ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest highlights Central Asia’s growing economic influence, Kazakhstan’s role in the AI revolution, the Astana International Forum, strengthening EU-Central Asia relations and more.
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ASEAN needs to closely watch: Central Asia is rising
Central Asia rarely dominates the narrative of Southeast Asia’s foreign policy, indeed, no leader from a major ASEAN player has visited the region in the past decade, The Jakarta Post wrote on Nov. 29.
“When leaders of Central Asian nations wrapped up their summit in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, last week, the mineral-rich region once again demonstrated its potential to become the next global economic giant.
New multi-billion-dollar deals on joint infrastructure projects and trade were finalized, along with a renewed commitment to create a regional bloc dubbed the ‘Community of Central Asia,’” reads the article.
Kazakhstan can help the United States to power the AI revolution
Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, wrote an opinion article for The Hill on Nov. 30 about the shifting role of technology and artificial intelligence in the U.S.–Central Asia relations. He argues that last month’s C5+1 Summit in Washington marked a turning point, elevating AI, digital infrastructure and critical minerals to the center of bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United States.
“These developments show a shared understanding that the AI revolution is not only about algorithms and models, but also about the physical systems that make them possible. AI computing demands immense energy and cooling capacity, which are increasingly constrained in traditional markets. Kazakhstan has both the capacity and resources to help fill that gap. With its existing energy base and expanding renewable capacity, Kazakhstan can develop energy-reliable data centers suited to the growing computational demands of modern AI systems,” reads the article.
Rise of a Davos competitor
Eurasia Review published an article on Nov. 30 examining how Davos, once considered the premier global platform for shaping geopolitics and the world economy, is losing influence amid rising multipolarity and the emergence of dozens of new international conferences. As global power diffuses and the Global South asserts its voice, forums in Asia, Africa and Latin America are increasingly shaping discussions on security, governance, and regional cooperation. Among these, the Astana International Forum (AIF) stands out as one of the prominent new platforms redefining global dialogue from a non-Western perspective.
“More importantly, dialogues are on the rise in developing countries – the Atlantic Dialogues in Morocco, the Tana High Level Dialogue in Ethiopia, and the Astana International Forum in Kazakhstan. The conferences share common themes of geopolitics and security, and technology and innovation. Governance and international cooperation emerge as dominant topics among the Global South, offering perspectives that have long been missing from Davos,” reads the article.
EU leader stresses peaceful South Caucasus for Europe-Central Asia links
European Council President Antonio Costa emphasized the strategic importance of a stable South Caucasus for enhancing links between Europe and Central Asia during a visit to Kazakhstan on Thursday, Yeni Şafak reported on Dec. 4.
Following talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, Costa stated, “A peaceful and prosperous South Caucasus is vital for stronger links between Europe and Central Asia,” and commended Kazakhstan’s “active and constructive” role in regional stability, including its support for the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.
“The meeting marked the 10th anniversary of the EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), which Costa described as the ‘solid foundation of our growing cooperation’ and the first such pact between the bloc and a Central Asian nation. He highlighted the substantial economic ties, noting the EU is Kazakhstan’s primary trade partner and foreign investor, while Kazakhstan serves as a crucial supplier of oil and uranium for European energy security.
Both leaders agreed on measures to expand trade, investment, and transport connectivity. Costa pointed to Kazakhstan’s role as a key hub for the Trans-Caspian Corridor, a vital Middle Corridor route linking Asia to Europe. President Tokayev expressed confidence in transforming Kazakhstan into a ‘key transport hub in Eurasia.’ They also discussed diversifying their energy partnership to include critical minerals, nuclear energy, and renewables, building on existing cooperation,” reads the article.
British-Kazakh cultural festival returns to Burabay
Burabay, a popular lake resort in northern Kazakhstan, hosted the 10th edition of the ‘Voices of Friends: Poetry & Art’ festival, which ran from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, The Times of Central Asia reported on Dec. 4.
The annual gathering, arranged by the London-based Eurasian Creative Guild (ECG), has become one of Central Asia’s key events for cultural collaboration, bringing together writers, filmmakers, visual artists and musicians from 20 countries.
This year’s program continued the festival’s blend of literature and modern arts, with an emphasis for 2025 on emerging film talent, through the youth-focused Cinema Future festival and the Burabay International Short Film Festival (BISFF).
