Whilst the countries of Central Asia continue the process of intensifying their external contacts, and developing their international relations, Afghanistan remains a cause of concern.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government continues to be unable or unwilling to reel in militant groups clashing with Pakistan’s forces on the border. This has resulted in a protracted trade war, leading to almost complete suspensions of all imports and exports across the border, regardless of ongoing fighting in the near proximity. Afghanistan’s situation vis-à-vis Central Asia remains very much the same as it was in the last newsletters. Afghan businesses are looking to replace the now inaccessible markets in Pakistan, which Central Asian countries may look to capitalize on. Most recently, on December 16, 2025, the Kyrgyz Trade House in Kabul was opened, establishing a permanent economic platform in the capital for promoting Kyrgyz products and creating a forum of exchange between business contacts. Simultaneously, the recent back-and-forth drone strikes on the Tajik-Afghan border in the last weeks continue to call Afghanistan’s security situation and reliability as a trade partner for the region into question, and whether a greater CSTO intervention into the border territories will be necessary. The security of Afghanistan was set as a priority agenda item during the Turkmenistan’s 30th Anniversary of Neutrality, with several states, most notably Kazakhstan, reaffirming their commitment to support Afghanistan through several key mechanisms: the UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals in Almaty, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and Kazakhstan’s Movement for Peace initiative. These efforts are reflected by similar initiatives from Uzbekistan, which, as detailed in the previous newsletter, has emerged as the most active Central Asian state pushing for engagement with Afghanistan through economic ties. Concurrently, as evidenced by Pakistan’s presence at the 30th Neutrality Anniversary in Ashgabat and the recent overall diplomatic developments between Central Asia and the rest of the world, multilateral diplomacy transcending regional conflicts is still favored by Central Asian leadership. For now, this approach seems to be paying off, as Central Asia continues to gain relevance and secure advantageous economic relationships, but Afghanistan’s situation may prove to be a distinctively regional challenge that the Central Asian states cannot smooth over with trade and connectivity initiatives while presenting themselves as a strategic and reliable region for investment to economic powers worldwide.
source: commonspace.eu with Central Asia Concise. This editorial comment was first published in the issue of 18 December 2025 of the electronic newsletter Central Asia Concise
photo: Taliban fighters in Kabul (archive picture).
