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Armenia on the eve: what the campaign actually settled
Tomorrow Armenians vote. The result looks predictable. The questions it raises are not.
Baku Energy Week: $7.5 billion in contracts, a green corridor pitch, and Central Asia in the room
Azerbaijan's minister framed the Caspian region as a new energy space. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were named as corridor partners. $7.5 billion in contracts signed at the forum.
The EU goes to Ashgabat: what rights groups want from the June 22 dialogue
The 18th annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue takes place in Ashgabat on June 22. IPHR and TIHR published a briefing this week telling Brussels what to demand.
Tencent is now a Kaspi.kz shareholder: what a $518 million bet on Kazakhstan means
The deal closed in April. The implications are still unfolding. China's largest consumer tech company has a stake in Kazakhstan's dominant super app.
EBRD Annual Meeting opens in Riga: what Central Asia is watching
The bank's 35th gathering runs June 5–7. The Governors' plenary is June 6. The updated Regional Economic Prospects drop June 7. Central Asian finance ministers are in the room.
Campaign over, silence begins: what Armenia goes into June 7 with
Pashinyan leads by a wide margin among decided voters. A third of the electorate is still undecided. Tomorrow is the day of silence. Sunday is the vote.
GITEX Came to Astana. Here Is What It Revealed About Central Asia's Tech Ambitions
600+ exhibitors, 60 countries, 10,000 professionals over three days. Kazakhstan hosted the first GITEX Central Asia & Caucasus. The event closed June 4.
Uzbekistan's Trade Deficit Hit $6.4 Billion in Four Months. The Headline Is Misleading
Total turnover reached $26.3 billion, up 5.8%. Exports fell 16.8%. But strip out gold — which Tashkent paused for six months — and the picture looks different.
Armenia T-3: Civil Contract Leads by a Distance, But a Third of Voters Are Still Undecided
The latest polling aggregate puts Pashinyan at 46% of decided voters. The undecided bloc is large enough to change the outcome. Campaign ends tomorrow.
Cyprus on the Middle Corridor: Tokayev Recruits a Mediterranean Shipping Hub
A Kazakhstan–Cyprus Business Forum in Astana. An EU–Kazakhstan transport seminar the same day. Both pointed at the same June 23 meeting.
Kyrgyzstan Wins UN Security Council Seat — 142 to 49 Over the Philippines
Four rounds of voting. A result that Central Asian diplomats called historic. Bishkek joins the Council for the first time since independence in 1991.
What the EBRD Is Bringing to Riga — and What Central Asia Should Watch
The Bank's 35th Annual Meeting opens Thursday. For the region, three things matter: the new Regional Economic Prospects, the Aktau port investment, and the signal on Trans-Caspian financing.
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The Silence Before the Vote: What Armenia's Campaign Tells Us About June 7
Pashinyan leads but is weaker than at any point since 2018. The opposition is fragmented but financed. The campaign ends Thursday.
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Kyrgyzstan vs Philippines: UN Votes Today for Asia-Pacific Security Council Seat
The ballot in New York opens at 10am local time. A Kyrgyzstan win would put Central Asia on the Council for the first time since Kazakhstan's 2017–2018 term.
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BTK Goes Full Throttle: Upgraded Baku–Tbilisi–Kars Railway Enters Operation
Capacity jumped from 1 to 5 million tonnes a year. The Middle Corridor's western spine is no longer a bottleneck.
The SCO at 25: A Quarter-Century of Summits, Zero Kilometres of New Railway
The anniversary session in St. Petersburg today will celebrate what the organisation has become. The Central Asian members are more interested in what it might finally build
The Level of the Delegation Is the Message
Central Asia is in St. Petersburg this week — but not equally. What each country’s roster says about where the relationship with Russia actually stands
The First Country: What Happened After the EU Made an Example of Kyrgyzstan
Brussels activated a tool it had never used. Six weeks later, Bishkek shut down 50 companies. The experiment is being watched across the region.
Kazakhstan Sells 3.4 Billion Yuan in Debut Sovereign Panda Bond
Demand was twice the supply. The Ministry of Finance calls it proof of Chinese investor confidence in Kazakhstani macroeconomics.
Mongolia vs Rio Tinto: The Copper Mine at the Centre of the World
Oyu Tolgoi is producing record copper, heading for fourth place globally, and generating a political crisis. Ulaanbaatar wants a renegotiation. Rio Tinto cannot afford to walk away.