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Kyrgyzstan and Georgia reach for a Black Sea link as the China railway advances
On the first visit to Bishkek by a Georgian head of government, Prime Minister Kobakhidze and President Japarov agreed to connect the new China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway to Georgia’s Black Sea ports. The bet is that the Middle Corridor outlasts the war that briefly made it fashionable.
Iran and the US agree to end the war and reopen Hormuz, and oil tumbles
President Trump declared a deal with Iran complete on 14 June, set to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after more than 100 days. Oil fell below $84 on Monday, down from a wartime peak near $126. For Central Asia, the windfall is ending with the war.
Russia raises the price of a passport 12-fold, and waives it for soldiers
Russia’s parliament passed a law this week raising the fee for citizenship 12-fold and removing it for those who enlist to fight in Ukraine. The squeeze falls hardest on the millions of Central Asians who work there.
Kazakhstan’s ruling party votes to merge into a new pro-Tokayev party
Amanat, the party built around Nursultan Nazarbayev and in power since 1999, said at its congress on 12 June that it will merge into Adilet, a party created this year by President Tokayev’s allies. It is the clearest break yet with the Nazarbayev machine, weeks before August’s elections.
Kyrgyzstan extends its timber export ban, eyeing Russian re-exports
Bishkek prolonged its ban on exporting timber outside the Eurasian Economic Union for another six months, a recurring move aimed partly at blocking the re-export of duty-free Russian wood.
Tajikistan is the EBRD’s fastest-growing regional economy, with one big catch
The EBRD’s new report puts Tajikistan among the region’s fastest growers, with first-quarter investment up 34 percent on the back of Rogun and state spending. Its weak point is the familiar one: dependence on Russian remittances.
Kazakhstan touts its titanium and pledges $470 million for exploration
On the sidelines of the Astana mining congress, officials said Kazakh titanium supplies about a fifth of the global aerospace market and pledged some 470 million dollars for geological exploration through 2028.
Kazakhstan’s Senate ratifies a border-regime deal with Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan’s Senate ratified the agreement governing the regime along its 2,356-kilometre border with Uzbekistan on 11 June, the last legal step in a demarcation the two finished in 2022.
The Iran war reignites and the Strait of Hormuz shuts again
Iran and the United States traded strikes again on 11 June, and Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all shipping. For Central Asia the effects are higher prices and a southern route to the sea that is shut once more.
Pakistani airstrikes hit Afghanistan, ending a month of calm
Pakistan struck three Afghan provinces early on 10 June, killing at least 13 people by Kabul’s count, most of them children. It broke more than a month of quiet in a war that has killed hundreds.
Kazakhstan’s Alatau roadshow in Shenzhen lands up to $6 billion in deals
A Kazakh delegation came out of a Shenzhen roadshow on 10 June with 24 agreements worth up to 6 billion dollars for its new city of Alatau. The model, and much of the money, is Chinese.
Kazakhstan says it is ready to pump more Russian gas to Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan’s energy minister said on 10 June that the country is ready to carry more Russian gas to Uzbekistan, toward 11 billion cubic metres a year. The pipeline that once sent Central Asian gas north now runs the other way.
The US and Central Asia open a critical minerals dialogue in Astana
American and Central Asian officials gathered in Astana this week to turn last year’s framework deals into actual mines and processing plants. US Under Secretary Jacob Helberg is there. So are Chinese exhibitors.
Turkmenistan and Georgia push trade and transit ties in Tbilisi
Turkmen and Georgian officials met in Tbilisi on 10 June to expand trade, investment and transit, with Georgian Railway and Black Sea ports at the centre of the talks.
Kazakhstan sets its 2026 oil target at 98 million tonnes after pipeline attacks
Energy minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on 10 June that Kazakhstan will produce about 98 million tonnes of oil this year, below plan. Attacks on the Caspian pipeline and outages at Tengiz cost roughly 5 million tonnes.
US House passes a bill on Chinese and Russian influence in Georgia
The US House passed the Countering China’s Control of the Caucasus Act on 8 June, ordering a classified report on Russian and Chinese intelligence activity in Georgia. It is the sharpest sign yet of Washington’s rift with Tbilisi.
Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most closed states, talks AI with OpenAI
A Turkmen education delegation met OpenAI this week to discuss using AI in schools. For one of the planet’s most isolated governments, even the conversation is a departure.
Tajikistan breaks ground on an IT hub and a regional AI centre in Dushanbe
Tajikistan laid the foundation on 9 June for IT Hub Dushanbe, a complex housing an IT park, a business centre and a regional AI centre. The project is fronted by Rustam Emomali, the president’s son and presumed successor.
Kazakhstan and South Korea deepen energy ties and edge toward a nuclear deal
Astana and Seoul advanced cooperation on power generation, oil and a planned nuclear memorandum on 8 and 9 June. South Korea is positioning itself in a country scrambling to add electricity.
Kazakhstan approves a national AI and digitalisation strategy to 2029
President Tokayev signed the Digital Qazaqstan strategy on 9 June, a plan to push artificial intelligence across the economy by 2029. It is the centrepiece of the year he declared the Year of Digitalisation and AI.