Articles by Aida Haidar

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s Cyberport is looking to deepen its ties with Central Asia as technology hubs in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan seek to connect their startup ecosystems with international markets, investors and partners. In two separate interviews with The Astana Times on Nov. 4 as part of Cyberport Venture and Capital Forum, Eric Chan,…

HONG KONG — The term “bubble” was not a whispered fear but a baseline for discussion at the Nov. 4 Cyberport Venture and Capital Forum, where participants focused on winning the next competitive cycle in AI. As artificial intelligence valuations soar to unprecedented heights, venture capitalists are shifting their focus from the marketing noise of…

ASTANA – Central Asia could unlock significant economic benefits from closer cooperation between its electricity systems, with a developed regional architecture potentially generating up to $640 million in annual gross benefits, according to a new report by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). However, the region’s ability to realize this potential will depend less on building…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has completed the establishment of diplomatic relations with all United Nations (UN) member states after signing a joint communiqué with Nauru (Naoero), becoming the 195th country with which Kazakhstan has established diplomatic ties on Oct. 31, the Foreign Ministry’s press service reported. Kazakhstan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Kairat Umarov and Naoero’s…

ASTANA — Abai is widely regarded as the founder of modern Kazakh written literature and one of the country’s most influential thinkers. His poetry and “Words of Edification,” a collection of philosophical reflections on morality, education, human nature and society, continue to shape how generations of Kazakhs understand their cultural heritage. Yet to understand Abai,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranked 41st out of 143 countries and jurisdictions in the Order and Security factor of the 2026 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, improving one position from last year, according to the organization’s latest report. The ranking measures one of eight areas the index assesses, evaluating how the rule of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Georgia are working to make it easier for financial institutions to access each other’s capital markets, with regulators exploring mutual market recognition mechanisms to support cross-border investment and financial services. The initiative was a key focus of AIFC Connect: Tbilisi 2026, an event hosted by the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC),…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi called for stronger political dialogue and closer trade and transport ties among Turkic states at an Oct. 29 meeting ahead of the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), the ministry’s press service reported. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Ankara on Oct. 28 for an official…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan plans to expand AI in budget management, overhaul investment coordination, consider higher taxes on wealthy citizens, and raise the minimum monthly wage to 110,000 tenge ($242) in 2027 as the government moves to implement President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state-of-the-nation address. The measures were discussed at an Oct. 29 meeting chaired by Prime Minister…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan plans to build 21 new logistics centers by 2030, add 13.3 gigawatts of power generation capacity by 2029 and accelerate the digitalization of water resources, agriculture and geological data as the government works to implement President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state-of-the-nation address. The government outlined the measures at an Oct. 29 meeting chaired by…

ASTANA — Improving cities, modernizing infrastructure and raising living standards have been recurring priorities in President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state-of-the-nation addresses. His latest address brought these themes together with a renewed push for AI, energy security and technological development, reinforcing priorities he has emphasized throughout his presidency. In a comment to The Astana Times, political analyst…

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Ankara on Oct. 28 for an official visit to Türkiye, where he is scheduled to attend the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Tokayev at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. A guard of honor was lined up for the…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan must build a digital economy, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his state-of-the-nation address on Oct. 28, calling for broader use of AI in industry and agriculture, modernized geological exploration and a shift from digital consumption to technology-driven production. Tokayev said Kazakhstan had begun building infrastructure for its Digital Qazaqstan strategy, including launching…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan aims to develop its domestic drone industry by 2029, focusing on local manufacturing, digital flight management, workforce training and the use of unmanned systems across key economic sectors, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development reported on Oct. 27.  Eighteen government bodies, including the ministries of transport, defense and internal affairs,…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan is seeking to make water-sharing across Central Asia more transparent through real-time monitoring and shared data as it prepares for possible declines in water availability through 2040. The country does not currently face a nationwide water deficit, but its dependence on rivers flowing across national borders makes water security a regional issue,…

ASTANA – A study of housing support in Kazakhstan has found that some recipients experienced greater housing stability and lower living expenses, while others faced challenges with information, registration and housing maintenance, according to findings presented at a conference in Astana on Oct. 23. According to the European Union (EU) Delegation to Kazakhstan, the qualitative…

Every year, as Kazakhstan marks Republic Day on Oct. 25, we return to a moment in our history that is easy to describe in legal terms but harder to appreciate in its broader meaning. On Oct. 25, 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic laid the foundations for the country’s…

For much of my time as a journalist, the story of China’s rise has come with a familiar undertone of alarm. China is either becoming the next great global power, challenging the West, rewriting the rules of international politics or quietly building a parallel system that the rest of the world will eventually have to…

ASTANA – Thirty-five years after Kazakhstan closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and began giving up the nuclear arsenal it inherited from the Soviet Union, the world is moving back toward a security environment in which nuclear weapons are again seen by some as an answer rather than a danger. That was one of the…

ASTANA – The emerging AI order may look bipolar from a distance, with the United States (U.S.) and China dominating the most advanced models, chips and computing infrastructure. But the discussion at Digital Bridge 2026 in Astana on Oct. 2 suggested a more complex picture: the technology may be concentrated, while its applications, standards and…

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will visit Germany from Sept. 29-Oct. 1, with meetings in Berlin and Munich coming at a time when Kazakh-German relations have grown significantly in both political and economic terms, but are also entering a more demanding stage. Germany is one of Kazakhstan’s key European partners for investment, technology and industrial…

ASTANA – Seven years into Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s presidency, Kazakhstan’s economic record is increasingly defined not by a single indicator, but by the breadth of change across investment, manufacturing, infrastructure, small and medium-sized enterprises and the social sector. The period since 2019 has also been unusually demanding. The economy has gone through the pandemic, global inflation,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s domestic policy should focus on constitutional values, a new public ethic and an orientation toward the future, Vice President Erlan Karin said in a Telegram post on Sept. 16, outlining three key priorities for the country’s domestic policy. Constitutional values The first priority is constitutional values, which form the foundation of President…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and South Korea signed commercial agreements worth $19 billion during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Seoul on Sept. 15, with both sides seeking to expand cooperation in investment, industry, urban development and cultural and humanitarian ties, Akorda reported.  “Our goal is the comprehensive development of bilateral relations,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said…

ASTANA — Elena Rybakina has added another distinction to a landmark season, topping the Women’s Tennis Association’s 2026 prize-money standings after becoming the first player representing Kazakhstan to reach the No. 1 singles ranking, according to the WTA. Rybakina has earned over $10 million in prize money this season, according to WTA figures, putting her…