Kazakhstan International Affairs - The Times Of Central Asia

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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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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.

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First Kazakh Kindergarten Has Opened in California’s Silicon Valley

The first Kazakh kindergarten in the U.S. has opened in the state of California, and its a project developed and operated by natives of Kazakhstan. The main purpose of the educational center is to work for the preservation of national culture abroad, reports the news site 24.KZ. The idea to create a kindergarten replete with Kazakh-language instruction education came to Zhanna Atabekova. According to her, through the new school, citizens of Kazakhstan who live and work in Silicon Valley can now instill national values in their children. "We want our child to receive the same upbringing as if he or she was raised by grandparents. This kindergarten is important to preserve our language," parents stated. Earlier, President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev spoke out on the issue of a national language policy, expressing confidence that Kazakh would become the main language of inter-ethnic communication. At the end of last year, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection reported on its efforts to open education and training centers to help prepare Kazakhs for work abroad. According to official data, more than 194,000 citizens currently work abroad: 162,700 in Russia, 13,100 in Poland, 6,000 in South Korea, and 5,000 in Britain.

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Transshipment of Russian Oil Through Kazakhstan to China to Become More Expensive

The Parliament of Kazakhstan has approved an increase in the cost of transit of Russian oil across Kazakhstan to China. At the same time, the volume of transportation will increase to ten million tons annually from the previous figure of seven. The document amends the agreement between Kazakhstan and Russia on the transportation of hydrocarbons through the territory of the Republic. The prior agreement was signed in December 2013. According to the new amendments, the tariff for transit on the pipeline section Tuimazy-Omsk-Novosibirsk (TON) will be set at $2.1 per ton, and through the territory of Kazakhstan - $15 per ton. According to Senator Suindik Aldashev, the agreement will be valid until January 1, 2034. Earlier, Kazakhstan Energy Minister, Almasadam Satkaliev said that Rosneft has signed an agreement with SNPS-Aktobemunaigas, which is controlled by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), to supply 100 million tons of oil over a period of ten years. The extension of the agreement will ensure that the Pavlodar petrochemical refining plant will be loaded with oil that comes through the Omsk-Pavlodar pipeline. It's forecasted that the Kazakh side's profit from transportation tariffs could reach $1.7 billion.

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