A competition promoted by the respective broadcasters chose the most representative athletes from each of the five countries. From the judoka rejected by the Russians who climbed onto the podium at the Olympics for Tajikistan to the Uzbek footballer who plays in the Premier League and led his national team to World Cup qualification. And the Kazakh who discovered he was a marathon runner after an illness.

Visits to local administrations by the head of the Bishkek security services, Kamchybek Tašiev, have ended in sensational arrests. The senior official describes the fight against corruption as “a mission received from President Žaparov”. But there are those who doubt the effectiveness of this “clean-up campaign” if, in a country like Kyrgyzstan, procedures are not radically changed to make them transparent, effective and digitised.

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.

Meetings and projects for new cooperation initiatives between Mongolia's political leadership and Central Asian heads of state and government are multiplying. In a network of relations that not only has political and commercial significance but also represents a form of historical and commercial reunification.

For some time now, the authorities in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan have banned end-of-school-year celebrations in order to ‘avoid excesses’. However, these celebrations continue to take place in secret in country houses or basements, with spending on gifts increasing year after year.

At the second Forum held in Kazakhstan after the one in Xi'an in 2023, China and the five countries in the region signed 58 trade agreements with investments of over billion. Among the priorities are transport routes and energy, but also the processing of rare earths. On the political front, Xi Jinping gained support for his condemnation of all forms of ‘trade wars involving tariffs and sanctions’.