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 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Central Asian countries summit in Jeddah, increase in Kazakhstan’s oil exports to European markets through Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy’s railway repair efforts and more.
Big Almaty Lake. Photo credit: Aureliy/Shutterstock.
Kazakhstan adopts visa-free entry system for GCC countries at GCC-Central Asia Summit
President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, announced that his country has adopted a visa-free entry system for the GCC countries to ensure sustainable growth and prosperity, reported the Saudi Gazette on July 19.
“The Kazakh President indicated that the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the region’s economy, expressing his readiness to develop the mutual promotion of cultural, educational, environmental, sports, and commercial tourism,” the article reads.
He also expressed his pride in participating in the summit, which highlights the strong bonds of brotherhood and friendship between the GCC and Central Asian countries through unity and mutual support.
GCC countries cement ties, unlock potential of partnership with Central Asian C5 bloc
Eurasia Review released an article on July 20 covering the first GCC – Central Asian countries summit on July 19 in Jeddah.
“Arab Gulf states and Central Asian countries cemented their political, security and economic ties during the GCC-C5 Summit, a gathering of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states and the presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,” the article notes.
The event participants approved a joint action plan for strategic dialogue and cooperation between the GCC members and Central Asian states for 2023-2027.
“In a joint statement at the end of the summit, the leaders of the two blocs stressed the importance of strengthening political and strategic relations at the collective and bilateral levels, and continuing coordination to achieve regional and international security and stability, confront challenges and work to ensure flexibility in fields ranging from supply chains to food security,” the article adds.
Kazakhstan increases oil exports via Azerbaijan
Kazakhstan’s major oil transporter KazTransOil revealed that the flow of Kazakh oil to European markets through Azerbaijan increased in April-June, reported the Caspian News on July 14.
“The flow of Kazakh oil from the Tengiz field through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline reached 347,100 tons in the second quarter of this year. In the first quarter, the company exported only 19,200 tons of Tengiz oil via this route – approximately 18 times less than in April-June,” the article emphasizes.
KTZ’s largest railway repair in years seems to be running smoothly
The Railpage online network released an article on July 17 reporting on the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) national railway operator’s extensive repair plan.
“The railway repair work includes locations across the country; it started in March and is expected to last until the end of this year. KTZ plans to repair more than 1,100 kilometers of railways by the end of this year,” the article notes.
KTZ explained that it has already restored 591 kilometers of railways from March to June this year while overhauling 289.5 kilometers of rail tracks. Repair works have targeted the replacement of 114,000 defective sleepers, 456,000 pieces of rail track fasteners, and electric power poles along 53 kilometers of railways. According to KTZ, after the works conclude, trains will be able to run faster in the repaired sections. In addition, the state-owned company will be able to implement telemechanics, automation and communications technologies more efficiently, according to the article.
Investments flow from US into Kazakhstan increasing
The gross inflow of foreign direct investment from the United States to Kazakhstan increased by 82%, reaching $5.1 billion in 2022, the Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan said during his speech at a roundtable discussion with members of the U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Council, Trend reported on July 20.
