The 12th annual session of the Dialogue between the European Union and Central Asian countries was held in Dushanbe. During the summit, Tajikistan agreed to conclude a wide-ranging partnership agreement with the EU, joining the processes underway in various forms in other countries in the region.

A seminar organised recently by the European Union delegation and the Tajik government brought together politicians, law enforcement specialists and representatives of civil society to exchange knowledge and strengthen cooperation in response to the growing threat of violent acts motivated by extremism.

Two months after the reopening of the border, both countries are still waiting for cross-border customers to return to their local markets in frontier areas. Mutual distrust and suspicion remain palpable, but both some traders and local authorities believe that the economy will soon take a turn for the better.

Several of the country’s major business groups have formed a network to promote the idea that collaboration is more productive than competition, and they are now working together to find common paths to strengthen the national economy. Their efforts begin with social projects such as supporting low-income families, schools, and student hostels.

The country holds vast potential for the development of solar energy, yet it is still in the early stages of this journey. As a result, to heat water for tea, people often have to light a coal fire while waiting for a bit of electricity to arrive — electricity that is still rationed to just a few hours a day, especially during the winter.

Since the collapse of the USSR, the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia have been debating whether to abandon the Cyrillic alphabet in favour of Latin script. Some argue it more closely reflects the phonetics of Turkic languages, but the issue is entangled with broader calls for “de-Russification” in the context of the war in Ukraine. Even in Kazakhstan—where Nazarbayev launched the transition with the aim of completing it by 2031—serious doubts remain.