Afghanistan’s trade volume in 2024 exceeded $12 billion, with a 38-percent increase in imports year-on-year and a 4-percent decrease in exports, Xinhua reported with reference to the country’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. “Afghanistan’s total trade stood at 12.42 billion dollars in 2024, of which the country’s export volume reached 1.8 billion dollars, while imported
The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan has reported that it is releasing water from the country’s reservoirs to make room for receiving snowmelt water in case of flooding next spring. In the spring of 2024, Kazakhstan’s western and northern regions suffered from unprecedented floods caused by the rapid snowmelt. According to
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said that on December 19, 2024 it approved a multiphase program with a total financing envelope of USD500 million, and Phase 1 Loan of USD270 million, to support Tajikistan in completing the Rogun Hydropower Plant Project (Rogun HPP). With a projected installed capacity of 3,780 megawatts, Rogun HPP will provide
The government of Brazil, which holds the presidency of BRICS in 2025, on January 6 announced the formal entry of Indonesia into BRICS as a full member. The BRICS is an informal group of countries that originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. BRICS has recently expanded its membership to include Egypt,
Kyrgyzstan has joined the School Meals Coalition, a global initiative launched by France and Finland in 2021, to offer every child in the world daily access to a school meal by 2030, the United Nations World Food Programme reported. In Kyrgyzstan, nearly half of children aged 6 to 59 months and adolescent girls suffer from
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has been reported on measures to ensure employment of the population and increase incomes in mahallas (neighborhoods) with the participation of banks. A total of 5.2 million people are planned to be employed in 2025, of which more than 3 million with the assistance of banks. Agreements on cooperation to provide
In the era of rapid technological progress, information technology permeates all spheres of life. IT technologies are a competitive advantage in today’s global market. Kazakhstan, being at the forefront of the digital transition, is dynamically developing its IT sector, making it one of the drivers of its economic growth. The export of IT services has
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has completed an IT skills training program for female customs officers of the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan. The training, delivered in partnership with IT Academy through USAID’s Trade Central Asia, empowered 287 customs professionals with digital skills. The attending customs professionals improved their digital competence, developed
Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, has been included in CNN Travel’s list of 25 destinations that are particularly worth visiting in 2025. According to CNN Travel, Central Asia’s dramatic landscapes and unique urban centers are proving to be particularly alluring. Leading the way is Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, which has become the region’s new “Capital of Cool”.
The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock said that China will construct three standard cold storage facilities with a capacity of 1,500 tons each for preserving fresh fruit and vegetables in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. According to the ministry, Chinese diplomats have announced that engineers from China would be sent to Afghanistan to build these
The 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will be held in the historical city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from November 24 to December 5, 2025. The agreement was signed by Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz
The Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed the new TB grant “Exit of the National Tuberculosis Program of Turkmenistan from the Global Fund.” The project, set to run from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027, is supported by a total budget of more than $6.2 million contributed by
More than 500 people in the agricultural sector will benefit from advanced cattle management, fodder cultivation, and artificial insemination initiatives supported by the U.S. government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The new partnerships drive economic growth in the south of the Kyrgyz Republic by strengthening the dairy value chain and livestock breeding.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has released its 2024 report on investments in the region. According to the report, Kazakhstan attracted $15.7 billion in new projects, securing its position as the leading destination for investments in the North and Central Asia region, Kazakh Invest reported. In 2024,
In an interview with Azerbaijan Television on December 29, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakh rescuers and medical teams for their solidarity and assistance during and after the deadly crash of an Embraer 190 of the Azerbaijan Airlines on December 25. The plane with 62 passengers and five
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China Zheng Shanjie, and Uzbekistan Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev on December 27 attended a ceremony to launch the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway in the village of Tosh-Kutchu in Kyrgyzstan’s Jalal-Abad region. Speaking at the ceremony, Japarov
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan and the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) last week held an event in Bishkek to mark the declaration of October 23 as International Snow Leopard Day by a resolution of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Asein
On December 27, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had a telephone conversation with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The presidents exchanged condolences and expressed words of support to the families of those killed in the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Kazakhstan’s Mangistau region. On December 25, the Embraer 190 of the Azerbaijan Airlines
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan has announced that a visa-free regime will be introduced for citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Bahrain starting from January 4, 2025. Citizens of these countries traveling
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed a contract for the construction of a major cement production plant in Logar with a Chinese company that also has an Afghan partner, TOLOnews reported. Hedayatullah Badri, acting minister of mines and petroleum, stated during the contract signing ceremony that approximately $145 million will be invested in
