Author: Arailym Bekbolateva

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will be working together to open an additional checkpoint for goods vehicles on their countries’ border. They are also set to further their cooperation in the water and energy sectors. These agreements were reached at a meeting between the Kazakh prime minister, Alikhan Smailov, and the chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s cabinet of ministers Akylbek Japarov in Almaty on February 1st. Kyrgyzstan has complained for years about long lines at the Kazakh border for its cargo trucks bringing goods to Russia through Kazakhstan. The most recent big traffic jam occurred on the Kyrgyz side of the border in August 2023, when more…

China is quietly ramping up its pressure tactics against a critical U.S. ally in Asia by sailing armed government vessels to a disputed island group on a near-daily basis. The Chinese coast guard on Sunday said it had driven away Japanese boats from waters around the Senkaku Islands, which is administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing and, to a lesser extent recently, Taipei. The Senkakus are five uninhabited islets and three barren rocks, situated approximately 120 miles northeast of Taiwan and 200 miles southwest of Japan’s Okinawa prefecture. Beijing has become increasingly assertive in the area in the decade since Tokyo…

US reacted on Sunday (Nov 26) after it faced a stern warning from the Chinese military when the American warship – the guided-missile destroyer – USS Hopper, reportedly entered waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. In response to China’s reaction over the warship, the US Navy reportedly said that the Hopper had “asserted navigational rights in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law”. This comes as the spokesperson for China’s People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, condemned the alleged intrusion as a serious violation of China’s sovereignty…

ASTANA – In 2024, Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to reach 5%, the inflation rate to slow to 7.1%, and an exchange rate in the range of 470 tenge per U.S. dollar, according to the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) macroeconomic outlook for 2024 released on Dec. 14. “Investment activity stimulated by government measures to boost the investment appeal of Kazakhstan’s economic sectors remains the key driver of growth. The economic diversification policy may well encourage manufacturing to pick up growth speed. The projected easing of monetary conditions will also foster economic growth,” the report reads. According to…

ASTANA – French President Emmanuel Macron paid an official visit to Kazakhstan on Nov. 1, meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and delivering a speech at Narikbayev University. Experts see Macron’s visit as a testament to Kazakhstan’s growing role in ensuring energy security, including critical raw materials, not only for France but for the European Union (EU). Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and France were formally established in January 1992. Last year the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Macron’s visit also comes at a crucial time as the two nations celebrate the 15th anniversary of the strategic partnership…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined Kazakhstan’s vision for further development of the United Nations (UN) Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) at the first Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Participating Countries of the SPECA on Nov. 24 in Baku, reported the Akorda press service. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, Deputy Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Cabinet of Ministers Khojamurad Geldimuradov, Executive Secretary of the…

ASTANA – At the 16th World Policy Conference held from Nov. 3-5 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko outlined Kazakhstan’s approach to addressing regional and global challenges, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service The conference, themed The International System between Globalization and Disintegration: Which Forces Will Prevail? brought together over 200 government representatives, leading think tanks, and international companies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. At the session on Eurasian perspectives concerning evolving geopolitical configurations, Vassilenko reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to the principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter, emphasizing respect for…

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine on Tuesday claimed to have carried out one of the most destructive attacks on Russian air assets since the beginning of the war, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the assault used longer-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States. Zelenskyy’s announcement came hours after a U.S. official revealed that the longer-range ballistic missiles sought for months by Kyiv and promised by President Joe Biden had been delivered quietly and are in battlefield use. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russia-occupied regions in a nighttime attack on targets in eastern…

ALMATY, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Kazakh state firm QazaqGaz and China’s Petrochina International signed a new gas supply contract on Tuesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s office said. It provided no details of the deal while Kazakh news website lsm.kz citing QazaqGaz said it covered supplies between 2023 and 2026. A Chinese industry official with knowledge of the deal, who declined to be identified due to company policy, said the contract is an extension of an existing one. Kazakhstan has been exporting gas to China for years, although it has reduced the volume supplied, at first due to lower demand and…

ASTANA. KAZINFORM – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the importance of boosting the development of medium-sized entrepreneurship in the country, Kazinform cites Akorda. «It is necessary to boost the development of medium-sized entrepreneurship, which is the foundation of stable and diversified, actively developing economy. But here we face systems issues requiring quick solution. By and large, the best conditions are in place for small- and large-sized businesses in Kazakhstan. Large-sized businesses develop stably and make big profits… Small-sized entrepreneurship, for its part, plays a critically important role in ensuring employment and increasing people’s income. They enjoy minimal taxes, almost no…