ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s digest covers the country’s growing diplomatic profile, major political reforms, investments in healthcare and industry, and Kazakhstan’s strategic importance in global trade and regional security.
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Kazakhstan joins Donald Trump’s Board of Peace as one of 19 founding countries
Kazakhstan became one of the first member countries on U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace which was unveiled at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, reported Euronews on Jan. 22.
“The board, which was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council late last year, was initially conceived as a mechanism to bring stability to post-war Gaza, but has since morphed into a broader conflict resolution platform,” the article reads.
Tokayev’s Kurultai state: Why Kazakhstan’s new political architecture matters for Europe
EU Reporter released an article on Jan. 21 about Kazakhstan’s plan to redesign its political system to ensure stability, faster decision-making, and predictable governance, and what this means for Europe’s strategic interests in energy, trade, and regional security.
“The proposals go well beyond administrative reform: they include a shift to a unicameral parliament, the renaming of the future legislature as the Kurultai, the creation of a new People’s Council (Khalyk Kenesi), the establishment of a Vice President, and the preparation of a new draft constitution by a Constitution Commission, with the possibility of popular ratification via referendum.
Taken together, these moves suggest not incremental reform, but a deliberate attempt to re-engineer Kazakhstan’s political operating system at a moment of global uncertainty.
For Europe, the implications are not abstract. Kazakhstan is a pivotal partner for energy security, critical raw materials, and the Middle Corridor linking Europe to Asia. In all three areas, predictability and continuity matter as much as formal democratic design,” reads the article.
Kazakhstan plans to build four new pharmaceutical plants
Kazakhstan is set to build four new pharmaceutical plants, reported Trend on Jan. 22.
The government has approved investment agreements between the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan and the companies AltINPHARM, MSP-ROMPHARM, Abdi Ibrahim Global Pharm, and Nobel Almaty Pharmaceutical Factory for the localization of pharmaceutical production. The total investment in the approved projects amounts to 173 billion tenge ($340 million).
The corresponding resolutions were signed by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
The implementation of these projects involves the localization of production for 356 types of medicines, including socially significant drugs. The product range will cover medications for cancer and diabetes treatment, as well as immunobiological, antiviral, anti-anemia, pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, cold and flu, and antimicrobial medicines.
Tokayev unveils major political reforms as Kazakhstan moves to replace the National Kurultai
The fifth and final session of the National Kurultai in Kazakhstan, held on Jan. 20, marked the announcement of plans to dismantle and replace two key institutions: the National Kurultai and the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, structures that have played central roles in the country’s civic dialogue, particularly over the past three decades, reported the Times of Central Asia on Jan. 21.
In an address, President Tokayev declared that these legacy institutions would be replaced by new mechanisms for state-society interaction, crafted with an eye toward modern governance models and constitutional reform. The move reflects Tokayev’s long-running criticism of consultative bodies that, while symbolically inclusive, have often duplicated functions or lacked clear decision-making authority.
What is the Middle Corridor and why it matters
The Caspian Post published an article on Jan. 21 explaining how the Middle Corridor has emerged as a strategically vital, geopolitically driven alternative trade route linking Asia and Europe, reshaping Eurasian connectivity amid sanctions, conflicts, and global supply-chain vulnerabilities.
“The Middle Corridor is not merely an alternative transport option. It is a geopolitical signal that Eurasia is entering a new phase, one in which regional states are no longer passive transit zones but active players shaping global connectivity,” reads the article.
