Navigating a New Silk Road
The connections between China and Central Asian nations such as Kazakhstan are garnering a lot of attention lately. News media are reporting that this May Xi’an in China will play host to the first in-person Central Asia-China Summit. Kazakhstan and China are known to be discussing the possibility of dropping visa requirements for travelers between…
Horses and Humans: Ancient Bond
The horse and the history of the Kazakh people are deeply intertwined. Our close relationship with horses began about 5,500 years ago. We believe our ancestors were the first people on the planet to climb on a horse’s back and ride it, then utilize it as a pack animal to carry our goods. We were…
Tengiz: Behind the Scenes of The Deal of the Century
Kazakhstan marked an important anniversary on April 6. The American oil company Chevron entered the former Soviet country and signed a 40-year contract to develop the Tengiz oil field, located in western Kazakhstan 30 years ago. The Tengiz oil field was discovered by Soviet geologists in 1979. An article in The Washington Post described the…
Astana International Forum: Behind Pipelines
The Astana International Forum will take place in the capital of Kazakhstan this June. At this dynamic gathering, energy and climate will be key topics for discussion. For Kazakhstan, the energy sector development is a highly relevant issue, touching on the country’s economic survival. Kazakhstan is a leading energy producer in the region, with vast…
Astana International Forum: Extending Kazakh Hospitality to World
Kazakhstan is a country noted for its warm hospitality. A guest in a Kazakh home is treated with great honor and offered a delicious meal and the delights of traditional Kazakh tea. That spirit of hospitality felt throughout the centuries now extends to modern Kazakhstan’s role in fostering international cooperation. As a result, Kazakhstan continues…
Kazakh Women: The Core of Family and Society
Observed annually on March 8, International Women’s Day is one of the most popular holidays celebrated in Kazakhstan. And while this holiday has some old-fashioned elements, March 8 sends a very current reminder to the world of the important roles that women play in every part of Kazakh society. When we talk about Kazakh women,…
Kazakhstan’s Parliamentary Election: Hope For Real Change
Kazakhstan is preparing for an important political event – a parliamentary election planned for March 19. This date is already significant to the Kazakh people because it was on March 19, 2019, when Kazakhstan’s first President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, resigned from the post he had held for nearly three decades. Since then, Kazakhstan has had a…
Kazakhstan: Diversification Agenda Faces Time Crunch
The unprecedented social unrest that shocked Kazakhstan a year ago has pushed its government, once again, to lay out an agenda for accelerating the process of the country’s economic diversification. Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector currently accounts for nearly half of the country’s GDP and around 70 percent of its exports. This sector generates more…
Uncertainty and Optimism: Kazakhstan’s Economic Forecast for 2023
Kazakhstan’s GDP has relied on a number of key sectors according to the Minister of National Economy. Areas such as construction, agriculture, information and communication, manufacturing, trade, transport and warehousing helped expand the GDP to 3.10 percent in 2022, slightly below the 4.0 percent growth of 2022. The growth rate calculated by the ministry differs…
