Our People > Times of Central Asia

Laura Hamilton

Journalist

Laura Hamilton MA, is the former Director of the Collins Gallery at the University of Strathclyde. She first visited Kyrgyzstan in 2011 to research and curate a major exhibition of contemporary textiles and fashion. Since 2012, she has worked as an editor on over thirty translations of Central Asian novels and collections of short stories. In more recent years, her work has focused on editing translations of Kyrgyzstan's great epics -'Ak Moor', Saiykal', Janysh Baiysh', 'Oljobai and Kishimjan', 'Dariyka', 'Semetey' and 'Er Toshtuk' for The Institute of Kyrgyz Language and Literature, and the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University.

Articles

Kazakhstan Pharmaceuticals Kazakh-UK ties business and economy travel

British Companies Enter Commercial Agreements with Kazakhstan

Two new Kazakh-British business agreements were signed off during UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s visit to Kazakhstan on 24 April. The first, between AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Healthcare, Almaty City Administration and Kazakh Invest, aims to implement an investment project for contract manufacturing of biotechnological products in Kazakhstan. According to Kazakh Invest, the agreement represents a significant step towards Kazakhstan’s goal to increase its share of domestically- produced medicines in the local market to 50%. The second deal, signed by the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan and British company Car Park Transformer, makes provision for the construction of roadside service facilities on Kazakhstan’s national and international highways. Comprising 250 service stations equipped with restrooms, retail spaces, as well as electric vehicle charging points, the project aims to provide essential services and enhance the comfort of motorists.

19 hours ago

Education Kazakhstan Starlink internet

Starlink Broadband Reaches More Schools in Kazakhstan

The Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan has announced that a further 250 Starlink terminals have been sent to rural schools in three of the country’s regions. Akmola received 138 terminals; Zhambyl, 53, and Zhetysu, 55. Starlink terminals have also been installed in 48 schools in flood-hit regions to ensure uninterrupted education and today, 502 rural schools across the country, have access to an average Internet speed of 200 Mbit/s. The provision of high-speed Internet and the development of digital projects in rural schools is a long-standing priority and last week, to progress the initiative, the Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Musin met representatives of SpaceX to discuss its expansion of Starlink technology throughout Kazakhstan.

19 hours ago

Kazakhstan Turkey business and economy

Kazakhstan Welcomes Turkish Investors

On 25 April, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov visited Ankara where he met President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed investment cooperation with leading Turkish companies, and attended a Kazakh-Turkish business forum. Turkey is one of Kazakhstan’s five largest trading partners and one of the top 20 investors in the Kazakh economy. The two countries’ governments are currently engaged in maintaining bilateral trade worth $10 billion. Looking ahead, Kazakhstan plans to increase its export of 34 products, primarily from metallurgical, petrochemical, food, and engineering industries, valued at over $630 million. Over the past year, the volume of freight transported by rail and road increased by 40%. Kazakhstan and Turkey have now set a target for a further threefold increase by developing the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). At the business forum, over 500 representatives of the Turkish business community were informed of Kazakhstan’s investment climate and government support for investors. It was stated that Kazakhstan and Turkey are currently implementing some 100 joint investment projects costing about $3.8 billion. Addressing Turkish businesses, Bektenov emphasized Kazakhstan’s enormous investment potential and interest in furthering mutually beneficial cooperation with Turkey, stating, “Kazakhstan’s key aims are transferring advanced technologies, localizing production and creating advanced processing clusters to produce high-quality products with high added value. Investors who are ready to cooperate in this direction will be provided with the necessary resources, infrastructure, and support.” At the close of the business forum, 10 commercial contracts were signed and totalling over $180 million, included a memorandum on the export of finished products, as well as the construction of a logistics hub and factories producing soda ash, sprinkler equipment, nonwoven materials, and assembly of irrigation equipment.

20 hours ago

Great Britain

Britain’s Cameron Signs Strategic Partnership Agreement in Astana

A strategic partnership and cooperation agreement between Kazakhstan and Great Britain was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, Murat Nurtleu and David Cameron, in Astana on 24 April. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry has commented that the document aims to strengthen bilateral relations in a wide range of sectors including foreign policy and security, trade and investment, protection of intellectual property, partnerships in energy and raw materials, transportation, protection of the environment and climate change, banking and financial services, employment and social policy, science, and education. Nurtleu added: “This comprehensive agreement will be a significant step in taking political, trade and investment relations between Astana and London to new horizons… We believe our strong and mutually beneficial strategic partnership will continue to strengthen all areas, from energy to rare metals, ecology to education.” Cameron recalled that strategic dialogue between the countries had begun eleven years ago during his first visit to Kazakhstan as Britain’s prime minister and confirmed the UK’s commitment to developing cooperation with Kazakhstan as its key partner in Central Asia. Memoranda of understanding on opening a branch of Queen’s University Belfast in Almaty and launching Kazakh language courses at Oxford University were also concluded during Cameron’s visit. At a meeting with Cameron later that day, Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated the importance of collaboration between the two countries and commending the strategic partnership and cooperation agreement, announced, “I am confident that this comprehensive document will definitely give a fresh boost to our multifaceted bilateral agenda.” Great Britain is among the highest ten foreign investors in Kazakhstan. Since 2005, Kazakhstan’s economy has received $17 billion in FDI from the UK and last year alone, over $795 million .

2 days ago

Kyrgyzstan Education Transport Azerbaijan Bilateral Trade business and economy

Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan Expand Economic and Transport Cooperation

During a state visit to Azerbaijan on 24 April, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov joined President Ilham Aliyev in bilateral talks at the 2nd gathering of the Interstate Council of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. As a result of the meeting in Baku and in support of a joint declaration to deepen relations, the leaders signed a strategic partnership agreement between Azerbaijan and the Kyrgyz Republic. In a statement to journalists, President Aliyev referred to centuries-old ties of cooperation, friendship and interaction enjoyed by Azerbaijan and Central Asia, and announced, “Today, the regions of Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan are of great importance in terms of energy resources, transportation routes and trade. We are seeing great potential here and are strengthening interaction with our traditional partners from brotherly countries. Among them, cooperation with Kyrgyzstan is of particular importance.” During the meeting, the two governments signed an addendum to the agreement on the authorized capital of the Azerbaijani-Kyrgyz Development Fund, to quadruple it from $25 million to $100 million. To date, the Fund has received over 40 applications for investment projects in Kyrgyzstan and according to Aliyev, the construction of a five-star hotel financed by Azerbaijan already begun at Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul, is due for completion by the end of next year. The president commended the significant increase and potential for growth in trade between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan and reported Azerbaijan’s interest in investing in renewable energy projects in Kyrgyzstan. With reference to transport, he recommended that consultations proceed on coordination of transport routes in terms of digitalization and tariff policy, to make the route via the Caspian Sea and Central Asia to Europe both faster and more commercially viable. President Japarov, in turn, referenced Kyrgyzstan’s construction of a secondary school in the Aghdam district of Azerbaijan, saying, “The construction of this school is Kyrgyzstan's contribution to the restoration of peace in the regions affected by the [Azeri-Armenian] conflict.”

2 days ago