This is a copy of our newsletter dated 29 March 2021. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox every Monday.

In the news

Turkmenistan was China’s top gas supplier in January (FR), ahead of Russia and other gas producers in the region. In January 2021, a total of 2.786 billion cubic metres of Turkmen gas were delivered to China, out of the 4.685 billion cubic metres the country imported.

The Uzbek LGBT rights campaigner Miraziz Bazarov has been hospitalised after being attacked on 28 March, RFE/RL reports (ENG). Earlier that day, a crowd marched in Tashkent, the capital, against LGBT rights. In Uzbekistan, sexual relationships between men are punishable for up to three years in prison.

The chair of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev said Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have come to an agreement on disputed territory. According to him, the agreement includes (RU) easier travel in and out of Sokh, a Uzbek exclave surrounded by Kyrgyzstan, and exchanges of territory.

Charlotte Adriaen is the new EU ambassador to Uzbekistan (FR). The new head of the European Union delegation in Uzbekistan wants to support cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Early last month,the prime minister of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Oripov, announced his government planned to(ENG) invest 2.5 billion US dollars (£1.8 billion) in the country’s digital infrastructure by 2023.

Also last month, a meeting between South Korea and Uzbekistan (ENG) focused on space exploration and exploitation for peaceful purposes. It was one in a series of diplomatic gatherings showing Uzbekistan’s growing ambitions to travel to space.

In early 2021, Khurshed Mustafoev became artistic director of the Mayakovsky Theatre in Dushanbe. The actor, director and set designer has been working with the theatre company – the only Russian-language troupe in Tajikistan’s capital – for the past 20 years. He told Novastan about his plans for his new role (ENG)

Covid-19 in Central Asia

As of 29 March 2021, there have officially been 425,684 cases, 5,227 deaths et 395,562 recoveries. In more detail:

– Kazakhstan : 241,873 cases, 3,014 deaths, 217,168 recovered
– Kyrgyzstan: 88,163 cases,  1,497 deaths, 84,653 recovered
– Uzbekistan: 82,340 cases, 626 deaths, 80,523 recovered
– Tajikistan: 13,308 cases, 90 deaths, 13,218 recovered (no new cases according to official figures)
– Turkmenistan: 0 cases, 0 deaths, 0 recovered (no cases according to official figures)

Our photo of the week

Portrait after a football match by Antoine Béguier. Click on the picture for more information.

Every day, we publish a photo from Central Asia. You can find it on our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Novastan news

Help Novastan grow. Click here for more information about how to contribute. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

That’s it for this week! If you’re in the UK and looking for something to watch, the newly launched Klassiki platform is showing several classic Central Asian movie, including Novastan favourite Igla.

Thank you for reading! See you next week for more information and analysis from Central Asia. For daily updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram.