Blog
Crossroads Asia
Mongolia Hosts the First World Women’s Forum
By Bolor Lkhaajav
Following the 2023 female foreign ministers' meeting, Mongolia’s feminist foreign policy took another leap.
A ‘Coordinated Silence’ in Central Asia Amid Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion
By Otabek Akromov
Russia finds itself increasingly isolated in its conflict in Ukraine, with its allies, both within and outside the CSTO extending neither military nor political support.
Uzbekistan Forges Ahead, Deepening Relations With Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
By Catherine Putz
Amid a recent visit by Uzbekistan’s prime ministers, the two sides signed $2.5 billion in trade and investment deals.
Explaining South Korea’s Railway Ambitions in Central Asia
By Sophia Nina Burna-Asefi
South Korea and Tajikistan signed an agreement recently to start a feasibility study for a rail route that would connect Tajikistan via Afghanistan to routes both east and west.
Causes and Consequences of Kazakhstan’s Brain Drain
By Gulnash Askhat
Kazakhstani leaders understand the problem, but efforts to date have not achieved significant success.
High on the Silk Road: Heroin Bust in Bulgaria Implicates Kyrgyzstan
By Catherine Putz
Cargo reportedly originating in Kyrgyzstan was found to be concealing nearly 1,000 pounds of heroin when examined in a Bulgarian port.
Continuity and Change in the New Cycle of Central Asian Consultative Meetings
By Filippo Costa Buranelli
What are the key takeaways from the sixth consultative meeting of Central Asia’s presidents? And where is Central Asian regionalism heading?
Can Central Asia Deepen Multilateral Cooperation Without Institutionalization?
By Sanat Kushkumbayev and Aizada Nuriddenova
The sixth consultative meeting of the Central Asian leaders concluded without a major breakthrough, but recent Kazakh-Uzbek bilateral agreements could be the key to deepening cooperation in the region.
The World Nomad Games Return to Central Asia
By Wilder Alejandro Sánchez
Sports diplomacy gets a boost as Kazakhstan amps up to host the 5th World Nomad Games in September.
At Astana Leaders’ Summit, Uzbekistan’s President Highlights Ambitions to Deepen Regional Integration
By Mirshohid Aslanov and Otabek Akromov
An optimal way of mitigating the challenges Central Asia faces, Mirziyoyev argued, is regional integration.
Central Asian Energy Ministers Hold ‘First’ Meeting
By Catherine Putz
Branded as the “first” gathering of the region’s energy ministers, the meeting resulted in a jint communique promising further cooperation in the energy sphere.
Central Asia Plus Japan Summit Aims to Pioneer Sustainability, Connectivity, and Human Development
By Alberto Frigerio
The Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue, launched in 2004 at the ministerial level, will take engagement to the top with a leaders’ summit on August 9.