On January 11, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a government meeting on measures for further development of the transport and logistics system. Over the past seven years, thanks to the support of domestic carriers, the number of their fleet has increased 7 times and the number of cargo vehicles has reached 26,000. Their share in
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Zheenbek Kulubaev paid his first official visit to Astana on January 10. During the talks, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu and Minister Kulubaev discussed priority areas of political, trade, economic, investment, water and energy, transit and transport, and cultural
In the 2025 Military Strength Ranking released by the Global Firepower, Kazakhstan ranked 57th among the 145 countries listed — the best position compared to other Central Asian countries and one position up compared to the 2024 ranking. Other Central Asian countries are ranked as follows: Uzbekistan is in 58th place, Turkmenistan in 77th place, Kyrgyzstan
The Unit for Combating Extremism and Illegal Migration of the Internal Affairs Department of Kyrgyzstan’s Chui Region says it has detained a man suspected of calling on citizens of Kyrgyzstan to participate in military conflicts in other countries. The Internal Affairs Department on December 12, 2024 received information about videos distributed on the Internet and
On January 10, Astana hosted a meeting between Kazakhstan’s JSC Passenger Transportation and O’zbekiston Temir Yo’llari (Uzbekistan Railways) on the development of cooperation in the field of passenger railway transportation between the two countries, the press service of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), Kazakhstan’s national railway company reported. During the meeting the parties signed an agreement
The Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with technical assistance from the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition, successfully conducted the National Survey on Micronutrients, UNICEF reported on January 7. This comprehensive survey assessed the prevalence of various forms of micronutrient deficiencies and risk factors among women and children
On January 8, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon signed a decree declaring 2025-2030 the “Years of Digital Economy and Innovation Development”. According to a commentary to the presidential decree published on Rahmon’s official website, during the Years of Digital Economy and Innovation Development, Tajikistan will take steps towards digitalization of the national economy and the development of
Late in December, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Bakyt Torobayev held a meeting on the fulfillment of the government’s plan of priority measures to improve air quality in the capital city of Bishkek for 2024-2025. The plan was approved in February 2024 and included measures to provide the population with high-calorie coal
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
