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President Tokayev Calls on Italian Businesses to Invest in Kazakhstan

The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on January 18th paid an official visit to Italy, holding talks with Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. During the discussion, Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan and Italy maintain a wide-ranging political dialogue and have established close economic cooperation, as well as fruitful cultural and humanitarian ties, his press service reported. “We are proud to be Italy's main partner in Central Asia. Our economic cooperation is developing dynamically and has enormous potential for further growth,” Tokayev said. Italy is among the largest investors in Kazakhstan’s economy, with trade turnover between the two countries amounting to approximately $15 billion, whilst direct foreign investment from Italy has reached $7.3 billion. More than 300 Italian companies currently operate in Kazakhstan, including such large investors as ENI, SDF Group, PetroValves, Maire Tecnimont, IVECO, and Tenaris. Meloni confirmed Italy’s commitment to developing contacts with Kazakhstan, stating that “We consider your visit an excellent opportunity to further strengthen Kazakh-Italian relations.” During the talks, the leaders focused on deepening cooperation in the spheres of trade, economy, investment, energy, transport and logistics, agriculture, culture, humanitarian, education spheres, and green energy. In their joint statement, Tokayev and Meloni noted the launch of major transport and connectivity initiatives in Central Asia, particularly those related to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. They also emphasized the importance of holding the Central Asia + Italy format meeting in Rome later in 2024, and in Kazakhstan in 2025. As part of the visit, an agreement was signed between the Kazakh Samruk-Kazyna Fund and the Italian group of companies, Cassa Depositi i Prestiti on the creation of a joint investment fund and financing in manufacturing, energy and logistics, as well as a joint final investment decision between the Kazakh national oil and gas company, KazMunayGas, and the Italian company, ENI, on a joint project for the construction of a hybrid power plant (wind and solar) with a total capacity of 247 MW in Kazakhstan. On the same day, President Tokayev attended the Investment Roundtable, Kazakhstan-Italy, in Rome. Speaking to representatives of the Italian business community, Tokayev stated that the energy sector is the main area of economic cooperation between the two countries. “More than 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil is exported to Europe, which provides for about 10% of the EU’s needs. I would like to express my gratitude to Italy, a long-time and reliable energy partner of Kazakhstan. We highly appreciate the contribution of the Italian flagship company ENI to the economy of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan provides ample opportunities in the field of oil and gas exploration. We implement the best global practices to discover significant deposits. We also invite Italian companies to participate in servicing the oil and gas industry,” the President said. Tokayev also called on Italian businesses to cooperate in the extraction and processing of critical raw materials. “According to World Bank estimates, there are more than 5,000 undiscovered deposits in Kazakhstan worth over 46 trillion dollars. Today, we already produce 19 of the 34 most important...

Central Asia International Affairs Kazakhstan Kazakhstan International Affairs Features Kazakhstan Featurees

Kazakhstan to Send Peacekeepers on UN Missions

Kazakhstan has decided to send peacekeepers to the Middle East and Africa following a proposal by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. At a joint session of Parliament, deputies of the Mazhilis and Senate unanimously expressed their consent to send up to 430 service personnel to participate in the United Nations missions. The initiative envisages the participation of personnel from Kazakhstan in the following missions: UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights (UNDOF, Syria - Israel), UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO, Palestine - Israel), UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS, South Sudan), and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA, Sudan). "The Armed Forces of Kazakhstan are ready to allocate both individual servicemen as military observers and staff officers, and specialized units: infantry, medical, reconnaissance, engineering, which are most needed in UN missions," said Minister of Defense, Ruslan Zhaksylykov. To implement this decision, an international treaty will be concluded with the UN, which will determine the obligations of the parties, as well as the issues of financial and logistical support for the participation of the contingent in the mission. Transportation of service personnel and property will be at the expense of the Kazakhstani side. This decision reflects Kazakhstan's desire to look outward, take its place on the global stage, and participate more actively in international efforts. The deployment is set to begin in March 2024.

Environment Central Asia Kazakhstan Environment Kazakhstan Features Kazakhstan Featurees

Akim of Mangystau Calls for Calm after Mass Swan Die-out

On January 18th, the Akim of Mangystau (head of the regional government), Nurlan Nogaev met with environmental activists from Mangystau and ornithologists from Almaty. The main topic of discussion was the pressing issue of the mass die-out of swans on Lake Karakol, as reported by the press service of the Akimat. According to the latest data, as of January 18th the number of dead swans in Mangystau has reached 1,018 birds, 41 of which were found on the seashore in the Karakiyan district, and the rest on the lake itself. According to the biological scientist and ornithologist, Victoria Kovshar, despite the fact that the peak of bird flu has already passed, this figure will only continue to grow. "Bird flu is a phenomenon widespread all over the world. Instances of this disease are regularly recorded on the Caspian Sea, as was the case two years ago when black-footed boobies and Caspian terns died en masse. At the time, it was assumed that the cause was related to oil emissions, but a government commission found that bird flu was to blame. “The virus usually targets certain species of birds, for example, in 2015 there was a bird flu that affected the dalmatian pelican without affecting the pink pelican, which nests with it in the same colonies and is directly related. It follows that the death of swans on Lake Karakol is not a unique case. We can see that mostly young individuals which were unprepared for the winter have died here. This is a natural process that is not subject to manual intervention. Saving swans now is comparable to if you were to confront an avalanche with your bare hands. It is important to prevent the infection of poultry such as ducks and geese, and it should be noted that the virus can remain active in the carcasses of dead birds for a prolonged period of time. However, given the extremely low temperatures on the lake currently, this would not be the case.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13639" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]According to the head of the regional territorial inspection of the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Temirbek Nurtazin, veterinary services are regularly monitoring the epizootic situation among poultry, and as of now no cases have been found among poultry in private farms. Speaking after his briefing, the head of the region, Nurlan Nogaev said he is concerned about the significant number of swan deaths, but urged against an overly emotional reaction. "I thank the experts, Victoria Kovshar and Fedor Karpov, for their active participation in the search for the real cause of swan deaths on Lake Karakol,” Nogaev said. “The situation around this issue is of public interest, and I also express my gratitude to the eco-activists involved in solving the problem. A team of scientists is expected to arrive in the coming months to study the biodiversity of this unique body of water. It is important that experts, including ornithologists, are involved in gathering information.”...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Business & Economy Features Kazakhstan Featurees

New International Terminal of Almaty Airport to Open in June

Construction of the new international terminal of Almaty Airport is now 87% complete and is scheduled to begin operations in June of this year, the President of the Istanbul-based TAV Airports Holding, Serkan Kaptan stated during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov. The area of the new terminal – initially scheduled to open in August 2024 - will be twice as large as the current building, and will cover 55,000 square meters. Smailov emphasized that the construction of the new international terminal in Almaty is of strategic importance. "We expect that its opening will significantly increase passenger traffic, expand the geography of flights, and provide residents and guests of the metropolis with quality services and a high level of comfort," the Prime Minister stated, as reported by his press service on January 18th. The existing terminal will only be used for domestic flights in the future. At the same time, the potential of both terminals will reach 14 million passengers per year, whilst the volume of cargo traffic passing through Almaty Airport planned to reach 100,000 tons. The Prime Minister added that Almaty Airport should be developed as a fully-fledged multi-modal transport and logistics hub with the inclusion of rail and road transportation, and the investor should take this into account in future plans. TAV Airports is now the beneficial owner of 85% of Almaty Airport and its associated fuel and catering businesses, with Kazakhstan Infrastructure Fund, managed by VPE Capital and backed by Kazyna Capital Management holding the remaining 15% stake. Kazakhstan’s main aviation gateway and the flagship carrier Air Astana’s base, Almaty Airport is an important junction on the modern Silk Road. TAV has said it is investing around US $200 million to increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers.

Opinion Head Kazakhstan Opinions Features Kazakhstan Featurees

What the Proposed U.S. Ban on Russian Uranium Imports Could Mean for Kazakhstan

On Monday, 11 December 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a new bill banning imports of Russian uranium. While the bill would need to pass the U.S. Senate and be signed off by President Joe Biden in order to become law, this first step towards legality raises questions about the future of nuclear energy in the U.S., and which country could provide the resources necessary to facilitate it going forwards. This bill represents a significant opportunity for Kazakhstan, the world’s largest producer of uranium, which could potentially step into the breach and provide the mineral necessary to meet the U.S.' nuclear energy needs. If successfully made into law, the bill entitled the “Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act” will see a complete ban on unirradiated low-enriched uranium (the type used to make nuclear fuel) that is produced in Russia, and annual caps on the amount of low-enriched uranium that can still be imported from the country until 2027. Waivers have been built into the wording of the legislation to allow the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to work around the ban if no feasible alternative is found to sustain the functioning of a nuclear reactor or nuclear company. However, the bill also guides the DOE to submit a report outlining the alternatives to Russian-produced uranium, which could be utilized over the next five years. One country sure to be on their radar is Kazakhstan. A former powerhouse of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons testing program, Kazakhstan was left with significant infrastructure for uranium mining after the collapse of the bloc in 1991. Its nuclear production is currently monopolized by one company, Kazatomprom, which has emerged as a global leader in the field. Although the U.S. mines its own uranium, it does not produce enough to meet its domestic demands for nuclear power, which in the year 2022 was over 20,100 metric tonnes in total. That year, the U.S. produced 75 metric tonnes of uranium ore from its own mines. By comparison, Kazakhstan produced 21,227 metric tonnes in the same time period. Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the former head of Kazatomprom, has spoken about the necessity of increasing the volume of production in Kazakhstan if it were to be a viable candidate for replacing Russia’s supply to the U.S. Greater resources would need to be directed towards mining if the country were to increase its annual uranium yield to make up for the lost volume of Russian uranium. If the U.S. were to seek a trade agreement with Kazakhstan to bolster its nuclear power supplies, it would indicate an alignment with the European Union, which recently expressed a desire to conduct increased trade with countries in Central Asia. Given that the largest exports from Central Asian countries to Europe are of natural resources such as oil, gas and metals, it is safe to assume that energy will be one of the key goals in any trade deals the EU tries to negotiate. These announcements have arisen in the wake of Russia’s war in...

Justice Kazakhstan Justice Kazakhstan Features Kazakhstan Featurees

Nephew of ex-President Nazarbayev to be Tried

The criminal case against Samat Abish, nephew of the former President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is set to proceed to trial in Astana. The investigation conducted by the General Prosecutor's Office has concluded, and the case has been transferred to the courts. This will be the first time a relative of Nazarbayev has been tried on charges related to the violent events of January 2022. Details of the pre-trial investigation will not be made available to the public, as the case involves state secrets. Abish is being charged under Article 362 (Part 4) of the Criminal Code, "Exceeding official powers," which could result in up to five years imprisonment and the confiscation of property if he is convicted. Abish, aged 45, is the son of Satybaldy Abishevich Nazarbayev, the younger brother of the former president who died in a car accident in 1981. Abish took his surname in honor of his grandfather. Abish lost his position as the First Deputy Chairman of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan on January 5th 2022, amidst riots across the country. Alongside him, the head of the KNB, Karim Massimov, and the Prime Minister, Askar Mamin, were also dismissed. Two days later, Abish was detained in Almaty and charged in connection with the January events. Investigators attributed primary responsibility for the tumultuous events of early 2022 to Karim Massimov, Abish's direct supervisor, and his three deputies. President Tokayev stated during an extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council on January 10th 2023, that the events were an attempt to seize power by high-ranking officials. Abish's sibling, Kairat Satybaldy, was convicted on corruption charges last year for embezzling tens of millions of U.S. dollars.