Middle East & Central Asia News
LAST UPDATE: June 27, 2025
IMF: Saudi Economy Shows Resilience Amid Global Shocks
The IMF’s June 25, 2025 Article IV report highlighted Saudi Arabia’s robust non‑oil growth (~4.2 % in 2024), low unemployment, contained inflation, and ample buffers despite lower oil GDP. Fiscal and external positions remain strong. The IMF expects 2025 non‑oil GDP growth of ~3.4 % and recommends sustained reforms under Vision 2030.
Insight
Saudi Arabia’s diversified non-oil expansion and macroeconomic buffers reflect progress under Vision 2030. Continued investment-led growth and fiscal discipline will be key to weathering commodity cycles.
Kazakhstan expects to sign deal on nuclear power plant construction by year-end
Kazakhstan’s Atomic Energy Agency is planning to sign an intergovernmental agreement with Russia by the end of 2025 to build the country’s first nuclear power plant. The plant, backed by a preferential Russian loan and led by Rosatom, could begin construction within seven years after the agreement is finalized. (tradingview.com, en.trend.az)
Insight
Signing this agreement signals Kazakhstan’s strategic pivot toward nuclear energy, leveraging its uranium reserves to diversify its power mix. The Russian partnership could accelerate infrastructure development, but geopolitical concerns may arise.
Syria’s wheat war: drought fuels food crisis for 16 million
A devastating drought, the worst in 60 years, has sharply reduced wheat production in Syria’s government and Kurdish-held regions. With water levels drastically lowered, wheat farms are collapsing and driving around 16 million people—about 80% of the population—toward acute food insecurity (nampa.org).
Insight
The overlap of environmental disaster and prolonged conflict has transformed Syria’s agricultural collapse into a full-scale humanitarian crisis. Without scaling up global aid and revisiting sanctions (per UN and EU discussions), famine risk looms over millions.
