ASTANA – The Astana Times has curated a selection of articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest includes topics such as the Central Asian partnership with the European Union and the United States, Kazakhstan’s growth opportunities and more.
Photo credit: Shymbulak Mountain Resort.
Trump has an opportunity in Asia
Central Asia – which includes Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – must be a strategic focus of American policy, writes expert and professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan in his opinion article published on Feb. 2 by Townhall.
“The region offers a wealth of existing and untapped energy resources, both hydrocarbons and the critical minerals vital for high-tech and green energy. It is bordered by China, Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia – making it crucial to many of America’s core foreign policy priorities.
However, Central Asia has long been a blind spot in U.S. foreign policy. Within the labyrinthine bowels of the State Department, it has been repeatedly shuffled between different bureaus. American diplomats and experts working on the region often do so as a byproduct of prior education in Soviet studies, insufficiently grasping the region’s needs and challenges. U.S. policy in the region needs a shakeup,” the article reads.
Forecasting Kazakhstan’s future: exploring alternative development scenarios
In 2024, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) , in collaboration with the Pardee Centre at the University of Denver, conducted a comprehensive study for the Government of Kazakhstan to explore the future sustainable development and growth opportunities in Kazakhstan, UNDP reported on Feb. 5.
This study provides a data-driven basis for strategic policymaking and offers insights into Kazakhstan’s potential development paths for various policy decisions. The forecasts and scenario analyses were primarily conducted using International Futures (IFs), a free and open-source integrated assessment modeling platform maintained and developed by the Frederick S. Pardee Institute for International Futures at the University of Denver. Ifs model integrates the relationships across 188 countries and 12 core systems: Agriculture, Demography, Economy, Education, Energy, Environment, Finance, Governance, Health, Infrastructure, International Policy and Technology.
Kazakhstan preliminary report suggests Azerbaijani plane was penetrated by foreign objects before crash
Kazakhstan released a preliminary report on Tuesday on the investigation into the causes of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash near Aktau Airport in December. The initial examination revealed many holes and dents in the plane, as well as a collision with “foreign metal objects,” Anadolu Ajansi reported on Feb. 4.
Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry released preliminary conclusions based on aviation experts and data analysis, including flight recorders or black boxes recovered after the crash.
“The initial examination of the fragments discovered many through holes and dents of different sizes and shapes in the tail section of the fuselage, the vertical stabilizer, and the horizontal stabilizers, as well as in the elevators and rudders.
Similar damage was found on the left engine and left wing of the aircraft, as well as on various components and systems of the aircraft. Some holes have a distinct rectangular shape,” the report states.
The preliminary report contains no final conclusions about the causes of the plane crash, it added.
Cooperation between Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan accelerates Middle Corridor development, says PM
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze highlighted that strong cooperation between Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the railway sector is significantly contributing to the growth of the Middle Corridor. He made this statement during his meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov in Astana, News.Az reported.
Kobakhidze stated that this cooperation has enabled the implementation of the Middle Corridor project. He highlighted that this route is crucial for container transportation between China and Europe, and vice versa.
“Georgia’s strategic position strengthens the prospect of becoming a digital hub between Europe and Asia through international relations,” Kobakhidze added.
Kazakhstan, best partner for EU in Central Asia
Central Asian countries are important partners for the European Union, said Derya Soysal, a member of the Belgian Diplomatic World Institute, a correspondent for Bruxelles Korner, and an independent environmental expert specializing in Central Asian history. She made these remarks in an interview on Central Asia for the Kanal Avrupa channel in Germany, EU Reporter wrote on Feb. 4.
Soysal specifically mentioned that Europe is one of the main destinations for Kazakh exports and that Kazakhstan is an essential partner for France. She said that France is dependent on Kazakh uranium.
She emphasized that Kazakhstan is one of Europe’s key partners and that by joining the Emission System Trade, the country is following in Europe’s footsteps in terms of environmental standards.Furthermore, both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan play a crucial role for Europe due to their vast reserves of critical materials essential for the green transition.
