During a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 4, the leaders of the SCO member states accepted Belarus as a new member of the Eurasian political and security bloc founded by China and Russia in 2001. With the addition of Belarus, the SCO membership has now expanded from originally
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on July 3 held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in Astana on a state visit and for participation in a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Tokayev started the talks by saying that China is a strategic partner and one of Kazakhstan’s main allies. President Xi Jinping
At the Kazakhstan-China roundtable in Astana on July 2, 44 documents were signed amounting to over $3.7 billion. The agreements aim to develop joint projects in energy, transport, industry, agriculture, and high technology, Kazakh Invest national company reported. In particular, national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC and Lianyungang Port Group signed an agreement to invest in the construction
The upcoming meeting between the heads of state of Kazakhstan and China will benefit peoples of the two countries, and the agreements to be reached will open a new chapter in the Kazakhstan-China permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an interview with the Xinhua news agency. Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived on
China’s Foreign Ministry announced on June 30 that President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana and pay state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan from July 2 to July 6, RFE/RL reported. “From July 2 to 6, President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th Meeting of the
Speaking in the Mazhilis (the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament) on June 26, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Kanat Iskakov commented on rumors about the alleged existence of foreign biological laboratories in Kazakhstan, Zakon.kz reported. The issue was raised by Mazhilis deputy Rinat Zaitov, who asked if there are US biological laboratories in Kazakhstan?
Prospects for cross-border transport corridors in Eurasia, realising their economic potential, reducing costs and coordinating efforts of authorities and businesses will be key topics discussed by government representatives, businesspeople and experts at the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Annual Meeting and Business Forum on 27–28 June in Almaty. The session titled “The Eurasian Transport Network: Potential, Challenges
OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg on 25 June concluded his visit to Kazakhstan. The visit focused on strengthening regional cooperation and the OSCE’s engagement in addressing the broad range of security challenges the region is facing. In Astana, Minister Borg met with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman of
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released its Macroeconomic Outlook for its six member states. According to the report, in 2024 Armenia’s GDP is expected to grow by 7.5%, Belarus’s by 3.4%, Kazakhstan’s by 5%, Kyrgyzstan’s by 5.5%, Russia’s by 3%, and Tajikistan’s by 8%. For most EDB member countries, the outlook has been upgraded
On June 20 in Astana, representatives of the national company Kazakh Invest met with Vikram Vuppala, CEO of the Indian company NephroPlus to discuss the company’s plans for developing the dialysis market in Kazakhstan, Kazakh Invest reported. Vikram Vuppala told the Kazakh representatives that NephroPlus considers Kazakhstan as a new market for investment in the framework of
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed into law a bill on mass media that will hinder journalists from getting comments from officials and interviews, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Domestic and international rights groups and media experts have expressed concerns over the new law, saying it will compromise independent journalism and lead to self-censorship in the Central Asian
On June 16, the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Almaty, Kazakhstan began the first delivery of molybdenum-99/technetium-99 generators to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy reported on its website. On June 17, the Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliev visited the Institute of Nuclear Physics, which is the only research organization in Kazakhstan in the
Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) says that this year, it plans to transport 125 thousand passengers on trains to the country’s Borovoye resort — a record high number over the last three years. Last year, the number of passengers amounted to over 86.2 thousand. Three years ago (in 2020), 10 thousand passengers
According to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), today, over 2 billion people globally do not have access to safe drinking water. Without action, the situation will only worsen in the long run. By 2050, drinking water consumption is projected to increase by 1.5 times. This is why the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 is to
The High-level Central Asian Forum on ‘Water and Climate Change’, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the European Union and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan earlier this month in Dushanbe, has become a cornerstone of the 3rd High-level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable
A presentation and signing ceremony for the roadmap to implement a project to construct a salty snack production plant in Kazakhstan took place in Astana last week. The facility, to be located in the Almaty region, will produce potato chips under the globally renowned Lay’s brand. The American company PepsiCo plans to invest $160 million,
Gabidulla Ospankulov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, on June 13 met with Nabil Marc Abdul-Massih, CEO of Swiss INOKS Capital. During the meeting, the parties discussed the company’s interest in expanding investment activities in Kazakhstan, including creating an agricultural fund and concluding an investment agreement, Kazakh Invest reported. Representatives
On June 12, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Kazakhstan and held talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The two leaders also took part in the Kazakh-Korean business forum in Astana. During the negotiations, the parties discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure and industry, mechanical engineering, trade, transport and logistics,
On June 12 in Astana, the European Commission and Kazakhstan launched the Coordination Platform of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the Coordination Platform will improve the safety and sustainability of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and will turn the corridor into a
Gabidulla Ospankulov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, met with Seung-Chan Jung, the Managing Director of Samsung C&T Corporation in Turkey and Central and Eastern Europe. During the meeting, the parties discussed the company’s plans for cooperation in construction and modernization of energy facilities in Kazakhstan and in renewable energy
