Specialists from Russia and Uzbekistan are currently conducting technical and economic studies for the trans-Afghan railway project, TOLOnews reported citing Russian Railways. The project aims to establish a railway corridor linking Central and South Asia through Afghanistan. Sergey Pavlov, First Deputy General Director of Russian Railways, said during a meeting of the Railway Transport Council
Kazakhstani artist Asel Kadyrkhanova’s installation “Machine,” dedicated to the Red Terror and Stalinist repressions, was removed from the Kazakhstan pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. The Kazakhstan National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale opened on May 6. The Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information removed the installation from the exhibition one day before the opening.
The delegation of Uzbekistan, headed by Adviser to the President on Environmental Issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov, participated in the 21st session of the United Nations Forum on Forests held in New York City, the National Committee reported. The forum brought together delegations from UN Member
The World Bank Group’s Board of Directors on May 14 discussed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Kazakhstan for fiscal years 2026–2031, aimed at supporting the country’s transition toward a more diversified, competitive, and resilient economy. The framework is structured around three outcomes: 1) strengthening connectivity and infrastructure services; 2) enhancing resilience through improved natural
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
Buenos Aires once again reminded me how important personal meetings remain today. Especially when the conversation is not only about diplomacy, but also about culture, books and human connections between continents. It was a great pleasure to meet with Yulia Ilyina, Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Belarus in Argentina, who is actively involved in
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
According to a study by the Scientific Research Institute of Family and Gender, in 2025, there were an average of 175 divorces per 1,000 families in Uzbekistan. Experts note that this figure is significantly lower than international standards, confirming the stability of family values in the country, Tashkent Today reported. Comparison with some post-Soviet countries
On May 14, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting on measures to expand industrialized intensive orchards across the country’s regions. Uzbekistan is consistently implementing measures to develop fruit and vegetable cultivation, expand the production of export-oriented products, and increase rural incomes. Today, the country has 572,600 hectares of orchards and vineyards, generating annual exports worth
On May 14, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who arrived in Kazakhstan on a state visit, attended the Kazakh-Turkish Business Forum. Opening the event, Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan provides comprehensive support to Turkish companies. “Today, approximately 3,800 enterprises with Turkish capital are successfully operating in our country. Thousands of jobs
Aziz Abdukhakimov, Adviser to the President of Uzbekistan on Environmental Issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, met with the leadership of Vision Invest and SUEZ to discuss the implementation of a project aimed at establishing a high-tech industrial waste management cluster in Uzbekistan, the National Committee reported. The project
On May 13, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved proposals to ensure high-quality and safe passenger services, as well as increase the efficiency of the Tashkent metro. The growth in the population and the number of visitors to the capital, the expansion of the city, and increasing demand for public transport require taking metro development to a new
Kazakhstan’s economy is expected to remain resilient over the medium term, though growth is set to moderate following a period of strong demand-led expansion, according to the World Bank’s latest report Kazakhstan Economic Update, Strengthening Skills to Unlock Productivity. After a robust 6.5 percent expansion in 2025 — driven by strong domestic consumption and a one-off boost
The International Labour Organization (ILO), in partnership with the European Union (EU) and national stakeholders, have launched the project “Promoting decent work and preventing child and forced labour in Turkmenistan”. Running from 2026 to 2027 and funded by the EU, the ILO-implemented initiative aims at addressing child labour and forced labour while promoting decent work,
Samarkand will once again become a global platform for discussions on some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. From 30 May to 6 June, the Silk Road Samarkand complex will host the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change has announced. The Assembly will bring
The VI Tashkent Anti-Corruption Forum is taking place on May 12-13, bringing together 220 national and international stakeholders to advance joint discussions and actions supporting corruption-free governance. The Forum was organized by the Anti-Corruption Agency and the National Anti-Corruption Council of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
The first return shipment has been organized along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) from Türkiye to China via Kazakhstan. KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), in collaboration with Türkiye’s Pacific Eurasia Lojistik Dış Ticaret A.Ş. sent a container train from Türkiye to China via Kazakhstan, according
Turkmenistan has put into operation a new dry cargo vessel, Gadamly. This historic event is expected to strengthen Turkmenistan’s position in the Caspian Sea region as an important transport and transit corridor. Built at the Balkan Shipyard in Turkmenbashi city in collaboration with Koryo Shipbuilding Industry Technology (Republic of Korea), Gadamly is designed for the
On May 11 in Beijing, during his state visit to China, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held a meeting with the heads and representatives of Chinese companies. Rahmon presented Tajikistan’s favorable economic climate and extensive opportunities, and called on Chinese companies to actively cooperate and participate in the country’s dynamically developing economy. Following the
The Governor of Uzbekistan’s Fergana region, Khayrullo Bozorov, met with Stanislav Kushnir, the founder of the U.S. company Sayat LLC., to discuss the implementation of an investment project in the Fergana region aimed at generating alternative thermal energy through the disposal of medical waste. Sayat LLC specializes in the construction of plants that produce alternative