Central Asian countries are stepping up investment in renewable energy as governments across the region seek to strengthen energy security and prepare for mounting environmental pressures.
An explosion at a major metallurgical facility in Kazakhstan has killed two people and injured five others, officials and the company involved have confirmed.
Almaty is hosting GITEX AI Kazakhstan 2026 two-day event, drawing global tech firms and investors as Central Asia gains attention as a fast developing digital market. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus exhibition in Almaty on 4 May.
Samarkand is hosting the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where global leaders have gathered to discuss regional growth, as the bank unveils a major $70 billion initiative to strengthen energy and digital connectivity across Asia and the Pacific.
Kazakhstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other key OPEC+ countries have agreed a paper-based modest oil output hike for next month, raising the output targets to 188,000 barrels a day in June.
Tourism across Central Asia is expanding rapidly, with millions of visitors arriving each year as the region becomes an increasingly competitive global travel destination, though growth rates vary significantly between countries.
Preparations for Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Kazakhstan were a central focus of talks in Astana between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Kazakhstan says it is continuing its investigation into the 2024 Azerbaijan Airlines crash near Aktau, with the official inquiry still ongoing.
Central Asia is among the most climate-vulnerable regions globally, relying heavily on shrinking glaciers for water. Rising temperatures threaten future supplies, while droughts, heatwaves and land degradation increasingly affect agriculture and stability.
Kazakhstan has ratified a regional green energy agreement with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, signalling Central Asia’s ambition to become a key supplier of renewable energy to international markets.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are advancing one of Central Asia’s largest joint energy projects: the construction of the Kambarata HPP-1 hydropower plant on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan, with a planned capacity of nearly 2,000 megawatts.
Central Asian leaders have warned that worsening water shortages now pose a direct threat to regional stability, urging coordinated action and stronger international engagement.
Russia has confirmed the suspension of Kazakh oil shipments to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, citing technical reasons, in a move that could disrupt refinery supplies in eastern Germany.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, used a visit to Uzbekistan to press for easier trade and transit, focusing on boosting exports, establishing an export centre in Balkh, and strengthening regional economic ties.
Kazakhstan and Mongolia have agreed to expand trade, energy and transport cooperation following high-level talks between their leaders in Astana.
Five Central Asian states are launching a $30 million programme to tackle water scarcity and land degradation, as climate pressures and rising demand sharpen risks across the region.
Kazakhstan plans to boost trade with Afghanistan from $500 million to $3 billion, backed by infrastructure and transit projects designed to strengthen regional connectivity and improve access to global markets.
South Korea will import 18 million barrels of Kazakh oil via routes bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, as it seeks to shield its energy supply from mounting instability in the Middle East.
Kazakhstan has ratified an allied relations treaty with Tajikistan and a strategic partnership agreement with the United Kingdom, aiming to deepen regional cooperation and expand ties with a major foreign investor.
Kazakhstan and Türkiye are intensifying efforts to expand economic cooperation, setting a target to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion as both countries build on steady growth and broaden investment ties.
A fresh international effort to safeguard the Caspian Sea has received a significant boost after the World Bank approved funding for a wide-ranging environmental programme aimed at reversing years of ecological damage.
Kazakhstan has reported a sharp fall in oil production, with both output and exports declining in the first quarter of the year, according to government officials. The drop is now affecting the structure of economic growth, even as the country records 3% GDP growth.
South Korea is close to finalising an agreement to import crude oil from Kazakhstan, according to Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, as the country seeks to diversify its energy supplies amid disruptions in the Middle East, he said on Sunday, 12 April, according to Reuters.
Kazakhstan and Armenia are moving to deepen bilateral ties as shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus reopen long-blocked transport routes and create new economic opportunities.
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