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
Freight traffic between Kazakhstan and China reached 18.7 million tons in the first half of 2026, an increase of 9% compared to the same period last year, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Transport. Growth was observed in both directions. Seven million tons of freight were transported from China to Kazakhstan in the first six
Negotiations were held in Beijing between the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on expanding cooperation in civil aviation. The parties agreed to increase the number of regular passenger flights for air carriers of both countries from 124 to 152 per week. The
The KTZE – Khorgos Gateway dry port at the Kazakh-Chinese border has expanded its cargo handling capacity following the commissioning of nine 1520 mm gauge sorting tracks and an uncoupling repair facility. The new infrastructure, launched in September 2025, raised the terminal’s transshipment capacity from 540,000 to 800,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year, marking
We are living through a profound shift in the relationship between education and work — and nowhere is that shift more consequential than in Central Asia. Artificial intelligence is not coming to education. It is already here. It is in the assignments students submit, the tools employers use to screen candidates, and increasingly in the
A ceremony for signing a BOT agreement (Build-Operate-Transfer) on the transfer of a land plot in the port of Shahid Rajaee (Bandar Abbas) for the construction of a Kazakh transport and logistics terminal was held at the Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration. On the Kazakh
Some events are remembered not only for the book being presented, but also for the people gathered in the room. It was a pleasure to attend the recent launch of From Dependency to Freedom: The Birth of Modern Kazakhstan, a new biography of Nursultan Nazarbayev, held at the historic Reform Club in London. London has
KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), is providing the pilot transportation of passenger cars in specialized containers along the international route Chongqing (China) – Dostyk (Kazakhstan) – Vorsino (Russia). According to KTZ, the project is being implemented as part of cooperation between China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRCT),
Kazakh Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov met with a delegation of leading Asian companies—Full Vision Capital (FVC), Towngas, and EcoCeres. During the talks, the parties discussed prospects for attracting investment in the country’s agro-industrial complex, the introduction of modern environmental technologies, and the implementation of joint high-value-added projects. Particular attention was paid to a project to
The Central Asian C909 Flying Hospital Mission, organized as part of China’s airborne health Silk Road initiative, was launched in Almaty last week, aimed at bringing high-quality ophthalmic services to medically underserved regions in Belt and Road partner countries. This is the first such project in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, implemented in partnership between Al-Farabi
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is contributing to the development of sustainable and ecologically responsible mining and processing in Kazakhstan by supporting the operations of its long-term client Solidcore Resources (SR), an AIFC-listed company and the country’s leading gold producer. The EBRD will provide a loan of up to US$ 300
International investor interest in Central Asia and the Caucasus is rising rapidly, according to a new Investor Perception Report released by Montfort Eurasia. New data shows that interest from US and UK investors in the region has tripled since 2023 – despite lingering concerns over political stability and investment security. Investors showed particular interest in
A “Republic of Kazakhstan – United States of America” Business Roundtable was held in Astana last week, bringing together representatives of government agencies, the business community, international corporations, financial institutions, and expert circles from both countries. The event served as an important platform for discussing a new stage of Kazakhstan-U.S. economic cooperation based on investment,
THE SILK ROAD’S NEW REALITY In 2013, China’s newly nominated President Xi Jinping gave a much-heeded speech in Astana, Kazakhstan’s brushed-up capital. His main concern focused on nothing less than how to invigorate the ancient Silk Roads, “in order to promote people-to-people friendship”. After eleven years, in 2024, jointly with Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev, Xi Jinping
The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, Citi, and Freedom Holding Corp. have signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop a large-scale AI cluster. The key objective of the partnership is to establish an artificial intelligence cluster powered by advanced GPU technologies, along with the construction of a state-of-the-art data