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OJAR AZIYA, one of Turkmenistan's leading construction companies, took part in the 5th National and International Trade Exhibition named after Imam Abu Hanifa, held from 7 to 13 October 2026 at the Afghanistan International Expo Centre in Kabul. The company introduced visitors to its key infrastructure projects.
Trend reported on 17 October 2026 that Iran bought more than $11 million worth of natural gas from Azerbaijan over eight months. Because the article belongs to Trend's paid Premium section, the headline is the only publicly available text of the story.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the government of Uzbekistan have signed an agreement to implement a $202 million agricultural mechanisation project. The IsDB will finance the full amount. The document was signed in Bangkok on 15 October 2026, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.
Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, arrived in Uzbekistan for a two-day official visit. On October 17, he was met at Tashkent-Humo International Airport by Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and other officials.
Azerbaijan produced 2,281 kg of gold and 2,813.8 kg of silver in January–September 2026, according to data from the State Statistics Committee cited by Report.az. The report was published on 17 October 2026.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a series of meetings on October 16 with participants of the Investment Council in the fuel and energy sector. One of the meetings was attended by Mohammed Abunayyan, head of Saudi company ACWA Power.
On October 17, Kazakhstan and Cambodia adopted a joint statement and exchanged six intergovernmental and interagency documents following talks in Astana between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to the Kazakh president's press service. The exchange ceremony was held in the presence of both leaders.
Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover reached $103 billion in January–August 2026, up 12.8% year on year, the Ministry of Trade and Integration reported. Exports grew more than four times faster than imports. Exports totalled $60.4 billion, up 19.5%, while imports rose 4.5% to $42.6 billion, lifting the trade surplus to $17.8 billion from $9.8 billion a year earlier.
Registration has closed for the 31st International Conference and Exhibition “Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2026” (OGT 2026), according to Turkmenistan Today. More than 1,700 delegates from 75 countries, representing 450 companies, have confirmed their participation. The forum will take place on 21–23 October in Ashgabat.
According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health, 21 healthcare facilities were built and completed in 2021-2025 using the republican budget and other sources. Their construction cost a total of 2 billion 612 million 882 thousand soms. In 2026, construction of more than 40 healthcare facilities is being financed with 13 billion 236 million soms. Five facilities are under construction in Bishkek.
Kyrgyzstan attracted a total of $5.9 billion in direct foreign investment in 2020–2025. Speaking to the Kabar news agency, Ravshanbek Sabirov, head of the National Investment Agency under the President, said the 2025 volume exceeded $1.3 billion, a 143.9% increase compared with 2020. In the first half of 2026, Kyrgyzstan received $709.9 million in direct foreign investment, up 26.2% from the same period a year earlier.
Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held talks in Astana with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who arrived on his first official visit to Kazakhstan. The Government's press service told Qazinform News Agency that the two delegations discussed ways to expand trade and economic cooperation. Kazakhstan views Cambodia as an important and reliable partner in Southeast Asia.
The Kazakh government plans to end social benefits for wealthy citizens, a move expected to save 700 billion tenge in 2027 and almost 2.5 trillion tenge over three years. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said that shifting to needs-based payments would end the unfairness of wealthy and low-income families receiving the same support. The Ministry of Labour said about 1.38 million households, or 21% of recipients, will lose benefits, including those with incomes above 305,000 tenge per person per month who own large or medium businesses, several properties or premium cars.
According to Spot, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a series of meetings on October 16 with members of the Investors Council in the fuel and energy sector. In one meeting, he discussed expanding cooperation in Uzbekistan with Cemil Kazancı, chairman of the board of directors of Turkey's Aksa Enerji. The sides agreed to accelerate work on specific projects.
Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov said at the plenary session of the TAIM II Russia-India forum in Kazan that he intends to travel to India in the first quarter of 2027. An agreement on the matter was reached with India's ambassador to the Russian Federation, Vinay Kumar.
Uzbekistan plans to hand over liquefied gas supply across the country to the private sector in 2027. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the plan during an open dialogue with investors in the fuel and energy sector. Currently, 3.8 million households in the country use liquefied gas. The supply system, previously a state monopoly, is gradually introducing market mechanisms.
According to the State Statistical Committee, Azerbaijan exported 175.237 million cubic metres of natural gas worth $11.793 million to Iran during January–August 2026. Over the same period it imported a larger volume from its southern neighbour: 215.022 million cubic metres, valued at $14.471 million.
Aisen Nikolaev, head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and chair of the State Council's energy commission, spoke at a discussion held at the Russian Energy Week international forum on balancing economics and regional specifics in the social gasification programme. He said building one kilometre of gas pipeline in permafrost and low temperatures can cost two to three times the national average.
Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held an open dialogue with fuel and energy sector investors, citing the country’s natural resources, industrial capacity and young workforce as potential for international energy partnership.
Bashkortostan recorded the second-highest growth in new-build housing sales in Russia in September, according to data from Dom.RF. Developers in the region sold 41% more future housing in September than in the same month a year earlier.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on 16 October, during an open dialogue with fuel and energy investors, that Uzbekistan has invested more than $2 billion in modernising its electricity grids since 2021. Key priorities include upgrading grid infrastructure and developing energy storage systems.
Bishkek, October 16, 2026 /Kabar/. The Entrepreneurship Development Fund Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) has been officially transformed into a microfinance company. As a result, the maximum loan available to entrepreneurs will rise from 5 million to 9 million soms.
Economy
Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover reached $103 billion in January–August 2026, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration. The figure represents an increase of 12.8% compared with the same period of the previous year. Kazinform reports the information, citing the ministry.
A ceremony at the Baku Shipyard marked the exchange of documents for the construction of two universal dry cargo ships for KTZ Express Shipping, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy. The ceremony took place on 15 October during a working visit to Baku by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit. The contracts for the vessels were signed in April 2026.
Today's top Turkic news: Uzbekistan-China ties, Samarkand visit, Kulubaev-Rubio talks, Northern Cyprus festival and Turkmen desertification centre.
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