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China's fuel promise to Mongolia gets a number: 17,000 tonnes for September, and a 20-year frame around itKazakhstan pauses collecting its $5.2 billion Kashagan fine after NCOC takes the bailiff to courtBaku moves the start of work on the Trump route to 2027, 6 days before Armenia's court takes up the dealKazakhstan's energy ministry says CPC loading stopped on 2 buoys after Tuesday's drone incident and resumed after checks

Economy

Business and investment

190 articles
Cyprus on the Middle Corridor: Tokayev recruits a Mediterranean shipping hub
EconomyBrief4 Jun

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.

BTK goes full throttle: upgraded Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway enters operation
EconomyBrief3 Jun

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.

SPIEF 2026
EconomyAnalysis2 Jun

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

Oyu Tolgoi
EconomyAnalysis1 Jun

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.

President of Uzbekistan launches construction of New Tashkent international airport
EconomyBrief29 May

Mirziyoyev Launches Central Asia's Largest Airport Project

A $4.5 billion consortium of Saudi, Japanese and Korean investors breaks ground on a new Tashkent hub with a 20 million passenger target

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan Open New Rail Terminal at Hairatan
EconomyBrief26 May

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan Open New Rail Terminal at Hairatan

Port No. 5 received its first freight train on 21 May — a small step in a large corridor ambition

Kazakhstan's National Railway Eyes Triple Listing as Middle Corridor Bet
EconomyBrief26 May

Kazakhstan's National Railway Eyes Triple Listing as Middle Corridor Bet

KTZ plans simultaneous IPO in London, Hong Kong and Astana — framing $10.4bn debt burden as a growth story

Uzbekistan's Reform Track Attracts South Korean and Turkish Manufacturing Interest
EconomyBrief13 May

Uzbekistan's Reform Track Attracts South Korean and Turkish Manufacturing Interest

Tashkent's special economic zones drawing foreign investors as labour costs and regulatory environment improve

Delays And Rising Costs: Central Asia Feels Fallout From Iran War
EconomyBrief8 May

Delays And Rising Costs: Central Asia Feels Fallout From Iran War

As expected, the launching of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran -- and retaliatory strikes by Tehran on targets in the Mideast -- has hit the economies of the region. But the shockwaves are arguably being felt just as much in Central Asian nations who rely on goods flowing through Iran.

Kyrgyz Republic monument with regional flags.
EconomyBrief7 May

Trade and Economic Park Planned at Border of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

On May 6, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov visited the Dostuk Stele (Friendship) in the country’s southwestern Batken region, erected at the junction point of the state borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, where he reviewed the concept and master plan for the proposed Dostuk International Trade and Economic Park.