The third round of political consultations between the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Serbia took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in Astana on August 11. Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Arman Issetov stressed that Kazakhstan considers Serbia as an important political and economic partner in Europe. He expressed Astana’s readiness to
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce reports a significant increase in trade between Afghanistan and China. According to the ministry, trade between the two countries reached $541 million in the first seven months of this year, TOLOnews reported. A large share of Afghanistan’s imports from China includes cotton textiles, solar panels, electronic devices, and mobile
A new partnership has been launched between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Business Development Bank (BDB) of Uzbekistan, marking a promising step forward for small and medium-sized businesses across the country, according to UNDP Uzbekistan. This partnership between BDB and UNDP aligns national goals with global expertise to support Uzbekistan’s SMEs, especially
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov held a meeting in Astana on August 8 with Chairman of the State Committee on Investment and State Property Management of Tajikistan Sulton Rahimzoda. The meeting took place as part of the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Kazakhstan and
As part of his working visit to the Zhetysu Region on August 8, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held meetings with the leadership of China’s leading corporations – China Minmetals Corporation and CITIC Construction Co. Ltd. The discussions focused on the implementation of joint investment projects in key
The special issue of OCA Magazine dedicated to the Jizzakh region of Uzbekistan caught the attention of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, as evidenced by a letter from the Prime Minister’s office. “When the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom holds a copy of OCA Magazine and sends a letter with feedback to
In the first five months of 2025, Kazakhstan’s revenues from foreign trade decreased by 9.2%. If in January-May 2024 the country earned $32.8 billion from exports, then in the same period of the current year the figure was $29.8 billion, more than $3 billion less, finprom.kz reported with reference to data from the Bureau of
Both international analysts and Kyrgyz government officials warn that the continued GDP growth in Kyrgyzstan could be a sign that the economy is overheating. This is evident from the advanced growth in real incomes, rising inflation, labor shortages, and decreasing exports. According to the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development’s (EFSD) “Regional Economic Outlook. Summer 2025,”
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on August 7 approved the First Competitive and Inclusive Tajikistan Development Policy Operation (DPO) to support the country’s reform programs aimed at further opening the economy to competition, creating favorable market conditions for private sector development, and strengthening the public sector for better service delivery. The DPO is a $50 million
Addressing the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan on August 5, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke for the need of coordinated action to expedite the development of international transport corridors and infrastructure. Mirziyoyev advocated accelerating the preparation and implementation of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway construction project. “Converging this promising corridor with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan
Despite opposition from environmental activists, the government of Uzbekistan has approved the construction of the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan resort at the Charvak reservoir in the Tashkent region, granting the investor a land plot on a 25-year lease with an extremely low rental fee. The project, led by Azerbaijani developer Emin Agalarov, will include recreation areas, beaches,
Gabidulla Ospankulov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, held a meeting with Li Xiangdong, Deputy General Director of Tianjin Youfa Group, and San Wenxu, Deputy General Director of Hong Kong Friend International Cooperation Co., Ltd. The parties discussed an investment project to localize steel pipe production in Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan has launched its first online platform designed to promote anti-corruption awareness among people with hearing impairments: www.s-access.uz. The platform provides access to essential legal information in sign language, supports users in recognizing corruption in everyday situations, and helps develop skills to assess the reliability of information, the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan reported.
On August 5, the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries opened in Awaza, Turkmenistan, bringing together global leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders under the theme “Driving Progress through Partnerships”. This landmark event aims to address the unique challenges faced by the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), home to over 600 million people, and accelerate
ROX Group, one of Vietnam’s largest private multi-sector holdings, has expressed strong interest in developing renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan, including the construction of large-scale energy facilities. The company is also considering participation in industrial and tourism infrastructure development initiatives, as well as exploring opportunities in the Kazakh banking and financial sectors, according to Kazakhstan’s
Uzbekistan continues to strengthen its strategic partnership with Hungary, with a focus on expanding trade, economic, and investment cooperation. A new milestone in this direction is the adoption of a presidential decree introducing additional incentives and preferences for Hungarian and European investors within the newly established Uzbekistan–Hungary Special Industrial Zone (SIZ), located in the Akhangaran
KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), and China Railway Container Transport Co., Ltd. (CRCT) have agreed to work together to increase container transportation volumes on the China-Europe, China-Russia, and China-Belarus routes, as well as along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route, according to KTZ.
The Ajiniyaz Nukus State Pedagogical Institute (NSPI) in Nukus, the capital of Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan autonomous region, is one of the leading higher education institutions in Uzbekistan, especially known for its contribution to teacher education and cultural development in the region. Established in 1934, the institute is named after the famous Karakalpak poet Ajiniyaz, symbolizing its
In July 2025, the Almosi Valley in the foothills of Hissar in Tajikistan made history: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) officially recognized it as part of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) network. This marks the first GIAHS designation among all countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. We
On August 3 in Almaty, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres took part in the signing ceremony of the Host Country Agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan and the United Nations concerning the establishment of the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Kazakhstan.
