Kazakhstan defies global FDI downturn as investors target new sectors

Renewables, agribusiness, data centres and advanced manufacturing among new magnets for investment sitting alongside oil, gas and mining.

COMMENT: China’s latest economic conquest – Central Asia

For the five Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - China has in recent years emerged not only as a dominant trading partner, but increasingly as the only partner nearby that can actually deliver.

Washington has a new focus on a Caspian energy play

For most of the last three decades since winning independence, Central Asia has been a bit of a backwater. Not any more. The Trump administration is becoming more focused on Turkmenistan's vast gas reserves and can smell money and power there.

BOTAŞ and Turkey’s hub ambition: from “30-year dream” to cross-border reality

For Ankara, the symbolism is as important as the molecules: Turkey’s energy map is shifting from end-market to hub.

Galkynysh: Turkmenistan’s giant gas field and the new energy frontier

What Central Asia wants out of the upcoming Washington summit

Clarity on critical minerals and a lot else.

PANNIER: Ruling family’s ‘palace in the sky’ cruel sight for Turkmenistan’s poor souls down below

Photos posted of renovated Boeing by US makeover manager offer further insight into "ultra-luxurious" world enjoyed by Berdimuhamedovs.

Turkmenistan’s TAPI gas pipeline takes off

Turkmenistan's 1,800km TAPI gas pipeline breaks ground after 30 years with first 14km completed into Afghanistan, aiming to deliver 33bcm annually to Pakistan and India by 2027 despite geopolitical hurdles.

Emerging Europe’s growth holds up but risks loom, says wiiw

Fiscal fragility, weakening industrial demand from Germany, and the prolonged fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine threaten to undermine growth momentum in parts of the region.

The fall of Azerbaijan's Grey Cardinal

Ramiz Mehdiyev served as Azerbaijan's Presidential Administration head for 24 consecutive years, making him arguably the most powerful unelected official in post-Soviet Azerbaijan until his dramatic fall from grace.

Ambition, access and acceleration – Uzbekistan’s Startup Garage opens free academy for entrepreneurship

Aim is to train 50,000 young founders by 2030.

Iran's capital Tehran showcases new "Virgin Mary" Metro station

Tehran's new Maryam metro station honours Virgin Mary with architecture blending Armenian and Iranian design elements in new push by Islamic Republic

The Asian nations backing the Russian war effort – from India to Taiwan, China to Indonesia

While many Asian nations have quietly distanced themselves from Moscow in a bid to fall into line with US or European allies, several continue to engage with Russia, providing varying degrees of support that help sustain its military campaign.

Taliban visit to India upsets Pakistan, signals New Delhi's changing Afghan posture

Coinciding with the visit, Pakistan conducted military operations inside Afghanistan, followed by airstrikes on multiple border towns. Retaliation against Pakistan's police training facilities and border outposts followed.

How Central Asia came to love the Chinese electric vehicle invasion

Resistance would be futile – and expensive. The region has flung its doors open to the likes of BYD.

Did Tokayev’s visit to New York indicate any meaningful expansion of Kazakh-American economic ties?

Best not believe the hype.

PANNIER: Quarrelling neighbours – the Taliban and Tajikistan

Sabre-rattling not infrequent, but there just might be signs of easing tensions.

How Azerbaijan's oil prince went from dining with Messi to facing decades in prison

Adnan Ahmadzada is accused of contaminating 200,000 tonnes of his country's oil exports with corrosive chemicals and facilitating billions in Russian sanctions evasion.

EU’s influence declines in its neighbourhood as China and Russia gain ground

Chinese presence growing in Western Balkans, while Russia makes gains in Turkey, shows new index developed by wiiw, Bertelsmann Stiftung and ECIPE.

EBRD says geopolitics, tariffs and China competition weigh on Emerging Europe growth

Development bank downgrades 2025 forecasts for Central and Eastern Europe citing weak external demand, rising debt and the impact of US tariffs.