Belgian Company Plans $56 Million Border Logistics Hub Near China as Kazakhstan Expands Transit Role
ASTANA – Belgian heavy-lift and transport company Sarens plans to invest up to $56 million in a logistics and commercial hub near Kazakhstan’s border with China, a project that could help ease cargo bottlenecks and strengthen the country’s role as a key transit corridor between Asia and Europe, said Hannes Van Nedervelde, construction director at…
Kazakhstan, Canada Push Beyond Trade Toward AI, Industrial Partnerships
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Canada are seeking to expand cooperation beyond traditional trade and resource industries, harnessing opportunities presented by emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and digital innovation, officials and business leaders said at the seventh meeting of the Kazakhstan-Canada Business Council in Astana on June 10. “Kazakhstan and Canada are separated by thousands…
Kazakh Aviation Specialists Join US-Led Air Cargo Security Training
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the United States are deepening cooperation on aviation security, with Kazakh specialists completing training in New York on cargo risk assessment, aircraft inspections and border security procedures ahead of the planned launch of direct air service between the two countries. Kazakhstan’s civil aviation authorities and specialists from airports in Astana and…
Kazakhstan, Netherlands Reach Deals on $185 Million in Joint Projects
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the Netherlands agreed to move forward with joint projects worth 160 million euros ($184 million) following a business forum on June 9 during Kazakh Trade and Integration Minister Arman Shakkaliyev’s visit to the Netherlands. The forum was held as part of the GreenTech Amsterdam 2026 international exhibition, and served as the…
Tajikistan Breaks Ground on $100 Million IT Hub Project
ASTANA – Tajikistan began the construction of an IT Hub Dushanbe complex on June 9, which is meant to become one of the country’s largest projects focused on digital technology and innovation. The total investment is expected at $100 million. The initiative is intended to support the growth of the digital economy through investments in…
Kazakhstan Secures Seat on UN Disability Rights Committee, First Time for Central Asia
ASTANA – Lyazzat Kaltayeva, an expert and disability rights advocate from Kazakhstan, was elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on June 9. She became the first representative from Central Asia to serve on the body that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities…
Kazakhstan Uses Financial Incentives to Drive ESG Adoption, Help Exporters Compete Abroad
ASTANA – ESG, which stands for environmental, social and governance, is no longer a reputational issue but a market access requirement, and companies that adapt quickly will gain competitive advantage, according to Nadira Abenova, ESG Specialist at the Export Credit Agency of Kazakhstan. The Export Credit Agency supports non-resource-based exports in priority sectors through credit…
Investor Protection Committee Monitors $205 Billion in Projects as Kazakhstan Strengthens Investor Safeguards
ASTANA – The Investor Rights Protection Committee oversees more than 3,000 projects worth over 100 trillion tenge ($205.6 billion), with prosecutors assigned to help investors resolve disputes, address regulatory hurdles and coordinate with government agencies, committee chairman Bauyrzhan Yeraly said in an interview with The Astana Times. The committee was created in December 2025 and…
Kazakhstan’s Peacekeepers Adapt to New Threats as UN Missions Grow More Complex
ASTANA — More than 150 Kazakhstan’s peacekeepers are operating in increasingly complex security environments, facing asymmetric conflicts, blurred front lines and evolving threats that were difficult to imagine a decade ago, the Kazakh Defense Ministry told The Astana Times, as the world marks the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on May 29. The experience contributes…
Kazakhstan Looks to Deepen Trade Ties With Thailand at THAIFEX 2026
BANGKOK – Kazakhstan is seeking to expand its trade footprint in Southeast Asia through broader participation in regional food and consumer goods markets, as Kazakh products are on display at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026, Asia’s biggest food and beverage trade exhibition held on May 26-30 in Bangkok. The fair brought together more than 3,100…
Kazakhstan, Thailand Seek to Expand Trade, Investment Ties at Bangkok Business Forum
BANGKOK – Government officials and business leaders from Kazakhstan and Thailand met in Bangkok on May 25 to explore new opportunities in trade, investment and tourism cooperation, as both countries seek to strengthen economic ties and diversify commercial partnerships. The forum brought together representatives from government agencies, chambers of commerce and private companies to discuss…
Kazakh PM Bektenov Joins CIS Meeting in Ashgabat
ASTANA – Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov participated in a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Ashgabat on May 22. In a narrow-format session, officials discussed economic cooperation among CIS member states and approved a report on the implementation of the Interstate Cooperation Program…
Kazakhstan-Norway Business Relations Gain Momentum Amid Rising Trade
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Norway took a step toward deepening economic cooperation on May 21 as government officials and business leaders gathered in Astana for the second meeting of the bilateral Business Council, highlighting growing interest in trade, investment and joint projects in sectors ranging from renewable energy to aquaculture. Trade momentum Economic ties between…
British Director Captures Life of Central Asian Tortoise in One of World’s Harshest Landscapes
ASTANA – Would you spend nearly two weeks following one of the slowest creatures on Earth? British director Saxon Bosworth did exactly that, traveling to the Ustyurt Plateau in western Kazakhstan to capture the life of the Central Asian tortoise, a creature whose entire visible world unfolds in just a few months each year. The…
Kazakhstan and Türkiye Recast Their Eurasian Role
ASTANA – When Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Astana this week, the language of brotherhood between Kazakhstan and Türkiye sounded different. It was no longer centered on shared history alone, but on oil routes, drone production, cargo corridors and the shifting balance of power in the region. As the war in Ukraine drags into another…
Kazakhstan and Türkiye Deepen Strategic Ties as Trade and Transit Ambitions Grow
ASTANA — Kazakhstan and Türkiye signed the Declaration on Eternal Friendship and Expanded Strategic Partnership on May 14 as the two countries moved to deepen trade, investment and transit cooperation amid growing regional shifts. The agreement was signed during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s state visit to Astana and the sixth meeting of the High-Level Strategic…
Kazakhstan’s Rail Freight Falls Since January as Road Transport Expands
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s rail and pipeline freight transport declined in the first four months of 2026, while road, air and maritime transport posted growth, according to data released on May 12 by the Bureau of National Statistics. Rail freight transport reached 110.3 million tons between January and April, down 1.1% from the same period last…
Kazakhstan to Sell Up to $500 Million From National Fund in May
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is expected to sell up to $500 million from its National Fund in May to support budget transfers, even as analysts warn the recent strengthening of the tenge may not reflect underlying economic fundamentals. According to a statement from the National Bank of Kazakhstan released on May 4, the tenge had strengthened…
ADB Sees Central Asia as Key to Regional Power Grid in $70 Billion Push
SAMARKAND – Central Asia could become a key node in a regional power grid, said Leah Gutierrez, director general of the Asian Development Bank’s Central and West Asia Department, as the bank rolls out a multibillion-dollar plan to link electricity networks and expand cross-border energy trade. ADB’s 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors…
Trust Drives Surge in Foreign Investment in Kazakhstan’s Bond Market, Says Senior Official
SAMARKAND – The development of capital markets ultimately reflects the maturity of a country’s financial system, with trust emerging as the decisive factor, said Nurzhan Tursunkhanov, deputy chairperson of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market. Tursunkhanov addressed a panel session at the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 59th Annual Meeting of the…
Kazakhstan Moves Early on AI in Education Through OpenAI Partnership
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is positioning itself among the first countries globally to integrate artificial intelligence into its education system through a partnership with OpenAI, in what officials describe as a long-term investment in national capabilities. “Kazakhstan is among those first countries globally to embark upon a collaboration with OpenAI on the frontier of education,” said…
Kazakhstan Unveils Investment Platform to Drive Energy Transition, Partners with EBRD
ASTANA – Kazakhstan unveiled an investment platform to drive just energy transition on April 23 as part of the Regional Ecological Summit in the capital, positioning it as a cornerstone of the country’s climate and economic strategy. The initiative, known as QaJET, aims to accelerate the shift to cleaner energy by adding 10 gigawatts of…
Central Asia Knows Climate Risks, but Acting on Them is Real Test
ASTANA – Central Asia is entering a decisive phase in its response to climate change, with experts warning that while governments increasingly understand the scale of the risks, the real challenge now lies in turning commitments into coordinated action. “The companies and communities in Central Asia know very well what the problems are. But they…
Airbus Sees Kazakhstan as Strategic Market as Aviation and Defense Ties Expand
ASTANA – As Kazakhstan pushes to become a regional aviation hub, Airbus is deepening its presence across multiple sectors, from passenger aircraft to military transport and space technology. Speaking with The Astana Times on the sidelines of the Central Asia Aviation Summit in the capital last week, Roman Blachshishin, head of Airbus in Kazakhstan, said…
UN Warns World is Far Off Track on 2030, Casts Central Asia on Climate Front Line
ASTANA — United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua delivered a stark warning on April 22 in his remarks to the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, saying the world is falling dangerously short of its 2030 sustainable development targets, with more than 700 million people still living in extreme poverty and over…
