Central Asia–Azerbaijan Summit: Presidents of Central Asia and Azerbaijan met in Cholpon-Ata and signed the Cholpon-Ata Declaration, pushing practical cooperation on trade, transport, energy and tourism, with Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressing a unified development space. Tourism Push: Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov backed a single tourist visa for the region; Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signaled support, aiming to make Silk Road routes and shared heritage easier to visit. New Hotel on Issyk-Kul: Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva joined regional leaders for the opening of the five-star Baku Resort & Spa on Issyk-Kul, plus a visit to the “Altyn Balalyk” rehabilitation center. Uzbekistan–India Ties: Uzbekistan’s FM Bakhtiyor Saidov will visit India Aug 2–5 for talks with EAM S Jaishankar and meetings with business groups. Climate & Energy: CAREC trained Uzbek stakeholders on OGMP 2.0 methane reporting standards; an open call seeks Central Asia climate project partners (deadline for concept notes: Sept 14). Security & Tech: Suspected Chinese-speaking hackers targeted Central Asian government bodies with new backdoors (OctLurk/SilkLurk). Economy/Trade: Afghanistan and Uzbekistan expanded trade and investment cooperation, while Uzbekistan’s 1H foreign trade hit $41bn with a widening deficit.