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The Iran deal nearly broke on Lebanon, then Lebanon got a ceasefire
The talks meant to start today were postponed indefinitely after Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least 16 people overnight and Iran held back its delegation. By Friday afternoon Hezbollah and Israel had agreed a ceasefire, the first test of a peace deal passed on the very front that almost sank it.
A day after the signing, the Iran talks meant to start today are off
The implementation talks scheduled for Friday at Switzerland's Bürgenstock will not take place as planned, the Swiss foreign ministry said. Vice President Vance delayed his trip. The signed memorandum is two days old and already snagged, with Lebanon the first knot.
Kazakhstan's new constitution takes effect in twelve days
On 1 July, Kazakhstan switches to a single-chamber parliament, restores a vice presidency, and stands up a presidentially appointed People's Council. Backed by 87% in a March referendum and billed as modernisation, the overhaul concentrates power as much as it redistributes it.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan set up a joint commission on shared water
The two governments agreed on 17 June to create a transboundary water management commission. It drew none of the attention the Tashkent forum did. Over a decade it may matter more.
Uzbekistan loses to Colombia but scores the goal it will remember
Abbosbek Fayzullaev levelled the match at the Azteca on the hour, the first World Cup goal in Uzbekistan's history. Colombia answered within five minutes and won 3–1, but the debut delivered the moment the country came for.
The White Wolves take the Azteca pitch tonight in Central Asia's first World Cup match
Uzbekistan's confirmed starting eleven lines up against Colombia at 22:00 local time in Mexico City — 02:00 UTC, 18 June. Eldor Shomurodov leads the line. Cannavaro asks for the game to be played on Uzbekistan's terms.
Uzbekistan plays its first World Cup match tonight
Central Asia's footballing moment arrives at the Azteca on 17 June, when Uzbekistan face Colombia in their World Cup debut. Ranked 50th, coached by Fabio Cannavaro, they are heavy underdogs — and the first team from the region ever to reach the finals.
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.
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.
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.
Kyrgyzstan on the Security Council and under EU sanctions: the week the contradictions converge
The UN seat is confirmed for 2027. The EU compliance seminar is tomorrow in Bishkek. Two tracks that should be unrelated — and are not.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.