On July 31, the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata hosted an informal meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and Azerbaijan. The meeting was attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President
On World Nature Conservation Day, July 28, Uzbekistan officially launched ECODATA, an electronic geo-information database for biodiversity and protected natural areas. The platform is a product of the Aral Sea Wetlands project, which is implemented by the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has arrived in Kyrgyzstan on a state visit on July 30. In Cholpon-Ata, the president of Uzbekistan will also participate in the informal Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan. Here in Cholpon-Ata, Mirziyoyev held talks with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov to
The Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan has finalized the report on the country’s export in January–June 2026, excluding gold exports. According to the report, Uzbekistan’s exports totaled $14.4 billion in January–June 2026. Compared to the same period last year, exports increased by 32.2% ($3.5 billion). The main drivers of export growth were:
On July 28, Bishkek hosted the Uzbekistan–Kyrgyzstan Business Forum titled “Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan: Industrial Cooperation, Investment and Trade.” The event was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry Erlist Akunbekov, Director of the National Investment Agency under the President of
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on priority tasks in the fuel and energy sector. The Head of State noted that over the past ten years, large-scale reforms have been carried out in the energy sector. As a result, $23 billion in foreign investment has been attracted to the sector, and power generation facilities with
Amid growing global demand for gastronomic and wellness tourism, Uzbekistan continues to develop modern tourism products. The next step in this direction will be an international vegan cuisine festival, which will be held on July 30 by the country’s Tourism Committee and the Embassy of India in Uzbekistan. According to the Tourism Committee, the development
On July 24, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov took part in the first meeting of the Council of Heads of Regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which was held in the Kazakh city of Aktau. Bektenov noted that Kazakhstan attaches special importance to the comprehensive development of strategic
On July 24–25, Samarkand hosted the prestigious International sister cities forum for the first time. The main objective of the forum was to further strengthen long-standing friendly and partnership relations with sister cities abroad, promote the exchange of experience among cities, and establish promising joint projects, according to Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee. The international event brought
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on July 22 took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Center for Future Technologies, which will be built adjacent to Cyber University in Nurafshon. Transforming Uzbekistan into a regional IT hub is one of the priority objectives of the Uzbekistan–2030 Strategy. Cyber University was established by a Presidential Decree dated 20 January
In recent years, Iran and Uzbekistan have emerged as two of Afghanistan’s main trading partners amid disruptions in Afghanistan’s trade relations with Pakistan, TOLOnews reported. According to available data, Afghanistan’s annual trade volume with Iran has reached $3.3 billion, while trade with Uzbekistan has risen to $1.7 billion. Iran is one of Afghanistan’s principal suppliers
On July 22, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially launched construction of the new Tashkent–Samarkand highway. The president emphasized the project’s importance for strengthening the transport and logistics potential of New Uzbekistan. Once the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Trans-Afghan railway are commissioned, Uzbekistan will become a key link in the shortest overland corridor connecting the Pacific Ocean
The Research Center for Ecology and the Environment of Central Asia hosted a presentation and exhibition entitled “Advanced Practices in Establishing an Ecological Shelterbelt in Inner Mongolia”, organized at the initiative of the Forestry Agency under the National Committee of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Climate Change in cooperation with the National Forestry and Grassland Administration
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, says it is providing the first ever investment under the Catalytic First Loss Guarantee (CFLG) Program to Ipak Yuli Bank, a long-standing parter of IFC in Uzbekistan, to support eligible micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), specifically microenterprises, climate-related businesses, and women-owned enterprises. This landmark transaction will provide financial
The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a project to support transboundary water cooperation across Central Asia. It will help countries attract additional investment in water management and conservation and strengthen their collective capacity to manage shared water resources. Around 40 million people across Central Asia are expected to benefit from the
Global interest in travel to Uzbekistan continues to grow. According to data from the international travel company Expedia Group, the number of travel-related searches for Uzbekistan increased by 54% in June compared to the same period last year. At the same time, the number of confirmed bookings also rose, indicating that growing traveler interest is
On July 20, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed measures to further improve drinking water supply and sewerage services. In recent years, the volume of investment attracted to the sector has increased tenfold, reaching $2.7 billion. As a result, the share of the population with access to centralized drinking water supply has risen from 63 percent in
On July 17, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed projects aimed at developing Uzbek culture and arts, and promoting them on the international stage. In particular, the exhibition “Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion” is planned to be held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha in September 2026, while the international archaeological exhibition “Global Antiquity,” featuring unique
The European Union and the five countries of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — on July 16 held the 13th meeting of their annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service, Olof Skoog, with participation
Is this the Asian century in higher education? On the numbers alone, it may well be. More than half of the world’s university students are already in Asia, and that share is set to grow as ageing industrialised democracies give way demographically to younger populations in countries such as India, Indonesia, and across Central Asia.