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World Bank predicts 3.5% economy growth for Kazakhstan
10 April 2023
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- Briefing: intensive diplomatic efforts around the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process
- EU interior ministers reach "historic" agreement on migration, but significant opposition remains
- Opinion: we may still be far from an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty
- First Astana International Forum taking place in Kazakhstan on 8-9 June
- 600 square kilometres of southern Ukraine flooded after dam collapse
- Opinion: the future will show whether May 2023 was a breakthrough or another missed chance
Region
Central Asia
Stories under this heading cover Central Asia – a region of Asia, stretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to Mongolia in the east, from Afghanistan in the south to Russia in the north.
First Astana International Forum taking place in Kazakhstan on 8-9 June
patrickn97
Fri, 06/02/2023 - 10:23
The first Astana International Forum (AIF) is taking place in Kazakhstan on Thursday and Friday (8-9 June).
An initiative of the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Astana International Forum writes that it will "serve as a platform for high-level delegates from foreign governments, international organizations, businesses and academic circles to engage in dialogue and seek solutions to problems such as climate change, food shortages and energy security".
Over 1,000 people will participate in the conference, which is running under the theme "Tackling Challenges Through Dialogue: Towards Cooperation, Development & Progress". There will be several keynote speeches and over 40 panel sessions, discussions, and side events. The decline of Russia in Central Asia as a result of its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine has propelled the region into a new geopolitical reality. Especially on trade, difficulties trading via Russia as a result of sanctions have given Central Asia a renewed, critical position in facilitating east-west trade. To that end, Central Asian connectivity is also high on the agenda at the AIF.
patrickn97
Thu, 06/08/2023 - 11:37
Second EU-Central Asia summit taking place in Kyrgyzstan, regional cooperation top of the agenda
The second EU-Central Asia summit is taking place on 2-3 June in Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan, on the northern shores of Issyk-Kul Lake. The first EU-Central Asia summit took place in Astana in October last year, while the second EU-Central Asia economic forum took place recently, on 19 May in Almaty.
Filter archive
Editorial: Central Asia needs to embrace civil society
patrickn97
Tue, 04/04/2023 - 12:58
This editorial first appeared in the 4 April 2023 issue of our newsletter, Central Asia Concise. If you would like to sign up to Central Asia Concise, or any other of our newsletters, click here.
Opinion: 6 February earthquake gives OTS an opportunity for greater disaster resilience
patrickn97
Fri, 03/31/2023 - 09:08
The extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara on 16 March 2023 will be remembered for increased institutionalization and integration, writes Ibrahim Mammadov in this op-ed for commonspace.eu. The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February has spurred the implementation of strengthened cooperation and integration in areas beyond emergency response, he writes.
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Kazakhstan and China sign commercial agreements worth $565m
29 March 2023
On Tuesday (28 March) it was announced that Kazakh and Chinese business leaders signed 16 different documents strengthening bilateral relations. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the "Second friendly dialogue of cross-border cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People's Republic of China". The documents included six interregional agreements, five memoranda of understanding, and five commercial agreements totalling a value of $565m. The agreements cover the sectors of construction, energy, mining, agriculture, food industry, engineering, tourism, investment, and others. The forum was held alongside a visit of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Communist Party Secretary of XUAR, Ma Xingrui, to Kazakhstan. At the meeting, Chinese and Kazakh officials and entrepreneurs discussed ways to improve the efficiency of checkpoints, logistics centers, and transport infrastructure along the almost 1,800km-long border. Speaking at the event, the Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin said Kazakhstan is ready to export some 135 industrial and agricultural products worth over $1 billion to China.
Kazakh yurt appears in Slovak capital Bratislava to mark Nauryz
patrickn97
Mon, 03/27/2023 - 12:12
A traditional Kazakh yurt has been erected in the Slovak capital of Bratislava to celebrate the springtime festival of Nauryz. The installation was organised by the Embassy of Kazakhstan and supported by city authorities, reports Kazinform.
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Ruling Amanat party wins Kazakh parliamentary vote after election reforms
21 March 2023
Six parties have been elected to the Mazhilis, Kazakhstan's national parliament after elections were held on Sunday (19 March). The six parties are the ruling Amanat party, who won 53.9% of the vote; the Auyl People's Democratic Patriotic Party (10.9%); Respublica Party (8.59%); Aq Jol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan (8.41%); People's Party of Kazakhstan (6.8%); National Social Democratic Party (5.2%). The Baytaq party won only 2.3% of the vote, and, with a 5% threshold necessary to win seats in parliament, will not be represented. 3.9% voted against all parties. The Astana Times reports that over 6.3 million people out of more than 12 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the elections to the parliament and local representative bodies on Sunday, representing a turnout of over 54%.
