ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest explores the country’s growing role in international water cooperation, expanding ties with Europe and India, international recognition of its equestrian heritage, and more.
Photo credit: Fatima Kemelova/ The Astana Times
Shimmering Aqzhan – carrying the spirit of Kazakhstan
The Australian equestrian magazine Hoofbeats has featured Aqzhan, an Akhal-Teke mare from the Presidential Stables of Kazakhstan. She appears on the cover of the October-November publication alongside President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
“A young Akhal-Teke mare with extraordinarily rare isabelline colouring is capturing attention in Astana, the rapidly developing capital of Kazakhstan, and beyond, offering a striking connection between the country’s rich horse heritage and its vision for the future,” reads the article.
Kazakhstan proposes UN-backed international water organization at COP31
Kazakhstan has proposed establishing an international water organization under UN auspices to strengthen global cooperation on water security, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said Wednesday, reported by Anadolu Agency on Nov. 12.
Speaking at the COP31 UN climate conference in the Turkish city of Antalya, Bektenov said Central Asia faced growing challenges from rising temperatures, shrinking glaciers, desertification and water scarcity, requiring closer regional cooperation.
He invited international partners to support the initiative, which was proposed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Swiss rail maker Stadler steps up Kazakhstan expansion
The company has put its first “Charme” sleeper carriages – produced locally in Astana – into service on behalf of the Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ), reported swissinfo on Nov. 11.
The contract provides for the delivery of 557 sleeper carriages and their maintenance over 20 years, with commissioning scheduled to continue until the end of 2030.
More than 100 carriages, manufactured locally, were already taken delivery of in October. They will operate, in particular, on the 1,300-kilometer line linking Astana to Almaty.
Kazakhstan’s AI ambitions open a new chapter in its economic ties with Europe
Growing technology exports and major investment in computing infrastructure are giving Kazakhstan a stronger foothold in the digital economy. The challenge is to turn that momentum into lasting gains for businesses and workers, according to an EU Reporter article published on Nov. 3.
In Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan is preparing to put its energy resources to a new use: powering the computing systems behind artificial intelligence. The planned Data Centre Valley represents an attempt to build another export industry, selling access to advanced computing alongside the country’s established trade in natural resources.
For European businesses and policymakers, the development raises an increasingly practical question. Could Kazakhstan become a significant partner in digital services, industrial AI and the infrastructure connecting European and Asian markets?
National Bank of Kazakhstan sells its first tokenized notes
The National Bank of Kazakhstan sold short-term notes in the form of digital tokens for the first time at a November 9 auction on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE). The tokenized notes accounted for 10 billion tenge (about $22.3 million), or one-fifth of the issue’s total face value of 50 billion tenge (about $111.7 million), reported the Times of Central Asia on Nov. 11.
The central bank said selling conventional and tokenized notes together allowed it to apply the same pricing rules to both forms and test how the digital platform worked alongside the existing securities market. It sees the trial as a step toward tokenizing other government securities.
Kazakhstan inks new deals to supply Uranium to Indian cos
Kazakhstan, the world’s largest producer of uranium, has signed new contracts to supply natural uranium to major energy companies in India in 2026, as the country seeks to expand its international partnerships and diversify its uranium export markets, reported The Economic Times on Nov. 10.
