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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.
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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 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.
The Train to Brussels Runs on Russian Rails
Armenia wants to end Moscow’s monopoly on its railways, electricity and gas. The June 7 election will determine whether it can
Putin Ends Astana Visit with Ukraine Warnings and EAEU Posturing
The Russian president used the Eurasian Economic Forum platform for some of his sharpest public language on Ukraine in months — delivered from Kazakhstan’s capital
Baku–Supsa Pipeline Returns: Kazakhstan Oil Joins the Rerouting
A deal signed during Kobakhidze’s Baku visit on 18 May restores a dormant Caspian export route — and Astana is already looking at it
Armenia Election Roundup: Flower Bans, Citizenship Scandals and Bribery Arrests
With nine days to go, Russia tightens economic pressure while Strong Armenia faces new legal trouble
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
EAEU Summit Convenes: Armenia in the Room, Pashinyan Not
The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meets today to discuss, for the first time, a member state's EU trajectory — with the Armenian elections nine days away
Tokayev and China's Zhao Leji Discuss Expanding Partnership — With Middle Corridor in Focus
The call follows Kazakhstan's record $48.7bn trade with China in 2025 and comes as Beijing seeks to deepen its position in Kazakh infrastructure