Eurasia / Features
2026 set to be a turbulent year as civil unrest risk climbs across CEE and Central Asia
Civil unrest risks have risen sharply amid mounting political instability, simmering corruption allegations and inflation-linked discontent, according to Verisk Maplecroft.
PANNIER: Who’s killing Chinese workers on the Afghan-Tajik frontier?
Beijing, among others, wants answers.
Georgia leads South Caucasus for banking and investment, but Armenia is rising star
New index from GlobalSource Partners compares the banking sectors and business environments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Baku pushes Middle Corridor and North-South projects at CIS railway summit
Azerbaijan Railways head says works on North-South corridor are reinforcing Azerbaijan’s position as a strategic link between northern and southern trade flows.
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Kazakhstan's critical minerals ambitions may still be a distant dream
So much remains mere speculation.
Ancient city of poets, scholars and dreamers breathes again with the Bukhara Biennial
Among event's most compelling stories was the journey of a humble space for prayer and contemplation.
Demographic shifts threaten long-term growth in Emerging Europe, EBRD warns
Economies are "getting old before they get rich” as labour shortages, rising pension costs and declining working-age populations take their toll on region.
After Tajikistan deports hundreds of Afghans, refugee community remains on edge
Tajiks accuse deportees of bad behaviour, many held legal status.
PANNIER: Dire power deficit pits Kyrgyz president against city mayors and kettle against washing machine
Disco lights ordered off by 10pm. Crypto farms unplugged.
Bottleneck on the border, truckers baffled by major snarl-up on Kazakhstan-Russia frontier
Tens of thousands of goods vehicles stranded. Yet nobody is quite clear on what is going on.
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Georgia’s ruling party cements absolute power one year on from disputed election
The Georgian Dream government has banned rival parties, imprisoned their leaders and branded them saboteurs, successfully laying the foundations for dictatorship in Georgia.
LGBTQ+ Russians fleeing Georgia say country mirrors Kremlin's playbook
Russian émigrés who once saw Georgia as a safe haven now warn the country is replicating Russia's systematic persecution of LGBTQ+ people, forcing them to flee once more
PANNIER: Booming breadbasket Kazakhstan now shipping grain to three continents
Drought-stricken countries such as Iran thankful Kazakhs are enjoying bumper crops. Improving cargo routes helping to push up shipments.
Georgian prime minister deepens ties with China as relations with West worsen
Political and economic ties have expanded rapidly since 2023, reflecting the ruling Georgian Dream party's growing pivot toward Beijing.
US, Central Asia relations will be strengthened “like never before”, says Trump
At White House summit with region’s five presidents, American leader commends series of business deals.
Kazakhstan’s AIFC arbitration centre emerges as a Eurasian rival to London and Singapore
The international arbitration centre at the Astana International Financial Centre is increasingly being used by regional and international businesses for commercial dispute resolution.
Will Trump’s Central Asia summit in Washington help break the Chinese chokehold on rare earths?
“Rare earths”. As Donald Trump on November 6 hosts Central Asia’s five presidents in Washington, DC, observers can forgive themselves if they quickly lose count of the number of times these buzzwords are uttered.
INTERVIEW: Population growth makes Central Asia a “hot” region for investors, says Roca executive
Global bathroom products manufacturer Roca Group plans to invest €70mn in an industrial complex in Kyzylorda, as it eyes growing demand across Central Asia.
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.