Central Asia Lagging in AI Diffusion - Report
Microsoft’s Global AI Diffusion report finds Central Asian nations among the world’s lowest adopters of generative AI, with Kazakhstan ranking 70th out of 147 countries and the others trailing near the bottom. Kyrgyzstan placed 116th, Uzbekistan 142nd, Afghanistan 144th, Tajikistan 145th and Turkmenistan 146th. Despite these low rankings, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan posted the fastest AI adoption growth rates in Asia. The report highlights a stark divide between the Global North’s rapid AI uptake and the infrastructure‑limited Global South.
Does Kazakhstan’s Power-Generating Capacity Match Its AI Ambitions?
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development signed an MOU with the JMOT04 consortium to build a Tier IV data center costing up to $1.5 billion, plus a 250 MW gas‑fired power plant estimated at $400 million. The project is a cornerstone of...
New Report Documents How Central Asian States Abet Russian Sanctions-Busting
A new CGCPS report finds Central Asian states serving as a back‑door for Russia’s sanctions‑busting trade, channeling high‑priority dual‑use goods and financial flows. Exports of Common High Priority List (CHPL) items from Kazakhstan surged 400% in 2022 before falling sharply,...
Uzbekistan Receives Major Asian Development Bank Economic Assistance Package
The Asian Development Bank announced a $12.5 billion assistance package for Uzbekistan, spanning a partnership program through 2030. The funding will boost private‑sector growth, a stable mortgage market, and entrepreneurship among youth and women. At the same meeting, ADB unveiled a...
China Signs Billions Worth of Contracts with Turkmenistan, but No Financing
Turkmenistan will fully fund a $4.6 billion Galkynysh gas‑field development with China’s CNPC subsidiary, with Beijing providing no financing. Construction is slated to begin in 2026 and run for just over four years. Chinese firms have also floated magnesium‑alloy and polycarbonate...
Press Freedom Across Central Asia and Caucasus Eroding at Alarming Rate – Watchdog
Reporters Without Borders’ 25th World Press Freedom Index shows a global slide, with more than half of the 180 surveyed nations now classified as “difficult” or “very serious” for media freedom. In the Central Asian and Caucasus region, Georgia experienced...
Kazakhstan Sticking with OPEC
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry announced on April 29 that the country will maintain its current OPEC+ participation, rejecting calls to follow the United Arab Emirates’ imminent withdrawal. The decision comes despite repeated quota overruns and ongoing struggles to meet OPEC+ compensation requirements....
Commentary: Clinical Knowledge Gaps Hinder Fight Against Smoking in Central Asia and Caucasus
Public health officials in Central Asia and the Caucasus are battling entrenched smoking rates, but a new Healthy Initiatives survey reveals that doctors lack essential cessation training. In Kazakhstan, more than four‑fifths of physicians have never received formal counseling education,...
American Mining Entity Touted by Trump Seals Deal with Kazakhstan
Cove Kaz Capital, a subsidiary of U.S. mining firm Cove Capital, has closed a $1.1 billion share purchase agreement to develop two tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan, securing 70% ownership while the state‑owned Tau‑Ken Samruk retains 30%. The project, first announced at the...
Kyrgyzstan Establishes New Trade Route to Pakistan, via China
Kyrgyzstan successfully completed a pilot truck run from Bishkek to Karachi, establishing a 3,300‑kilometer land corridor that runs through China via the Karakoram Highway. The route bypasses Afghanistan, offering a secure alternative for the landlocked nation to reach a seaport....
Turkmen Gas Is Back on Turkey’s Agenda
Turkey has lost its Iranian gas imports, which supplied about 15% of its demand, and is reviving interest in a trans‑Caspian pipeline to bring Turkmen gas to Turkey and Europe. Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar urged international talks on the never‑built...
Armenia and Azerbaijan Embrace Peace-Through-Strength Approach
Armenia and Azerbaijan remain among the world’s top military spenders, ranking sixth and seventh respectively in 2025 by share of GDP, according to SIPRI. Azerbaijan’s defense budget reached a record $5 billion, while Armenia’s rose to $1.7 billion, reflecting 6.5% and 6.1%...
China Strengthens Position in Georgia’s Financial System
China's Hualing Group, through its subsidiary BasisBank, acquired a controlling stake in Liberty Bank, Georgia's third‑largest lender. The merger doubles BasisBank's size, giving it control of pension records and personal data for roughly 1.7 million citizens—about 42% of the population. Combined...
Examining Opportunities and Obstacles Facing Central Asia’s Quest to Reach Sea
A Capitol Hill forum hosted by the New Lines Institute highlighted the Silk Seven Plus (S7+) initiative, which envisions a Greater Central Asian economic community linking the Caspian Basin to the Arabian Sea. Experts stressed Afghanistan’s pivotal role as the...
Central Asia in Race to Close Power-Generation Gap – Report
Central Asian nations are racing to close a growing electricity gap as they launch AI hubs and data centers, but current generation capacity—still dominated by aging hydropower—cannot meet the surge in demand. The New Lines Institute report warns that population...
Georgian Government Gets US President’s Attention with Tbilisi Tower Deal
The Trump Organization announced a joint‑venture to construct a 70‑storey Trump Tower in Tbilisi, which would become the tallest building in the Caucasus. The project involves four Georgian firms—Archi Group, Biograpi Living, Blox Group, and Finvest Georgia—partnered with the US‑based...
Russia Stops Flow of Kazakh Oil to Germany
Russia has restarted oil deliveries to the EU via the Druzhba pipeline after a months‑long interruption caused by infrastructure attacks. Simultaneously, Moscow halted Kazakh oil shipments to Germany, officially citing technical constraints but widely seen as geopolitical retaliation. Kazakhstan says...
As World Clamors for Its Critical Minerals, Kazakhstan Ups Control and Seeks Bigger Cut
Kazakhstan is tightening control over its critical‑minerals sector by amending tax, royalty and sub‑soil laws, aiming to secure a larger share of future profits. New royalty rates, effective for licences granted after 2027, are roughly double those in Western Australia,...
Kazakhstan’s Water Deficit Threatens to Scramble Economic Development Agenda
Kazakhstan faces a looming water deficit that could curtail its modernization drive, with UNDP estimating a shortfall of up to 50% of water needs by 2040. The shortage threatens to shave as much as 6% off GDP by 2050 and...
Türkiye-Armenia Border Reopening: A Turning Point For The South Caucasus
After three decades of closure, the Türkiye‑Armenia border is poised for reopening, driven by Turkish Airlines flights, streamlined visa rules, and plans for direct land trade. Both sides have upgraded border facilities—Armenia’s Margara checkpoint and Turkey’s Alican crossing—indicating operational readiness....
World Bank, IMF Predict Significant Slowing of Growth Across Central Asia and Caucasus
The World Bank and IMF project a marked slowdown in economic growth across Central Asia and the Caucasus over the next few years, with regional averages falling to roughly 4.7% by 2027. Azerbaijan is the only country expected to maintain...
Iran’s Trade with Tajikistan Experiences Q1 Spike
Bilateral trade between Iran and Tajikistan jumped 50% in Q1 2026, reaching about $120 million, despite the outbreak of the US‑Israeli‑Iran war. Tajik exports accounted for roughly $24 million of that total, while a massive convoy of 110 trucks delivered over 3,600 tons...
Kyrgyz Officials in Washington Seeking Investment
Kyrgyz officials unveiled the Tamchy Special Financial Investment Territory, a 6,000‑hectare special economic zone near Lake Issyk‑Kul designed to compete with Kazakhstan’s Astana Hub and Uzbekistan’s IT Park. Construction began in February, and the zone will operate under a British‑common‑law...
Tajik Government Finds that Being Party Pooper Is Profitable
A court in Tajikistan fined 29‑year‑old Amirdjon Kholmatov about $12,000 after he livestreamed his birthday celebration with friends at his café, violating the country’s “tanzim” law that restricts celebrations to family members only. The fine was calculated at roughly $8...
Armenia Looking for Additional Partners for TRIPP Implementation
Armenia is expanding the investor pool for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a 42‑kilometre land bridge linking Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenia’s Syunik province. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan say...
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Takes Steps to Open Financing Arm
Kyrgyzstan, set to chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2026, is pushing to launch an SCO Development Bank (SCODB) during its tenure. The bank concept was approved by all ten SCO members at the 2025 summit, with Chinese President Xi...
Pakistan’s Ghazab Lil-Haq Operation and Prospect of Regime Change in Afghanistan
On Feb 26, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil‑Haq, a series of airstrikes against the Taliban regime in Kabul, signalling a possible push for regime change. Islamabad cites Afghan‑based militant groups such as the TTP and BLA, which have intensified cross‑border attacks...
Air Pollution in Central Asia Rose Sharply in 2025
The 2025 IQAir World Air Quality Report shows a sharp rise in pollution across Central Asia, with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan landing among the world’s ten most polluted nations. Tajikistan recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 57.3 µg/m³—11.5 times the WHO guideline—making...
Aliyev’s Tbilisi Visit Spotlights Georgia’s Shadow Leadership
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Tbilisi on April 6, meeting Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and President Mikheil Kavelashvili, but the most talked‑about encounter was a brief lunch with billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the unelected founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Ivanishvili...
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Strengthen Collaboration on Critical Minerals
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan launched a joint working group in Astana to coordinate prospecting, technology exchange, and extraction of critical minerals and rare earths. Both governments pledged to attract foreign investment and streamline cooperation. The initiative aligns with a U.S. push,...
Uzbeks and Kazakhs Among Most Charitably Inclined Peoples Globally – Report
The 2025 World Happiness Report places Uzbekistan 25th and Kazakhstan 29th out of 136 nations for charitable giving, with 54 % of Uzbeks and 50 % of Kazakhs reporting donations of money, time or goods in the past month. Both countries have...
BP Leading Effort to Develop Energy Deposits in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
BP is positioning itself as the lead developer of the Ustyurt Plateau’s newly identified natural‑gas reserves that span western Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The company signed an exploration agreement with KazMunayGaz on April 2 and is in talks with Uzbekneftegaz and Azerbaijan’s...
“More Carrot than Stick:” Kyrgyzstan Embraces Self-Regulation for AI Development
Kyrgyzstan has enacted a Digital Code that relies on self‑regulatory organizations rather than a centralized AI watchdog to set industry standards and ethics. The approach is designed to attract investors and give local AI firms freedom to experiment, while still...
Georgian Company Strikes Coal Deal with Russian-Occupied Donetsk
Georgian firm George Oil Ltd signed a contract to import coal, metals and chemical products from the Russian‑occupied Donetsk region, planning domestic use and exports to India and Turkey. The deal arrives despite the EU’s full ban on Russian and...
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Tout Themselves as “Strategic Tandem”
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are moving from rivalry to partnership, branding their relationship as a “strategic tandem.” A high‑level visit by Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev to Tashkent highlighted cooperation across governance, trade, investment, connectivity, cultural, and water‑energy issues. Bilateral trade...
China and Turkmenistan Cannot Get Their Gas Export Numbers Straight
Turkmenistan’s president claimed the country now ships about 40 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to China and is working toward 65 bcm, while China’s ambassador said actual 2025 shipments were roughly 30 bcm and will stay flat this year. The gap highlights...
Armenia and Turkey Explore Boosting Energy Connectivity
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar met on the sidelines of an IAEA summit to explore electricity interconnection, nuclear cooperation, and natural‑gas links. The dialogue builds on Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia” agenda, which prioritises economic development...
Chinese Firms Investing in Development of Logistics Hubs in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
China Railway Construction Engineering Group signed an agreement with a joint venture of Uzbekistan Railways and Kazakhstan’s PTC Holding to build Silkway Central Asia, an $84 million, 159‑hectare logistics hub near Tashkent. The first phase should be operational by 2027, with...
Russian Power Entities Appear Plagued by Financing Troubles in Central Asia
Russia's state‑linked power firms are hitting financing snags across Central Asia, prompting a rapid loss of lucrative contracts. Kazakhstan abandoned a Russian consortium for China’s Harbin Electric, slashing project costs by nearly $500 million. In 2025, Inter RAO forfeited three Kazakh power‑plant...
Asian Development Bank Giving Central Asia Lots of Attention
The Asian Development Bank announced a $5.4 billion financing plan for Kazakhstan, a $1.1 billion package for Tajikistan, and a $2.5 billion commitment to Azerbaijan, all aimed at strengthening the Middle Corridor trade route. The bank also launched a technical assistance program to...
ISKP Attack in Kabul Punches Holes in Taliban Regime’s Claims
A suicide bomber from the Islamic State Khorasan Province struck a Chinese‑owned restaurant in Kabul on Jan. 19, killing seven and injuring dozens. The attack exposed the Taliban’s inability to guarantee security for foreign nationals, undermining its claims of a safe...
Toward New Political Model: Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Referendum
Kazakhstan will hold a March 15 referendum to adopt a new constitution, replacing the 1995 charter that anchored a strong presidential system. The draft revises more than 80 percent of existing law across 95 articles, aiming to modernize governance for a digital‑focused...
US-Israeli Strikes Against Iran Can Cause Plenty of Collateral Damage to Russia
The United States and Israel’s air campaign against Iran threatens the Russia‑Iran “North‑South” trade corridor, a lifeline that helps Moscow evade Western sanctions and sustain its war in Ukraine. The corridor, recently bolstered by a Russian‑Iran rail modernisation agreement, now...
Armenia and Azerbaijan Grapple with Potential Fallout From Blitz on Iran
Armenia and Azerbaijan are treading carefully after a US‑Israeli strike on Iran, fearing spill‑over effects on regional stability and their joint TRIPP trade corridor. Both governments have issued condolences to Tehran while publicly urging an immediate cease‑fire and denying any...
Following Purge, Kyrgyz President Faces Calls to Ease up on Repressive Measures
President Sadyr Japarov orchestrated a sweeping purge in early February, sidelining security chief Kamchybek Tashiev and removing several ministers, regional mayors and parliamentary deputies. He also curbed the power of the GKNB, arresting its Bishkek head and announcing a new...
Tactical Agreement Proving Elusive for Central Asian States Grappling with Water Deficit
Central Asian states recognize an urgent water shortage as they pursue water‑intensive projects like nuclear plants, data centers and expanded mining. Upstream nations Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan control most supplies, while downstream Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan depend on irrigation, creating a...
Russian Religious Networks and Armenia’s Church-State Confrontation
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has intensified a clash with senior Armenian Apostolic Church leaders, accusing them of serving Russian intelligence and undermining sovereignty. The dispute highlights Moscow’s use of religious networks as soft‑power tools across the post‑Soviet space, especially...
Uzbekistan Looks West for Help in Developing Entrepreneurial Spirit
Uzbekistan announced a partnership with Harvard, Stanford and the London School of Economics to launch the "Next Generation Entrepreneurs" program, overseen by the Youth Affairs Agency. The initiative targets at least 40,000 students with business‑management training, while the top 1,000...
Georgia Dream Government Strives to Enforce Its Legitimacy
Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party has pushed amendments that criminalize "systematic" non‑recognition of the government, imposing up to three years in prison. The law targets dissent over the contested October 2024 parliamentary elections, which international observers deemed neither free nor fair....
Kazakhstan Managing Uncertainty over Oil Exports
Kazakhstan’s oil export pathway is under heightened risk as Ukrainian drone attacks cripple the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) loading facilities in Novorossiysk, cutting December shipments by roughly 22 percent. The CPC pipeline, which moves over 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s oil,...