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Business & Economy KZ

Chinese company considering building a $150 million plant in Kazakhstan

Yerzhan Yelekeyev, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC National Company Kazakh Invest, and Sultangali Kinzhakulov, Deputy Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, on April 3 met with the leadership of the Chinese company Zhejiang Sunny Group Co., Ltd. to discuss the possibility of building a plant for the

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Geo Politics KG RU

Kyrgyzstan stops processing Russian payment cards over sanctions

Kyrgyzstan’s Elkart Interbank Processing Center said that the Central Asian country’s banks will stop processing transactions with Russian Mir payment cards as of April 5 due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, RFE/RL reported. Last week, another former Soviet republic, Armenia, announced a similar move. In September 2022, the U.S.

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Geo Politics KG KZ

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to expand allied relations

Kazakhstan intends to sign an agreement with Kyrgyzstan on deepening and expanding allied relations. The draft decree of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev “On the signing of an agreement on deepening and expanding allied relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic” was published on the Open Regulatory Legal Acts portal. The

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Eurasia International Affairs KZ

EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives, ITU and Kazakhstan launch GovStack project

Dauren Rakhimzhanov, Managing Director of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Directorate of Digital Initiatives, participated in the United Nations International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Regional Development Forum for CIS, organized in Astana late in March with support from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry. During the forum, the EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives,

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Business & Economy KG

Kyrgyzstan reports rising per capita GDP

According to Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the country’s GDP per capita in 2023 reached $1,969.2, compared to $1,350.7 in 2021. Kyrgyzstan’s economic growth over the past three years averaged 6.9% (in 2021 – 5.5%, in 2022 – 9%, and in 2023 – 6.2%). Since 2021, the country has recorded an acceleration in GDP

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Geo Politics KZ

Kazakhstan foreign minister meets with heads of Chinese companies

During his official visit to China, Deputy Prime Minister–Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu on March 30 held meetings with the leadership of major Chinese companies, and discussed plans for the implementation of joint investment projects in Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported. Chinese businessmen were acquainted with the economic reforms being implemented

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Eurasia Geo Politics KZ

Kazakhstan president addresses Boao Forum for Asia

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on March 28 attended the opening ceremony of the plenary session of the Boao Forum for Asia, held annually in Hainan Province, China. This year’s 23rd edition of the Forum was themed “Asia and the World: Common Challenges, Shared Responsibilities”. The President of Kazakhstan spoke at the forum as a guest

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Geo Politics KZ

Kazakhstan foreign minister meets with US secretary of state

Deputy Prime Minister–Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu on March 26 visited Washington and held a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the dynamic development of the enhanced strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States across a wide range of political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, the

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International Affairs KZ

Head of government of China’s Xinjiang visits Kazakhstan

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov on March 26 met with the Chairman of the People’s Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, Erkin Tuniyaz, who arrived in Astana to participate in the second forum on “New approaches to the development of trade relations between Kazakhstan and China”. The two officials discussed cooperation

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Eurasia International Affairs

Central Asia needs sustainable, climate and social investments for achieving SDGs by 2030

According to Conrad Albrecht, Managing Director and Head of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Directorate of Sustainability, the EDB, as a financier for regional projects, has a unique mandate with a primary focus on fostering cross-country infrastructure development and business integration among its six member countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. “Our main

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Eurasia International Affairs KG KZ UZB

Central Asia, China deepen cooperation in power generation

China has been strengthening ties with Central Asian nations with the aim to secure access to the region’s energy resources — oil, natural gas, coal, uranium, and renewable energy sources. China needs these energy resources for accelerated economic development in its northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which borders Central Asian countries. This is one of

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Business & Economy KG

Modernization of Kant Cement Plant starts in Kyrgyzstan with EDB funding

First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Adylbek Kasymaliev on March 20 officially inaugurated the modernization of the Kant Cement Plant. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has allocated up to CNY 351.2 million for the project. The ceremony brought together heads of relevant national and regional authorities. The EDB’s financing

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International Affairs TKM

Turkmenistan and EU hold roundtable in Brussels

On March 18, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and the Director General of the Agency for Transport and Communications under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Mammethan Chakyev, a roundtable was organized with the European business community on the topic “Turkmenistan and the EU: towards a new

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Geo Politics KZ

Kazakhstan: Government starts implementation of President’s infrastructure initiatives

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov on March 18 held a meeting on the implementation of instructions of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to improve the quality of life in the country, announced at the third meeting of the National Kurultai (Congress) on March 15. On the issue of repair and modernisation of the

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Business & Economy KZ

EBRD supports Kazakhstan’s leading salt producer

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is supporting the expansion of Araltuz, a leading Kazakhstan-based producer of table and low-grade technical salt in Central Asia, by extending a convertible loan of up to KZT 5.5 billion (€11 million). The funds will be provided to Salt Industry Ltd., a joint-stock company operating under the

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International Affairs KZ

Leading Austrian companies interested in Kazakhstan

Deputy Prime Minister–Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu during his visit to Austria on March 16 met with the top management of the leading companies in the construction, logistics, and machinery industries. During the conversation with the CEO of the Lasselsberger Group, Josef Lasselsberger, the progress of the investment project for the production

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Business & Economy KZ

World Bank helps Kazakhstan shift to a more competitive, greener and inclusive economy

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan in the amount of $600 million to Kazakhstan, marking the first phase of a series of reforms aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the country. The reforms support Kazakhstan’s transition towards an economy that is greener, has more competitive markets, and is more

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Geo Politics KG KZ TJK TKM UZB

US and Central Asian countries hold first-ever B5+1 Forum

The Governments of the United States, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan joined private sector representatives in the inaugural B5+1 Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from March 13-15. Announced by President Biden during the inaugural C5+1 Summit in September 2023 and highlighted in the corresponding New York Declaration, the B5+1 is the private-sector-led counterpart

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Geo Politics KG KZ

Kazakhstan will not impose restrictions on products licensed in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce has announced that it has agreed with Kazakhstan not to introduce restrictions and bans on products licensed in Kyrgyzstan. Kazinform information agency recently reported that Kazakhstan planned to introduce a ban on some products licensed in Kyrgyzstan from July 1, 2024. According to the Committee for Technical Regulation and

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Business & Economy KZ

Kazakh-Belgian business forum held in Brussels

The Kazakh-Belgian business forum with the participation of more than 60 officials and representatives of business communities of Kazakhstan, Belgium and Luxembourg was organized on March 12 in Brussels by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Brussels, as well as the BEСI (Brussels) and BeNeLux (Astana) Chambers of Commerce. While greeting the participants, Ambassador of Kazakhstan

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