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
A court in Kazakhstan’s northeastern city of Oskemen handed prison terms to two local residents on June 11 on charges of separatism and calls to seize power, RFE/RL reported. The Prosecutor’s Office in the East Kazakhstan region said the two, whose identities were not disclosed, were sentenced to five years in prison each for statements they made
Marat Karabayev, Kazakhstan’s minister of transport, believes that as a bridge between the East and the West, Kazakhstan will continue to play its part in facilitating regional and global trade. In his article published in the Chinese publication, South China Morning Post, Karabayev says that trade between Asia and Europe has faced challenges as a result
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry on June 6 hosted a ceremony to launch the “Goodwill Ambassadors of Kazakhstan” project, with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister–Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu. Initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the project aims to foster dialogue between cultures and peoples, increase the country’s visibility, and promote its achievements abroad. In his
On June 5, a ceremony was held to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses into the Altyn Dala Nature Reserve in the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan. A Czech military plane transported eight Przewalski’s horses from the Prague Zoo for reintroduction into the territory of the Altyn Dala state nature reserve. In total, 40 wild horses are to be
The eleventh round of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) took place in Brussels on June 5. The meeting was held at the level of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the five Central Asian countries
Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, said on June 4 that it had discovered the name and details of a person who it believes is Yelizaveta Peskova, the daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in the national taxpayer registry of Kazakhstan. Systema said it found personal data in online sources that aligns with Peskova, adding she most likely
On June 3, a symposium dedicated to cooperation in higher education between Korea and Central Asian countries was held in South Korea. The event was organized by the Secretariat of the Central Asia–Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum. Opening the symposium, Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum, Rhee Jong
China and five Central Asian nations have officially established a China-Central Asia emergency management cooperation mechanism, Xinhua reported. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the mechanism during a ministerial meeting in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, last week. The six
On June 3 in Astana, Chairman of the Board of the national company Kazakh Invest Yerzhan Yelekeyev held a meeting with executives of Singaporean companies. The delegation visited Kazakhstan following the results of the forum held in Singapore with the participation of Kazakhstan’s president in May. During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for further investment cooperation
On June 3, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov and Chairman of the Board of Directors of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Co. Ltd. Xi Zhengping discussed cooperation in the copper industry. The result of the meeting was the signing of an agreement on the construction of a smelter with a capacity of 300 thousand tons
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on June 3 that his country has taken the Taliban off of its terrorist list, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported. Addressing a session of the parliament speakers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Almaty, Tokayev stressed the move was made to develop trade and economic ties with Taliban-led Afghanistan.
Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov last week visited the National Library of the Republic of Korea in Seoul. During the visit, the Ambassador donated a significant collection of Kazakh books to the library, including the biography of the great scientist Kanysh Satpayev, Abai’s “Words of Wisdom”, materials about the history and culture of Kazakhstan, a
The OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department and the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a regional workshop dedicated to protecting soft targets from terrorist attacks in Astana on 27 and 28 May with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. The workshop brought together over
On May 30 in Rome, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held a series of meetings with the heads of major Italian companies interested in the development of investment, trade and economic cooperation with Kazakhstan. At the meeting with Stefan Pontecorvo, President of the transnational company Leonardo, the parties addressed the possibilities of
Starting from June 1, Uzbekistan Airways will begin operating regular flights between Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Nukus, the main city of Uzbekistan’s northwestern Karakalpak Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan has announced. Flights will run twice a week (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) on a 174-seat A320 aircraft. The ministry said that the new air
