ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest highlights Elena Rybakina’s U.S. Open victory, strengthened Kazakhstan-South Korea cooperation, Astana Arena’s selection to host the 2028 UEFA Super Cup, and Kazakhstan’s efforts to diversify its oil export routes.
Astana. Photo credit: The Astana Times
S. Korea, Kazakhstan sign MOU on preservation of historic sites linked to Korea’s independence movement
South Korea and Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to help better preserve historical sites in the Central Asian country that are linked to Korea’s independence movement against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, Seoul’s veterans ministry said Wednesday, Yonhap reported on Sept. 16.
“Under the MOU, the two countries agreed to systematically preserve the historical records and cultural value of historical sites related to Korea’s independence movement while also strengthening academic exchanges. There are 25 historical sites related to Korea’s independence movement in the central Asian country, according to the ministry,” reads the article.
Seoul Cyber University chairman receives Kazakhstan’s Order of Dostyk
Lee Sang-kyun, chairman of Seoul Cyber University (SCU), received Kazakhstan’s Order of Dostyk, recognizing his contributions to expanding online education and promoting friendly cooperation between Korea and Kazakhstan, reported The Korea Times on Sept. 16.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who visited Korea this week for the first Korea-Central Asia Summit, personally presented the order to Lee on Monday. The Order of Dostyk is one of Kazakhstan’s highest state honors, awarded to figures at home and abroad for contributions to peace, friendship, international cooperation and social harmony.
U.S. Open final: Elena Rybakina smothers Aryna Sabalenka to dethrone reigning champion
For the second time this year, Elena Rybakina is a Grand Slam champion after defeating Aryna Sabalenka. The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan toppled Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 on Saturday in the U.S. Open final, denying Sabalenka’s bid to win the tournament for a third straight year, The New York Times reported on Sept. 13.
“It is Rybakina’s first U.S. Open title, and her third Grand Slam title overall. It means she leaves the tournament as both the champion and the new world No. 1: Rybakina will replace Sabalenka at the top of women’s tennis on Monday,” reads the article.
Astana Arena in the capital of Kazakhstan selected to host 2028 UEFA Super Cup
The prestigious match, UEFA Super Cup, will take place at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2027, before passing the baton to Astana Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2028. Kazakhstan has obtained the chance to host such a major match, marking a historic first for the country, Euronews reported on Sept. 15.
The decision was made and officially announced by the UEFA Executive Committee. Since 2013, the Super Cup venue has changed every year, moving to a new location each time. Kazakhstan has obtained the chance to host such a major match, marking a historic first for the country. For the uninitiated, the UEFA Super Cup is a single-match curtain-raiser where the Champions League and Europa League winners meet.
Kazakhstan is upgrading its oil export strategy: Here’s how
Astana is looking for more ways to move its oil. Russia, its principal export outlet, is rife with disruptions. Damage to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) Black Sea terminal in November 2025 suppressed exports into early 2026, while the recent July attacks on tankers threatened roughly 1.5 million barrels per day, writes Joseph Shumunov for EU Reporter on Sept. 15.
The vulnerability would not be so enormous if 80% of Kazakh oil exports did not move through the CPC terminal near Novorossiysk. But is Kazakhstan merely searching for emergency alternatives amid instability? Or is this a transformation it has been preparing for? The answer is consequential: Kazakhstan is attempting a wholesale upgrade of its oil-export strategy, one befitting a rising regional power. It is moving from rational efficiency toward strategic resilience, from accepting routes toward shaping them, and from concentrated dependence toward managed interdependence.
