CIS governments meeting in Ashgabat have endorsed a regional transport integration plan and advanced proposals to modernise heavy industry, highlighting a growing focus on overland trade routes and economic resilience.
Transport emerged as the clearest priority at the meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States’ Council of Heads of Government, where officials signed a Concept for Integrating Major Transport Arteries across member states. Developed by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the plan aims to create faster, safer and more cost-effective freight routes across the region.
The timing of the agreement is significant. As security concerns and geopolitical tensions continue to reshape global supply chains, governments across Eurasia are placing greater emphasis on land-based logistics corridors linking Asian and European markets. For the CIS, improving transport connectivity is increasingly viewed as both an economic necessity and a strategic opportunity.
Ashgabat was seen as a fitting venue for the discussions. Turkmenistan sits at the intersection of the East–West route and the eastern branch of the International North–South Transport Corridor, placing the country at one of Eurasia’s key transit crossroads. Officials expect stronger transport coordination to improve the region’s appeal to freight operators and investors.
Logistics was only part of the discussions. Leaders also reviewed proposals for the digital transformation of the mining and metallurgical sectors, industries that remain central to many CIS economies.
The talks, attended by prime ministers from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives from Armenia and Turkmenistan and the CIS Secretary-General, covered 12 agenda items in both restricted and expanded formats. Alongside transport and industrial policy, participants discussed tariff regulation, trade barriers, and cooperation in geodesy, cartography and spatial data.
Several decisions reflected broader efforts to deepen regional coordination. Kazakhstan’s Karaganda and the Belarusian capital Minsk were selected as CIS Youth Capitals for 2027 and 2028 respectively, while economic data presented during the meeting pointed to stronger intra-regional trade.
Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with CIS countries reached $38.4 billion in 2025, with trade rising by 17.1% in the first quarter of 2026. Turkmenistan reported a 30% increase in trade with CIS member states to $1.8 billion over the same period, according to Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Khojamyrat Geldimyradov.
The next CIS Council of Heads of Government meeting is scheduled to take place in Moscow in December 2026.
China has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with the UK after British border officials allegedly subjected Chinese travellers to lengthy questioni...
Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) prevented 273 terrorist attacks and more than 3,000 crimes linked to terrorism, separa...
More than 150 people have been killed in a drone strike on a crowded market in the disputed Abyei region, South Sudanese officials said, marking on...
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for continuing to target Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight killed at least one person and damaged a metro station.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Norway for talks about the Russia-Ukraine war. He is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Oslo earlier. Witkoff will also meet European officials.
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the violence, looting and vandalism that erupted during cost-of-living protests across France. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held crisis talks on Monday, calling for partial curfews and raising the possibility of a state of emergency.
An oil tanker caught fire after striking a naval mine in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said late Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday.
Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) prevented 273 terrorist attacks and more than 3,000 crimes linked to terrorism, separatism and extremism in 2025, according to the bloc's regional counter-terrorism body.
The C5+1 ministerial meeting in Samarkand has strengthened economic ties between the U.S. and Central Asia, with Uzbekistan securing 54 agreements and initiatives worth around $12 billion with U.S. companies and institutions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday.
Armenia could face soaring gas prices, a sharp drop in remittances and tighter restrictions on migrant workers if its membership of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is suspended, according to a new report examining the risks of closer ties with the European Union.
Pakistan’s military chief is heading to Iran for talks as Islamabad pushes for dialogue between Tehran and Washington, while reaffirming its defence commitment to Saudi Arabia and strengthening security ties with Qatar.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment