Energy and Economy 

 

Grand Opening of Kyrgyz-Chinese Trade and Economic Cooperation Center

A new Kyrgyz-Chinese Trade and Economic Cooperation Center is officially open. Located in Chongqing, one of China’s largest industrial and transportation hubs, this center will act as a platform for bilateral business deals. The center will also allow Kyrgyzstan’s companies to register and conduct business in China for free. Trade between Kyrgyzstan and China reached $5.3 billion in 2024, with exports from Kyrgyzstan growing 93 times higher than in 2023. 

Source: The Times of Central Asia

Uzbekistan Announces $5.9 Billion Green Aviation Fuel Plant Project with Allied Biofuels

On Thursday, October 2, Uzbekistan’s Khorezm Regional Government announced that it had  signed land and water deals with Allied Biofuels FE LLC Uzbekistan to establish Central Asia’s first green aviation fuel plant. Expected to stimulate the local economy and develop the Khorezm region into an important green energy center, the plant is projected to generate 382,000 tons of Sustainable Action Fuel and 11,000 tons of renewable diesel energy each year for international and domestic markets. The forthcoming plant is described as playing an important role in helping Tashkent achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2030. 

Source: daryo.uz, The Times of Central Asia

Turkish State Oil Company to Sign New Contract with KazMunayGaz

Under the agreement, which was announced on October 2, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) will gain access to operate in two new oil fields in Kazakhstan. After both parties sign the agreement, TPAO will begin exploration. TPAO’s CEO praised Kazakhstan’s use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline, adding that the two new fields will complement current flows with the pipeline.  

Source: qazinform

Kyrgyzstan Partners with Binance to Strengthen Digital Economy Development

President Sadyr Japarov has met with Rachel Conlan, Chief Marketing Officer of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and discussed ongoing and future collaborations on innovative digital economy. Japarov highlighted ongoing projects like the creation of the KGST digital asset pegged to Kyrgyzstan’s national currency, the som, and the development of digital som by the National Bank. Conlan emphasized Binance’s global expertise and long-term support for Kyrgyzstan’s digital transformation and education initiatives.

Source: The Times of Central Asia

Uzbekistan Announces Nearly $4 Billion Worth of Energy Deals with U.S. Companies

On September 30, Uzbek Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov announced that Uzbekistan had signed a series of deals with U.S. companies collectively amounting to about $4 billion. Pennsylvania-based Air Products will support the construction of a petrochemical complex in Bukhara, coal gasification initiatives, and jet fuel refinement. Large oil and gas companies Schlumberger and Baker Hughes have agreed to support the implementation of modern technologies and management methods. Mirzamakhmudov also stated that the U.S. Export-Import Bank is prepared to open an $852 million line of credit to support energy-related projects like these.

Source: UzDaily, Eurasianet

Politics and Security 

 

Georgian Dream Victory in Local Elections Sparks Protests and Five Arrests

The municipal elections, which included mayoral posts, were held on October 4, with Georgian Dream receiving over 80 percent of the vote. However, the elections were heavily boycotted by primary opposition parties, resulting in landslide victories and sparking mass protests. In Tbilisi, where Mayor and Georgian Dream member Kakha Kaladze won reelection for a second time, thousands of protestors rallied on the streets, and police employed water cannons and pepper spray to push back those that attempted to enter the presidential palace. 

Source: AP, The Moscow Times

Flights from Türkiye to Armenia

Türkiye's flag carrier airline, Turkish Airlines, has announced its plans to establish direct flights from Türkiye to Armenia. Following a meeting between special envoys from both countries on September 12, the Armenia Foreign Ministry stated that the countries had agreed to complete the necessary work to allow flights from various destinations to begin in summer 2026. 

Source: Bloomberg, Euronews

Pashinyan, Aliyev Meet in Copenhagen, Agree to Further Work on Strengthening Peace

On October 2, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting on the margins of the 7^th European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. Both sides emphasized the significance of the agreements reached during the Washington Peace Summit initiated by U.S. President Donald J. Trump on August 8. The leaders reaffirmed their readiness to work towards further strengthening peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They exchanged views on the implementation of the Washington Declaration and discussed the current progress of infrastructural development in the territory of Azerbaijan and the TRIPP project in the territory of Armenia. Aliyev and Pashinyan also highlighted the importance of further implementing confidence-building measures and agreed to continue their contacts.

Source: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

Aliyev, Zelenskyy Discuss Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine 

On October 2, on the margins of the 7^th European Political Community Summit, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting. During this meeting, Zelenskyy thanked Azerbaijan for its principled and consistent support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and congratulated Aliyev on the peace agreement with Armenia reached with the involvement of U.S. President Donald Trump. The leaders discussed diplomatic efforts to establish real peace in Ukraine and ways to achieve it as soon as possible, Azerbaijan’s humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and potential for further cooperation in the energy and defense sectors.

Source: President of Ukraine, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Putin to Attend CIS’ Leaders’ Summit in Tajikistan This Week

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines with Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon, among other leaders in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This will be Putin’s first visit to Tajikistan since June 2022. This year’s summit will take place in Dushanbe; Kyrgyzstan last hosted it in Bishkek in 2023. 

Source: Kursiv

Japarov Moves to Reinstate the Death Penalty for Serious Crimes Against Women and Children

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov has ordered the drafting of legislation to reinstate the death penalty for the rape of minors and for rape followed by murder. The move comes amid widespread public outrage over the killing of a 17-year-old girl named Aisuluu. If enacted, the measure would mark a sharp reversal from the region’s broader trend toward abolition of death penalties, as Kyrgyzstan officially eliminated capital punishment in 2007.

Source: Reuters, The Times of Central Asia

OTS Heads of State Summit to Take Place in Gabala

On October 6 and 7, the Azerbaijani city of Gabala is hosting the 12^th Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Leaders of member states and observer states are slated to attend, including Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and President of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar. The summit aims to bring together delegations and discuss key issues for further advancing of unity, peace, and prosperity across the Turkic World. 

Sources: Report.az, Organization of Turkic States, AzerNews, report.az, qazinform, Vestnik Kavkaza