ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles on Kazakhstan featured in international media worldwide this week. This week’s foreign media digest covers new investment in Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector, growing Kazakhstan-Germany cooperation on raw materials and trade routes, the country’s call for stronger multilateral cooperation, and more.
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Carlsberg Kazakhstan opens $344 million beverage plant, positioning Kazakhstan as a regional manufacturing and supply hub for Central Asia
Carlsberg Kazakhstan officially opened a new $344 million beverage production facility in the Almaty Region, one of the largest recent investments in Kazakhstan’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. The plant will expand local production for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and strengthen Kazakhstan’s role as a regional manufacturing and supply hub for Central Asia, while advancing the strategic partnership between Carlsberg Group and PepsiCo, reported the company’s press service on Oct. 1.
The facility will manufacture under license PepsiCo beverage brands for consumers and customers in Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Kazakhstan will serve as the primary market, while the plant will also supply products to the Kyrgyz Republic.
The $344 million investment represents a significant inflow of foreign direct investment into Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector and reflects the long-term confidence of Carlsberg Group and PepsiCo in the country’s economic outlook, workforce and consumer market. It also highlights the role of international partnerships in bringing capital, technology and global operating expertise into Kazakhstan. The presence of Denmark’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, alongside representatives of Kazakhstan’s national ministries, the Akimat of Almaty Region, the diplomatic community, Carlsberg Group and PepsiCo underscored the project’s importance to commercial ties between Kazakhstan and Denmark.
Kazakhstan calls for new era of practical multilateralism as global trust comes under strain
EU Reporter published an article on Sept. 28 about Kazakhstan’s call for renewed international cooperation at the UN General Assembly, highlighting its positions on nuclear disarmament, Ukraine, Gaza, water security, AI governance and UN reform.
“Addressing the General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 25, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi placed the restoration of trust at the center of his country’s foreign-policy message.
Kazakhstan, he said, remains committed to the principles of the UN Charter and sees multilateralism not as an abstract diplomatic concept but as a practical means of finding common ground and addressing shared global challenges.
The address reflected an increasingly prominent strand of Kazakhstan’s international positioning: that middle powers can play a larger role in bridging geopolitical divisions at a time when relationships between the major powers are becoming more difficult,” reads the article.
Germany and Kazakhstan: raw materials, trade routes, and new partnerships
Kazakhstan is moving into the spotlight for Germany, both economically and geopolitically. Cooperation with Central Asia is the central focus of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Berlin. For Germany, this also involves reducing dependencies regarding key raw materials, reported Euronews on Sept. 29.
“When Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Chancellery on Tuesday, the discussion went beyond traditional diplomacy. According to the Federal Government, the agenda included expanding the bilateral energy and raw materials partnership, regional cooperation in Central Asia, and international security policy,” reads the article.
We offer Germany a raw materials partnership
Kazakhstan produces 21 of the 34 raw materials deemed strategically important for Europe. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is proposing joint value and production chains to Berlin, Handelsblatt reported on Sept. 30.
“Trust and reliability are vital assets in politics and business. In times of international turbulence, both are becoming increasingly important. Kazakhstan and Germany have built trust over the course of more than three decades. Our strategic partnership thrives on political dialogue, the implementation of agreements, and tangible results.
For Kazakhstan, Germany is far more than just a trading partner and investor. We are united by economic interests and a clear commitment to international law. Our cooperation extends beyond the bilateral agenda: it connects Asia and Europe while strengthening economic resilience, energy security, and transport routes across the Eurasian region,” reads the article.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and UAE to explore new CASA railway route
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to jointly explore a new railway corridor linking Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan (CASA), with access to Pakistan’s seaports.
The agreement was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport and the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Kazakh government said in a statement, reported news.az on Oct. 1.
The proposed railway route is designed to strengthen transport connectivity between Central and South Asia and provide new opportunities for international freight transit, trade and logistics.
The project is also expected to create additional prospects for investment cooperation among the participating countries, while expanding transport links between Central Asian markets and Pakistan’s seaports.
