On April 11, Almaty hosted the eighth meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign ministers of Central Asian countries: Deputy Prime Minister – Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu, Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Jeenbek Kulubayev, and Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Turkmenistan was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Gurbanov,
On April 4, the first-ever Central Asia-European Union Summit was held in Samarkand, chaired by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The EU was represented by the President of the European Council António Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Together with President Mirziyoyev, Central Asian countries were represented by
OCA Magazine, published in London since 2009, is calling on universities across the Eurasian region to participate in a special issue titled OCA Magazine: Education 2025. The initiative aims to showcase the educational and human resource potential of Central Asia and the CIS countries, while also attracting experts and media attention to promote education in
The European Union and the five Central Asian countries reaffirmed their strong political commitment to strengthening engagement and deepening cooperation during the 20th EU-Central Asia Ministerial meeting, chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, on March 27 in Ashgabat. The Foreign Ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Deputy
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan jointly convened the Second Coordination Meeting of the Sustainable Economy and Finance (SEF) Working Group on March 20 in Ashgabat, UNDP Turkmenistan reported. The participants of the meeting, representing the Government of Turkmenistan and the country’s diplomatic community, were informed about the current
On March 21, the UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan.” The resolution recommends that the territories of neutral countries should be used for peace talks, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported. Introducing the Resolution, Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations Aksoltan Atayeva emphasized that the status of permanent neutrality is
A presentation of the new 54th issue of OCA Magazine was held in London on March 8th as a part of the Navruz celebration. The event brought together representatives of creative professions and diplomats from the embassies of Central Asian countries. The new issue of the magazine focuses on the economic issues of the region
On March 12, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela concluded a strategic visit to Turkmenistan, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to expanding cooperation under the Global Gateway strategy. The visit focused on the EU’s role in strengthening Turkmenistan’s integration into regional and global economic networks, particularly in transport connectivity, renewable energy, and trade facilitation, the
Between 12 and 18 March, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela will visit the five Central Asian countries to strengthen the EU-Central Asia partnership ahead of the EU-Central Asia Summit and scale up Global Gateway, the EU’s investment strategy to boost jobs and sustainable economic growth, the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan announced. Commissioner Síkela said: “Central
The Uzbek Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade has announced the successful bilateral implementation of the necessary procedures for the entry into force of the Protocol on Exemptions from the Free Trade Regime to the Agreement between the Government of Uzbekistan and the Government of Turkmenistan. This agreement outlines the primary directions for long-term trade
In the following article published in the latest issue of OCA Magazine, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Nick Rowan, analyzes the investment landscape and offers forecasts for the future state of investment in Central Asia and the CIS: Things are moving fast in Central Asia and the former Soviet Union (CIS) countries. The investment landscape has undergone
The newly appointed European Union Special Representative for Central Asia, Ambassador Eduards Stiprais, paid working visit to Turkmenistan on 4-6 March. He arrived in Ashgabat just three days after his appointment, underlining the importance the European Union places on its engagement with Turkmenistan and Central Asia, the EU Delegation to Turkmenistan reported. During his visit,
On 4-6 March, the Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10), which is funded by the European Union (EU), successfully conducted a regional workshop “Women for Development of Central Asian Border Regions” in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. This initiative underscores the EU’s commitment to enhancing gender equality and empowering female professionals within state agencies across Central Asia,
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) recently hosted the final event of the “Drops of the Future” workshop series. The event brought together young leaders, experts, and key stakeholders from Central Asia and beyond to explore collaborative and consensus-driven approaches to finding sustainable solutions for water, energy and food systems. The goal was
Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to Belgium Sapar Palvanov held a meeting with Euronews Chairman of the Board of Directors Pedro Vargas David. The parties discussed promising areas of cooperation, including the promotion of tourism and cultural exchange, coverage of significant events in Turkmenistan, and the possibility of including the country in existing Euronews programs, Turkmenportal reported. During
Turkmenistan’s state news agency TDH reported that on February 10, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov had a telephone conversation with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian. Berdimuhamedov informed about the agreement with Türkiye’s BOTAŞ company on the transit of
On February 10, a four-party working meeting was held in the format of a video conference to discuss the draft intergovernmental Agreement on the establishment of the Caspian Sea–Black Sea international transport route, the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. The meeting was attended by heads and representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and other
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the British Embassy in Turkmenistan last week co-hosted the eighth Coordination Meeting of the Development Partners Climate Group at the UN Building in Ashgabat, aiming to accelerate Turkmenistan’s progress in meeting its international commitments under the Paris Agreement, UNDP Turkmenistan reported. Representatives from UN Agencies, diplomatic missions, and
According to the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce, during the past ten months of the current solar year (which began in March 2024), trade between Afghanistan and five Central Asian countries reached $1.696 billion, including $112 million of Afghan exports and $1.584 billion of imports, TOLOnews reported. Afghanistan exported to the Central Asian countries
A two-day meeting of representatives of the Railways of the Islamic Republic of Iran, national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), Russian Railways, and Turkmenistan’s railway company Turkmendemiryollary ended in Almaty on January 30. According to KTZ, the meeting summed up the results of railway cargo transportation across the territory of Kazakhstan via the Bolashak
