Russia & Central Asia
Turkmen leader touts trade and investment during French trip
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan’s true center of power, has completed a rare trip abroad to France, yielding what a state-controlled news agency described as “important bilateral documents aimed at expanding cooperation between the two countries.” The visit was not devoted solely to the topic of expanding exports of Turkmenistan’s abundant natural gas supplies to the European Union. The May 7 report distributed by Turkmenportal indicated that memoranda of understanding were signed with various French firms involving aviation, agriculture, urban development, water resource management and telecommunications, as well as one covering the development of gas reserves. The report did not delve into the specifics of the deals. Click here to read…
Russia Holds 80th Anniversary Victory Day Parade on Red Square
Russia held its 80th anniversary Victory Day parade on Friday morning with a large military display on Red Square, as President Vladimir Putin welcomed a lineup of world leaders in a show of wartime defiance and international support more than three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Nearly 30 world leaders attended the celebrations in Moscow, which mark the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Among them were China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, alongside leaders of Russia’s traditional allies in Central Asia. Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić and Slovakia’s Robert Fico were the only European leaders present. Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and Laos’ Thongloun Sisoulith cancelled their trips to Russia for Victory Day at the last minute. As the parade began, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov greeted columns of soldiers, breaking with his predecessor Sergei Shoigu, who now heads Russia’s Security Council, by attending the Red Square event wearing a civilian suit and tie. Click here to read…
Kazakhstan, China Eye Investments in Grain, Livestock, Infrastructure
Kazakhstan and China plan to launch a grain processing investment project focused on starch sugar production, as was reported during a May 13 meeting between Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov and CITIC Construction Chairman Yang Jianqiang, reported the ministry’s press service. The project, valued at $1.1 billion, will have a processing capacity of 700,000 tons of grain annually. “Kazakhstan has everything necessary for production facilities – raw materials, infrastructure. We are interested in creating special economic zones and joint ventures in its territory. Chinese partners are also showing interest in livestock farming projects,” Jianqiang said. Jianqiang was received by Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu. Jianqiang also met with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu to discuss CITIC’s potential participation in constructing and reconstructing the Center-West highway as part of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Click here to read…
Relations between Tajikistan and the Taliban slowly thawing, but chill remains in relations
Tajik-Taliban Relations Slowly Warm, but Both Sides Hedge Their Bets”, in particular, notes that the contrasting comments illustrate the cautious, sometimes contradictory stances staked out by officials from both Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Even so, a warming trend is reportedly observable between the two neighbors, countries that share a rugged 1,374-kilometer-long border. Among the positive signs are a series of public statements from Taliban officials heralding cooperation with Tajikistan, as well as a visit to Kabul by a Tajik delegation in the late summer that was publicly announced by the Taliban. “What’s really improved is that bilateral meetings are made public. The big game changer is also the fact that [Tajik] authorities have stopped releasing offensive statements about the Taliban,” said Mélanie Sadozaï, a researcher at Germany’s University of Regensburg who has extensively studied the Afghan-Tajik border. Click here to read…
Uzbekistan and China introduce visa-free regime from 1 June 2025
Starting from 1 June 2025, the Agreement between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China on mutual visa abolition will come into effect. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. According to the statement, both parties have completed the necessary internal procedures required for the entry into force of the intergovernmental agreement, which was signed on 1 December 2024, in Chengdu. The document regulates the procedure for visa-free travel for citizens of both countries. Specifically, citizens of Uzbekistan and China will be able to enter, exit, and transit through the territory of the other country without the need to obtain a visa. Under the terms of the Agreement, visa-free stay is allowed for up to 30 calendar days per trip, but not more than 90 days in total within any 180-day period. Click here to read…
Iran and the South Caucasus
Uzbekistan and Iran sign roadmap for 2025-2027 cooperation
Uzbekistan and Iran have signed a roadmap to strengthen their comprehensive cooperation for the years 2025-2027. The agreement was reached during an official visit to Iran by a government delegation led by Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov. The signing ceremony took place in Tehran on May 11, following a meeting between the Uzbek government delegation and Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref. A key focus of the discussions was enhancing cooperation in the transport and logistics sectors. Both parties acknowledged the need to address long-standing issues and take practical steps to resolve them. Strengthening ties in these areas is seen as crucial for the expansion of trade and the smooth flow of goods between the two nations. Click here to read…
Pashinyan goes into “attack mode” against political rivals
With his messaging about transforming Armenian society having trouble gaining traction, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is falling back on the time-honored political tradition of attacking his chief rivals. Public opinion polling shows that Armenians have mixed feeling about Pashinyan’s “Real Armenia” strategy, which seeks to stimulate individual initiative to drive economic development, while fostering a new, forward-looking national identity. At the same time, his efforts to finalize a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, a prerequisite for implementation of his economic growth strategy, have stalled. With parliamentary elections approaching next year, Pashinyan’s government appears to be making political moves designed to create a bit of separation between himself and his chief rivals, all of them former presidents. Click here to read…
Azerbaijan-Russia feud: back on front-burner
Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev has shown that one big diss deserves another. As a result, the Kremlin, on a day it celebrated the Red Army’s triumph over Nazi Germany 80 years ago, now finds itself locked in another war of words with Baku. Aliyev, who had previously indicated that he would attend the Red Square Victory Day parade on May 9, ignited the latest bout of bilateral sparring with a last-minute announcement that he would not be flying to Moscow after all. The timing seemed designed to maximize the displeasure and embarrassment felt by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. It also did not seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision. Instead of going to Moscow, Aliyev spent much of May 9 in territories recently reconquered from Armenia during the Second Karabakh War, attending ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking ceremonies at a farm, a residential complex, a wellness center and a mosque. Click here to read…
Kremlin brings Abkhazia back into fold
On the first day of May, a Russian passenger airliner landed in Sukhumi, the capital of the separatist region of Abkhazia, disgorging a load of vacationers hoping to bathe in some Black Sea sunshine. This seemingly innocuous flight had large political ramifications, marking the reassertion of full Russian control over territory that under international law still belongs to Georgia. The direct flight from Moscow was the first of its kind in 32 years, since a brief civil war resulted in Abkhazia breaking away from Tbilisi’s control and coming under the Russian army’s protection. The flight also marked the end of a period of tumult for the region, during which Abkhaz residents sought to shake off the shackles of dependence on Moscow. It is now clear, Abkhazia is firmly back under Russia’s thumb. Click here to read…
