Korea-Central Asia Summit Prep: Envoys from five Central Asian states say the September Korea-Central Asia Summit in Jeju will usher in a “new phase” with South Korea, shifting ties toward resilient supply chains, clean energy, critical minerals, AI and infrastructure—not just one-off projects. Dushanbe Policy & Diplomacy: Tajikistan and the UK agreed to expand education and science cooperation via a memorandum covering student and faculty exchanges, joint research, English-for-specific-purposes and digital education. Regional Security: India and Tajikistan held their 5th counter-terrorism dialogue in Dushanbe, condemning terrorism including cross-border attacks and calling for coordinated action against groups on UN sanctions lists. Bilateral Push: Georgia’s prime minister began an official visit to Tajikistan, with both sides signing cooperation documents and highlighting tourism, civil aviation and economic coordination. Economy & Industry: Tajikistan started construction of two 1.2Mta cement plants in Varzob, aiming to add 2.4Mta capacity and create jobs. Social Issues: Dushanbe opened criminal cases over underage marriage, stressing the legal marriage age is 18 with limited court exceptions. Human Rights Link: Kyrgyzstan’s ombudsperson and Tajikistan’s human rights commissioner signed a cooperation memorandum to speed up handling of rights-violation complaints across borders. Public Life: A new dairy processing plant, Asri Vahdat, opened in Khatlon to produce multiple dairy products and hire local workers.