ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Kazakhstan’s foreign policy, the launch of a new supercomputer, human rights and more.
Astana. Photo credit: Shutterstock
Kazakhstan reinforces multivector foreign policy
The Jamestown Foundation published an article on July 9 discussing Kazakhstan’s evolving foreign policy strategy. It highlights how the country is using major infrastructure projects – such as its first nuclear power plant – to carefully balance relations with powerful neighbors like Russia and China, while also engaging Western partners. It explores how President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is redefining Kazakhstan’s traditional multivector diplomacy into a more pragmatic and strategically autonomous approach amid shifting geopolitical tensions.
“On the surface, Kazakhstan’s foreign policy may appear to have remained unchanged over the past 30 years. It has consisted of a peace-affirming and economically pragmatic multivectorism that carefully balances relations with Russia, China, and the West. Since Tokayev took office in 2018, however, there have been significant shifts in how Kazakhstan navigates the geopolitical landscape,” the article reads.
The most powerful supercomputer in Central Asia launched in Kazakhstan
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the National Supercomputer Center Alemcloud in Astana on July 9, where he participated in the launch ceremony of a supercomputer based on NVIDIA H200 graphics processors, according to Baku.ws.
The new supercomputer cluster is capable of delivering performance of up to 2 exaflops (from English exaFLOPS—a unit of computing performance equal to one quintillion, or 10^18, floating-point operations per second) using the FP8 format, making it the most powerful computing solution in the Central Asian region.
A supercomputer is composed of various servers and data storage systems. This computing system operates using a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and functions as a neural network—a model of artificial intelligence.
Kazakhstan puts human rights at core of governance in bid to set regional example
Kazakhstan is making an assertive push to redefine its role in Central Asia by placing human rights, democratic accountability and the rule of law at the centre of its national reform agenda, reported Euractiv on July 10.
“Kazakhstan’s Third Periodic Report reflects a country in transformation, committed to building a ‘Just Kazakhstan’ rooted in the protection of human rights and democratic government,” said Botagoz Zhakselekova, Vice Minister of Justice.
Zhakselekova led the Kazakh delegation to the 144th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC), where she outlined sweeping legal and institutional reforms undertaken since the last review.
“While challenges remain – as they do in all countries – the foundations laid during this reporting period mark a meaningful step forward,” she told the UN.
Kazakhstan courts Spanish investors to power tourism growth and tech innovation
Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin met with top executives from leading Spanish companies – Barceló Hotel Group and Xcalibur Multiphysics Group – during a UN conference in Seville. Discussions focused on Spanish investment in Kazakhstan’s tourism infrastructure, especially in Mangystau, and the development of direct air links, Trend reported on July 10.
New Trump tariffs target Kazakhstan with 25% rate
In a July 7 executive order, U.S. President Donald Trump extended the deadline for reviewing the early April “reciprocal tariffs” to Aug. 1, while also announcing new tariff rates for 14 countries, with more announcements expected, The Diplomat reported on July 9.
Kazakhstan, which was targeted in the initial “Liberation Day” tariff announcement with a rate of 27%, was hit instead with a 25% tariff that will go into effect on Aug. 1.
According to the U.S. Trade Representative, total goods trade with Kazakhstan amounted to $3.4 billion in 2024 – $1.1 billion in U.S. exports to Kazakhstan and $2.3 billion in U.S. imports from Kazakhstan, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.3 billion.
