AI & Infrastructure Investment: Moody’s says AI rollouts across Central Asia and the Caucasus could boost growth, but will sharply raise demand for electricity networks, telecoms, water resources and computing capacity, with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan flagged for faster AI-infrastructure progress. Tajikistan-UNICEF Smart Soil Protection: Tajikistan is using smart technology to protect its soil with UNICEF support, tying digital tools to environmental risk management and child-focused climate priorities. South Korea–Central Asia Summit Push: Seoul is hosting the first Korea–Central Asia heads-of-state summit on Sept. 16–17, after a run of bilateral talks; the agenda centers on critical minerals, AI, digital transformation, transport and resilient supply chains, with Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon among the leaders attending. Uzbekistan–South Korea Deals: During President Mirziyoyev’s Seoul visit, 13 agreements were signed, including feasibility work for eight high-speed train sets and a national genome/biobank center, plus cooperation on AI, data centers, pharmaceuticals and defense. CSTO Focus on Afghanistan Border Security: Russia-led CSTO drills “Rubezh 2026” (Sept. 12–19) are framed around Afghanistan-linked cross-border threats, with Tajikistan repeatedly calling for more support for its frontier forces. Aral Sea Basin UN Mechanism: Central Asian states advanced the UN Special Program for the Aral Sea Basin, adopting a summary on the format, legal framework, operating mechanisms and financing for the initiative. Labor Migration Watch: Nearly 100,000 Uzbeks returned from Russia (Aug 25–Sep 5), while work-related entries into Russia fell in the first half of the year, pointing to a slowdown in labor migration.