The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Finland, organized the “Janyration Sanarip” incubation program to equip small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan with the tools and knowledge needed to transition from traditional business models to digital-first operations, enabling them to grow and compete in the e-commerce market, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported.
Kazakhstan continues its confident cultural offensive on the world stage: two short films and works by an artist from Kazakhstan will participate in the 7th ECG Film Festival in London. The films will be shown on May 26 and 27 at the Lumiere Romford Cinema, The Mercury Shopping Centre. ECG Film Festival promotes films of
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
In 2024, Kazakhstan’s exports reached $81.6 billion, up 3.2% compared to 2023, with non-resource exports showing an impressive 11.9% growth, amounting to $28.8 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Imports totaled $59.8 billion, down 1% from the previous year. In 2025, Kazakhstan continues to maintain high export rates, which in January-February amounted
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
The first batch of Kazakh grain has departed by rail for Morocco. The train consisting of 105 grain railcars will traverse Russia to Latvia, where in the Baltic port of Liepaja, the grain will be reloaded onto sea vessels heading to the coast of North Africa, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national
On May 5-6, the National Leader of Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov paid an official visit to France. Berdimuhamedov took part in the Turkmen-French Economic Forum attended by heads and representatives of leading French companies, members of the delegation of Turkmenistan, as well as Turkmen entrepreneurs. Opening
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
The Kazakhstan-Vietnam Business Roundtable was held in Astana on May 6 with the participation of officials, representatives of business and government agencies of the two countries. The event was held in the framework of the visit of the delegation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam led by General Secretary of the Central Committee of the
The Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan recorded $66 million in trade during the past solar year, TOLOnews reported. The solar year begins in March. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that $7 million of this figure represents Afghan exports, while the remaining amount was imports. Afghanistan’s
Kyrgyzstan ranks 117th out of 193 countries and territories, maintaining its position in the “High Human Development” category, according to the latest Human Development Index (HDI) in the 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) published by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported. Kyrgyzstan continues to make steady progress in advancing human development, with improvements
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is helping women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kazakhstan by extending a new term loan to a leading microlender KMF, which has been an EBRD client since 2005. The EBRD funds of up to US$ 25 million (€22.9 million) will help to promote women’s entrepreneurship and business
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
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 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
Kazakhstan is taking another step toward fostering international business. At the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan new regulations have been approved for obtaining an investor visa, aimed at enhancing the country’s investment appeal and supporting long-term business partnerships. Under the new framework, foreign nationals who invest a minimum of 300,000 US
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,
