TAJIKISTAN BREAKING NEWS

The Aralkum, a desert formed on the dried-up bed of the Aral Sea, covers more than 5.5 million hectares and is a major source of dust and salt carried by the wind, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report cites annual estimates of dust…

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering participating in the financing of the next phase of the Roghun hydropower plant’s construction in Tajikistan, but no decision has been made. EBRD Vice President Matteo Patrone told Asia-Plus in an exclusive interview that…

Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament has approved Zarif Alizoda’s appointment as chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums (CCER), replacing Bakhtiyor Khudoyorzoda, who had led the commission for two decades. Lawmakers also approved a new deputy chairman and five commission…

Uzbekistan will guarantee jobs and offer monthly bonuses of up to 50 million soums (more than $4,000) to doctors who return home after working abroad, as part of a new package of healthcare support measures announced by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Meanwhile, Tajikistan continues to face a…

Tajikistan has signed €62.085 million in loan and grant agreements with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to rehabilitate a mountain road in Khatlon province and modernize water supply and sewerage systems in Kulob. The projects are expected to improve year-round road…

The Asht district is famous for its salt. Here it is produced in an unusual way — grown in open ponds, where sun and wind evaporate the brine over months. The district is also home to another attraction: the healing salt lake of Aksikon. We traveled to the district to see for ourselves how Asht…

Around 500 snow leopards are estimated to live in Tajikistan, according to the country’s 2025 Red Book. Across the world, the elusive predator inhabits 12 Asian countries, but experts say there is still no reliable global population count. To mark International Snow Leopard Day, observed on October…

Jamila Rahmatshoyeva, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Finance and Economics of the International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship, has been named Student of the Year 2026 in Tajikistan. She speaks seven languages and teaches young people financial literacy and English. Jamila was…

There are people whose lives are measured not in years but in the good they managed to leave behind. Daler Shorakhmatullayev was one of those people. He was born on October 28, 1941, in Khorog and lived a short yet remarkably full life. Today, on what would have been his 85th birthday, we remember…

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has signed a decree extending the moratorium on inspections of small and medium-sized businesses until January 1, 2029. Inspections conducted by tax authorities are exempt, according to the decree published on the president’s website. Under the document, the…

Tajikistan is expanding the NERU system of paid parking and automated traffic enforcement to cities and districts across the country. The system is already operating in several locations, with more cities and districts expected to join. Launched in Dushanbe in 2024, the NERU project combines paid…

Kyrgyzstan plans to abolish its seven regions and 40 districts and replace them with more than 20 larger administrative units known as aimaqs. Elchibek Zhantayev, head of the State Agency for Civil Service and Local Self-Government, announced the plans, Fergana news agency reports. The new units…

Tajikistan is seeking investment from the United Arab Emirates and other Arab Gulf states in projects to process, bottle, market and export the country’s water resources. Saidjon Shafizoda, deputy head of the Information and Press Department of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the…

Tajikistan and Kuwait have discussed expanding cooperation in the oil and gas sector, as the Central Asian country seeks to diversify its fuel supplies. The talks took place on October 25 in Kuwait between Tajikistan’s Ambassador Khusrav Noziri and Kuwait’s Minister of Oil and Kuwait Petroleum…

Tajikistan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plan to expand cooperation under a $900 million investment roadmap for 2026–2030. The proposal was discussed on October 27 in Dushanbe at a meeting between President Emomali Rahmon and the EBRD’s Vice President for Banking…

Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali on October 27 laid the foundation stone for three two-level overpasses and a road bridge reconstruction project on Saadi Sherozi Avenue in the capital’s Sino district. The project is part of Dushanbe’s General Plan and the…

Tajikistan has discussed potential cooperation with German companies VERTEX GmbH, LAMPE GmbH and Honeywell in mining, oil and gas, industrial safety and utility infrastructure modernization. The discussions took place in Berlin at a meeting between Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Germany, Imomuddin…

Tajikistan’s new Environmental Code, signed on October 21, 2026, consolidates environmental protection and natural resource management rules into a single document. It introduces the “polluter pays” principle, tighter waste management requirements, digital environmental monitoring, climate…

Tajik citizens will be allowed to travel abroad for work only after reaching the age of 18. The requirement is enshrined in law for the first time in the new Law on Migration, published on October 23 in the parliamentary newspaper Sadoi Mardum . The law was signed by Tajikistan’s President Emomali…

More than 494,500 citizens of Tajikistan entered Russia for work in the first six months of 2026, making Tajikistan the second-largest country of origin for foreign workers entering Russia. TASS reports this, citing data from Russian government agencies. Uzbekistan ranked first, with 1.178 million…

The G10 Insights Forum 2026 brought together government representatives, business leaders, international investors, financial institutions and industry experts in Dushanbe to discuss investment opportunities, establish partnerships and promote new economic projects. The forum provided a platform…

Zehnlab.ai, the developer of Soro, a large language model for the Tajik language, has been named one of the five winners of NVIDIA’s Open Models AI Codefest. The competition focused on developing artificial intelligence solutions for the public sector using open models, according to T-Systems, a…

Investment in the fixed capital of Tajikistan reached 29.1 billion somoni in January–September 2026, increasing by 44.9% in comparable prices year-on-year, according to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan. The growth was driven largely by state investment and spending on the…

Starlink has temporarily suspended the sale and activation of new connections in Tajikistan, citing government regulation and the high cost of ground network infrastructure. The Communications Service under the Government of Tajikistan says it has imposed no restrictions on the company and has…

Seven prominent Tajik judokas suspended for disciplinary violations will be allowed to return to national team training after their four-month suspension expires on November 4. However, they will have to pass an evaluation before being cleared to compete again, an official source within the…

President Emomali Rahmon has nominated Zarif Alizoda, his outgoing Aide for Legal Affairs, to become Chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER). The nomination was submitted to the Majlisi Namoyandgon (Tajikistan’s lower house of parliament) for approval, the Tajik…