The 8th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Türkiye was held in Tashkent on May 15. As part of the event, the Uzbekistan–Türkiye Business Forum and an industrial exhibition were also organized with the participation of business communities from both countries. The meeting was attended by official delegations
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union are boosting access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Central Asia and Mongolia. According to the EBRD, an additional €25 million in EU guarantees will be made available to local partner financial institutions for on-lending to this business segment.
Three films from Uzbekistan have been shortlisted for the 7th ECG Film Festival in London, one of the leading British festivals promoting Central Asian cinema. The screenings will take place on May 26 and 27 at the Lumiere Romford Cinema (The Mercury Shopping Centre, London). This year, the festival received over 100 submissions from 23
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
Thirty trade agreements have been signed between the private sectors of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan for a total amount of nearly $50 million, TOLOnews reports. At a bilateral trade connectivity conference, Afghanistan’s deputy minister of industry and commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid stressed the need to resolve trade challenges and increase Afghan exports to Uzbekistan. Davron Vakhabov, president
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
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 inaugural dialogue of participants in the Export Accelerator Program—implemented by the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan—was held in Tashkent on May 2. Launched in September 2024, the Export Accelerator has already facilitated the entry of 29 entrepreneurs into international markets. To date, these participants have achieved export deliveries totaling over $14
On May 1, a grand opening ceremony was held in Khiva for the Arda Khiva International Tourist Center. The new complex is home to 17 hotels and guesthouses, 9 restaurants, open-air and indoor aqua parks, a 3,000-seat amphitheater, 5 cinemas and concert halls, exhibition pavilions, 70 retail stores, 300 market stalls, 11 artisan houses, an
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,
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
On April 28, the plenary session of the fifth exhibition “INNOPROM. Central Asia – 2025” was held in Tashkent. INNOPROM. Central Asia is an annual international industrial exhibition held in the capital of Uzbekistan since 2021. “INNOPROM. Central Asia – 2025” covers an area of 18,000 square meters, with 4,143 square meters dedicated to Uzbekistan’s
The 6th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Central Asia–China format was held in Almaty on April 26, attended by the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, China Wang Yi, Kyrgyzstan Zheenbek Kulubaev, Tajikistan Sirojiddin Mukhriddin, Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, and a representative of Turkmenistan. The meeting focused on strengthening political dialog, expanding trade and economic
The 4th meeting of the Uzbek-Chinese Working Group on Investment Cooperation was held in Tashkent on April 24. The meeting reviewed progress made in the investment sector. It was noted that the total volume of bilateral investments exceeded USD 10 billion in 2024, marking a 2.5-fold increase compared to 2023. Key discussion areas included: Strengthening investment and financial
On April 24, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov held talks in Samarkand with the participation of official delegations. The parties discussed issues of further development and strengthening of Uzbek-Turkmen relations of friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership, noting the
On April 23, Laziz Kudratov, the Minister of Investments, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, participated in an international business forum held in Jizzakh. The event was organized as part of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative to actively promote regional investment opportunities. The forum brought together senior representatives from ministries, government agencies, industry associations, and local authorities, along
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
