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Mideast Conflict Disrupts Flights with Central Asia

The growing conflict between Israel and Iran has disrupted international air travel in the Middle East, and Central Asia is grappling with cancellations and rerouted flights to and from the region. Flynas, a low-cost Saudi airline, and Qeshm Air, an Iranian carrier, have temporarily canceled flights to Uzbekistan “due to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and the closure of part of the airspace,” the state-run Uzbekistan Airports company said on Telegram on Wednesday. The cancellations were a Flynas flight on the Jeddah-Tashkent-Jeddah route; another roundtrip Flynas flight from Jeddah to the Uzbek city of Namangan and back; and a Qeshm Air flight from Tehran to Tashkent and back to the Iranian capital, according to the Uzbek company. It advised travelers to check departure information with airline representatives. Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, said it had decided to bypass Iran’s airspace on its flights to Dubai after analyzing the situation in the Middle East and following guidance from the national aviation authorities. “As a result, the flight routes from Astana and Almaty to Dubai will be altered, and flight time will be extended,” Air Astana said on Telegram. “Flights to Jeddah will remain unchanged but may be reconsidered if military activity in the region escalates. If necessary, the airline will implement additional changes to ensure flight safety.” Aviation authorities of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport have advised domestic airlines to avoid Iranian airspace, according to Kazinform, a state-run news agency. The flight disruptions came after Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel on Tuesday, and Israel warned that it will respond forcefully to the attack. The confrontation threatens a broader conflict in the region as Israel is already conducting military operations against two Iran-backed groups, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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China Officially Joins the Middle Corridor

It was announced during the 8th International Silk Road Expo in Xi’an in September 2024 that China will formally join the Middle Corridor under the guise of participation by the China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRTC). This move signals a growing reliance on Central Asia’s trade-route infrastructure potential. China's shift to overland routes is part of a broader strategy to diversify away from traditional maritime routes through chokepoints like the Strait of Malacca, which carry geopolitical risk. Kazakhstan's strategic geographic location naturally makes it indispensable to China’s trade, and infrastructure projects currently underway represent a key component of the Middle Corridor’s potential. In July 2024, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ratified agreements with China aimed at further developing the Middle Corridor, enhancing both road and rail infrastructure. The country has already been upgrading its rail infrastructure, modernizing dry ports like Khorgos on the Chinese border, and expanding transit facilities at the Caspian Sea port of Aktau. The increased flow of goods through Kazakhstan is evident: over 212 container block trains have passed through the country by September 2024, with the number projected to exceed 300 by the year’s end. These build-outs, and particularly Kazakhstan’s modernization of its railways, go hand-in-hand with the recently finished improvements along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) line, which connects Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia. The expansion of the BTK line's capacity from 1 million to 5 million tons per year has now been completed. As a result of all these efforts, the travel time for goods from China to the Black Sea has been reduced to just 10–12 days, highlighting the efficiency of the corridor. Azerbaijan also plays a crucial role in this economic ecosystem. Baku’s port of Alat serves as a critical transit point for cargo crossing between Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan’s collaboration with Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Turkey has led to significant investments in expanding port facilities and upgrading railway systems beyond the crucial BTK link mentioned above. The result is a smoother, more reliable flow of goods from China to Europe. Azerbaijan is winning its bet to become a regional logistics hub. In addition, a Chinese consortium recently secured the contract for the construction of the Anaklia deep-sea port in Georgia, a strategically important site on the eastern edge of the Black Sea. The project was initially awarded to a Georgian-American consortium, but was cancelled in 2020 due to political and legal disputes. Following a new tender process this year, the Chinese consortium emerged as the sole bidder. If supporting infrastructure is adequately developed and the Black Sea’s cargo transit capacity can be significantly enhanced, then the Anaklia port could become a critical node in the Middle Corridor, enhancing its role in Eurasian trade and bolstering regional connectivity. China’s increased reliance on Central Asian, trans-Caspian, and South Caucasus routes is not just about efficiency. It is also a strategic diversification to mitigate the risks posed by geopolitical instability in other regions. Traditional sea routes through maritime choke-points as well as overland routes like...

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Kazakhstan: Investigate Airstrike on UAE Residence in Sudan

Kazakhstan condemns a Sept. 29 airstrike on the Khartoum residence of the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates in Sudan, the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. “We firmly believe that any kind of violence against diplomatic missions and their staff is absolutely unacceptable,” the ministry said in a statement. It said the airstrike violated the security of diplomatic missions as guaranteed under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and appealed for an investigation to bring “all those involved to justice.” The United Arab Emirates said the airstrike was carried out by a Sudanese army aircraft and that it caused extensive damage to the building. The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, denied responsibility. The SAF has previously accused the United Arab Emirates of supporting its enemy in Sudan’s civil war, a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces.

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Lukashenko Turns Up Charm After Kazakhstan Kerfuffle

In August, Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko drew a Kazakh rebuke after he criticized Kazakhstan for what he described as its tepid support for Russia. Lukashenko was a model of diplomatic etiquette on Tuesday, effusively praising Kazakhstan as a close ally during a ceremony at which he received credentials of foreign ambassadors. “Today there are practically no areas where we do not have common interests. Annual $1 billion trade turnover and successful projects in industrial interaction testify to the high dynamics of bilateral cooperation,” the longtime Belarusian ruler said of Kazakhstan. Lukashenko´s comments were reported by Belarus Today, a state-run media group. The Belarusian president also thanked Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for supporting Belarus when it became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security group, earlier this year, according to Belarus Today. Kazakhstan was chair of the organization at the time. Things weren’t as convivial in August when Lukashenko, a backer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested in an interview with Russian state television that Kazakhstan was exploiting Russia, now in a third year of war since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. “We are not starting to cheat like some post-Soviet states. They want to take something from Russia, but give nothing in return,” Lukashenko said at the time. The longtime leader of Belarus, who has crushed opposition over 30 years in power, referred to the dispatch of troops from regional countries to Kazakhstan in a show of support after protests and riots erupted there in January 2022, killing more than 200 people. Most of the troops were Russian; a small contingent came from Belarus. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Belarusian ambassador after Lukashenko’s remarks and said, in an apparently oblique reference to the Ukraine war, that “all disagreements between states should be resolved by political and diplomatic means.” Kazakhstan’s new ambassador in Belarus is Yerlan Baizhanov, formerly the country’s top diplomat in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

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The Future of Transit in Kazakhstan

Increasing the volume of transit cargo through Kazakhstan is a strategic priority for the nation as it aims to become a transportation and logistics hub in Central Asia and the Caspian region, with its railways at the forefront of this effort. TCA spoke with Asem Mukhamedieva, Managing Director for New Projects at KTZ Express JSC, about the company’s current capabilities, prospects, and new projects in this direction. Kazakhstan’s Role in Transit Cargo TCA: Kazakhstan, has become a vital land transportation corridor between Asia and Europe. How does Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) contribute to further increasing transit cargo, and what trends have you observed? Mukhamedieva- The volume of transit handled by KTZ Express in the first eight months of this year reached approximately 350,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The China-Europe-China route saw a 36% increase, while the China to Central Asia route grew by 17%. Notably, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) dispatched 220 container trains, a twenty-fold increase from last year. TCA: What new routes have been launched, and what is KTZ doing to increase them? - KTZ is continuously expanding its transportation network and logistics services. One significant development is the Trans-Afghan route, which was launched this May. Under a pilot project, containers with aluminosilicate hollow microspheres were shipped from Pavlodar to Jebel Ali Port via Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the UAE. Offering competitive terms and tariffs has encouraged more cargo traffic along this route. In July, we cut delivery times in half — down to just five days — on the Xi’an-Altynkol-Tashkent route, compared to the previous 10-12 days. This success is largely due to the new terminal in Xi’an, built by KTZ and its Chinese partners. The terminal consolidates cargo from various Chinese provinces, streamlining logistics processes and significantly improving efficiency. We also launched several new logistics services to boost cargo traffic and strengthen international links. For example, in June, we introduced a regular South Korea-China-Kazakhstan-Central Asia route. We also reopened a previously unprofitable route from China to Iran and back, reducing costs by collaborating with Chinese partners. The Growing Importance of the Trans-Caspian Route TCA: You mentioned the growth of the TITR. Could you elaborate on the regions of China involved, the types of cargo, and what steps are being taken to attract more shipments? - The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) has become a critical link in Eurasian logistics. This year, the route achieved remarkable growth. In September, we welcomed the 200th train dispatched via TITR at the Port of Aktau. Transit volumes for the first eight months of this year surpassed annual totals from previous years. Xi'an province leads in shipments, accounting for 57% of the total volume on this route. Other key provinces include Yiwu, Chongqing, Sanping, and Henan. Major markets for these shipments are Azerbaijan (62%), Georgia (23%), Turkey (7%), and EU countries (9%). Over 200 different commodity items were transported, with automobiles, components, textiles, and electronics making up 56% of the total. To maintain this momentum, we are working...

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Kazakhstan Establishes Coordination Council of Partners for Water Sector Development

Kazakhstan has established a Coordination Council of Partners for the Development of the Water Sector. It includes the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation representatives, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other international organizations and financial institutions. According to the ministry, the Coordination Council will coordinate the actions of government agencies, UNDP, international financial organizations, and donor communities according to national priorities in the water sector. The Council will mobilize and effectively distribute financial and technical resources to achieve the goals. The Council will support developing and implementing strategic documents, such as the Water Code, the Concept for the Development of the Water Resources Management System, and the Comprehensive Water Sector Development Plan, as well as strengthening the legislative framework and institutional mechanisms for sustainable water management. By implementing best international practices and innovative solutions in water resources management, the Council will organize the exchange of knowledge and experience, increase the capacity of specialists, and inform citizens about sustainable water resources management principles. Another key task for the Council is strengthening regional cooperation in water resources management and increasing resilience to climate change and natural disasters such as droughts and floods. Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov commented: “The establishment of the Coordination Council is an important step for the water sector in Kazakhstan. By coordinating the efforts of the Ministry, international organizations, and donor communities, the Council will play an important role in promoting the country's long-term environmental stability and economic development. The Coordination Council will help mobilize resources, strengthen governance, expand regional cooperation, and promote sustainable water resource management practices. These collective efforts will address growing climate challenges and ensure a stable future for Kazakhstan and Central Asia.” On September 30, the Coordination Council held its first meeting in Astana. The meeting discussed partnerships in managing Kazakhstan's water resources and presented a Water Partnership Initiative for 2024-2030, a joint proposal between the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and UNDP. The document outlines specific activities, such as developing an information system for water resources, the modernization of water infrastructure to respond to climate challenges, implementing modern irrigation systems, and transboundary water cooperation. Katarzyna Wawiernia, UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan, stated at the meeting: "Given the complexity of the water agenda, it is clear that no single government or organization can tackle these issues alone. Therefore, addressing these challenges requires combining resources, investments, technical expertise, and innovations. I hope that the Partnership Initiative proposed today by UNDP and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation will be an important catalyst in this process." For decades, Kazakhstan has faced a host of water-related challenges, such as the shrinking Aral Sea, largely caused by decreasing water flows in transboundary rivers, devastating spring floods, and irrigation water shortages in the country’s southern regions.