A court in Kazakhstan’s eastern city of Oskemen has replaced a six-year prison sentence given to a nephew of Kazakhstan’s former strongman President Nursultan Nazarbaev with a suspended sentence, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Court No. 2 in the capital of the East Kazakhstan region ruled on August 16 that Qairat Satybaldy, 52, must be released with a
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released the latest Macroeconomic Review for the Bank’s six member states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. EDB’s analysts note that most member countries continue to display robust growth: the aggregate GDP of the EDB’s region of operations increased by 4.6% YoY in January-June 2024, after an increase
A number of documents were signed for Turkish investments in Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial sector and trade in agricultural products for a total of $2 billion during a visit of Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov to Turkey on August 12. With the participation of Turkish investors, six projects have already been implemented in Kazakhstan, and 10
Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) on August 13 said that since the beginning of this year, the rail container transportation from China to Europe through Kazakhstan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) has grown 14-fold compared to the same period last year. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan has presented the results of the project to reduce the risks of investing in renewable energy technologies. At the final event of the project, which was implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan and with financial support from the Global Environment Facility
Travel on the planned highway that will connect Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul would cost between $10 and $25, Tazabek news agency reported citing Kylychbek Jakypov, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) representative and national coordinator of Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor. Almaty is only 80 kilometers away from Issyk-Kul, which is renowned for its
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is making its first direct equity investment in the graphite and critical raw materials sector in Central Asia by acquiring a stake in Sarytogan Graphite Limited, an Australian Securities Exchange-listed company involved in the exploration of the Sarytogan graphite deposit in the Karaganda region of central Kazakhstan. The
On August 9, Astana hosted a business forum in the framework of the “Central Asia + Japan” dialogue. The event, organized by national company Kazakh Invest and Japanese association ROTOBO, was an important platform for strengthening trade, economic and investment ties between the countries of the region and Japan, Kazakh Invest reported. Speaking at the event,
The presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan convened in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on August 9 to hold the sixth consultative meeting of the leaders of Central Asian states, RFE/RL reported. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev greeted his counterparts and stressed that the regular meetings of the regional leaders indicate the Central Asian states’
At the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan business forum in Astana on August 7, the two countries agreed on joint implementation of 34 investment projects worth $4.4 billion and signed trade contracts worth $2.6 billion. As reported by the Kazakh government’s press service, the joint projects will be implemented in energy, mining and geology, transport, chemical industry, construction, electrical
Over 80 media representatives and bloggers from approximately 30 countries have applied to participate in the 9th annual contest “Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media.” This contest is traditionally organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in collaboration with Kazakhstan’s Chief Editors’ Club. It serves as a platform to acknowledge the contributions
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport says works have begun on dredging the port of Kuryk on the Caspian Sea coast. The bottom at the port will be deepened by 1.5-2 meters, which will increase its cargo transshipment capacity and further increase the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). A large European company, Jan de
President of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso on August 2 visited Kazakhstan and held talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Noting the growing role of African countries in international politics and the global economy, Tokayev said that the development of cooperation with African countries is one of the key areas of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. “Today, negotiations
More Japanese companies have shown interest in working with Kazakhstan in the energy sector, transport, infrastructure, and digitalization of the logistics process, Japan’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Jun Yamada announced during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov on August 2 in Astana, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported. Emphasizing that Kazakhstan is
On August 1 in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held talks with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell. The diplomats overviewed a wide range of relations between Astana and Brussels within the framework of
The “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue Summit will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on August 9 and 10. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, which was launched in 2004 at Japan’s initiative to foster cooperation between Japan and five Central Asian countries. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is
Hungary’s Globalia Ltd is creating an agricultural industrial park in Kazakhstan’s Akmola region using the latest Hungarian agricultural technologies, the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture reported. The agro-park will accommodate different types of agribusiness activities, demonstrating advanced agricultural practices, sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies, ensuring traceability of products from the producer to the end consumer, “from
Authorities in Russia have once again proposed sending immigrants who have received Russian citizenship to fight in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry has increased the size of payments for those who sign contracts to join Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. An article published by Radio Azattyk (RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service) reveals how Russia lures Central Asians
The implementation of the National Project “Comfortable School” was considered at a meeting in the Government on 29 July under the chairmanship of First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar. As reported by the Kazakh Government’s press service, the National Project “Comfortable School” provides for building 369 schools of a new format for 740 thousand pupils
The Youth Camp, organized within the framework of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) programme on strengthening community resilience and regional cooperation to prevent violent extremism (PVE) in Central Asia, was launched on July 29 at Suleyman Demirel University (SDU) in Almaty. In Kazakhstan, this initiative, funded by the Government of Japan, aims to empower
