News about Central Asia: events, facts and developments on tafs uz.
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In a congratulation to participants of the Central Asian International Education Forum in Tashkent, the President of Uzbekistan set out the strategic goal of turning the region into a single intellectual space and listed priorities of education policy.
Javlon TursunovOn November 17, 2026, another Central Asian Aviation Summit will take place in Tashkent with the support of the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Agency of Uzbekistan. The program covers airline and airport development, flight safety, financing and aircraft leasing, digitalization, and AI. Participation by IATA, Amadeus, Emirates, and other companies is expected.
Otabek YusupovEuronews has published a travel guide to Almaty, describing the city as a place where the mountains of the Trans-Ili Alatau are part of everyday life, and where the cultural and gastronomic scene makes it a convenient starting point for travels across Central Asia.
Otabek YusupovPolitical analysts Shukhrat Rasulov and Farkhod Karimov commented on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Samarkand and the C5+1 format. In their view, Washington's interest is tied to the geopolitical position of Central Asia between Russia and China, and the US offers cooperation without demanding a geopolitical choice.
Otabek YusupovIn the Henley Passport Index for 2026, Uzbekistan's passport took 82nd place with 57 visa-free destinations, down from 74th place as of April. Kazakhstan became the leader among Central Asian countries (66th place, 77 destinations). Singapore retains first place overall with 193 destinations.
Otabek YusupovOn October 22, a meeting took place between the President of Uzbekistan and the Chairperson of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The sides noted positive dynamics of interaction, including inter-parliamentary dialogue, the Assembly's participation in election observation, and cooperation in the fields of ecology, migration, and transport. They agreed to develop a joint 'roadmap' of priority areas.
Javlon TursunovThe Ukrainian project 'I Want to Live' presented data: as of October 1, 2026, more than 20.4 thousand citizens of Central Asian countries signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces, 40% of them citizens of Uzbekistan. Citizens of 59 countries are held in Ukrainian captivity, with people from Central Asia leading. The project identifies three recruitment methods: monetary incentives, deception, and coercion.
Javlon TursunovThe number of participants in the Coalition for Urban Sustainability in Central Asia has reached 10: Fergana and Kokand joined the network, as well as Bishkek, Manas and Isfara. The announcement was made at the second Regional Dialogue on Urban Sustainability in Tashkent on 19–20 October. Seismological institutes of the region signed a memorandum of cooperation.
Sevara AzamovaAccording to the National Statistics Committee, in January–September 2026, 5.9 million citizens of Uzbekistan traveled abroad for tourism purposes — 132.7 thousand more than a year earlier. Kyrgyzstan was the most visited destination. Over the same period, 10.3 million tourists arrived in the country.
Sevara AzamovaThe VII Central Asian Aviation Summit will take place on November 17, 2026, in Tashkent. Participants will include airline executives, experts, and representatives of IATA, Amadeus, Emirates, Vietjet Qazaqstan, and Airport Authority Hong Kong. The event is supported by the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Agency of Uzbekistan.
Javlon TursunovUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Murat Tleuberdi met in Samarkand on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting between the US and five Central Asian countries. The sides discussed expanding trade, economic and investment cooperation, security, preparations for the G20 summit in Miami, and a possible visit by Rubio to Kazakhstan.
Aziz KarimovUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at a C5+1 meeting in Samarkand, announced plans to expand trade, investment and energy cooperation with the five Central Asian countries, develop critical minerals supply chains and the Trans-Caspian route. According to him, last year's summit at the White House brought $25 billion in deals. The US, he said, is not competing with China and Russia for influence in the region.
Otabek YusupovOn October 19, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took part in C5+1 format events in Samarkand and held bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries. He also visited the 'Eternal City' complex in the Silk Road Samarkand tourist cluster.
Aziz KarimovOn October 19 in Samarkand, within the framework of the meeting of foreign ministers in the 'Central Asia — United States' (C5+1) format, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The discussions covered bilateral relations, growth in trade turnover, joint projects in energy, transport, industry and agriculture, as well as plans for cultural and humanitarian exchanges next year.
Otabek YusupovUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on October 19 in Samarkand that the Donald Trump administration supports repealing the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which still applies to four of the five Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan. According to him, there are influential supporters of repeal in Congress, but the issue has not yet come up for consideration. Experts note that the amendment does not block trade, but makes the trade regime conditional and subject to annual review.
Aziz KarimovThe foreign ministers of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a joint statement in Samarkand on 19 October following the ministerial meeting in the C5+1 format. The document sets out cooperation priorities in trade, energy, security and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Otabek YusupovAt the meeting of the Central Asian foreign ministers and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Samarkand, Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov stated that the region has grown stronger and more united over the past decade. He proposed making critical minerals one of the key priorities of cooperation — from geological exploration to local industrial clusters. Uzbekistan also assumed co-chairmanship of the C5+1 Secretariat.
Otabek YusupovUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks in Samarkand with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, announcing readiness to sign agreements worth billions of dollars. The State Department reported more than 50 contracts with Uzbekistan worth $12 billion. Rubio will then travel to India, where, according to a US official, the sides are 'very close' to a trade deal.
Aziz Karimov
