A kick-off meeting for the regional project “Stakeholder Engagement for Uranium Legacy Remediation in Central Asia” (Phase III) was held in Tashkent on April 17-18. The main purpose of this event was to present and discuss the plans for Phase III of the project with government institutions and national and international partners from three Central
Uzbek writer, cultural figure, and storyteller Gulchekhra-begim Makhmudova invites young readers on a breath-taking journey through time, legend, and imagination with her four-part children’s book series, Adventures of the Spirit of Time, now available in English from Hertfordshire Press. Originally published in Russian between 2021 and 2022, the series quickly won the hearts of readers
Over the past 5 years, Uzbekistan’s electricity production increased by 30% and reached 81.5 billion kilowatt-hours. By 2035 the electricity use in the country will reach 121 billion kilowatt-hours. By 2030 the share of “green” energy in the total generation volume is planned to reach 54%. This was said at a government meeting chaired by
On the 5th and 6th of April, the heart of Karakalpakstan — the city of Nukus — hosted the inaugural Aral Culture Summit, a landmark event bringing together intellectuals, artists, environmentalists, and representatives of international organisations to rethink the role of culture in the age of climate challenges. Where the waves of the Aral Sea
The international exhibition Central Asian Business Expo-2025 was held in the United States, bringing together major international companies, investors, and government representatives. The Uzbek delegation, led by Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov, showcased the country’s ongoing digital transformation and investment potential in the IT sector. Throughout the event, bilateral meetings were conducted with a
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is launching an experience-sharing project for energy professionals from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Named “Supporting Sustainable Energy Development in Central Asia by Expanding Sub-Regional and Cross-Country Cooperation Through the Exchange of Competencies
On April 16, Kuwait hosted the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Strategic Dialogue between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Central Asia. The meeting was attended by the leadership of foreign ministries of Central Asian countries and six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council — the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Lusine Aleksanyan is a maxillofacial surgeon and a young author from Armenia. Her book, “And a Butterfly Soared,” was published in 2024 in the UK, following her victory in a literary competition organized by the Eurasian Creative Guild. Here below is an article about this talented person, originally published by OCA Magazine: The best investment
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is providing a working capital loan of up to $6 million (€5.7 million) to UzCarlsberg, boosting the company’s operational efficiency and contributing to higher food safety standards in Uzbekistan. UzCarlsberg, which has been a client of the Bank since 2022 and is the country’s only
On April 6, the British holding Silk Road Media and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing the international tourism brand of this autonomous region in northwestern Uzbekistan. The signing ceremony was held as part of the Aral Culture Summit in Nukus, emphasizing the importance of
On April 14, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended a presentation of the master plan of the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan international tourist center. It was earlier reported that Azerbaijani businessman Emin Agalarov and several other large investment companies plan to build an international tourist center, Sea Breeze Uzbekistan, on the shore of the Charvak reservoir in
Taking an additional step towards empowering young women from Central Asia and Afghanistan to play an active role in peacebuilding and conflict resolution, the Young Women 4 Peace: Empowering Central Asian Young Women Initiative arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 8 to 10 April. Bringing together regional voices and perspectives to promote peace and security through youth leadership
On April 11, Almaty hosted the eighth meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign ministers of Central Asian countries: Deputy Prime Minister – Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Jeenbek Kulubayev, and Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Turkmenistan was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Gurbanov,
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a law on Uzbekistan’s accession to the Agreement Establishing the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). Uzbekistan has become the seventh member of the Bank and its third largest shareholder with a 10% equity stake. The EDB’s other members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. “We welcome Uzbekistan’s
According to a new study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), in March 2025, Central Asia experienced an unusually intense heatwave, with temperatures reaching record highs across the region, reaching 30.8°C in Jalalabad in Kyrgyzstan, 29.4°C in Namangan and 29.1°C in Fergana in Uzbekistan, and minimum temperatures of 18.3°C in Shahdara, making it the hottest March night in
On the sidelines of the Samarkand International Climate Forum, the Uzbek Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change and the World Bank launched the Uzbekistan Resilient Landscapes Restoration Project (RESILAND). The World Bank will provide $153 million in financing to support project activities. The project aims to expand sustainable landscape management, restore degraded forested
At the inaugural EU-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan last week, European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President Kyriacos Kakouris signed four memorandums of understanding with partners in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. With these agreements, the EIB will provide €365 million, unlocking up to €1 billion of investment in sustainable transport, water management, and climate resilience projects, the EIB
From October 2024 to April 1, 2025, Uzbekistan supplied 12.6 billion cubic meters of irrigation water to Kazakhstan, 1.7 billion cubic meters more than planned. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov announced this at an international climate forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on April 5. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the energy ministries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan on April 4 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the Feasibility Study for the Caspian Green Energy Corridor Project. The MOU establishes a high-level framework for cooperation, focusing on the development of a
A Regional Workshop was recently held in Tashkent as part of Switzerland’s Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) initiative aimed at fostering cooperation among Central Asian countries in the water sector, according to the Swiss Embassy in Uzbekistan. The event brought together delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of international
