On July 31, the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata hosted an informal meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and Azerbaijan. The meeting was attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and President
On 29 July, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, the European Union (EU), and the Government of Kazakhstan officially launched the project “Advancing Local Governance Reform in Kazakhstan” at the first meeting of the Project Steering Committee in Astana, according to UNDP Kazakhstan. The meeting brought together representatives of the Ministry of National
Construction of two plants worth a total of $305 million has begun in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl Region. Zhambyl Region Akim Erbol Karashukeyev participated in a capsule-laying ceremony at the construction site of a solid waste disposal plant and a metallurgical plant, which will be built in the Taraz Industrial Zone, according to Kazakh Invest. The solid
Astana witnessed its first-ever demonstration flight of an air taxi based on an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on July 24. The demonstration marked another milestone in the implementation of Kazakhstan’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) development project, according to the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. The demonstration featured the AutoFlight Prosperity eVTOL,
At the Russia–Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum in Omsk on 25 July, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered one of the more striking diplomatic interventions in the debate over the Russia–Ukraine war. Speaking directly to Vladimir Putin, he suggested freezing the conflict and returning to negotiations under an updated “Istanbul 2.0” framework. The importance of the proposal lies
On July 24, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov took part in the first meeting of the Council of Heads of Regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which was held in the Kazakh city of Aktau. Bektenov noted that Kazakhstan attaches special importance to the comprehensive development of strategic
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the 22nd Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum, “Forming a Global Logistics Ecosystem: New Horizons for Russia-Kazakhstan Cooperation.” The Forum was held in Omsk, Russia on July 24–25. Its participants included deputy prime ministers, heads of ministries and departments, heads of regions of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, and representatives of business and expert communities of both countries. On the sidelines
At the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, Republic of Korea on July 25, a decision was adopted to inscribe the “Rock Mosques and Associated Sacred Sites of Mangystau” on the UNESCO World Heritage List, according to Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry. The newly inscribed UNESCO World Heritage property comprises five rock-cut mosques: Beket Ata, Shopan Ata,
On July 23, the headquarters of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) hosted the first-ever meeting of the Kazakhstan–Morocco Business Council in Casablanca. The event brought together Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov, President of CGEM Mehdi Tazi, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Morocco Saulekul Sailaukyzy, and representatives of companies from Kazakhstan and Morocco. Deputy
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, on July 22 held an inception workshop in Astana dedicated to the official launch of three strategic projects implemented under the FAO–Kazakhstan Partnership Programme (FKPP). The workshop marked the beginning of the practical implementation of projects aimed
At a Government meeting on July 21, Minister of Industry and Construction Yersaiyn Nagaspayev reported on the current state and prospects for the development of Kazakhstan’s automotive industry. “If in 2010-2019 the foundations of the automotive industry were laid in the country and the production volume increased from 3 thousand to 50 thousand units, then
The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a project to support transboundary water cooperation across Central Asia. It will help countries attract additional investment in water management and conservation and strengthen their collective capacity to manage shared water resources. Around 40 million people across Central Asia are expected to benefit from the
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and Mercury Properties (the management company of MP Solutions LLP) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to implement the second phase of construction of the Mercury Logistics warehouse hub in the village of Kokozek, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan. The document was signed by Sergey Paseko, Executive Director — Deputy Head of
During his visit to Shanghai from July 15–17, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, participated in the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), and witnessed the signing of more than 70 Kazakh-Chinese commercial documents worth over $15 billion. Over the past twenty years, China has come to Kazakhstan primarily for oil,
The organizers have announced filmmakers whose works have been selected for the Burabay International Short Film Festival (BISFF) 2026. BISFF was founded by the Silk Road Media holding (London) in partnership with Eurasian Creative Guild (London) and is part of an international network of festivals and screenings covering the UK, Europe, and Latin America. The
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and Integrity Logistics Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Intent and Cooperation to prepare and implement an investment project for the construction of a Class “A” transport and logistics complex in the city of Alatau, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan. The project envisages the construction of a Class “A” transport and logistics
The European Union and the five countries of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — on July 16 held the 13th meeting of their annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service, Olof Skoog, with participation
Is this the Asian century in higher education? On the numbers alone, it may well be. More than half of the world’s university students are already in Asia, and that share is set to grow as ageing industrialised democracies give way demographically to younger populations in countries such as India, Indonesia, and across Central Asia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met on July 16 in Shanghai, where Tokayev arrived to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance. During the meeting, Xi said that the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained strong momentum, demonstrating enormous potential for cooperation and
On July 16, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov held a meeting with representatives of the Austrian dairy cooperative Berglandmilch and the Greek company Desserta Hellas. The parties discussed prospects for establishing dairy production in Kazakhstan. The project is being developed within the framework of the Kazakhstan-Greece bilateral investment agenda. Various implementation models are