMIT) Program. The World