Kazakhstan Prioritizes Foreign Retails Chains as Higher-Value Exports Grow
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is preparing new support to place domestically produced goods in major foreign retail chains as the country seeks to build on rising nonresource exports and shift sales toward higher-value finished products. Nonresource exports increased 14.5% in the first five months of 2026 to $11.8 billion, while around 44% of goods produced in…
Kazakhstan Expands Digital Water Management as Pressure on Resources Grows
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is expanding digital monitoring, flood forecasting and groundwater research as it seeks to move from reactive water management toward a system that can anticipate risks and track water supplies more accurately. The Central Asian nation seeks to invest in better data to help solve some of its most persistent water problems. The…
Kazakhstan Moves Up 17 Spots in Post-Shock Investment Risk Assessment
ASTANA — Kazakhstan rose 17 places to rank 53rd in the May 2026 update of the Global Investment Risk and Resilience Index, marking one of the country’s strongest recent improvements in assessments of its ability to withstand economic and geopolitical shocks. The May 2026 edition of the index assesses countries by combining long-term resilience indicators…
Kazakhstan Releases First Tiger Into Wild in More Than 70 Years
ASTANA — Kazakhstan has released a tiger into the wild for the first time in more than 70 years, marking a historic milestone in a decade-long effort to restore the predator to its former habitat and revive the wider ecosystem of the southern Lake Balkhash region. An adult female Amur tiger named Umit, meaning “hope”…
With Azerbaijan, Central Asia Seeks Greater Geopolitical Weight
ASTANA – The leaders of Central Asia and Azerbaijan gathered in Cholpon-Ata on July 31 for an informal summit aimed at translating years of improving political ties into practical regional integration, as Azerbaijan expands the grouping’s reach across the Caspian and Kazakhstan pushes for an action plan for a landmark cooperation treaty. The consultative format…
What CPC Disruptions Reveal About Energy Security, Kazakhstan’s Balanced Foreign Policy
ASTANA – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which exports around 80% of Kazakh oil, has been shut down for a week following Ukrainian drone attacks on July 17 and 19. The recurrent attacks renew questions about the country’s energy security, export dependence and the growing challenge of preserving its balanced foreign policy. The tankers Asia and…
Kazakhstan’s Dairy Output Rises as Cheese and Ice Cream Lead Growth
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s dairy manufacturing output rose 11.9% in the first half of 2026. The growth is concentrated in cheese, butter and ice cream while production of processed liquid milk remained nearly unchanged, according to the latest release from the Bureau of National Statistics. The value of manufactured dairy products reached 414.9 billion tenge (US$887.4…
ADB Vice President Says Kazakhstan Can Benefit as Investors Rewrite Map of Opportunity
ASTANA — Global certainty is not stopping investment. It is redrawing where capital goes and Kazakhstan can benefit from this shift, said Asian Development Bank Vice President Fatima Yasmin in an interview with The Astana Times. “Global uncertainty is making investors more selective, but it is not stopping investment,” said Yasmin, who visited Kazakhstan last…
Kazakhstan Launches G-Index Institute to Build Research Base for Women’s Entrepreneurship
ASTANA – The fourth plenary session of the Global Businesswomen Council on July 2 in Astana announced plans to launch the G-Index Institute, an independent research and analytical platform designed to develop the methodological base for women’s entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. “If public policy has already identified the development of human capital, production localization, SME participation…
EU Ambassador Says Tokayev’s Brussels Visit Reinforced Kazakhstan-EU Strategic Partnership
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s recent visit to Brussels was a reinforcement of Kazakhstan’s strategic partnership with the European Union, EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić told journalists on July 3. She pointed to continued cooperation on transport, critical raw materials, digitalization, trade, education and people-to-people ties. “President Tokayev also met with businesses that are…
Tokyo, Astana See New Momentum in Finance, AI and Digital Cooperation
ASTANA – Tokyo and Astana are building new momentum in their city-to-city partnership, with finance, artificial intelligence and digital technology emerging as key areas for cooperation, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said in an interview with The Astana times following her May visit to Kazakhstan. “Tokyo would seek to further deepen its collaboration with Astana in…
Kazakhstan, Germany Eye Deeper Ties in Energy and Critical Minerals
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Germany are seeking to expand cooperation across key strategic sectors, with Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche, discussing investment, industry, energy, transport logistics and critical minerals on June 29 in Astana. “For Kazakhstan, Germany is one of its key trade, economic and investment…
Kazakhstan Enters Global Top 25 in KidsRights Index, Leads Central Asia
ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranked 24th in the KidsRights Index 2026, becoming the only country from Eastern Europe and Central Asia to enter the global top 25 and outpacing its Central Asian neighbors in the annual ranking of children’s rights. The index was released on June 24 by KidsRights, an Amsterdam-based international children’s rights organization, in…
Tokayev Marks End of Kazakhstan’s Bicameral Parliament Ahead of Historic Constitutional Shift
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Parliament met for the last time in its current form on June 30 as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev framed the country’s constitutional overhaul as a new stage in political modernization and marked the close of a three-decade institutional chapter. A new Constitution takes effect on July 1 and is set to replace the…
Kazakhstan-UAE Memorandum Could Make Driving Abroad Easier for Citizens
ASTANA – Citizens of Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates could soon face fewer bureaucratic hurdles when driving in each other’s countries after Kazakh Minister of Internal Affairs Yerzhan Sadenov and UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed a memorandum on the mutual recognition and exchange of…
Kazakhstan Seeks Closer Ties With Indonesia to Expand Asia-Pacific Reach
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is looking to deepen cooperation with Indonesia as part of a broader effort to strengthen ties with the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region, Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev said during a meeting with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Anis Matta on June 29, who arrived in Kazakhstan on a working visit. “Kazakhstan’s close…
Kazakhstan, Georgia Push to Turn Political Momentum into Trade and Transit Gains
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Georgia moved to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy, transport and digitalization, as Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on June 30. The talks focused on trade and economic cooperation, investment, transport and logistics, energy, and digitalization, reported the Prime Minister’s press office. “Your official…
How Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan Plan to Link Central Asian Green Power to Europe
ASTANA – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are advancing plans for the Caspian Green Energy Corridor that would allow renewable electricity generated in Central Asia to reach European markets. The Astana Times takes a closer look at the project’s scale, economics and strategic significance. The project stems from the agreement, signed by the leaders of Kazakhstan,…
Smithsonian Wants to Show Americans Different Side of Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Ask Americans what they know about Kazakhstan and many may struggle to answer. The Smithsonian hopes to change that, not through politics or economics, but through culture. In an interview with The Astana Times, Halle Butvin, director of strategic initiatives and external affairs at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, discussed…
Thai Foreign Minister Calls Kazakhstan Strategic Partner as Multilaterism Under Pressure
ASTANA – Thailand sees Kazakhstan as a strategic partner at a time when the rules-based international order is under growing pressure and multilateral cooperation is weakening, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said in an interview with The Astana Times. Phuangketkeow is paying the first official visit to Kazakhstan on June 24-27,…
Kazakhstan Backs EU’s New Connectivity Platform
ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov participated in a high-level ministerial meeting on June 23 in Brussels, marking the launch of the Connectivity Agenda Platform, an initiative aimed at facilitating the coordination of investments and policy action across Central Asia, the South Caucasus, the Black Sea region and the European Union. The platform…
Bektenov Highlights Kazakhstan’s Growth Agenda at Summer Davos
ASTANA – Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov took part in the World Economic Forum’s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, highlighting Kazakhstan’s economic reforms, investment opportunities and ambitions in digital technology and innovation. The forum, known as Summer Davos, brought together more than 1,700 leaders from business, government and academia. The agenda…
Uzbekistan’s World Cup Dream Meets Ronaldo’s Record-Breaking Night
ASTANA – Thousands of fans across Central Asia watched on June 23 as Uzbekistan faced Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Cristiano Ronaldo made history by scoring in his sixth World Cup tournament. An absolute world record! Portugal won 5-0, rebounding from last week’s draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uzbekistan got…
Kazakhstan Seeks New Investment as Tokayev Meets European Executives
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a series of meetings with top EU officials and senior executives from major European companies during his visit to Brussels on June 23, seeking to attract new investment and diversify the strategic partnership, reported the presidential press office. Tokayev met with European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš…
Tokayev’s Brussels Visit Yields $12 Billion in EU Deals
ASTANA – Commercial agreements worth over $12 billion were signed in Brussels, underscoring the growing economic partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on June 23 in Brussels. Addressing the Kazakhstan-EU business roundtable as part of his official visit, Tokayev said the deals serve as evidence that Kazakhstan-EU cooperation is moving…
