Economy | Eurasianet

WrestleMania Central Asian-style: Great powers battle for region’s critical minerals

Getting down and dirty to obtain rare earths.

Mar 21, 2025

Pashinyan’s goal of convincing Armenians to embrace an overhaul of the county’s political, economic and social culture will test the limits of his political and diplomatic skills. (Photo: primeminister.am)

Commentary: Armenia at constitutional crossroads

Peace treaty finalized, Pashinyan aims to transform Armenian society

Maroš Cuník Mar 17, 2025

Environmental groups caution against overdevelopment of river resources in Central Asia

Calling on international financial institutions to reevaluate projects.

Mar 14, 2025

US and EU drumbeat for Central Asia’s critical minerals grows louder

All discussions seem to touch on rare earths.

Mar 14, 2025

Government officials visit a business in Georgia’s Samegrelo Region. (Photo: gov.ge)

Georgia ranked highest in Eurasia in economic freedom survey

Tbilisi’s standing doesn’t take into account its recent authoritarian turn.

Mar 13, 2025

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (left) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at an SCO event in Kazakhstan on July 3, 2024. The Uzbek government wants to maintain a sense of strong domestic support for its “all-weather strategic partnership“ with China, but the initial effort to reassure Uzbeks did not appear to stem the social media-driven discontent. (Photo: president.uz)

Social networks in Uzbekistan buzzing with criticism of Chinese economic practices

Government struggling to contain hostile comments.

Mar 12, 2025

The power line would be capable of transmitting up to 4 Gigawatts of electricity annually, a significant portion of which would be generated from renewable sources. (Photo: president.az)

Azerbaijan and Georgia seek to accelerate construction of a Black Sea power line

EU special designation could help with financing.

Mar 11, 2025

Uzbekistan launches drive to develop minerals & mining sector

An invitation for the United States to invest.

Mar 10, 2025

The site of the passenger jet’s crash. (Photo: gov.kz)

Azerbaijan creates pathway to reconciliation with Russia

Will Putin act on the olive branch?

Mar 6, 2025

New rail routes launched in Central Asia, bypassing Russia

Reducing transit times, cutting transport costs and hurting the Kremlin’s bottom line.

Mar 5, 2025

Turkmenistan seeks to diversify its natural gas export routes. (Photo: gov.tm)

Turkmenistan is trying to come out of its shell

Economic necessity is the mother of diversification.

Mar 5, 2025

The Metsamor nuclear power plant. (Photo: Adam Jones, CC BY 2.0, t.ly/LO-66)

Armenia gets US attention by agreeing to a mining deal

Could United States edge out Russia to win nuclear power plant construction contract?

Mar 4, 2025

Hundreds of thousands of labor migrants from Uzbekistan toil as construction workers in Russia. The Uzbek government now invites them back home to build “New Tashkent.” (Photo: mos.ru)

Uzbekistan trying to lure labor migrants back home

Officials say lots of jobs are available to build ‘New Tashkent.’

Mar 3, 2025

First responders extricate an entrapped passenger after a road accident in Kazakhstan. (Photo: gov.kz)

Central Asia and Caucasus are some of the most hazardous places to drive in the world

Traffic-related deaths and injuries taking an economic toll.

Mar 3, 2025

Kazakhstan selects site for its first nuclear power station

The United States showing interest in developing nuclear power in the region.

Feb 27, 2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the US interest in cooperation with Central Asian countries. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

US shows interest in bolstering ties with Central Asian states

Washington interested in widening access to region’s mineral wealth.

Feb 26, 2025

The Trans-Alai mountain range on the frontier between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. (Photo: twiga269 EVEREST via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan put border troubles behind them

Opening way for commerce.

Feb 24, 2025

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov meets with Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko on February 20. (Photo: mfa.az)

Azerbaijan highlights meeting with Ukrainian diplomats

Baku keeps on taking jabs at Moscow.

Feb 21, 2025

An unidentified drone discovered in West Kazakhstan. (Eye witness photo via mgorod.kz)

Who flew a reconnaissance drone into Kazakhstan?

Is Moscow making more mischief?

Feb 21, 2025

Pashinyan presents the Real Armenia doctrine in a televised address to the nation. (Screenshot, primeminister.am)

Armenia: Prime minister promotes plan to radically transform society

Pashinyan’s doctrine stresses individual initiative.

Feb 20, 2025

A rendering of the Jebel airport currently under construction. (Photo: gov.tm)

Turkmenistan making moves to integrate into Middle Corridor trade routes

Ashgabat wants to join the party.

Feb 19, 2025

Aliyev, despite personal insults coming from Russia, is keeping his options open. (Photo: gov.ru)

Trade deals brew beneath the surface of Azerbaijani-Russian tension

Aliyev ratifies agreement to modernize North-South corridor.

Feb 19, 2025

Roughly 40 percent of economic activity in the construction sector occurs in the shadows. (Photo: gov.uz)

Uzbekistan: Shadow economy responsible for generating over one-third of GDP

Officials use indirect methods to look at the unobservable.

Feb 18, 2025

Pashinyan promotes new ideology to guide Armenia’s geopolitical transformation

Opposition coming from three directions.

Feb 13, 2025

Sherali Kabir (center). (Photo: Tajikistan’s Ministry of Industry and New Technologies)

Tajikistan aspires to be an AI development hub

Magical thinking from a parallel universe.