The border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has reopened for the first time in nearly four years after a historic frontier delimitation agreement was signed by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, on March 13.
Just weeks after a four-day border war in 2022, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik leader Emomali Rahmon couldn't shake hands. Now, as they prepare to put a border dispute behind them, they are even hugging.
A Russian diplomat, quietly pressured to leave Brussels amid espionage allegations, has been nominated for a leadership role in the OSCE.
A burgeoning market for Kyrgyz passports has sprouted in Russia, offering greater travel and other freedoms amid international sanctions and domestic repressions since President Vladimir Putin launched all-out war on Ukraine. Not everyone in the Central Asian nation is happy about it.
In Kyrgyzstan, where many still use Russian-style last names, parliament has adopted a bill that promotes traditional Kyrgyz surnames. The move comes amid a renewed de-Russification drive in Central Asia.
Kyrgyz and Uzbek nationals who looked destined for lengthy jail terms after fighting for Russia in Ukraine have ended up returning to their normal lives, despite the harsh stipulations of national laws on mercenaries. Pressure from Moscow may be part of the story.
Kyrgyzstan has outlawed the all-covering Islamic niqab. Authorities insists the ban does not extend to the hijab, the Islamic headscarf that has long been outlawed in schools and offices in all other Central Asian countries.
Several U.S. universities have urged international students to return to campus early to avoid possibly being denied reentry to the country. Students from Kyrgyzstan, which was affected by travel restrictions during Donald Trump's first term, say they are wary that their studies might be disrupted.
Activists in a nature reserve in central Kyrgyzstan have reintroduced elk in a bid to restore the local ecosystem and preserve snow leopards, who traditionally feed on the elk. Thirty elk from the Altai Mountains were introduced to the area two years ago.
Dozens of Central Asian migrants are being held in Russian jails with no access to proper food as they wait for deportation orders. Incarcerated migrants told RFE/RL they were being held in jails as special migrant detention facilities "were full."
Amid the economic fallout from the Ukraine war and a growing crackdown on migrants after a terrorist attack, it is little surprise Central Asians are looking beyond the Russian labor market for better paid work. But is the grass always greener?
Xi Jinping’s headwinds for 2025, Ukraine and Taiwan’s linked future, China’s business expansion in Central Asia, EU’s tightrope 2.0, and much more.
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