Kazakhstan - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 3786

Anti-Corruption

Tokayev Moves to Tackle Corruption After Samruk-Kazyna and KTZ Arrests

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has described the detention of the heads of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund and the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) as evidence of serious corruption problems within state-owned enterprises. Speaking at a Security Council meeting on November 13, he warned that such cases threaten Kazakhstan's international reputation and foreign partners' confidence in its largest companies. "This is an extremely serious signal of large-scale corruption in state-owned companies," Tokayev said. He emphasized that the inquiry had only just begun and that it was premature to disclose details. On November 11, the Anti-Corruption Service of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) detained Samruk-Kazyna CEO Nurlan Zhakupov, KTZ chief Yelzhas Otynshiyev, and several other individuals on suspicion of a corruption-related offense. The next day, the KNB confirmed both men were in custody but gave no details, citing restrictions on disclosure during pretrial proceedings. Zhakupov had headed the fund since April 2023. Otynshiyev had led KTZ since July 2026, having previously held senior positions at Samruk-Kazyna. The case, which involves the leaders of both KTZ and its sole shareholder, Samruk-Kazyna, signals that senior positions at major state companies do not shield executives from anti-corruption scrutiny. Neither executive has been convicted. In August 2025, then-transport vice minister Satzhan Ablaliyev was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe. In October 2023, former Justice Minister Marat Beketayev was arrested and sentenced to nine years in 2025 for fraud, embezzlement, and illegal business activities. Cash Footage Draws Attention Police stood beside bags and banknotes strewn across the pavement outside an Astana apartment building in a video circulating on November 12. The clip, published by Kursiv, showed several men gathered near the entrance, with loose notes and bundles on the ground. Reporters from Tengrinews identified the location as the Atlant residential complex on Kunaev Street. The authorities have not confirmed a link between the cash and the arrests. Samruk-Kazyna manages Kazakhstan's largest state-owned assets, including companies in the oil and gas, energy, transportation, and telecommunications sectors. Its portfolio includes KazMunayGas, Kazatomprom, Kazakhtelecom, and KTZ. The railway operator handles a substantial share of the country's freight transportation, including transit between China and Europe and shipments along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. Tokayev placed particular emphasis on the fund's international commitments, noting its involvement in major investment projects with foreign companies and financial institutions. "Behind every such agreement and partnership lie extensive negotiations conducted over many years, Kazakhstan's commitments, and the international community's trust in our country," the president stressed. Tokayev said the fight against corruption should strengthen investor and creditor confidence in Samruk-Kazyna while making the fund’s operations more transparent and effective. In a statement, Samruk-Kazyna said the fund and its subsidiaries were continuing normal operations and would honor their obligations to investors, creditors, and business partners. At the same meeting, Tokayev ordered the government and oversight bodies to submit proposals by November 24 to reduce corruption at state companies. He said the probe must not interrupt their operations....

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Coming Sunday

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team looks at the role of clusters in Uzbekistan's farming sector, which is key to understanding what Mirziyoyev's comments about farmers receiving some $1 billion in profits from this year's cotton harvest really means. Special guest: Umida Niyazova, the director and founder of the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights.

Kazakhstan Tourism

Kazakhstan’s Charyn Canyon Ranks Among World’s Top 20 as Tourist Numbers Surge Fifteenfold

Charyn Canyon in southeastern Kazakhstan has ranked 17th in the Worldworthy 100: Canyons & Gorges 2026 international ranking. It was the only destination in Central Asia to make the list of 100 canyons and gorges across 46 countries. The Grand Canyon in the United States ranked fourth, while Letchworth Gorge in New York State took first place. Visitor numbers at Charyn Canyon have increased more than fifteenfold over the past five years, rising from 16,105 in 2020 to 249,928 in 2025. The number of visitors more than doubled from 117,793 in 2024. Charyn is located approximately 200 kilometers east of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city. The canyon stretches for 154 kilometers along the Charyn River. Its best-known section is the Valley of Castles, where reddish rock formations resemble fortress walls, towers, and palaces. Established in 2004, the national park covers approximately 127,000 hectares. In addition to the canyon, it protects an ancient grove of Sogdian ash trees in the Charyn River valley. The protected area is also home to gazelles and other rare wildlife. Charyn can be reached from Almaty in several hours by car. Visitors often combine a trip to the canyon with visits to the Kolsai Lakes and Lake Kaindy in the northern Tian Shan Mountains. Kaindy is known for its submerged spruce forest. An earthquake-triggered landslide blocked a mountain gorge, creating a lake that submerged the forest. The trunks of the trees still rise above the water. The growth in tourism has prompted restrictions. In 2019, authorities banned private vehicles from descending into the canyon. The park has since developed observation platforms, introduced visitor transportation services, and opened a visitor center. In 2025, work also began on widening the road at the main checkpoint to ease congestion. Other national parks in Kazakhstan, particularly those near major cities, are also struggling with excessive visitor numbers. Environmentalists have warned that heavy tourist traffic is damaging vegetation and contributing to litter and other environmental problems in protected areas, including Charyn. Worldworthy awarded Charyn a score of 9.48 out of 10. Its ranking draws on traveler reviews, travel guidebooks, and media coverage. The organization lists 5,441 visitor reviews and ratings for Charyn, although the final ranking is an editorial assessment rather than a public vote. Kazakhstan is developing tourism infrastructure in its mountain regions, around its lakes, and along the Caspian Sea coast as it seeks to attract more international visitors. The Times of Central Asia previously reported on the country's plans to expand its tourism destinations and the challenges holding back the sector's development.

Central Asian Music

Meirambek Besbayev and the Dombra: Music That Connects Generations

As a teenager, Meirambek Besbayev became famous across Kazakhstan with Boztorgai (The Lark), a song about an orphan searching for his mother. He sang it on all three days of a national competition in 1991, and it became his signature piece. Besbayev turned 50 on November 7, 2026, and marked the occasion with a concert tour across Kazakhstan. He gave two concerts at the Palace of the Republic in Almaty on November 6. The Gaissin Orchestra and his mentor, composer Altynbek Korazbayev, joined him onstage. Today, Besbayev is one of the most recognizable figures in Kazakh popular music, with a repertoire spanning folk songs, traditional musical poetry, and contemporary compositions. From Childhood Talent to National Fame Born in 1976 in the Zhambyl region of southern Kazakhstan, Besbayev was ten when Korazbayev first heard him sing. In the summer of 1987, he performed at the Balasagun Palace of Culture in what is now Taraz, during a poetry competition honoring the Kazakh poets Zhambyl Zhabayev and Kenen Azerbayev. He sang Sagyndym Kenen Atamdy (I Miss Grandfather Kenen). Korazbayev was one of the judges and sent for him afterward, Besbayev later recalled. Abdirakhman Asylbekov wrote the lyrics to Boztorgai, and Korazbayev composed the music. In 1989, the song was written down as Kara Bala (literally, The Black Boy). Korazbayev later named it for the lark in the song. Besbayev continued his musical education in Almaty at the music boarding school named for Kulyash Baiseitova. He later earned an acting diploma at the Kazakh State Institute of Theater and Cinema, a predecessor of the Temirbek Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts. His theatrical training is evident in his singing, particularly in the way he uses pauses to bring out the meaning of the lyrics. He favors a natural vocal sound over elaborate ornamentation. The Dombra and the Art of Kazakh Singing The dombra is a traditional Kazakh instrument with a long neck and two plucked strings. For centuries, musicians have used it to accompany songs and poetry. They also play kuis, instrumental compositions that can tell a story, evoke a mood, or recall a historical event without words. Two of the most prominent dombra composers are Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly and Dauletkerey Shygayuly. Kurmangazy’s Saryarka, named for the uplands of central Kazakhstan, and Adai, named for a Kazakh clan, are among the best-known works in the national repertoire. In 2014, UNESCO inscribed the Kazakh traditional art of dombra kuy on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Musicians pass the pieces from teacher to pupil and within families, along with the stories associated with them. Although Besbayev is best known as a pop singer, his concerts also draw on two forms of Kazakh musical poetry, terme and tolgau. In terme, the performer sings instructive or philosophical verses rhythmically, usually to the accompaniment of the dombra. Tolgau is a freer poetic form that reflects on human destiny, society, and historical events. Both call for a strong command of language and the ability to bring...

Energy Security

What Berlin Can Offer to Finance Kazakhstan’s Oil Routes

Kazakhstan has formally asked Russia to restore oil deliveries to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline after a six-month suspension. Russia suspended transit on May 1, citing unspecified technical constraints. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on November 4 that he had delivered the request personally. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chancellor Friedrich Merz had discussed increasing Kazakhstan’s oil supplies to Germany at their September 29 meeting in Berlin. Merz described Kazakhstani crude as a means of diversifying supplies after Germany stopped buying Russian oil. On November 6, Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry said no deliveries to Germany were planned via Druzhba for November or December, but resumption could be considered if the unspecified technical restrictions were resolved and transport conditions secured. Germany imported about 10.3 million metric tons of crude from Kazakhstan in 2025, according to UN Comtrade data. Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry puts deliveries through Druzhba to the PCK refinery at Schwedt at 2.1 million tons that year. Druzhba therefore accounts for only part of Germany’s oil trade with Kazakhstan. Restoring Druzhba deliveries and developing additional routes would strengthen Kazakhstan’s access to European markets and give German buyers more options during disruptions. That shared interest gives Berlin a reason to consider helping finance the capacity needed to make this trade more reliable. Purchase Commitments and Transport Access In October 2025, KazMunayGas (KMG) extended its supply agreement with Rosneft Deutschland through the end of 2026. The contract provided for monthly deliveries from Karachaganak Petroleum Operating resources to rise from 100,000 to 130,000 tons; KMG also reported supplies from other fields. Russia’s Druzhba suspension followed in May 2026, despite that purchasing commitment. Any additional purchase commitments by German buyers would need corresponding arrangements for transit. Kazakhstani oil also travels across the Caspian Sea to Baku and onward through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. KMG’s annual report identifies work with Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, to reduce tariffs, make charges transparent, and assess how Kazakhstani crude affects the Azeri Light blend. Renewed talks on higher volumes were reported in November. Negotiations over tariffs and crude quality would condition the delivered price of Kazakhstani oil for German buyers. Longer purchase agreements could support investment if producers undertake to supply the oil and if operators reserve the capacity to carry it. Lenders could assess whether the expected revenues would cover the facilities’ costs and how long repayment would take. Contracts would then have to establish who pays for unused capacity and bears losses from interrupted deliveries. The German government’s trusteeship over Rosneft Deutschland and RN Refining & Marketing, exercised through the Bundesnetzagentur, was extended indefinitely in February 2026. This gives Berlin a role on the purchasing side: it could encourage the companies to negotiate longer supply commitments with Kazakhstani producers. It could bring not only buyers and producers but also operators into these negotiations. At the receiving end, Germany has budgeted €400 million for 2025–2029 to improve the Rostock–Schwedt pipeline and the port of Rostock and make the adaptations needed to process non-Russian crudes from Kazakhstan and other suppliers. Nevertheless,...

CSTO

CSTO Without Armenia: What Keeps Yerevan From Leaving and What the Summit Means for Central Asia

Armenia has effectively stopped participating in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) but has not formally withdrawn from the military alliance. At the November 11, 2026, summit in Moscow, Armenia lost its voting rights because of unpaid membership dues, while the CSTO's five other members — Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus — agreed to develop collective aviation forces and mobile air defense units. Kazakh political analyst Maksim Kaznacheyev explained to The Times of Central Asia why Armenia's leadership is reluctant to sever ties with the CSTO and what the new military agreements could mean for Central Asian countries. Why Armenia Has Not Left the CSTO Yerevan froze its participation in the organization in February 2024, accusing its allies of failing to ensure Armenia's security during armed clashes with Azerbaijan. Armenia stopped paying membership dues and sending representatives to CSTO bodies. At the November 11 summit, CSTO members decided that Armenia would lose its voting rights and the ability to nominate candidates for senior positions because of unpaid contributions. CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov said, however, that the organization was not considering expelling Armenia. Kaznacheyev attributes Yerevan's reluctance to sever ties with the CSTO to Armenia's domestic political situation. "If Armenia leaves the CSTO or the EAEU, pro-Western actions could trigger an internal crisis and destabilize the country," Kaznacheyev said. He believes Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking to avoid deepening divisions within Armenia as his government pursues closer ties with the European Union. Yerevan, however, has pursued different policies toward the two organizations. Armenia has suspended its participation in the CSTO but continues to operate within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). On November 5, Pashinyan said the country was not preparing to leave the EAEU. The CSTO has experienced the departure of member states before. Uzbekistan signed the Collective Security Treaty in 1992, declined to renew it in 1999, rejoined the CSTO in 2006, and suspended its membership again in 2012. Kaznacheyev believes Armenia's situation is substantially different. "Uzbekistan's experience does not apply to Armenia because Uzbekistan had a unified political elite when it left the CSTO," Kaznacheyev said. He noted that Tashkent also had a bilateral security agreement with Russia, allowing it to maintain military cooperation outside the CSTO. For Kazakhstan, Armenia's dispute with the CSTO does not create an immediate security threat. Kaznacheyev said Astana's restrained position reflects its limited direct interests in Armenia and its growing transport links through Azerbaijan and Georgia toward Turkey. "That is why Kazakhstan maintains a restrained, neutral position," he said. What the New Air Defense Agreements Mean for Central Asia At the Moscow summit, CSTO members agreed to develop the organization's Collective Aviation Forces and approved plans for mobile air defense units to protect joint military formations. Plans call for incorporating combat aviation units alongside transport and special-purpose aircraft. Kaznacheyev believes the agreements could expand Russian military-technical assistance to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. He argues that Russia could help other CSTO members modernize their air forces and air defenses, particularly in Kyrgyzstan...