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Kazakhstan to Host Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks on May 10

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold talks in Almaty on May 10 as they seek to end their long-running conflict, Kazakhstan said on Monday. The negotiations will happen in line with “previously reached agreements,” said Aibek Smadiyarov, spokesman for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s top diplomat, and his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, will attend, according to the Kazakh official. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in tension and conflict over territory since the 1990s, though the two sides have been working to delineate their borders following Azerbaijan’s retaking of control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region last year. As reported by TCA last week, in a statement President Tokayev “welcome[d] the agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia to hold talks at the Foreign Ministers’ level on the preparation of a peace treaty between the two states, at the suggestion of the Kazakh side.” Tokayev went on to express his hope the upcoming meeting would help with the “practical implementation” of agreements between the two sides.

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Citizens of Kazakhstan Aren’t Being Detained at Borders with Russia, Ministry Claims

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Aibek Smadiyarov, is reassuring its citizens that they can safely visit Russia, stating that the relationship between the two nations is based on the principles of friendship, alliance, and strategic partnership, and are a model of multifaceted interstate cooperation. "We do not observe any problems on the Kazakh-Russian border. Our diplomats in Russia are constantly in contact with local authorities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the border service. Our citizens do not observe any mass detentions or document checks. If they have been stopped or had their documents checked, it is for security purposes," said Smadiyarov at the briefing. He also advised Kazakhstani citizens to observe Russian laws while in the country. Earlier, the foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan recommended that their citizens shouldn't visit Russia without good reason. These statements were made against the backdrop of a tightening on migration controls by the Russian authorities following the March 22 terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Since then, xenophobic attacks on migrants from Central Asia have been on the rise. According to currenttime.tv, 75% of cafes and restaurants run by Central Asian migrants in Moscow alone have shut since the incident due to police harassment.

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Kazakhstan offers to host platform for Russia-Ukraine negotiations

Kazakhstan is prepared to host negotiations to settle the war in Ukraine, according to comments made by Kazakhstan's ambassador to Russia, Dauren Abayev, in an interview with the Russian state news outlet TASS. "Certainly, Kazakhstan is always ready to help on all processes that concern the world. This is not only Russia and Ukraine, but also Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the Syrian issue, on the Iranian issue. It is probably [an overstatement] to say to be mediators, but to provide a platform, to create some conditions, we are certainly ready," Abayev said. He added: "There are many different initiatives now, and there is a clear understanding that without Russia's participation, these processes are impossible. Of course, Russia's opinion should always be taken into account in these processes. Of course, we are ready to be, as I say, not mediators, but to provide a platform, to create some conditions," he added. As previously reported in the media, Kazakhstan's president Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, during his recent visits to Azerbaijan and Armenia, underscored Kazakhstan's readiness to provide platforms for negotiations between Baku and Yerevan. The Armenian foreign ministry said that a direct meeting of the sides will be held as early as May 10. Previously, Kazakhstan provided a platform for negotiations on the war in Syria. Negotiations concerning the Iranian nuclear program have also been held in Kazakhstan.

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Saudi and Emirati Companies to Build Two Wind Farms in Uzbekistan

Saudi and Emirati companies are to invest $7 billion in the construction of two windfarms in the Kungrad district of Uzbekistan's autonomous Karakalpakstan republic. The announcement followed the signing of two contracts during the third Tashkent Investment Forum. The commission of the facilities will save almost 7 billion cubic meters of natural gas and prevent the emission of more than 2 billion tons of harmful gases into the atmosphere. Welcoming the initiative, the Uzbek Energy Ministry said, "Saudi company ACWA Power is implementing a megaproject to build a wind farm with a total capacity of 5 gigawatts in the Kungrad district of Karakalpakstan. The project is estimated at $6.2 billion. The station will generate 17.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. A wind power plant with a total capacity of 1 gigawatt and a cost of $1.1 billion will be built in the same area by Amea Power from the UAE. It will generate 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year," . During the third Tashkent International Investment Forum, agreements signed by several government and private-sector counterparties, totalled $26.6 billion .

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Joint Portfolio of Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia Projects Exceeds $30 Billion

On May 2, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed representatives of several countries to the Tashkent International Investment Forum. In discussion with the Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore, Sia Kian Peng, the two sides focused on cooperation in personnel training, investment, tourism and public safety, and emphasized the importance of joint, effective parliamentary control over their bilateral high-level agreements. During negotiations between Mirziyoyev and the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Aqilbek Japarov, the two leaders concentrated on deepening strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, expansion of cooperation in various trade sectors such as industrial, energy, transport and logistics, and marshalling interregional relations and cultural-humanitarian exchange. Special attention was paid to practical issues relating to the Kambarata HPP-1 (hydropower plant) and China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway projects. A delegation led by Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, used the opportunity to discuss the further expansion of practical cooperation, and the implementation of priority investment projects in Uzbekistan. The high level of bilateral trade and investment partnerships already achieved was noted. The portfolio of joint projects currently exceeds $30 billion, with Saudi Arabia's ACWA serving as a keen investor in Uzbek wind power generation. According to data provided by the Uzbek Government, agreements to implement projects worth $18 billion in the fields of green energy, infrastructure, healthcare and pharmaceuticals are set to be signed within the framework of the Tashkent International Investment Forum.

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Kazakh Billionaire Lomtadze Buys Majority Stake in English Soccer Club

Kazakhstani billionaire Mikhail Lomtadze, co-founder of fintech and banking giant Kaspi.kz, has acquired a controlling stake in the English soccer club Wycombe Wanderers. Following approval by the English Football League (EFL), he joins Eduard Vyshnyakov and Dan Rice as new members of Wanderers' board of directors. The club plays in England's League One (third division) and as a 90% stakeholder, through his company Blue Ocean Partners II Limited, Lomtadze plans to change its development strategy. In an interview with the British newspaper The Sun, he explained, "Our goal is to achieve long-term success both on and off the pitch, while creating a financially sustainable club. The soccer world is evolving very quickly and our priority will be to integrate data analytics and technology to take the club's performance to the next level. I am also a firm believer in youth development and this will be fundamental to the vision of the club. We aim to reopen and build a leading high performance academy, which will be an important part of our long-term strategy to develop a club that consistently performs at the highest level." Whilst Wanderers fans are hopeful for positive changes, in Kazakhstan news of Lomtadze's purchase was met with skepticism. Opinions shared on social media suggest that the online banking magnate's investment would have been better placed in developing local sports. With a fortune estimated at $5.7 billion, Lomtadze ranks fifth in the list of the richest businessmen in Kazakhstan, and in 581st place on the Forbes global list of billionaires.