Kyrgyz Parliament Dissolves Itself, Early Elections on the Horizon

The Jogorku Kenesh voted to dissolve itself, setting the stage for elections in late November.

26.09.2025 20

Catherine Putz

Central Asia Shows Up at the UN: What Did the Region’s Leaders Say?

Once again, all five Central Asian presidents attended the U.N. General Assembly to lay out their perspectives on an increasingly conflicted world.

25.09.2025 3

Catherine Putz

Trains and Planes: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Sign $12.2 Billion in Deals With US Companies

Kazakhstan has agreed to purchase 300 freight locomotives to the tune of $4.2 billion; Uzbekistan will buy at least 14 Boeing jets, in a deal said to...

24.09.2025 3

Catherine Putz

First Direct Akim Election on the Horizon for Kazakhstan’s Semey

Semey, the center of Kazakhstan’s Abai Region, will hold it’s first ever direct election for akim on October 12.

23.09.2025 10

Catherine Putz

In Early 2026, Uzbekistan Aims to Conduct First Census Since 1989

It would be independent Uzbekistan’s first full general census, if it happens.

18.09.2025 4

Catherine Putz

Kloop Cameramen Sentenced to 5 Years For Videos They Didn’t Make

An thus ends a bizarre trial that serves to illustrate a distressing pattern of Kyrgyz authorities targeting media whose work focuses on government...

18.09.2025 3

Catherine Putz

Did Kazakhstan Import a Commercialized Version of China’s Great Firewall?

Geedge Networks has commercialized China’s Great Firewall for export, and Astana was an ideal customer.

16.09.2025 20

Catherine Putz

Closed-door Embezzlement Trial of Former Uzbek Agriculture Minister Ends

Aziz Voitov was found guilty but won't serve prison time, reportedly on account of having paid "full compensation."

16.09.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Looking Back at a Hot Railroad Summer for Central Asia and Afghanistan

In July, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan all signed agreements with Afghanistan related to the development of railways.

12.09.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Kloop Trial Underway in Kyrgyzstan: Witnesses, Experts Can’t Find ‘Calls for Mass Unrest’

The case appears to rely on video materials published by an outlet the defendants didn’t work for, which prosecution experts have testified don’t...

10.09.2025 6

Catherine Putz

Trump Holds Call With Uzbek President, a Shouted Question About Kazakhstan Steals Headlines

As Uzbekistan’s fervor to share the momentous event of its president’s call with Trump demonstrates, it’s a big deal.

09.09.2025 20

Catherine Putz

In Annual State of the Nation Address, Tokayev Proposes a Unicameral Parliament for Kazakhstan

He urged the parliament not to act in “haste” to fulfill that proposal, floating 2027 as a date for yet another constitutional referendum.

09.09.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Will the Kyrgyz Parliament Dissolve Itself?

Following an overhaul of Kyrgyzstan's electoral system in June, there is talk of dissolving parliament and holding early elections.

05.09.2025 4

Catherine Putz

Date Set for Uzbekistan to Sign Enhance Partnership Agreement With the European Union

On October 24, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev is expected in Brussels for the signing of the long-awaited EPCA with EU leaders.

04.09.2025 9

Catherine Putz

What Did Central Asia Get Out of the SCO?

For Central Asia, the SCO has become a venue for deepening relations with China and managing relations with Russia.

03.09.2025 5

Catherine Putz

Napon Jatusripitak on How the Cambodia-Thailand Tensions Spiraled Into Conflict

“These flashpoints alone cannot account for the speed or scale of the escalation, or the intensity of the nationalist fervor it has unleashed.”

02.09.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Did the United States Choose Defeat in Afghanistan?

An interview with Paul D. Miller about his upcoming book “Choosing Defeat: The Twenty-Year Saga of How America Lost Afghanistan.”

30.08.2025 7

Catherine Putz

Tajikistan Signs Onto Central Asian Friendship Treaty

Three years after the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan signed the Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation for...

29.08.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Underground Mining Starts at Kyrgyzstan’s Infamous Kumtor Gold Mine

The Kyrgyz government says the nationalized mine's new underground project will operate for 17 years and provide 147 tonnes of gold.

29.08.2025 6

Catherine Putz

Despite ‘Stable’ Outlook, Credit Rating Agency Highlights Risks of Funding Delays at Tajikistan’s Rogun

The remaining cost to complete the Rogun project by 2035 is now estimated at $6.4 billion. And Dushanbe faces delays in security enough financing.

28.08.2025 3

Catherine Putz

US Hosts Annual Bilateral Consultation With Turkmenistan

The consultations produced only a brief statement, and there were no public comments on the travel ban question.

22.08.2025 2

Catherine Putz

UK Rolls Out Fresh Sanctions Against Another Kyrgyz Bank

The announcement marks the latest move in an ongoing battle that often resembles a game of sanctions whack-a-mole.

22.08.2025 3

Catherine Putz

Why Was a Kazakh Military Attache’s Assistant Detained in Poland?

Official details are sparse, but Kazakhstan has confirmed that one of its citizens was detained by Polish authorities.

15.08.2025 20

Catherine Putz

Survey Work Begins in Kazakhstan for Russia-Built Nuclear Power Plant

A groundbreaking ceremony marked the formal start of the project, which could take a decade to complete and require investment of $15 billion.

11.08.2025 6

Catherine Putz

Diplomatic Maneuvering Intensifies Ahead of US-Russia Alaska Summit

As Ukrainian officials look to Europe for backing, Putin looks to Asia and BRICS; Trump keeps his eyes on the spotlight.

11.08.2025 6

Catherine Putz

Assessing Religious Freedoms in Central Asia, USCIRF Delegations Visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

Overly broad and vague laws restrict freedom of religion or belief in the Central Asian states says USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler.

08.08.2025 3

Catherine Putz

Kyrgyz President Signs New Media Law, Making Registration Mandatory

In the three years it has taken for the Japarov government to see through its desired new media law, the country's reputation as an "island of...

08.08.2025 3

Catherine Putz

The Landlocked Gather in Turkmenistan to Confront an Age-old Conundrum

At the opening of the Awaza conference, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proclaimed that “Geography should never define destiny.”

06.08.2025 6

Catherine Putz

Ahmede Hussain on Bangladesh After the Monsoon Revolution

“The most significant challenge facing Bangladesh right now isn’t from the street or the public, but from the ruling elites themselves,...

01.08.2025 10

Catherine Putz

New Trump Tariffs Target Kazakhstan With 25% Rate

A letter to the Kazakh president stated, "Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Kazakhstan a Tariff of only 25% on any and all Kazakh products...

09.07.2025 3

Catherine Putz

What Does It Mean to Be Kazakhstani?

An interview with Diana T. Kudaibergen on power, identity, and nation-building in Kazakhstan.

03.07.2025 3

Catherine Putz

CSTO Foreign Ministers Meet in Kyrgyzstan

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan was absent, as Yerevan continues to weigh formally leaving the organization after having frozen its...

02.07.2025 20

Catherine Putz

Russian Authorities Consider Additional Fees for Visiting Foreigners, Migrant Workers

At present, a number of fees are already required for a variety of migration-related documents and processes. But Moscow might expand the list.

02.07.2025 5

Catherine Putz

Kyrgyz Parliament Passes Media Law With Last-Minute Changes

After years of working toward a compromise, the Kyrgyz parliament pushed through a new media law that resurrects previous drafts’ most controversial...

27.06.2025 7

Catherine Putz

Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration Has a New, But Familiar, Head: Saida Mirziyoyeva

Mirziyoyeva, the president’s daughter, brings with her as an adviser another familiar face: Komil Allamjonov.

27.06.2025 4

Catherine Putz

Russia’s Rosatom Selected to Take Lead on Kazakhstan’s 1st Nuclear Power Plant

A deal with China is reportedly in the works to construct a second nuclear power plant.

17.06.2025 10

Catherine Putz

2nd Central Asia-China Summit Set for June 17

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the five Central Asian presidents are expected to all attend the summit in Astana.

12.06.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Turkmen Authorities Comment on Partial US Travel Ban

Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry called the decision to partially ban arrivals from the country a "hasty step."

11.06.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Kyrgyzstan’s Second City Osh Takes Down Lenin Statue

Local authorities say the statue, Central Asia's largest Lenin monument, will be moved into a nearby park.

10.06.2025 4

Catherine Putz

Why Is Turkmenistan Subject to a Partial US Travel Ban?

The stated reason is a high rate of visa overstays in 2023 DHS data. But that data has been interpreted without any context or compassion.

06.06.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Uzbek Migration Agency Makes Headway in East Asia

A delegation from Uzbekistan, led by the country’s Migration Agency, made stops in South Korea and Japan to explore expanded opportunities for Uzbek...

04.06.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Former Kyrgyz President Atambayev Sentenced in Absentia to 11 Years

Atambayev was released from jail in 2023 and promptly flew to Spain. He hasn't returned to Kyrgyzstan since.

04.06.2025 50

Catherine Putz

Uzbek Human Rights Defender Prevented From Traveling to Receive Award

When Sharifa Madrakhimova received her passport via mail from Dublin, with her Irish visa affixed inside, the document had been rendered invalid by...

03.06.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Why Did the Mayor of Dushanbe Meet With Russian President Putin?

Rustam Emomali is also the chair of Tajikistan’s National Assembly and the son of the country's president. His recent trip to Moscow is stirring...

31.05.2025 7

Catherine Putz

As Kloop Journalists Are Detained, a Familiar Refrain: Suspicion of ‘Calling for Mass Riots’

The head of the Kyrgyz presidential press service aired an unfounded allegation on Facebook that the detained journalists were being paid by Bolot...

30.05.2025 6

Catherine Putz

In Kyrgyzstan, Kloop Journalists Taken For Questioning

According to Kloop, its employees have been denied access to lawyers.

29.05.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Uzbekistan Seeks to Increase Tourist Flows, Floats Possibility of Visa-Free Regime for US Citizens

A recent presidential decree instructs the Foreign Ministry to explore the possibility of a visa-free regime for U.S. citizens, paired with an easing...

29.05.2025 5

Catherine Putz

All Along a Bumpy Road: Understanding Sinophobic Sentiments in Central Asia

While protests against Canadian mines, or Russian businesses, occur in Central Asia, “Chinese projects overwhelmingly receive the vast majority of...

28.05.2025 9

Catherine Putz

Kyrgyzstan: Incoming Peace Corps Cohort Cancelled Last Minute

As DOGE takes aim at the Peace Corps, the sudden cancellation of the June departure of new volunteers to Kyrgyzstan “is particularly cruel and...

23.05.2025 10

Catherine Putz

Tajikistan Decriminalizes ‘Likes’ Online

A 2018 amendment had opened the door to criminal prosecution, and up to 15 years in jail, for “liking” or reacting online with an emoji to content...

15.05.2025 20

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Kyrgyz Parliament Dissolves Itself, Early Elections on the Horizon

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