Israeli police said Thursday that a suspect from Tajikistan who holds a Russian passport had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran during the recent war. The suspect, identified as Behrouz Sobirgon, was arrested last month “on suspicion of security offenses involving contact with Iranian int
Tajikistan and the United Kingdom intend to expand cooperation in education, science, and specialist training. These issues were discussed by Tajikistan’s Minister of Education and Science Rahim Saidzoda and the UK ambassador to Dushanbe, Katherine Smitton, Avesta.tj reported . Representatives of th
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Turkmenistan on June 18 for an official visit focused on energy cooperation, with the two countries signing a new strategic partnership involving Petronas and Turkmenistan’s energy authorities the following day. Anwar and Turkmen President Serdar Ber
Representatives of Tajikistan’s government and banking sector met with Douglas Clark, the United Kingdom’s regional sanctions attaché, in Dushanbe to discuss banking regulation, risk management, and the development of bilateral cooperation in the financial sector. According to the National Bank of T
China does not do military alliances. Its declared posture is one of non-interference in other nations’ internal affairs. Yet Beijing has long understood that commercial ties alone cannot anchor strategic relationships; only security partnerships can. China’s recent experiments with 2+2 security dia
Chinese engineers and workers have returned to a highway site in eastern Tajikistan under armed protection . Their return restarts work on a road toward China that stopped after two attacks from Afghanistan killed five Chinese nationals in November. Tajikistan’s Transport Ministry said Chinese speci
Switzerland became Tajikistan’s third-largest trading partner in the first five months of 2026, overtaking Kazakhstan and ranking behind only China and Russia, Avesta reported , citing Tajikistan’s statistics agency. Trade turnover between Tajikistan and Switzerland exceeded $1.013 billion between J
Tajikistan will receive a $1.7 million grant to introduce a “Single Window” digital system in the country’s free economic zones to simplify administrative procedures and improve the investment climate. The project agreement was signed in Vienna during a meeting between representatives of Tajikistan’
Air Belgium will start cargo flights through Ashgabat International Airport in early August, reflecting Turkmenistan’s hopes of becoming an air cargo hub between Asia and Europe despite its traditional restrictions on the aviation market. Sapar Palvanov, Turkmenistan’s ambassador in Brussels, discus
A top official of the Collective Security Treaty Organization , an alliance of some post-Soviet states, says its main challenge in Central Asia continues to be the threat emanating from militants i n Afghanistan’s northern border region. Viktor Vasilyev , c hairman of the alliance’s Permanent Counci
The European Union used its latest human rights dialogue with Turkmenistan to press Ashgabat on the gap between outward engagement and domestic control. The 18th annual EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue was held in Ashgabat on June 22. It came during a period of slightly more visible contact bet
Residents of the town of Kaka in Turkmenistan’s Ahal region are facing a shortage of cash. Queues at ATMs stretch for dozens of people, but many residents are unable to withdraw money because the machines quickly run out of banknotes. As a result, some are turning to intermediar i es who help them o
President Emomali Rahmon has signed an amnesty law covering 18,038 convicted people as Tajikistan prepares to mark 35 years of independence. The measure provides full release for 11,305 people and reduces the unserved terms of 6,733 others. The 11,305 figure includes prison and settlement-colony sen
Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has been awarded the title of professor in economic and political sciences and elected as an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. The announcement was made by the state-run Golden Age . The award ceremony took place at the Academy of
Tajikistan continues to record one of the strongest economic growth rates in Central Asia, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in its June 2026 Regional Economic Prospects report . The EBRD estimates that Tajikistan’s economy grew by 8% year-on-year in the first
Tajikistan is using only a fraction of its vast hydropower resources despite possessing the largest hydropower potential in Central Asia, according to the State Committee on Investment and State Property Management. The committee said Tajikistan remains the regional leader in hydropower resources an
China and Tajikistan have discussed expanding financial cooperation, as Dushanbe looks to deepen banking links with one of its most important economic partners. The discussions took place on June 2 during a meeting between Firdavs Tolibzoda, chairman of the National Bank of Tajikistan, and Gu Shu, c
“Building a hydroelectric power plant is a responsibility for our country!” Displayed in Tajik at the entrance to the Rogun construction site, deep in the mountains of Tajikistan, the slogan captures the significance of what has become the most ambitious infrastructure project in the country’s histo
Turkmenistan and the World Health Organization went through a delicate period during the pandemic, when the Turkmen government said there had been no COVID-19 cases in the country . The global health agency didn’t publicly challenge the claim, which was met with widespread international skepticism.
China will provide Tajikistan with intelligence, police, and counterterrorism equipment worth more than $7.6 million under a grant assistance program approved by the two governments. The governments of the two countries signed the corresponding memorandum of understanding on May 8. The agreement pro