
Republic of Kazakhstan
Email: ccasc@kimep.kz
This past week, the media paid attention to Tokayev’s reshuffling of his cabinet and the new legislative agenda spearheaded by Kazakhstan’s new Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov; the announcement of new KAZAID initiatives, an international development organization created by Kazakhstan to support developing countries in the Central Asian region; a conference on drilling in the Caspian Sea and multilateral efforts to govern and sustain the resources of the Caspian Sea; a bilateral meeting between Uzbekistan’s President Mirziyoyev and Belarus’ Lukashenko to further develop the countries’ political and economic ties; a climate change forum held at Nangarhar University in Afghanistan, which reviewed the impacts of conflict and development on the environment and ecology of Afghanistan.
This past week, the media paid attention to Kazakhstan’s proposal to create a digital platform to enhance connectivity, innovation, and commerce between the states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan announcing that they will work together to manage and equitably share transboundary water resources on the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers, the Central Asian States providing immediate aid to the citizens left without power in Kyrgyzstan’s capital following an explosion at a power plant in Bishkek, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announcing a new package of investments for Turkmenistan, and China accepting credentials of the Taliban's ambassador in Beijing.
This past week, the media paid attention to President Tokayev’s state visit to Italy, where the President announced increasing business ties with Italian and companies and increasing Kazakhstan’s economic and investment relations with Italy; the meeting of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where Kazakhstan announced it will increase its imports from Tajikistan by $190 million this year; the Uzbekistani President’s state visit to China, where business ties were further enhanced; Kyrgyzstan’s retooling of its electrical grid to include more imports of electricity and the development of renewable energy investments; and the meeting of a regional summit in Kabul to address Taliban-led Afghanistan’s relations with its neighbors in Central and South Asia.
This past week, the media paid attention to preparations made in Astana for a state meeting with China’s Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress, which will seek to enhance ‘inter-parliamentary’ ties between the two states, UN officials meeting in Astana to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria, Kazakhstan committing to send peacekeepers and food aid to the country, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan’s presidents seeking to strengthen infrastructure ties with China and to improve high-level cooperation which has been met with some criticism in Kyrgyzstani civil society, Uzbekistani and Tajikistani delegations arriving in Qatar to discuss investment opportunities and ties in the industrial and agricultural sectors, and Taliban officials claiming that Afghanistan’s borders have been secured from Islamic State incursions, following weeks of fighting.
Almaty International Airport is currently undergoing a significant expansion project, introducing a state-of-the-art international terminal to the Southern hub. Concurrently, an increasing number of airlines, particularly low-cost carriers, are initiating direct flights to Almaty International Airport.
This past week, the media paid attention to Kazakhstan’s reaffirmation that it supports the ‘One-China’ policy and the peaceful reunification of China and Taiwan following the election of William Lai, a pro-independence candidate in Taiwan, Kazakhstan's newly announced tax scheme to lower the tax rate for over forty creative industry professions in the country, President of Uzbekistan chairing a Security Council meeting to address the need for greater weapon production and ‘patriotic education’ for the younger generation of Uzbekistanis, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reaching a ‘fundamental’ deal on their years-long border dispute and Turkish officials believing the dispute to be resolved by March, and finally, Iranian and Pakistani officials planning to meet in Islamabad to discuss how to stabilize Afghanistan and prevent extremist groups from being harbored in the country.
This week the regional media reported on President Tokayev’s legislative initiatives in 2024 and meetings with high parliamentary officials, magnitude 3.0 and greater earthquakes that impacted Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, the arrest of an Uzbekistani official on charges that he helped Uzbek citizens illegally immigrate to the United States, signing of bilateral agreements between Turkmenistan and the UAE, following President Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Abu Dhabi, and the Taliban’s efforts to court foreign investment to boost the economic situation in Afghanistan.
This week, Central Asian media outlets covered a Kazakhstani government initiative to promote the development of creative economy in the country and the expansion of Kazakhstan’s regional soft power influence; the signing of a $70 billion free trade agreement between Iran and the EAEU; Kazakhstan’s removal of the Taliban from a list of prohibited organizations; Uzbekistan’s efforts to promote energy security through the construction of power plant facilities; Tajikistan’s efforts to develop a green economy and to protect its cultural heritage, and the Taliban government’s initiative to promote further cooperation with Central Asia.