The critical minerals conversation across Central Asia still too often begins in the wrong place: with what lies beneath the ground. It should begin with who controls the knowledge of what lies beneath it. For more than a century, the resource bargain usually ran in one direction. Foreign companies
Tajikistan aims to increase industry’s share of gross domestic product to 30% by 2030 as part of its accelerated industrialization strategy, the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management said. The committee said the country has a strong raw materials base to support industrial dev
Tajikistan plans to launch a lithium mining project at the Namadgut deposit in the Ishkashim district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region within the next year, according to Minister of Industry and New Technologies Sherali Kabir. Around 80% of the equipment required for the project has already
The European Commission launched a Connectivity Agenda Platform on June 23, 2026, and concluded statements of intent with international financial institutions expected to mobilize up to €2 billion ($2.3 billion) for transport, border-crossing and trade-facilitation projects across the Black Sea regi
Tajikistan and Iran have moved to deepen a relationship steeped in close cultural ties, holding talks on trade, security and the environment last week even as conflict in the Middle East weighs heavily on Iran. Sherali Kabir, Tajikistan’s industry and new technologies minister, and his Iranian count
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon met Special Envoy of the President of the United States for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor in Dushanbe on April 28 for talks focused on trade, investment, security, and the next stage of cooperation under the C5+1 framework. Gor also met Tajik Foreign Minister Siroj
Authorities in Turkmenistan have tightened control over citizens’ online activity, with district courts in Ashgabat reportedly hearing administrative cases daily against people accused of liking or commenting on posts critical of the government on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms. T
Within the expanding landscape of peptide signaling, Kisspeptin-10 has emerged as a particularly intriguing molecular fragment, not for its size, but for the breadth of regulatory roles it is theorized to influence. Derived from the larger kisspeptin peptide family encoded by the KISS1 gene, Kisspep
Tajikistan has officially renamed the country’s largest glacier, previously known as the Vanchiakh Glacier, as the Tajikistan Glacier, according to a government decree signed on June 3. The glacier, also widely known internationally as the Fedchenko Glacier, is the longest glacier outside the polar
Tajikistan and the United Nations will co-host the 4th High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “ Water for Sustainable Development ” 2018-2028 next week, as Central Asia and other regions face increasing water scarcity because of climate change, higher consumption,
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has again criticized Turkmenistan over the continued use of forced labor in its cotton sector, calling on the country to dismantle its state-imposed cotton quota system and submit a detailed progress report by September 1. The call followed discussions at
The Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action, “ Water for Sustainable Development ,“ taking place in Dushanbe on May 25-28, comes at a difficult moment. Central Asia’s water problem is no longer only about environmental management; it is moving into the field
Tajikistan plans to provide at least 90% of its population with access to a centralized water supply by 2040, in a long-term infrastructure project that would reduce disparities in water services for urban and rural residents. President Emomali Rahmon spoke about Tajikistan’s water goals as well as
Government officials, telecom executives, investors and startup founders gathered in Samarkand this week for GSMA M360 Eurasia 2026 , an event focused on one of the region’s biggest questions: how to turn expanding connectivity into long-term economic growth. Held on May 20-21, the summit brought to
Tajik scientists have conducted the country’s first direct winter field measurements of snow dynamics on a Pamir glacier since independence, with findings showing a sharp decline in snow reserves and accelerated melting even in high-altitude zones previously considered relatively stable. The expedit
As global leaders gather for the Global Environment Facility ( GEF ) Assembly in Samarkand, Central Asia has an opportunity to send a clear message to the world: protecting biodiversity is not only about saving species — it is about securing water, livelihoods, resilience and long-term stability for
