Kazakhstan is launching a unique project – GeoLab Eurasia, the first internationally certified full-cycle rock analysis laboratory in Central Asia. The new scientific and industrial center will enable high-precision analysis of ore composition and quality in accordance with international standards such as NI 43-101, JORC, and ISO/IEC 17025, according to Kazakh Invest. Establishing a modern
KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), has established a new multimodal transportation route with the first container train from Shanxi Province (China) to Azerbaijan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) through Kazakhstan. According to KTZ, the train, consisting of 50 containers with photovoltaic modules weighing more than
Kazakhstan’s national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), has announced the launch on September 19 of a new season of its train tour, Jibek Joly (Silk Road) 5.0, connecting major cities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. During the 6-day tour, passengers will travel along the route Almaty – Turkestan – Otrar – Samarkand – Bukhara –
Construction of a new transport and logistics complex, Tobyl, was officially launched in the city of Kostanay in northern Kazakhstan on July 16. According to the government’s press service, the facility will become a key point in the implementation of the country’s transit strategy and will be integrated into international transport corridors linking Kazakhstan to
Italian agricultural organization Unione Coltivatori Italiani (UCI), which unites over 300,000 farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs and agro processors, plans to implement an investment project in Kazakhstan for the cultivation and advanced processing of industrial hemp for subsequent production of textiles, construction materials, and pharmaceuticals. The project was discussed during an online meeting on July 17 between
Azamat Kozhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakh Invest national company, held a meeting with John M. Bek, Chairman of the Board of South Korean engineering company YPP Corporation. During the meeting, the parties signed a framework agreement on cooperation for the implementation of a green hydrogen production project in Kazakhstan, according to Kazakh
The two largest Central Asian countries have embarked on a higher education spree. In Uzbekistan since 2020 almost 100 new universities have opened, swelling the number of BA candidates in the country by some 400,000. In Kazakhstan, hardly a week goes by without an announcement from the Ministry of Education ballyhooing the opening of another
Recently, Uzbek economist Behzod Khoshimov stated that it will take Uzbekistan 30 years to catch up with Kazakhstan in terms of economic development. In the article below, Ulysmedia.kz tried to understand whether Khoshimov is right and why this old rivalry still determines the region’s development. The rivalry between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan began during the Soviet
A Kazakh company, Kazakhmys Barlau, has begun exploration operations in Afghanistan’s mining sector, TOLOnews reported. The company has described Afghanistan as a promising location for mineral extraction and stated that the country possesses high-purity reserves of lead and zinc. At the same time, the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, referring to the close ties
Kazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom JSC has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Slovenské elektrárne a.s. (SEAS), Slovakia’s largest electricity producer, reflecting the mutual interest of both parties in developing long-term cooperation in nuclear energy sector. SEAS generates over 70% of Slovakia’s total electricity supply and operates two nuclear power plants
To expand access to finance for micro and small enterprises, including women entrepreneurs across Kazakhstan, IFC (a member of the World Bank Group) and Arnur Credit have signed a local currency loan agreement of $10 million-equivalent. With 40 percent of the funding earmarked for women-run businesses, the financing includes a $5 million-equivalent local currency loan
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid a working visit to Afghanistan. On July 10 in Kabul, the Kazakh Foreign Minister held a meeting with the Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar. The parties discussed prospects for cooperation in trade, transit, and agriculture,
Kazakhstan and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed a Protocol of Intent providing for financing of up to USD 1.1 billion for the implementation of priority infrastructure projects. The document was signed following a meeting between Advisor to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Nurlan Baibazarov and President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser.
On July 11, the EU and the countries of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — held the 12th meeting of the annual High-Level Political and Security Dialogue, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The Dialogue took place in the context of increased engagement between Central Asia and the European Union, following up
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana lags behind Almaty, the country’s largest city in terms of key development aspects, Energyprom.kz reports with reference to the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2025. Astana is on the 276th position among a thousand cities in the ranking, and Almaty ranks 258th. Astana is behind Almaty in such categories as the quality
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Kyzylorda Region, and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) organized the First National Urban Forum of Kazakhstan (NUF2025) in Kyzylorda on July 8. The event brought together representatives of central and local government bodies, international organizations, the expert community, and the private sector. Held
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu represented for the first time Kazakhstan as a partner country at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6. The opening day of the Summit was attended by heads of state and government, high-level representatives of BRICS member and partner
In the first quarter of 2025, there were 160,400 households in Kazakhstan with incomes below the subsistence level, 0.1% less than a year earlier. These households included 924,400 people, compared to 928,100 a year earlier, according to an analysis of finprom.kz. In terms of regions, the largest number of families with incomes below the subsistence
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Erlan Nysanbayev, has announced the government’s decision to begin controlling the rapidly expanding population of the saiga antelope in the country. The announcement was made following a June 28 meeting of the minister with farmers in the West Kazakhstan region, who complained about the catastrophic damage to agricultural
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), a supranational financial institution headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan, issued a private placement bond, denominated in dirham, in the local UAE capital markets. This pioneering issuance of AED 200 million (equivalent to c. US$54 million), was arranged by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the largest bank in the UAE, in partnership with
