At the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will undertake a state visit to Uzbekistan on March 26–27. The visit is set to include high-level negotiations and the inaugural session of the Supreme Interstate Council, chaired by the two leaders.
In a new phase of the ongoing conflict, Russia and Ukraine have engaged in tit-for-tat attacks targeting each other's energy infrastructure, resulting in widespread power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of people, officials from both sides reported. Nearly half a million residents in Russia's Belgorod region and around 150,000 consumers in Ukraine's Chernihiv city and surrounding areas were left without electricity on Wednesday, highlighting the severe humanitarian and economic toll of the war.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 24. The discussion focused on the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Uzbekistan, as well as current issues in the further development of Uzbek-Russian strategic partnership and alliance relations.
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.