ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest highlights the country’s efforts to attract U.S. investment, new steps to digitize the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, expanding energy cooperation with South Korea, and more.
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No longer a startup market: Kazakhstan makes its case to US investor
The Times of Central Asia released an article on April 16 about Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s push to deepen U.S.-Kazakhstan economic ties by turning political alignment with Washington into concrete investments in energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, and digital development.
“Kazakhstan is positioning itself not as a future opportunity but as an already proven partner, highlighting over $17 billion in recent agreements with major U.S. companies and more than $60 billion in total U.S. investment, while emphasizing its role as a reliable supplier of critical minerals, a key Eurasian transit hub through the Middle Corridor, and a stable, reform-driven economy with strong legal protections for investors,” reads the article.
Kazakhstan to integrate digital systems for Middle Corridor development
Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has instructed the country’s relevant agencies to ensure the integration of digital systems with partners in Azerbaijan and Georgia to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, Middle Corridor), according to an article published by Report on April 13.
Bektenov announced this at a meeting dedicated to implementing the president’s instructions to develop the country’s transit and transport potential.
“Work is underway to shorten delivery time along the TITR, introduce unified tariffs along the Altynkol – Poti/Batumi route, and integrate digital systems with partners in Azerbaijan and Georgia. Currently, major infrastructure projects are being implemented on a railway with a total length of 3,900 kilometers,” he emphasized.
South Korea to import Kazakh oil via routes bypassing Strait of Hormuz
South Korea has agreed to purchase 18 million barrels of crude oil from Kazakhstan using alternative transport routes, in a calculated effort to reduce exposure to geopolitical disruption in the Middle East, reported AnewZ on April 16.
The arrangement was confirmed by Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to the South Korean president, following high-level talks in Kazakhstan on April 8. It forms part of a broader push by Seoul to diversify both suppliers and logistics chains.
The deal sits within a wider procurement framework under which South Korea has secured contracts for 273 million barrels of oil through to the end of 2026.
Kazakhstan launches talks to simplify UK visa rules for business and education
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov has told senators in Astana that the government is in active negotiations with London to make it easier for Kazakh citizens to secure permission to study, work and do business in the United Kingdom, reported Visa HQ on April 17.
Speaking during an April 16 debate on ratification of a new UK–Kazakhstan Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, Issetov said the current imbalance, under which Britons can enter Kazakhstan visa-free for up to 30 days while Kazakh nationals face one of the longest and costliest UK visa processes in Europe, was hampering trade and educational exchange.
Kazakhstan and China plan to build a $1.2 billion steel mill
Kazakhstan and China are planning to build a $1.2 billion steel mill, reported GMK Center on April 8.
“During a recent visit to China’s Fujian Province, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev discussed the localization of production and the launch of new enterprises with Chinese investment,” reads the article.
UAE President receives written message from President of Kazakhstan, conveyed through Mansour bin Zayed
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has received a written message from Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, pertaining to bilateral relations and means of enhancing cooperation, reported the Media Office on April 16.
The message was received by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, during a meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi with Yernar Lazar, Special Envoy and Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for International Affairs.
The sides discussed bilateral cooperation between the UAE and Kazakhstan and ways to further develop cooperation across various fields to serve mutual interests and support sustainable development in both countries.
