In 2025, Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) amounted to 72.6 billion US dollars. In 2024, this figure was $67.7 billion, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration. Kazakhstan’s exports to the SCO countries amounted to 30.7 billion dollars, while imports totaled 41.8 billion dollars. Kazakhstan’s
The United Nations General Assembly on August 31 adopted the resolution entitled “International Day of Greening the Planet,” initiated by Kazakhstan, proclaiming 22 April as the International Day of Greening the Planet. The initiative to establish the International Day was put forward by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the general debate of the 80th
At the August National Conference of Education Workers of Kazakhstan on August 26, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the education and upbringing of youth. In his opinion, schools should not only impart knowledge but also cultivate a confident, courageous, and optimistic and future-oriented generation. According to Tokayev, the task of teachers is to cultivate optimists,
International rating agency S&P Global Ratings has upgraded the sovereign credit rating of Kazakhstan to “BBB”. Previously, the country’s sovereign credit rating stood at “BBB-”, according to the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy. According to the agency’s rating scale, Kazakhstan has achieved this rating level for the first time since 2016. The sovereign rating upgrade
Kazakhstan plans to fully meet its electricity demand in the first quarter of 2027, and by the end of 2027, the country expects to generate 1.3 billion kWh of surplus electricity. This will be achieved through the launch of new generating capacity, according to the Ministry of Energy. In 2027, Kazakhstan plans to put into
In January–June 2026, Kazakhstan’s exports grew by 8.6%, reaching $40.3 billion. Exports are growing faster than imports, the positive trade balance approached $9 billion, and Kazakhstani goods have significantly strengthened their positions in the markets of China, Turkey, France, Uzbekistan, and other countries, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Kazakhstan’s foreign trade turnover
The fifth Burabay International Short Film Festival (BISFF) took place in Shchuchinsk from 12 to 14 August 2026. Founded by the British media holding Silk Road Media and curated by Eurasian Creative Guild (London), the festival brought together filmmakers and guests from more than 20 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. For
Until recently, Central Asia remained one of the least familiar regions of the world for most people in Latin America. If the names Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Uzbekistan were known at all, they were usually associated with geography, sports, or occasional news headlines. Today, that is beginning to change. Growing trade and economic ties, new international
SABIS International School–Astana has officially opened in Kazakhstan’s capital. The opening ceremony was attended by Victor Saad, President and Chief Executive Officer of SABIS; Talgat Yeshenkulov, Vice-Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan; Bakytzhan Zhumagulov, President of the National Engineering and Technical Academy of Kazakhstan; and Kassymkhan Sengazyev, Head of the Astana City Education
“The most valuable investment a nation can make is an investment in an educated, competitive, and patriotic younger generation.” This principle, consistently emphasized by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has become increasingly relevant in the twenty-first century. Today, international relations are shaped not only through negotiations between heads of state and ministers
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed in Astana between the Akimat of Akmola Region, Kazakhstan’s TauKen Group holding company, and China’s Changzhou Chenwei International Trade Co., Ltd. (Chenwei Group), which coordinates a pool of investors from Changzhou. The investment initiatives are being implemented with the support of KAZAKH INVEST National Company JSC.
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and international developer Griffin Partners have signed a credit agreement to finance the first stage of construction of the Griffin Logopark Almaty warehouse complex. The document is a logical continuation of the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties in June 2026 on the sidelines of the EDB Annual Meeting and Business
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,