Search
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.
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.
The Trans-Caspian pipeline returns to the agenda as Europe’s gas deadline nears
A pipeline idea that has circled the Caspian for thirty years looks newly serious as Europe’s 2027 deadline to drop Russian gas closes in.
Trans-Afghan railway advances as Russian Railways joins the feasibility study
The railway is sold as Central Asia’s own outlet to the sea. Its newest study partner is Russian Railways.
Kazakhstan and the EU line up a Middle Corridor push before a 23 June meeting
Container traffic through Kazakhstan jumped by a third in the first quarter, and Brussels is leaning in before a high-level corridor meeting on 23 June.
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.
EBRD and Kazakhstan sign a new five-year cooperation agreement in Riga
The enhanced partnership framework runs to 2030. Private sector development, low-carbon transition, and Middle Corridor infrastructure are the three priorities.
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.
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.
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.
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