Rusia & Central Asia
Taliban seek $100mn from World Bank to restart work on CASA-1000 electricity transmission project
Afghanistan’s Taliban administration says it is awaiting the transfer of $100mn from the World Bank in order to restart work on the rollout of the Afghan section of the Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project, or CASA-1000. An April 2 report from Tajik daily Asia-Plus, citing Afghan publication TOLOnews, described the situation. Afghan Minister of Energy and Water Resources Mateullah Abid was reported as saying that CASA-1000 was 70%-complete in Afghanistan, with around 95% of the required equipment already in place. Afghanistan’s national power utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) has said that the Afghan section of the $1.2bn CASA-1000 infrastructure would cost around $260mn. Click here to read...
Kazakhstan makes bombshell announcement in advance of Central Asia-European Union summit
On the eve of the first-ever Central Asia-European Union summit, Kazakhstan announced the discovery of vast deposits of rare earths, a big nugget of information clearly designed to attract foreign investment. The announcement seemed specifically crafted to heighten EU interest in developing the deposits. “Successful development of ore enrichment technology and the extraction of valuable components will affect the increase in investment attractiveness and economic development of the region,” said a Kazakh government statement on April 2. Click here to read...
Joint press release following the first EU-Central Asia summit
On 4 April 2025, the first Central Asia - European Union Summit was held in Samarkand. It was chaired by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The EU was represented by the President of the European Council António Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Together with President Mirziyoyev, Central Asian countries were represented by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Against the backdrop of increasing high-level bilateral engagements over the past years and a rapidly evolving multilateral- and regional agenda, the EU and Central Asia leaders agreed to elevate relations between the two regions by establishing a strategic partnership. Click here to read...
Kazakhstan to join TAPI Gas Pipeline Project
Kazakhstan is set to officially announce its participation in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, heralding a new chapter in regional energy cooperation. This development was shared by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan during a meeting with Pakistan's Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Khalid Hussain Magsi, held in Islamabad. The high-level meeting focused on strengthening bilateral ties in key areas, including education, scientific research, and technological collaboration. Both sides expressed a firm commitment to deepening strategic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Pakistan. Click here to read...
US strikes mineral deals with Uzbekistan – Tashkent report
According to an Uzbek government statement April 9, meetings in Washington involving Uzbek Investment Ministry officials and US business executives yielded several agreements covering the exploration, extraction and processing of minerals in the Central Asian state. The deals also reportedly cover the provision of innovative US technologies to Tashkent, and the training of Uzbek specialists. “The agreements were formalized by contracts,” the statement adds. “A manager was assigned to each project.” Neither US nor Uzbek officials to date have revealed the value of the contracts signed, or the entities involved. Click here to read...
Uzbekistan and Vietnam ink agreements to boost cooperation
Uzbekistan and Vietnam have taken a step forward in strengthening their bilateral ties by signing several key agreements. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministries of Health of both countries, reflecting a shared commitment to enhancing healthcare cooperation. Additionally, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and Vietnam formalized a Cooperation Program for 2025-2026, designed to deepen their relationship through concrete actions, such as organizing business forums, establishing trade houses, and enhancing direct flight connections between the two nations. A Plan of Practical Measures for Advancing Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Vietnam for the same period was also put in place. Click here to read...
Iran and the South Caucasus
Iranian plot to kill rabbi in Azerbaijan foiled, security officials say
In the fall, an officer from Iran’s Quds Force met with Agil Aslanov, a drug trafficker from Georgia, according to Western and Middle Eastern security officials. The officer handed Aslanov a photo of a prominent Jewish figure in Azerbaijan and detailed instructions on how to kill him, the officials said. Aslanov agreed to kill Rabbi Shneor Segal for a price tag of $200,000, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. The plot, foiled by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan in early January, also involved a plan to attack an education center, the officials said. Aslanov and a local accomplice were arrested and charged with conspiring to commit a terrorist act, according to a statement in January by the State Security Service and local media reports. Click here to read...
Israel confirms talks with Turkey in Azerbaijan, lays out its ‘red line’ in Syria
A senior Israeli official confirms that delegations from Turkey and Israel met yesterday in Azerbaijan to discuss a deconfliction mechanism aimed at preventing unwanted incidents in Syria. During the meeting, Israel “made it unequivocally clear that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, in particular the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra (Tadmor) area, is a red line,” the official says. The official adds that Israel has made it clear that preventing any such activity “is the responsibility of the government in Damascus. Any activity that endangers Israel will threaten the rule of [Syrian President Ahmed] al-Sharaa.” Turkish ministry sources also confirm the talks in Azerbaijan, saying that they mark the beginning of efforts to set up a channel to avoid potential clashes or misunderstandings between the two countries’ operations in the region. Click here to read...
Yerevan discusses normalisation with Ankara and Baku in the scope of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum
On 12 April, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov met on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, after which they discussed the signing of the peace treaty and the preconditions pushed by Azerbaijan in a panel discussion. The forum also saw meetings focused on Armenia’s normalisation process with Turkey. This year marked Armenia’s third participation in the forum hosted by the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The fourth edition of the forum was held from 11–13 April, under the theme of Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World. It was the first meeting between Mirzoyan and Bayramov since 13 March, when the two countries announced they had agreed on the text of the peace treaty. Click here to read...
UK sanctions Georgian officials responsible for allowing brutal police violence
The UK has sanctioned four more high-ranking Georgian officials for their role in allowing serious human rights violations in response to legitimate protests in Georgia since 2024. Last year saw a series of public protests erupt across the country, triggered by the actions of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream. In response, the authorities began an aggressive crackdown on demonstrations, attacking and arbitrarily detaining members of civil society, media and opposition figures. With today’s action, the UK is the first state to sanction Georgia’s General Prosecutor and the Head of the Special Investigatory Service for failing in their positions to properly investigate those responsible for serious violence. Click here to read...
