Kazakhstan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Transport & Logistics

Kazakhstan and Iran Expand Port Access to Boost Cargo Transit

Iran is ready to provide Kazakhstan with access to its port infrastructure to support cargo shipments to international markets, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh said during talks with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin. The meeting took place in Astana, where transport and logistics cooperation topped the agenda. The two sides discussed the development of the International North-South Transport Corridor, port infrastructure, bilateral trade, and transport links between Kazakhstan and Iran. Iranian officials said procedures had been finalized to allocate a land plot to Kazakhstan at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main southern port on the Persian Gulf. According to Sadegh, the site will be transferred to Kazakhstan once the remaining legal procedures are completed. Tehran also offered Kazakhstan the opportunity to operate at Chabahar Port, Iran’s strategic deep-water hub on the Gulf of Oman, which provides direct access to markets in South and Southeast Asia. Chabahar is one of the key nodes of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which links Russia, Iran, India, and other countries. According to Sadegh, construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway, which would connect Chabahar to wider rail networks used for regional cargo transport, is more than 90% complete and is expected to be launched in the coming months. Once operational, the railway is expected to integrate Chabahar into an international rail network linking the Indian Ocean, Central Asia, and Europe. Kazakhstan, in turn, said it was ready to consider offering Iran port facilities, berths, and terminals at the Caspian ports of Aktau and Kuryk to support Iranian logistics operations. The two sides also highlighted the recently signed five-party railway agreement between China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Turkey, as well as an upcoming four-party tariff agreement between Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Iran, aimed at boosting regional trade and transit. “Strengthening cooperation is a strategic task set by our heads of state,” Zhumangarin said. “In 2025, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Iran grew by 26.4% to $430.2 million. This confirms significant potential for further expansion, including within the framework of the roadmap to increase mutual trade to $3 billion and thanks to the free trade agreement signed between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union.” Sadegh said her visit was focused on implementing previously reached agreements and expanding transport and logistics cooperation, which she said had gained importance amid current geopolitical changes. Officials also noted that cargo volumes along the North-South corridor rose by 12% in 2025 to reach 3.5 million tons, while railway freight traffic between Kazakhstan and Iran increased by 69%. To increase the corridor’s potential, Zhumangarin proposed developing a joint roadmap for transport infrastructure modernization, which he said could increase the route’s capacity to 20 million tons annually. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Iran have continued expanding economic ties despite recent tensions involving Iran. Iranian investors are moving forward with industrial projects in Kazakhstan, including Solico Group’s planned cheese production plant in the Almaty region, while Kazakh vegetable...

Bloggers

Kyrgyzstan Proposes Blogger Tax Breaks as Kazakhstan Tightens Scrutiny

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are taking sharply different approaches to the growing influence of bloggers. In Bishkek, President Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree calling for tax incentives for the IT sector, startups and creative industries, including bloggers, a move that has sparked criticism even from content creators themselves. In Astana, meanwhile, authorities are intensifying scrutiny of influencers’ income and using criminal law in high-profile cases involving online figures. Kazakh tax authorities have continued scrutinizing the earnings of popular bloggers, alongside high-profile enforcement cases. In addition, journalists and other online voices in Kazakhstan have faced prosecution under Article 274 of the Criminal Code, which concerns the dissemination of knowingly false information and carries the possibility of a prison sentence. Japarov’s Tax Initiative Sparks Debate Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s initiative to introduce tax breaks for the IT sector, startups, and representatives of the creative industries has sparked broad public debate. The decree, signed on June 12 and titled “On Measures to Improve the Tax System and Tax Administration,” calls for broad changes to tax legislation, including five-year tax holidays for several categories of business. Under the decree, companies and entrepreneurs working in software development, information systems, and artificial intelligence may be exempt from number of taxes for five years. The proposed benefits would also extend to startups, outsourcing companies, producers of film, video and television content, bloggers, remote employees of foreign companies, and other creative-industry workers. Under the same preferential regime, authorities also plan to set income tax at 5% and social security contributions at 12% of the average monthly wage for these categories. Kyrgyzstan’s State Tax Service says the new measure will help position the country as a regional center for IT and creative industries, including artificial intelligence. The agency expects the tax incentives to attract investment, stimulate the creation of new startups and increase exports of digital services. Supporters of the initiative argue that reducing the tax burden could provide an important boost for young entrepreneurs and technology companies, allowing them to direct more resources toward product development, the introduction of new technologies, and improved competitiveness. Authorities also hope the measure will help retain young specialists in the country and make Kyrgyzstan more attractive to international companies. At the same time, the proposal has drawn criticism, particularly over the inclusion of bloggers among those eligible for tax benefits. Social media users have questioned why the state is granting tax breaks to content creators while doctors, teachers, and other socially important professions continue to pay taxes in full. Kyrgyz blogger and entrepreneur Ilim Karypbekov has publicly opposed exempting bloggers from taxes. He said content creators earning money from advertising should pay taxes on the same basis as other entrepreneurs. Karypbekov said he supports tax incentives for the IT sector but believes it is a mistake to extend them to bloggers. “If I earned 100 soms, I would give four soms to the state. That is a very small amount,” Karypbekov said, adding that many popular bloggers generate substantial advertising revenue and...

Political Parties

Kazakhstan’s Party System Faces Its First Kurultai Test

Kazakhstan’s shift to a unicameral, party-list Kurultai is meant to strengthen political parties. But the ruling Amanat party’s June 12 vote to join the newly created Adilet party, followed by Adilet delegates’ approval on June 14, shows the first test of the new system will show whether the new party-list model broadens competition or mainly reorganizes the pro-presidential camp before the vote. Why Parties Matter Now On July 1, 2026, Kazakhstan’s new Constitution enters into force, abolishing the bicameral parliament and replacing it with a unicameral Kurultai of 145 deputies elected exclusively through party lists for a five-year term. The new basic law was approved in a referendum on March 15, 2026. According to the Central Election Commission, it was supported by 87.15% of voters, with turnout at 73.12%. More than 80% of the text of the 1995 Constitution was rewritten. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said elections to the new Kurultai will take place in August 2026. That makes Kazakhstan’s political parties especially important to watch: for the first time since 2004, key parliamentary players could change substantially. But the early signal is mixed: formal rules strengthen parties as electoral institutions, while the merger of pro-presidential forces consolidates the dominant camp’s organizational advantages. How the Party System Works Kazakhstan is a presidential republic in which parties operate under the Law “On Political Parties.” Until 2022, registering a party required at least 1,000 initiators and at least 20,000 members. After political reforms announced by Tokayev on March 16, 2022, the minimum number of initiators was reduced to 700, while the membership threshold was lowered to 5,000. The minimum size of regional branches was also reduced from 600 to 200 people, and the period allowed for forming branches was extended from six months to one year. In 2023, 98 deputies were elected to the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament: 69 through party lists and 29 in single-mandate constituencies. The threshold for party lists was lowered from 7% to 5%. Under the new Constitution, single-mandate constituencies are abolished at the national level, and all 145 deputies of the Kurultai will be elected through party lists. Without single-mandate districts, independent political figures will need party access to enter national politics. Parties also take part in elections to maslikhats, local representative bodies at district, city, and regional levels. Those elections were held simultaneously with parliamentary elections on March 19, 2023. Eight Parties: The Current Landscape As of June 2026, before the Amanat-Adilet merger process is completed, Kazakhstan has eight officially registered political parties, the highest number in two decades. Six are represented in the current Mazhilis: Amanat, Auyl, Respublica, Ak Zhol, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party. The seventh, the environmental party Baitaq, was registered on November 30, 2022, as Kazakhstan’s first “green” party. It failed to clear the 5% threshold in the 2023 elections, receiving 2.30% of the vote. The eighth, Adilet, was registered by the Ministry of Justice on June 1, 2026. It is headed by Aibek...

Telecommunications

U.S. Development Finance Corporation Signals Interest in Tele2 Upgrade in Kazakhstan

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has announced its interest in helping modernize Kazakhstan’s telecommunications infrastructure through a potential partnership with Qatar’s Power International Holding (PIH), which owns Mobile Telecom-Service LLP, operator of the Tele2/Altel brands. DFC Chief Executive Officer Ben Black and PIH President and Group CEO Ramez Al-Khayyat signed a letter of interest and financing proposal in Astana on June 16. The document outlines a proposed partnership to support Tele2’s transition to equipment supplied by “trusted vendors,” a move aimed at improving Kazakhstan’s digital security and supporting the rollout of 5G networks. According to DFC, the proposed investment would help build more secure telecommunications infrastructure for 5G connectivity and digital services. The corporation said it sees Kazakhstan as a key part of the Trans-Caspian Corridor and an important destination for investment from the United States in Central Asia. “This deal will be truly transformative, a game-changer for regional connectivity, and a major step toward building economic momentum in Kazakhstan,” Black said. The announcement follows the completion of the sale of Mobile Telecom-Service LLP, which operates under the Tele2/Altel brands, to PIH Communication LLC, a subsidiary of Power International Holding. According to Kazakhtelecom’s audited financial statements for 2025, cited by Kapital.kz, Kazakhtelecom received the second tranche of the deal, amounting to $25.415 million, on January 22, 2026. The first payment of $700 million was made by PIH Communication LLC on January 16, 2025, bringing the total paid so far to $725.415 million. The planned sale of Mobile Telecom-Service received political backing in February 2024, following talks between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Kazakhstan’s telecommunications sector is also attracting greater attention from the U.S. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Tokayev met with Black in Astana on June 15 to discuss prospects for expanding economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the U.S. Tokayev described Black’s visit as a continuation of agreements reached during talks in Washington in November 2025 and as a sign of growing U.S. engagement in Central Asia.

World Nomad Games

Tea, Tug-of-War, and Team GB at the World Nomad Games

A British tug-of-war athlete preparing for a nomadic sports festival in Kyrgyzstan sounds like the start of a strange travel documentary. It is also part of the appeal of the World Nomad Games, which return to Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 6, 2026, with The Times of Central Asia once again reporting from the ground. Since their launch in 2014, the Games have grown far beyond their roots, turning traditional sports into an international meeting point for athletes, spectators, and cultures that rarely share the same arena. What began as a Kyrgyz initiative has become one of the world’s more unusual sporting gatherings, mixing horseback combat, archery, wrestling, eagle hunting, strength contests, board games, food, music, and craft traditions in a format closer to a living festival than a conventional tournament. For visiting teams, the challenge is not only athletic. It is cultural, physical, and occasionally bewildering in the best possible way, as The Times of Central Asia explored in an interview with Sam Pollard from Team Great Britain. TCA: How did you first become involved with the World Nomad Games, and what drew you to competing there? Sam Pollard: I read Sovietistan: A Journey Through Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan by Erika Fatland in my second year at university, in 2023. I already knew I wanted to travel to Central Asia after university because it was completely unknown to me. I like going to places where no one I know has been, and I was excited to experience it for myself and see whether it was a hidden gem. It absolutely turned out to be just that. The book mentioned Kok Boru, or Kokpar, as one of Central Asia’s traditional games. I searched for it on YouTube and found a video of it being played at the World Nomad Games. I thought, what on earth are the World Nomad Games? I did more research, looked at some of the sports, and saw that the Games lined up perfectly with when I was hoping to travel to Central Asia. Initially, we planned to go as spectators, but then I saw that you could apply to participate. Because my friends and I had a tug-of-war background at university, we thought we’d apply, see what happened, and hope for the best. What drew us to competing was the chance to learn about and embrace nomadic culture, which we didn’t really know much about. We are quite open-minded people, so we were excited to learn from different cultures and see what we could take from them. Each “Stan” is completely different, which made the region even more attractive to us. Kyrgyzstan has its beautiful mountains, Uzbekistan has its amazing mosques, Kazakhstan has the great steppes - Mangistau is incredible - and Tajikistan has the Pamir Highway. There was a real draw for us in the unknown. TCA: What was it like being the flagbearer for the UK team at the Kazakhstan Nomad Games in 2024? Sam Pollard: It was undoubtedly the...

Adilet Party

Fraudsters Attempt to Exploit Kazakhstan’s Adilet Party Name

Kazakhstan’s pro-presidential Adilet party says fake online accounts are unlawfully using its name to mislead citizens with offers of party membership cards as it prepares to merge with the ruling Amanat party. On June 12, Astana hosted Amanat’s 26th congress, where delegates voted in favor of the merger. For Adilet, joining Amanat would provide access to the ruling party’s nationwide branch network and large membership base. For Amanat, the merger is expected to help the party move beyond a political brand still closely associated with former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Adilet, whose name translates as “Justice,” held its founding congress on May 7 and was officially registered by Kazakhstan’s Justice Ministry on June 1. Earlier this week, the party held its second congress, where delegates formally approved the merger with Amanat. Adilet has since reported a rise in fraudulent activity. According to the party, fake social media accounts and pages have appeared online, illegally using its name and posing as official representatives. “These resources are spreading false information about issuing party cards, registering members, and the party’s activities in general,” Adilet said in an official statement published on its website. “We officially declare that these accounts have no connection to the Adilet party. Any information distributed through them is false.” The party urged citizens to rely only on its official social media and website channels. It warned that the unauthorized use of the party’s name and symbols, as well as the dissemination of false information, may lead to legal liability under Kazakh law. Adilet said materials related to the fake accounts had been handed over to law enforcement authorities for further action. “We ask citizens not to share personal data with unknown individuals and to use only the party’s official communication channels,” the statement said.