Tajikistan

In a report that should give foreign investors and international financial institutions reasons for concern, a United Nations expert is raising some red flags about the Tajik government’s fiscal practices and the general business climate.

Attiya Waris, an independent UN expert, undertook a two-week mission to Tajikistan in late August to assess the impact of the country’s extensive foreign debt and other financial obligations on the country’s roughly 9mn citizens.

Her preliminary observations were based on the principles of “fiscal legitimacy, which consists of accountability, transparency, responsibility, efficiency, effectiveness, fairness and justice.”

Waris expressed concern about a lack of transparency in the official decision-making process, a factor that raises the odds that major investments in infrastructure can be wasted. “The Independent Expert observed that the various actions taken by the government are not sufficiently visible to the public and relevant stakeholders,” according to the preliminary observations. 

Large-scale projects, such as the Rogun Hydropower Station, should be grounded in “transparent cost-benefit analyses, responsible financing and public participation,” the assessment adds. Critics of the Rogun project say it is a white elephant in the making and can cause extensive environmental harm to downstream communities.

Among Waris’ recommendations to improve the country’s financial culture is a need for a government strategy to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on labour migrant remittances. Substantial investments are needed to “support skills development, entrepreneurship and opportunities,” Waris recommends.

To improve domestic value chains, the UN expert calls for literacy training and a public awareness campaign about the legal framework for entrepreneurial activity. “Micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses that take such financial risks by investing capital and starting new or innovative businesses should receive appropriate support,” the assessment adds.

Such government support could include “access to affordable credit, tax incentives, [and] business-development services.”

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev talked on the phone with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on September 7, but Baku’s readout gave no indication that the two resolved differences which have injected fresh tension into bilateral relations.

According to Aliyev’s account, the pair “agreed to intensify bilateral contacts at various levels.” Several clues suggest that Aliyev remains miffed with Moscow, including the brevity of his statement (only a few sentences) and a mention that it was Putin who initiated the call.

Azerbaijani-Russian rancor flared in August, sparked by reports published by Russia’s tightly state-controlled press that were critical of Aliyev’s administration. State-affiliated Azerbaijani media outlets, in turn, accused Russia’s “media community” of “spreading obscene, insulting and threatening materials.”

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is planning to build 42 new water reservoirs and repair 37 existing ones as part of a comprehensive five-year water-conservation programme.

A government update on September 3 stated that officials will develop “eight basin plans” by the end of 2026. Those plans, in turn, “will serve as the foundation for a Master Plan for Integrated Water Resources Management.” At the same time, a Water Code adopted in 2025 requires “major water consumers,” including industrial enterprises, to come up with five-year implementation plans to develop “closed-loop water supply systems” and introduce other water-saving measures.

The code also increases fines for violators, while enhancing environmental protection measures for rivers, lakes, wetlands and glaciers.

Kyrgyzstan

Digging has been completed on the first tunnel in Kyrgyzstan’s section of a railway that will connect Uzbekistan to China, Chinese media outlets announced September 5. The tunnel is almost 700 feet (213 metres) in length.

According to the Xinhua news agency, work on the rail route began in June 2025 and is proceeding on 27 tunnels overall, along with 43 bridges, 88 roadbed sections and 20 railway stations.

Kyrgyz officials have come up with a plan to build 106 new water reservoirs by 2030 on top of the existing 93 reservoirs. In addition, Kyrgyz officials have released for public discussion a draft of its Climate Adaptation Plan till 2035 that includes water-conservation measures.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan was selected on September 3 to chair the UN Group of Landlocked Developing Countries. The country’s two-year term at the helm of the 32-member group will begin on January 1. Azerbaijan will be the group’s vice chair. Turkmen officials have indicated their chairmanship will prioritise energy and transport connectivity. 

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is now offering qualifying Indian citizens visa-free travel, according to a presidential decree. Those eligible must already hold a valid visa to one or more of 36 developed Western countries.

The visa arrangement is an outgrowth of the recent state visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tashkent, during which the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement and pledged to increase bilateral trade to $5bn by 2030. Citizens of Pakistan, India’s archrival, still require visas to travel to Uzbekistan.

The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy has developed an initiative called the Silk Seven-Plus (S7+), a blueprint to enable regional states to realise their economic growth ambitions. It is a multi-phase connectivity plan to strengthen the sovereignty of Central Asian states. The S7+ envisions the establishment of a trade crescent connecting the Caspian Basin to the Arabian Sea, unlocking Greater Central Asia’s full trade potential. The items included in this roundup are relevant to the development of the S7+ concept. 

This article first appeared on Eurasianet here.