In the first five months of the current solar year (which begins on March 21), Afghanistan has conducted trade worth nearly $700 million with Central Asian countries, TOLOnews reported with reference to the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that trade between Afghanistan and Central Asian
The Government of Japan and UN Development Programme (UNDP) have agreed upon a new $4.9 million project, “Enhancing Urban Resilience to Disaster Risk and Climate Change in Central Asia”. The signing ceremony was held on September 11 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The project aims to enhance urban resilience to climate-driven risks in Central Asia by utilizing regional collaborative mechanisms and national transformational strategies, fostering sustainable
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, says it is deepening its support for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Kazakhstan, with a particular focus on women entrepreneurs and rural agribusinesses, by investing up to $50 million in KazMicroFinance (KMF), one of the country’s leading microfinance institutions. KMF operates 18
On September 10, the Government of Kazakhstan approved a draft of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the President’s Address to the people of Kazakhstan, “Fair Kazakhstan: law and order, economic growth, social optimism,” delivered on September 2, the Government’s press service reported. The plan consists of 76 measures aimed at improving the
Representatives from the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) took part in the Eurasian Mountain Resorts Alliance (EMRA) CEO Summit, which kicked off on September 9 in Almaty. The alliance unites leading mountain resorts from Central Asian countries. The summit’s highlight is the international expert and investment forum titled “The Almaty Mountain Cluster as the Backbone of
Azerbaijan considers as “acceptable” Kazakhstan’s proposal to hold talks between Baku and Yerevan on a peace treaty in Astana, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during telephone talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Aliyev’s press service said on September 9, RFE/RL reported. Earlier in May, the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met in Astana to discuss the peace
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan on September 7 hosted an award ceremony for the winners of the 9th annual international contest “Kazakhstan Through the Eyes of Foreign Media”. This year, the jury recognized the works of journalists from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Egypt, Spain, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Japan as the best in various categories.
On September 8, the opening ceremony of the 5th World Nomad Games was held in Astana. The Games, which will last until September 13, gathered competitors from 89 countries. Originated in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, the World Nomad Games have since been held three times in the Kyrgyz city of Cholpon-Ata on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul.
Maersk (Denmark), one of the world’s largest container shipping operators, has published shipping tariff rates for its rail-sea service along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, Logistan reports. The Maersk service along the TITR, an international multimodal transport corridor with the length of 11,000 km, runs from China to
The chairwoman of Kazakhstan’s Central Commission on Referendums (ORK), Sabila Mustafina, said on September 3 that 15.5 billion tenges (more than $32 million) has been requested for a nationwide referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan next month, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. The announcement came a day after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the
On September 2, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address titled “Just Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism.” In his speech, President Tokayev outlined the key goals for the nation’s development, focusing on sustainable socio-economic progress. With a focus on new tasks and priorities, the President emphasized the need to address imbalances between monetary
Kazakhstan will hold a referendum on whether to build a nuclear power plant on October 6, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced on September 2. Speaking at a meeting of both chambers of parliament with an annual address to the people of Kazakhstan, Tokayev argued the project is needed to diversify energy sources in Kazakhstan, which has abundant oil
The 8th CAREC Think Tank Development Forum (CTTDF) was held on August 27 and 28 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Themed “The Climate Challenge: Thinking Beyond Borders for Collective Action,” the forum addressed regional climate challenges by fostering collaborations for policy recommendations and joint research. Organized by the CAREC Institute, the Eurasian Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank
The 15th meeting of the Kazakh-German Business Council for Strategic Cooperation was held in Berlin on August 28. First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar and Director of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy Michael Harms co-chaired the meeting, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov also spoke on the
The Specialized Inter-District Court in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on August 29 sentenced the already imprisoned ex-wife of a convicted nephew of the country’s former President, Nursultan Nazarbaev, to 12 years in prison, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Gulmira Satybaldy was found guilty of forcibly holding her relative and former business partner Abai Zhunusov in isolation against his
On August 28, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Gabidulla Ospankulov met with representatives of the Turkish group of companies Orhun Medical to discuss the progress of the company’s investment project for the construction of a multidisciplinary clinic in Almaty and the opening of several medical centers in the regions of
The Government of Kazakhstan on August 27 decided to hold a referendum on the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant. An exact date for the nationwide referendum has yet to be determined. The Government session today, chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, considered the prospects for the development of nuclear energy in the
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov last week met with President of Carlsberg Kazakhstan Vyacheslav Maltsev to discuss the Danish company’s plans to expand its activities in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. As reported by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Maltsev noted the favorable investment climate in Kazakhstan and told about a new Carlsberg Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry and Freedom Bank, on one side, and Tajikistan’s Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies and Amonatbank, on the other side, last week signed a memorandum of cooperation in the development of IT technologies and innovations. The parties agreed to cooperate in the development of digital infrastructure
Kazakh Invest national company and the Chinese company Xinjiang Hengyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at implementing a large-scale project to create a Kazakhstan-China Trade and Industrial Park in Astana. Xinjiang Hengyuan Investment Management Co., Ltd., based in Baiyang, China, with significant experience in executing similar projects, plans to build the
