CIS

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Russia Vladimir Putin held detailed telephone negotiations on March 24. The central focus of the discussion was the transition to the active phase of construction for Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant (NPP). Concrete works officially commenced on the main site of the plant on that very day, marking a strategic mega-project that is set to transform the country's energy landscape and initiate a new era in its power sector.

In the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan, a major attempt to smuggle drugs from Afghanistan has been thwarted. Officers from the State Security Service (SSS), in collaboration with border guards and customs officials at the international checkpoint "Termez-road," discovered 222 potato imitations among real vegetables in a MAN-brand cargo truck driven by a 23-year-old driver.

In the Syrdarya region, movement of citizens and passenger vehicles has resumed through the "Atameken" checkpoint on the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan border, following the completion of construction work on the adjacent side. Border control procedures have been simplified, which is expected to speed up passage through the checkpoint.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un addressed the country's Supreme People's Assembly, declaring his intention to "firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear-armed state." He labeled South Korea as the "most hostile" enemy, emphasizing a reliance on military strength over diplomatic engagement for national security.

Tashkent – The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has forecast a potential easing of monetary policy in Uzbekistan in the second half of 2026. According to the bank's analytical review, the key interest rate could be reduced from the current 14% to 13% per annum against the backdrop of a sustained slowdown in inflation.

Movement across the Uzbek-Kazakh state border in the Syrdarya region has been fully restored. The "Syrdarya" border customs post has resumed the passage of citizens and passenger vehicles in regular mode.

During an operational event, officers of the State Security Service in Syrdarya Region halted the illegal activities of two state bailiffs from the Mirzaabad District Department of the Bureau of Forced Execution. They are suspected of accepting bribes and falsifying documents.

An 11-year-old girl with no official documentation has been discovered in the village of Vavilovo, Bashkortostan. She lacks a birth certificate and does not attend school, as reported by Podrobno.uz.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif. The call took place on March 20, during which the leaders discussed the escalation of tensions in South Asia and the Middle East. The interlocutors emphasized the necessity of resolving contradictions exclusively through diplomatic means, highlighting a commitment to peaceful approaches in regional affairs, though the practical impact of such dialogues remains uncertain given ongoing conflicts.

According to the latest data on labor migration between Uzbekistan and Russia, more than 106,000 Uzbek citizens were sent to Russian enterprises through organized recruitment programs in 2025. This was reported by Rahmon Hakimov, Deputy Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, in his official statement.

In Central Asian countries, up to 75% of power plants and grids require modernization, while electricity demand is projected to increase by 40% by 2030. Experts from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) are proposing a 'middle path' solution to address this challenge - modernizing old capacities and gradually developing renewable energy sources (RES).

The Belarusian government has released 250 political prisoners in what is reportedly the largest one-time release of its kind, tied to the easing of sanctions from the United States. The move was ordered by President Alexander Lukashenko following a meeting in Minsk with US special envoy John Coale, who celebrated it as a "significant humanitarian milestone." This action is seen as part of Minsk's efforts to normalize ties with Washington after years of isolation due to its human rights crackdown and role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.