Via Radio Free Europe, commentary on the Kyrgyzstan’s Kumtor Mine scandal: Mining the Kumtor gold deposits in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan was supposed to bring economic salvation to the former Soviet republic in Central Asia. For a country lacking large reserves of oil or natural gas, the government’s joint mining project with a foreign firm was […]
Read more »Via Silk Road Briefing, a report on Pakistan’s ambition of significant increases in Central Asian trade: Pakistan is looking to increase trade with neighboring Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia, as it looks to diversify commerce beyond the top global players, the nation’s trade adviser has stated. Abdul Razak Dawood, the commerce adviser to Prime Minister […]
Read more »Via the Jamestown Foundation, an article on Iran’s renewed focus on Central Asia: High-ranking officials from Iran and Tajikistan made a total of three visits to Dushanbe and Tehran, respectively, in less than two months, a significant sign that after years of frosty relations, diplomatic ties are finally improving (Khovar, February 23, March 29, April 5). Even more […]
Read more »Via Third Pole, an article on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway which – after more than two decades of negotiations – remains stalled on basic issues, with no clear way forward: The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway (CKU) has been under discussion for almost 25 years, but construction may never begin. Despite numerous high level meetings the three countries have failed to […]
Read more »Via Silk Road Briefing, a report on the potential of a Central Asian railway: A long held dream along the Silk Road both old and new has been a railway that links China to Central Asia and the Middle East. Actually getting it done however is proving difficult: Kyrgyzstan lies in the middle. Anyone that […]
Read more »Via Eurasianet.com, a look at how Beijing has adopted a new economic model for Central Asia, investing less in major infrastructure and spreading its risk: Roads, pipelines, coal-fired power plants: not so much anymore. Beijing has changed course. It now rarely funds major infrastructure projects in Central Asia. Instead the People’s Republic has shifted to manufacturing: […]
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