ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers the Middle Corridor, Kazakhstan’s oil exports and more.
Kolsai Lakes National Park in the Almaty Region. Photo credit: Aizhan Baibulova/Shutterstock
Kazakhstan’s constitutional reforms have created a stable investment climate
The European Financial Review published an article on March 14 highlighting
Kazakhstan’s recent constitutional reforms and governance improvements, which
have enhanced legal stability, investor confidence, and the country’s appeal as a destination for long-term investment amid global economic uncertainty.
“The global investment situation is currently marked by heightened uncertainty. Trade disputes, fiscal policy shifts, and geopolitical tensions have contributed to market volatility, with the United States implementing tariffs on major trading partners such as Canada, Mexico, and China.
Despite these challenges, certain emerging economies continue to attract international attention. For instance, Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy, recorded a growth rate of 5.1% in 2024, highlighting its resilience amid global headwinds. Investors from China, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, and Russia are showing significant interest, drawn by the country’s strategic location and economic potential. Yet, beyond its position as a Eurasian trade hub, Kazakhstan has taken important steps to improve its governance through institutional reforms, which has positively impacted its business climate,” the article states.
According to the article, the reforms also strengthened Kazakhstan’s system of checks and balances by reducing presidential powers and limiting the head of state to a single seven-year term. “This measure prevents excessive centralization of power and facilitates smoother political transitions, a key concern for investors assessing long-term stability,” the article adds.
Kazakhstan kicks off extensive railway infrastructure upgrades
Kazakhstan Railways, the Kazakh national railway operator, announced the start of track repair work on the republican railway network, Trend reported on March 20.
“On March 17, major repairs began on the sections Chilbastau-Kopa, Sholdala-Kumshagal-Taraz (the Almaty and Zhambyl railway divisions of Kazakhstan). On the section Sai-Otes—railway junction seven in the Mangystau division of the main network, repairs will begin on March 19. In a week, railway workers in Atyrau will start updating infrastructure on the section of railway junction four—railway junction five—Ganyushkino,” Kazakhstan Railways informed.
In addition to major repairs, railway workers will carry out enhanced medium and medium-level track repairs. They will also replace switch points, conduct a complete replacement of rail supports, and replace the rail track. The track work will be done using special machinery, including Duomatic, Unimat MF, alignment and leveling machines, and rail-grinding trains).
Kazakhstan aims to increase oil exports via BTC pipeline
Kazakhstan aims to further increase the volume of oil it exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, underscoring Astana’s continued efforts to diversify its routes amid the Central Asian region’s constrained geography, The Diplomat reported on March 14.
Following a meeting in Astana with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu noted that the two sides were implementing prior agreements to supply Kazakh energy resources to global markets via Azerbaijan.
“Last year, 1.4 million tons of oil were exported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. In the future, it is planned to increase the volume of transit of Kazakhstan oil to 2.2 million tons per year,” he said.
Between critical raw materials and oil, Kazakhstan is becoming a regional partner highly valued by other powers
EU Reporter published an opinion article on March 14 discussing the growing strategic partnership between the European Union and Kazakhstan in the field of critical raw materials, underlining Kazakhstan’s key role in supplying resources for clean energy technologies, including uranium, rare-earth metals and green hydrogen, while also emphasizing its broader geopolitical and energy cooperation with Europe.
“Critical raw materials play a crucial role in the production of low-carbon energy. This is why the EU is turning towards the use of these minerals and thus importing them from producing countries. Among other things, it is clear that the EU is seeking to find new partners producing raw minerals, among which is Kazakhstan. Moreover, at the end of 2024, in Brussels, several events, round tables, discussions, and meetings have facilitated bilateral exchanges between the EU and Kazakhstan regarding cooperation in terms of raw minerals,” writes Derya Soysal, an expert on Central Asia.
Currently, Kazakhstan, as the world’s largest producer of uranium for commercial use and as a country with a positive image in the fight against nuclear weapons proliferation is experiencing remarkable economic growth and is increasingly getting closer to the European Union.
Kazakhstan is also the EU’s largest supplier of nuclear energy, meeting more than 21% of its uranium demand. On their side, European multinationals are heavily involved in Kazakhstan’s hydrocarbon production. French oil and gas majors Total, British Dutch Shell and Italian Eni alone hold just over 50% of the shares in the Kashagan field, each with 16.81%. Eni also holds a 29.25% stake in the Karachaganak field and Shell 50% in the Arman field,” the article notes.
Kazakhstan, US forge stronger ties in key sectors through high-level talks
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and U.S. Congresswoman Carol Miller have discussed areas of collaboration between their countries, Trend reported on March 20.
President Tokayev noted that the meeting is crucial for giving a new momentum to bilateral relations. He highlighted that since Kazakhstan’s independence, the United States has been a reliable partner.
“The Kazakh President outlined joint achievements in key areas, including regional and international security, nuclear non-proliferation, as well as trade, economic and investment cooperation. He emphasized that trade between the two nations is showing steady growth, surpassing $4 billion.
In turn, Miller expressed gratitude to Tokayev for the warm welcome and reaffirmed the U.S. interest in continuing fruitful dialogue with Kazakhstan,” the article states.
