Kyrgyzstan signs Wabtec locomotive deal at UN General Assembly

September 29, 2026 at 09:25 PM3 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov presided over the signing of a purchase agreement for 10 Wabtec locomotives during the UN General Assembly in New York. The deal, facilitated by the US Ex-Im Bank, will modernize about 30 percent of Kyrgyz Railway's locomotive fleet. The signing came as investigative reports detailed Kyrgyzstan's role in a sanctions-busting scheme.

Key Facts

Kyrgyzstan signed a purchase agreement for 10 Wabtec locomotives, facilitated by the US Ex-Im Bank, during the UN General Assembly in New York.
The locomotive deal will modernize roughly 30 percent of Kyrgyz Railway's fleet amid construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan rail route.
Kyrgyz officials signed a memorandum of understanding with Citibank to explore opening a branch in Bishkek.
Kyrgyz MPs are moving forward with ratifying a trade agreement with Pakistan covering transit, customs, and phytosanitary controls.
Investigative reports by the Financial Times and New York Times detailed Kyrgyzstan's involvement in an illicit money laundering scheme enabling Russia to evade Western sanctions.

US Visit Deals

During his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov presided over the signing of a purchase agreement for 10 locomotives made by the US manufacturer Wabtec. The deal, facilitated by the US Ex-Im Bank, stands to modernize roughly 30 percent of Kyrgyz Railway's locomotive fleet amid ongoing construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan rail route. Also in New York, Kyrgyz officials signed a memorandum of understanding with Citibank, under which the US banking giant will explore the feasibility of opening a branch in Bishkek and potentially establish corresponding banking relationships with Kyrgyz institutions.

Sanctions Scrutiny

Japarov's successes in New York have been overshadowed by lengthy investigative reports published separately by the UK's Financial Times and the New York Times outlining Kyrgyzstan's deep involvement in an illicit money laundering scheme enabling Russia to evade Western sanctions. The late September reports focus on the activities of a Russian financial services entity called A7 that used Kyrgyzstan and other countries around the world to move money and obtain needed goods to keep Russia's war effort in Ukraine going. The UK imposed sanctions in May designed to disrupt A7's activities in Kyrgyzstan, and facing additional pressure from the United States, Kyrgyzstan has reportedly taken action to shut down some of A7's operations.

Regional Trade Moves

Kyrgyz MPs are moving forward with ratifying a trade agreement with Pakistan that regulates freedom of transit, the use of transport corridors, ports, and border crossing points, and multimodal transport, as well as customs, phytosanitary, and veterinary controls. Azerbaijan has suspended flights from Iran to comply with US sanctions, the official Azerbaijani news agency AZERTAC reported. Pasha Holding, an entity reportedly controlled by extended family members of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, is looking to expand its presence in Uzbekistan, with CEO Farid Mamedov holding exploratory talks in Tashkent concerning possible investments in FinTech and digital financial services. Average wait times for vehicles crossing Kazakh border checkpoints have been reduced over the past three years from nine hours to 30 minutes, the official state news agency Kazinform reported, citing official government data.