Central Asia

Bilateral contacts between Berlin and the region have intensified considerably since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but many challenges remain.

Nestled in Kyrgyzstan’s picturesque mountains, along a hydropower reservoir on the Naryn River, the village of Kyzyl-Beyit strives to preserve itself.

The recent conflict laid bare genuine challenges within the labor market and significant shifts in the country's migration landscape.

Both the EU and China aim to establish technological leadership in Central Asia, but their focuses differ. 

The mob, apparently triggered by a video of a fight between foreigners and locals earlier in May, “went on a rampage” targeting mostly South Asian students while raging against illegal immigration.

What do Russia and the Central Asian republics stand to gain from each other?

Afghanistan is emerging as a key transit point for Russian oil as the Kremlin seeks to establish new trade routes to Asia and the Middle East.

While some progress has been made, foreign investors are starting to wonder if Uzbekistan’s privatization agenda will ever live up to its much-lauded potential. 

Uzbekistan’s judicial system perceives women as wives in domestic violence cases and does not shy away from punishing them for responding to abuse.

Under Kazakhstan’s hybrid jury model, jurors and the judge make a final decision together. In this case, the former minister was convicted of murdering his wife and handed a long sentence.  

The number of interactions between high-level Central Asian officials has visibly increased since 2015, from 60 interactions that year to 158 in 2023.

Bolot Temirov shared photos of the bruises he says his wife, Makhabat Tajibek kyzy, sustained in a Kyrgyz detention center in April. Prison authorities say they were inflicted by cell-mates at her request.