Kazakhstan held its first-ever investment roundtable on the SelectUSA Investment Summit platform in Washington on May 3, marking a significant milestone in strengthening economic ties with the United States, according to QazTrade Trade Policy Development Center JSC. The event, titled “Strategic Sectors and U.S. Market Entry Opportunities,” brought together more than 80 participants, including
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in the Mangystau region for the construction of a sturgeon caviar farm. The project is being implemented with the support of Kazakh Invest national company. According to Kazakh Invest, the farm will be located in the coastal zone of the Caspian Sea. The main goal is to restore the sturgeon
Sustainable development in Kazakhstan is not an abstract policy aspiration. It is a deliberate strategic choice that shapes our domestic reforms, our regional engagement in Central Asia, and our partnerships with the European Union, Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the European Union, writes in an article published in Open Central Asia Magazine. As emphasised by
On April 30, a historic event took place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome: the first test launch of the prospective medium-lift launch vehicle Soyuz-5/Sunkar was successfully carried out from Site 45 as part of the Baiterek Space Rocket Complex, the Kazakh Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development said. As part of the flight design tests,
China’s Inner Mongolia Muland Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. is launching a project to establish a high-tech virus-free potato seed production center in Kazakhstan, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture. The project envisions the launch of industrial production of high-quality seed for the domestic market and export to Central Asian countries. The project was discussed
The aging of Kazakhstan’s population continues to accelerate. The aging index, which measures the ratio of elderly people per 100 children, has been steadily increasing in recent years. While the figure stood at 26.7 in 2021, it reached 32.9 in 2025. This means that for every 100 children under 15, there were almost 33 elderly
Central Asia is a region prone to disasters, and earthquakes remain among its greatest risks. In April 1966, Tashkent was struck by a devastating earthquake that left more than 300,000 people displaced. Although the city was rebuilt and transformed into the modern Tashkent we know today, the remnants of that tragedy continue to endure. Other
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is helping to improve Central Asia’s regional connectivity and boosting the operational efficiency of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ or Kazakhstan Railways) by investing up to $125 million in a Eurobond issue by the company of up to $1 billion, which was listed on the London Stock
Central Asia’s largest tech and AI show will debut in Almaty next week, catapulting Kazakhstan to the forefront of the region’s AI and digital transformation ambitions, and propelling a new era of global innovation, tech capital deployment, and cross-border collaboration, the Kazakh Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development has announced. In the Year of
On April 25, in Bishkek, energy and water ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan discussed ensuring the sustainable and coordinated operation of Central Asia’s water and energy systems during the upcoming 2026 growing season. The meeting focused on mutual obligations of each country. The ministers noted the historical interconnectedness of national energy systems, with
At its 82nd session in Bangkok last week, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), by consensus of its 52 member States, approved a resolution on the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development in Almaty, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said. According to Kazakhstan’s Permanent
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has formed a regional investment portfolio in the field of climate and ecology in Central Asia and intends to expand it, Evgeny Vinokurov, Deputy Chairman of the Bank’s Management Board, said at the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 in Astana on April 22. For 20 years, the Eurasian Development Bank has
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and Karaganda Wind Power LLP, a Kazakh-Chinese joint venture, have signed an investment agreement for the construction of a 500 MW wind farm in the Karaganda region. The signing took place on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana last week. Investment in the project will total $645 million.
On 23 April, high-level representatives of the European Union, its EU Member States, the Central Asian countries and international financial institutions convened in Astana, Kazakhstan, for the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) High-Level Meeting on Water, Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia, the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan reported. Participants
KazFoodProducts Holding has launched commercial production of BI-95 motor fuel, produced using bioethanol from grain. This is the first project in Kazakhstan where agricultural product undergoes a full deep processing cycle and is then marketed as motor fuel, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. BI-95 is already available at gasoline stations. Bioethanol is produced at
On April 22, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in a meeting of the Council of the Heads of Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). The event, chaired by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was also attended by President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali
At the Regional Environmental Summit (RES) in Astana on April 22, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, convened a high-level plenary session titled “Central Asia Initiative – Harmony with Nature for Sustainable Development of the Region,”
The Regional Ecological Summit 2026 (RES), under the theme “A Shared Vision for a Sustainable Future,” has commenced in the capital of Kazakhstan. The event is aimed at developing a comprehensive policy framework and practical instruments for the protection, restoration and shared use of ecosystems, water and land resources, as well as for the conservation
The Kazakhstan Low-Altitude Economy (KazLAE) Industrial Research Center was officially opened at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty on April 17. The Center was designed as an innovative platform for developing unmanned aviation, aero-mobility, and intelligent control systems. It will develop digital solutions, conduct joint research in artificial intelligence and industrial technologies, and train highly
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) sees the Central Asian warehouse infrastructure as the “opportunity of the decade” and intends to significantly increase investments in this segment, Alexey Rogachevsky, EDB Director for Uzbekistan, said at the Central Asia Warehouse Summit (CAWS 2026) on April 16 in Tashkent. Speaking at the Warehouses and Finance session, he presented