On April 8, 2025, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced the start of the practical implementation of the Trans-Afghan Railway. The ministry’s release noted that specialists of both countries will soon begin preparing a feasibility study for the project. Two routes have been agreed upon: Mazar-i-Sharif-Herat-Dilaram-Kandahar-Chaman and Termez-Naibabad-Logar-Kharlachi. Everything isContinue Reading
At the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held on April 7 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev once again called on the international community to avoid isolating Afghanistan. He emphasized the importance of establishing constructive dialogue with the current government and recognizing Afghanistan as an integral part of CentralContinue Reading
Since Europe moved to close its market to Russian gas in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has actively sought new export markets. But in 2024, Gazprom – once the world’s largest energy company – reported losses of 1.076 trillion rubles (around $12.89 billion), its firstContinue Reading
The fate of the Caspian Sea hangs in the balance. A vital and irreplaceable natural treasure, the world’s largest landlocked body of water is being plundered in secrecy, its future dictated by international oil and gas giants operating behind closed doors. This opaque system, facilitated by the Ministry of Energy,Continue Reading
The inaugural Central Asia-European Union Summit and the International Climate Forum – held in Samarkand last week and attended by EU leaders António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen alongside the heads of the five Central Asian nations – stood out as a significant moment amid today’s turbulent global context.Continue Reading
This week the trial of Temirlan Yensebek – the founder of the satirical Instagram account Qaznews24 – began after being postponed twice. Yensebek was detained in January and charged with inciting interethnic discord under Article 174 of the Kazakh Criminal Code. The offending material was his use of the rapContinue Reading
On April 5, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan announced amendments to the country’s criminal code, introducing prison sentences for electricity use fraud. The move is a first in Central Asia, where illegal electricity consumption usually is an administrative offense, punishable by fines. The amendments to theContinue Reading
An Andijan taxi driver has been sentenced to a little over seven years in prison for attempting to recruit passengers in his cab into work supporting the Russian war in Ukraine. Furkatbek Khasanov was detained last summer at the Fergana Airport, alongside a man who had apparently taken him upContinue Reading
On March 30, a video was uploaded to the unofficial Instagram account of Imangali Tasmagambetov, a Kazakh national who is the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). In the video, Tasmagambetov, speaking in Kazakh, quoted multiple Kazakh writers and spoke about his upbringing in western Kazakhstan, all withContinue Reading
Recent years have revealed significant vulnerabilities in the global economic system, as traditional supply chains and historic trade routes have struggled to adapt to an international system that is increasingly troubled by geopolitical tensions and instability. Unsurprisingly, the world’s leading powers have taken action to secure their position and protectContinue Reading
