ASTANA – The Astana Times has picked a selection of articles on Kazakhstan published in international media across the world. This week’s foreign media digest includes articles on the upcoming Central Asian Security and Cooperation Forum, Astana Day celebrations, Kazakh-Swiss cooperation and more.
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Central Asian Security and Cooperation Forum aims to enhance relations in Asia
Modern Diplomacy published an article on July 5 about the upcoming Central Asian Security and Cooperation Forum, which will be held on July 13-14 in Astana, written by Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko.
“The forum will address the future dynamics in Asia, including in the spheres of global and regional politics, economy, human capital, climate change, digital transformation, and governance. It will bring together leading international and Kazakh experts, as well as government and business representatives from around 30 countries,” the article reads.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia among top landlocked developing countries for FDI worldwide
IntelliNews, a European media outlet focused on finance, reports that Kazakhstan was the leader among global landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) for foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, attracting a total of $6.1bn, according to the World Investment Report 2023 released by UNCTAD on July 5.
“Among the LLDCs in developing Asia, Kazakhstan experienced an 83% surge in FDI to $6.1bn. Although equity flows decreased, reinvested earnings reached an all-time high of $10bn, bolstered by substantial profits in extractive industries,” the article notes.
Kazakh expert: Central Asia needs a transnational electricity grid
Euractiv published an article on July 4 citing the appeal made by Nurlan Kapenov, chairman of Qazaq Green Association at a conference on clean energy future for Central Asia, organized by the Brussels Energy Club.
The debate highlighted the huge potential of the region in developing green energy, as well as various challenges.
“To illustrate the magnitude of the potential projects, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the EU, Margulan Baimukhan, said his country’s green transformation will require investments in low-carbon technologies, estimated at $610 billion before 2060,” the article reads.
Kazakhstan sharply increases export of fossil fuels to EU
Baku-based Trend news agency reported on July 5 about the increase of fossil fuels exports from Kazakhstan to the European Union.
“The value of Kazakhstan’s exports of fossil fuels and related materials to the EU increased by 65.15% in 2022 compared to 2021,” the report notes.
Kazakhstan skyrockets 21 positions up to 76th place in 2023 Global Peace Index Rankings
Kazakhstan ranked 76th in the Global Peace Index (GPI), climbing 21 places, according to the June 2023 report published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), informs European publication EU Reporter.
“Kazakhstan recorded an improvement in both the Militarization and Safety and Security domains, with five indicators increasing, including the largest one in violent demonstrations, which improved by 50%”, the article points out.
Kazakhstan’s capital Astana celebrates 25th anniversary of its founding
Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, which was built from scratch after the country gained its independence, celebrated the 25th anniversary of its foundation, wrote Turkish daily newspaper Yeni Safak on July 6.
“Astana, which has already become the political, administrative, economic, business and tourism center of the country, is among the rapidly developing capitals of the world. Currently, more than 1.3 million people live in the city, where the average age of the population is 30. This number is expected to exceed two million by 2030,” the article reads.
Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Switzerland reaches $544.8 million
The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Switzerland reached $544.8 million in January-May this year. Last year, the figure stood at $1.4 billion, reported MENAFN business news agency on July 7, citing Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu.
“There exist active mechanisms for stepping up the investment, trade and economic cooperation between our countries. We are sure that the meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission held recently in Astana and the upcoming meeting of the Business Council set for this fall will give a good opportunity to diversify the partnership,” Nurtleu said.
Kazakhstan sets new wholesale price caps for liquefied petroleum gas
The maximum wholesale prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from manufacturing plants have been increased from 33,600 ($75) to 40,320 Kazakh tenge ($90) per ton (excluding value added tax or VAT) starting from July 1 in Kazakhstan, Trend news agency reported on July 7.
“In 2022, LPG production in Kazakhstan decreased by 400,000 tons or 10% compared to 2021. However, during the same period, LPG consumption in Kazakhstan increased by 400,000 tons, reaching 1.8 million tons (a 28% growth compared to 2021)” the article reads.
