In our podcast this week, hosts Aigerim Toleukhanova and Alisher Khamidov discuss why Russia’s war on Ukraine is prompting people in Central Asia to learn local languages. They also look at the challenges of border demarcation in the Fergana Valley and…
Georgia’s growing reliance on remittances worries economists
Lali Javakhidze misses her family, but she is making good money. The former teacher from Georgia is in Bologna caring for an 86-year-old cancer patient. She works 24-hour shifts and earns a 150-euro bonus each weekend: a princely sum back home in Gori,…
Russian parliamentarian banned from entering Armenia
A member of Russia’s parliament has been banned from Armenia, apparently for a long history of statements criticizing the country’s leadership. The deputy, Konstantin Zatulin, reported the news on his Telegram channel on October 25. He included an emai…
Tajikistan: Helpless Kyrgyz communities isolated and stranded by border tension
Ziyoda Yakhshibayeva, 45, an ethnic Kyrgyz living in northern Tajikistan, has not seen her son and daughter-in-law for two years. They live in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, and getting there has become difficult for Yakhshibayeva. The predicament…
Perspectives | Kazakhstan’s deeply flawed safety net
Kazakhstan is a relatively prosperous country. It should be able to provide assistance to its most vulnerable people. It has a variety of social assistance programs, and yet they barely scratch the surface. These concerns were one of the major causes o…
Kazakhstan woos companies fleeing sanctions-hit Russia
As foreign companies look to relocate from sanctions-hit Russia, hundreds are eyeing Kazakhstan as a destination. The government in Astana is touting the benefits of doing business in Kazakhstan to around 300 large foreign companies moving out of Russi…
Kyrgyzstan: Arrests of activists, politicians occurred amid growing pressure on media
A rash of arrests of activists and opposition politicians over the weekend in Kyrgyzstan left many startled. The move was in keeping, however, with a souring climate for the free press and critics of the government. In one recent bellwether of troubles…
Kyrgyzstan: Mass arrests over opposition to Uzbekistan border deal
At least a dozen activists and politicians in Kyrgyzstan have been detained in what their supporters say is a reprisal for their opposition to a government plan to hand over a reservoir to Uzbekistan as part of a historic border demarcation agreement. …
Uzbekistan: Former mayor of Termez arrested for alleged embezzlement
Authorities in Uzbekistan have arrested the former mayor of Termez, a city on the border with Afghanistan, on suspicion of involvement in the embezzlement of around $1.3 million. The Prosecutor General’s Office told the media on October 20 that Isroil …