Uzbekistan
Breakthrough moment for Trans-Afghan Railway project hailed by Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Three countries agree to prepare feasibility study. Russia too would benefit from infrastructure linking Central Asia to Arabian Sea coast.
Fleet-cannibalised Russian aviation can only look on as Central Asia carriers take over regional market segments
Moscow has even considered asking Kazakhstan to run some of its domestic flight connections.
Central Asia wary Russia will turn on ruble “printing press” to cope with cooling economy, say experts
If Russian economy slips into recession a consequent fall in migrant remittances would particularly hit Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Cities across Central Asia bearing brunt of climate crisis
Road expansion, mass parking turn Tashkent into a “real frying pan”. Liveability under threat.
IMF lauds Uzbek reform efforts
Tashkent’s biggest upcoming challenge is easing the state’s grip on the economy.
TBC Uzbekistan ranked one of world’s top fintechs
Reaching 20mn users, company is first and only business in Central Asia to receive the neobanking recognition from CNBC and Statista.
Russia’s relegation in Central Asia trade complete as China takes Tajikistan export-import crown
Moscow now playing second fiddle to Beijing across the ex-Soviet space.
Etihad Airways announces seven new routes from Abu Dhabi hub
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will launch seven new destinations from Abu Dhabi between November 2025 and March 2026, expanding its network across the Middle East.
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Russian aid agency seeking to fill USAID gaps in former Soviet Union
Imperial attitudes undermine ambitions for expanded influence.
Why does Uzbekistan remain sole country in Central Asia where PayPal is not operational?
Personal data law under fire for walling country off from global digital economy.
COMMENT: In recognising Taliban, Moscow had one eye on rise in Afghanistan of terrorist ISIS-K
Concerns that the jihadist group is operating near borders with Central Asia “helped shift Russia’s strategic calculus”.
Uzbekistan taps China’s Shandong Group to upgrade Tashkent substations
China’s Shandong Electrical Engineering & Equipment Group is set to modernise two electrical substations in Tashkent under a deal aimed at improving the reliability of Uzbekistan’s power grid.
Uzbekistan hits back at UN opinion on jailed daughter of former president Karimov
The government of Uzbekistan has issued a formal response challenging a UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention opinion on the criminal prosecution of Gulnara Karimova, the imprisoned daughter of ex-president Karimov
China reportedly operating Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, as economic ties deepen
China is now operating the former United States military facility at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, The Telegraph reports citing anonymous officials and satellite imagery analyses.
BRICS leaders gather in Rio to challenge Western dominance
Leaders from the BRICS group have convened in Rio de Janeiro for their 17th annual summit, casting the expanded bloc as a counterweight to Western institutions whilst grappling with internal divisions over key geopolitical flashpoints.
Uzbekistan’s Mirziyoyev, Azerbaijan’s Aliyev chart new course for $1bn in trade and regional connectivity
The president of Uzbekistan is currently in Azerbaijan for a state visit that signals a deepening strategic alliance between the two countries, as Tashkent and Baku move to elevate annual trade to $1bn and expand cooperation across the board.
Uzbek venture capital outfit IT Park Ventures enters into strategic partnership with Startup Garage
Companies link up to expand potential in turning bold ideas into smart business.
INTERVIEW: Uzbekistan’s privatisation taking off as Franklin Templeton manages IPOs worth billions of the National Investment Fund in 1H26
Uzbekistan’s government has launched an ambitious privatisation programme aimed at reshaping its economy and capital markets. US fund Franklin Templeton is managing a $1.68bn portfolio of 18 companies in the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund.
COMMENT: Competing Trans-Afghan transport routes could split Central Asia
Central Asia is bottled up by an unstable Afghanistan. It would dearly love to open a southern corridor that leads to the huge and lucrative markets of Southeast Asia that could transform the economy of the region.
MACRO ADVISORY: Silk Roads for Gen Z and the fate of the Middle Corridor
Sanctions against Russia and the voluntary boycott of Russian ports and transit routes by major global transport and logistic companies, created the need for alternative routes to carry the growing volume of trade between China and Europe.