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
Rights groups have urged the European Union to take a tougher line on Turkmenistan, warning that closer ties with Ashgabat should be tied to measurable progress on human rights. The call came in a briefing by the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Turkmen Initiative for Human
A new joint project is being launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union aimed at combating child and forced labor in Turkmenistan. Its focus is primarily on the country’s cotton sector, which has long faced criticism from human rights groups and international comp
An international media rights group has welcomed the release from prison of two journalists in Tajikistan, while urging the government to free others who remain in jail. Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, said Zavkibek Saidamini and Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda were freed on July 18 after four years
A recent briefing on Afghanistan before the United Nations Security Council again showed that the country’s challenges can no longer be viewed only through humanitarian assistance or debates over recognition of the Taliban government. Afghanistan remains a deeply complex domestic issue, but it is in
Last week, the Turkish resort city of Antalya hosted the fifth annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Particular attention was drawn to the speech by Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who once again raised the issue of reforming the United Nations. Held since 2021 at the initiative of Turkish
Путь Фирдавса Эхсонова — это не история о баловне судьбы, которому всё досталось по щелчку пальцев. Это история о том, как парень из Таджикистана стал первым представителем своей страны, покорившим бренд Puma и Being Human , и разделившим съемочную площадку с легендой кино Шахрух Ханом. Фирдавс роди
Central Asia’s water woes continue to grow worse. The water flow in the Amu Darya, one of Central Asia’s two great rivers, is slowly but significantly diminishing in Tajikistan, where the river originates. A recently released report shows the Amu Darya’s water flow in the middle and lower reaches in
The ninth edition of the ECG Eurasian Film Festival has concluded in London, bringing together films from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the wider post-Soviet space. The festival, held in partnership with the Romford Film Festival, was created to promote Eurasian cinema in the English-speaking worl
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Kazakhstan highlighted the growing importance of the Middle Corridor in Ankara-Astana relations, while also showing how Kazakhstan is trying to deepen ties with Turkey without abandoning its multi-vector foreign policy. According to experts, the cent
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is considering several possible causes behind the explosion at a Kazzinc plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk that killed three people. The incident occurred on the morning of May 5, when a dust collection unit exploded inside one of the plant’s workshops, tr
Singer, poet, and lyricist MEREY is among a younger group of artists bringing a different sensibility to music in Kazakhstan. Her work is rooted in Kazakh-language expression, but it also pushes beyond familiar expectations of how a female singer should sound and present herself. In an interview wit
April 26 marks a date that changed the course of world history. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster , one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents, the consequences of which are still felt today. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia , Ukraine’s Ambassador E
Russia is ready to help Uzbekistan prepare and send its first national cosmonaut into orbit and launch its first artificial satellite, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov was quoted as saying by TASS. Manturov noted that Uzbekistan has set an ambitious goal of entering space explorati
Kazakhstan plans to build at least three nuclear power plants (NPPs) by 2050, with implementation of the first project already underway, the country’s Atomic Energy Agency has said . The nuclear energy development strategy aims to ensure energy security, support sustainable economic growth, and meet
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
