Energy and Economy

 

Sun Energy Co. Plans to Build $230 Million Solar Power Plant in Kyrgyzstan

Chinese Company Sun Energy Co. Plans to build a 250 MW solar power plant on a 669.3-hectare site in Batken, Kyrgyzstan, with an investment of $230 million. The company has also installed 20 KW solar panels at the office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in Batken. A memorandum of cooperation was signed between Sun Energy Co. And the regional government during an international investment forum on October 12, 2024.

Source: Trend News

Azerbaijan, Russia, and Iran Advance Rasht-Astara Railway to Enhance Trade

Azerbaijan, Russia, and Iran are set to discuss the progress of the Rasht-Astara railway, the only missing segment of the International North-South Transport Corridor. Russia and Iran expect to sign in an implementation agreement by March 2025 and will commit over €1.3 billion in funding. The railway aims to enhance trade by providing an alternative to the Suez Canal, reducing transit times between India and Russia from six weeks to three. Azerbaijan has also strengthened its role in the corridor, securing a $131.5 million loan for railway modernization and expanding operations at the Astara freight terminal, which has already boosted transit cargo by over 28% in 2024.

Source: Caspian News

SOCAR to Invest $480 Million in AI Energy Management System

The State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has announced a $480 million initiative to establish an artificial intelligence management system for its gas infrastructure. The system, referred to as IntelliGrid AI, will aim to reduce gas leaks throughout SOCAR’s gas network.

Source: Interfax 

Uzbekistan Increases Supply of Water to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has announced that by October 2025, Uzbekistan will have provided Kazakhstan 16 billion cubic meters of water, an increase of one billion cubic meters from the same period in 2024. The announcement came fallowing a meeting of the Kazakh-Uzbek Joint Working Group on Deepening Bilateral Water Cooperation. Additional agreements were reached to provide greater amounts of water to Kazakhstan’s agricultural regions by way of the Dostyk Canal and for Uzbekistan to repair Kazakhstan’s water infrastructure.

Source: Daryo

Russia Re-Launches Commercial Flights to Abkhazia 

Russian state media reported on February 7 that for the first time in decades passenger flights would be available to Abkhazia, Georgia’s Russian-occupied separatist-governed region. A test flight from Moscow to Sukhumi took place on February 7 and regular commercial flights are expected to begin in May. Abkhazia, with its Black Sea coast, had been a major tourist destination during the Soviet Union, but the territory’s airport had largely been shuttered since the outbreak of the Abkhaz-Georgian war in the 1990s. In recent months, the Kremlin has sought greater Russian economic and political integration with Abkhazia.

Source: Reuters

Politics and Security

 

Preliminary Report Says Outside Strike Downed AZAL Flight

On February 4, officials in Kazakhstan released a preliminary report on the Azerbaijani Airlines passenger flight that crashed in Kazakhstan in December, killing 38. The report “does not purport to assign blame or responsibility to anyone” but does state that the plane was damaged “from the outside by foreign metal objects,” contradicting Russian claims that the flight had been downed due to birds and backing Azerbaijan’s assertion that a misuse of Russian air-defense caused the disaster. 

Source: EurasiaNet

Pashinyan Visits Washington DC, Meets with Vice President Vance

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan concluded a trip to Washington DC on February 7. His visit included speaking engagements at the Atlantic Council think tank, a conference on religious freedom, and Georgetown University as well as a meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. The office of the Prime Minister reported that “Armenia-U.S. bilateral relations, as well as the regional agenda, were discussed” at the meeting with Vance. Pashinyan’s public remarks focused on his ongoing drive for a peace and normalization agreement with Azerbaijan, Armenia’s evolving foreign policy.

Source: Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

Uzbekistan Establishes International University of Turkic States

On January 27, the Presidency of Uzbekistan established the International University of Turkic States in Tashkent. The University is jointly founded by the Councils of Higher Education of Uzbekistan and Türkiye. Its curricula will be based on the Turkish Universities that are top 1000 globally. The institution will provide specialized training in engineering, construction, logistics, information technology, healthcare, agriculture, the food industry, and social sciences.

Source: The Times of Central Asia

Kyrgyzstan Bans Niqab

Kyrgyzstan has become the latest Muslim-majority country to ban the niqab, imposing a 20,000 Som ($230) fine on women who wear it in public. The ban, which took effect on February 1, is part of an amendment to the Religious Sphere Act signed by President Sadyr Japarov on January 21. While the law does not explicitly mention the niqab, it prohibits clothing that obscures a person’s identity in public places.

Source: RFERL

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan Explore Biometric ID Use for Travel

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are discussing the recognition of biometric ID cards for border crossings, potentially replacing passports to simplify travel and reduce administrative burdens. Officials from both countries held an online meeting to explore the initiative, which aligns with the broader efforts to enhance regional connectivity. Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev previously had proposed mutual ID recognition, specifically with Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, to boost tourism and regional cooperation. Azerbaijan has similar agreements with Türkiye, while Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan implemented a comparable system in 2023. The initiative reflects growing bilateral ties, with Uzbekistani tourist arrivals in Azerbaijan increasing by 16% in 2024.

Source: Caspian News

Azerbaijan Orders Closing of Russian Development Office

Azerbaijani officials ordered the closure of the local offices of Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian cultural and development institution, on February 6. The closure of Rossotrudnichestvo, or more specifically its representative office, Russian House, came after Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry declared the organization was “not registered as a legal entity and the organization seriously violates the legislation of Azerbaijan.”

Source: The Moscow Times