Our People > Stephen M. Bland

Stephen M. Bland

Managing Editor and Head of Investigations

Stephen M. Bland is a journalist, author, editor, commentator, and researcher specializing in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Prior to joining The Times of Central Asia, he worked for NGOs, think tanks, as the Central Asia expert on a forthcoming documentary series, for the BBC, The Diplomat, EurasiaNet, and numerous other publications.

His award-winning book on Central Asia was published in 2016, and he is currently putting the finishing touches to a book about the Caucasus.

Articles

Kairat

Kairat Almaty Hold Atalanta to Draw as Kazakh Club’s European Rise Continues

Kairat Almaty secured one of their most impressive European results on November 5, holding Italian side Atalanta to a 1-1 draw in Bergamo in the UEFA Conference League. The Kazakh visitors came close to a famous victory after taking the lead early in the second half. Atalanta, winners of the Europa League in 2024, needed a late equalizer to avoid defeat on home soil. Founded in 1907, Atalanta have risen from a provincial Italian club to become a European force, defeating Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen on their way to winning the 2024 Europa League. Spanish forward Marc Gual put Kairat ahead in the 53rd minute, finishing an attack created by Brazilian teammate Edmilson. The goal stunned the hosts, who had entered the match as overwhelming favorites. Atalanta pressed for an equalizer, but goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov produced several important saves. The 22-year-old had already denied Jonathan Rowe during the first half and continued to frustrate the Italian side after the interval. Kairat held their advantage until the 82nd minute, when substitute Nikola Krstović scored from a crowded penalty area. The match ended level, giving the visitors a valuable point against considerably wealthier opposition. The result was particularly welcome after Kairat's difficult start to this season's European campaign. They drew 1-1 away to Latvia's Riga before suffering a 5-1 home defeat against Greek side Panathinaikos. It also came during a period of upheaval at the club. Rafael Urazbakhtin resigned as head coach on October 26 after Kairat failed to retain their domestic title. Interim manager Zhora Arutyunyan, previously in charge of the club's reserve team, took over. Kairat finished second in Kazakhstan's 2026 Premier League, three points behind champions Ordabasy Shymkent. They had previously won consecutive national titles in 2024 and 2025. From Soviet Football to the Champions League Founded in 1954, Kairat have a distinctive place in Kazakhstan's sporting history. They were the country's only representatives in the Soviet top flight, regularly facing some of the Soviet Union's strongest clubs. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union brought years of uncertainty. Kairat struggled during parts of the independence era and even split into rival clubs. Their modern revival began under businessman Kairat Boranbaev, who took over the club's presidency in 2012. He invested heavily in training facilities and youth development rather than relying exclusively on imported players. Speaking to The Times of Central Asia in September 2025, Boranbaev described the transformation as the result of more than a decade of planning. The club established a network of academies across Almaty, creating opportunities for local children to progress into professional football. One of its most successful graduates is Dastan Satpayev, who joined Chelsea in August 2026 after establishing himself as one of Kazakhstan's most promising young players. He is spending this season on loan at Burnley. Kairat's biggest breakthrough came in August 2025, when they defeated Celtic in a Champions League qualifying playoff. After two goalless matches, the contest went to penalties. Anarbekov saved three spot kicks as Kairat won the shootout...

2 days ago

druzhba pipeline

Kazakhstan Asks Russia to Reopen Druzhba Oil Route to Germany After Six-Month Halt

Kazakhstan has formally asked Russia to restore oil shipments to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline, six months after Moscow suspended the route. The request follows a drone attack on Russian infrastructure that briefly halted another Kazakh oil export route earlier this week. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on November 4 that he had personally delivered the request to Russian officials. Kazakhstan has the technical capacity to resume deliveries, he told reporters, and is awaiting Moscow’s response. “I personally delivered an official request in a face-to-face meeting,” Akkenzhenov said, but gave no timetable for a decision. The suspended route carried Kazakh crude through Russia, Belarus and Poland to the PCK refinery in Schwedt, northeastern Germany. Russia halted transit on May 1, citing technical restrictions, and the deliveries have remained suspended ever since. Kazakhstan shipped 2.1 million metric tons to Schwedt through Druzhba in 2025, and had planned to increase the figure to approximately 3 million tons this year. Before the suspension, it delivered 1.02 million tons between January and April, according to Interfax. A German Market, a Russian Transit Route Kazakh oil became an important replacement for Russian crude after Germany ended direct imports from Russia in 2023. The Schwedt refinery had previously depended on Russian supplies. Kazakh producers could reach it through the same Soviet-era pipeline network, and this arrangement grew quickly. In October 2025, the parties extended supplies through the end of 2026. Schwedt is central to fuel supplies around the German capital. The refinery says it supplies approximately 90% of the gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and heating oil used in Berlin and Brandenburg. Kazakh crude accounted for about 17% of its oil intake before the halt. The refinery has an unusual ownership arrangement. Russia’s Rosneft retains its majority stake through German subsidiaries, but the German government has controlled those interests since 2022. Berlin placed them under a new trusteeship in February 2026. In August, a Schwedt refinery spokesperson said crude imported through Poland’s Gdańsk port had fully replaced the missing Kazakh volumes. By October 28, the refinery was operating at more than 86% capacity, according to regional authorities. Its management said alternative supplies had kept operations stable despite the loss of Kazakh crude. The refinery also takes oil through Germany’s port of Rostock. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak attributed the suspension to “technical capabilities” in April. He said the oil would move through other export routes. Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry then allocated 260,000 tons of May shipments elsewhere, including 160,000 tons through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) and 100,000 tons through Russia’s Baltic port of Ust-Luga. Both alternatives allowed exports to continue, but neither eliminated dependence on Russian transport infrastructure. [caption id="attachment_60096" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] The PCK oil refinery in Schwedt, Germany; image: Rauenstein[/caption] Another Disruption at Samara That vulnerability was apparent again this week, when drone attacks on facilities at Russia’s Samara oil transit hub forced the Atyrau–Samara pipeline to stop pumping on November 2. Kazakhstan resumed shipments the following day after technical checks. Atyrau–Samara connects Kazakhstan’s western...

3 days ago

U.S.-Central Asia Engagement

U.S. Midterms Hand Democrats a Central Asia Agenda They Helped Build

Democrats have won control of Congress in the November 3 midterms, ending President Donald Trump’s Republican majority. But they inherit a Central Asia agenda their party helped build, backed by substantial orders for American manufacturers. Uzbekistan Airways’ new Boeing deliveries are due to begin in 2031, while Kazakhstan’s $4.2 billion Wabtec agreement covers a decade. For American businesses, the region’s importance is already measured in export orders that outlast a congressional majority. American Jobs Behind the Diplomacy Kazakhstan signed its Wabtec agreement in September 2025. The U.S. Commerce Department said the Pennsylvania-based manufacturer would supply 300 heavy-haul locomotive kits over the next decade. It estimated that the deal would support more than 11,000 American jobs. Uzbekistan Airways initially ordered 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with options for eight more. The Commerce Department valued that package at approximately $8.5 billion. The airline subsequently exercised the options, bringing its firm order to 22 aircraft. Those purchases give Astana and Tashkent a direct argument in Washington: engaging with them brings business to American factories. The relationship also gives U.S. manufacturers a reason to support continued engagement, whichever party controls congressional committees. From Biden to Trump The minerals agenda has already survived a change of president. The Biden administration signed a critical minerals cooperation memorandum with Uzbekistan in September 2024, aimed at diversifying global supplies. Under Trump, critical minerals and digital infrastructure remained on the agenda at the October 19 C5+1 meeting in Samarkand. The United States and the five Central Asian republics also backed increased trade through the Trans-Caspian route and closer links between their business communities. Congressional support crosses the same party divide. In October, Democratic Senator Chris Coons and Republican Senator Tim Sheehy introduced legislation to strengthen critical mineral supply chains through mining and processing partnerships with U.S. allies. A bipartisan artificial intelligence (AI) bill, reintroduced in February, similarly aims to strengthen American research and testing capacity. Kazakhstan’s June 2026 agreements with Firebird, a U.S. technology company, cover proposed AI infrastructure and advanced computing capacity. Central Asia offers customers for American technology as well as potential sources of strategic minerals. Both fit priorities Democrats have backed alongside Republicans. The incoming majority has reasons of its own to maintain that engagement. Congress’s Unfinished Business The Democratic majority will take office in January 2027, gaining control of committees and greater influence over legislation and oversight. Central Asian governments will also lose two established advocates. Republican Steve Daines and Democrat Gary Peters, who founded the Senate Central Asia Caucus in 2024, are both retiring that month. Their successors will inherit an unfinished trade agenda. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan remain subject to the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik Amendment, despite years of calls to remove its trade restrictions. Republican and Democratic lawmakers introduced repeal legislation in November 2025. While American manufacturers are booking Central Asian business into the 2030s, Congress is still debating whether to lift trade restrictions dating from 1974. At a September 2026 House hearing, lawmakers from both parties heard arguments for removing the restrictions. The discussion...

4 days ago

Reshuffle

Tokayev Names Zhanassova Deputy Prime Minister in Transport Shake-Up

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has replaced his transport minister and given the incoming officeholder the rank of deputy prime minister. The November 3 appointment puts Asel Zhanassova in charge of the ministry as Kazakhstan prepares a major infrastructure expansion. Zhanassova, previously deputy head of the Presidential Administration, succeeds Nurlan Sauranbayev. Her appointment decree formally combines the positions of deputy prime minister and transport minister, raising the portfolio’s standing within the government. Zhanassova becomes one of six deputy prime ministers, including First Deputy Prime Minister Nurlybek Nalibayev. The change comes less than a week after Tokayev announced plans to accelerate construction and expand freight routes linking China and Europe. Several major transport projects face deadlines in 2027, giving the new minister an immediate delivery agenda. Akorda gave no reason for Sauranbayev’s dismissal and announced no new appointment for him. His departure came six days after Tokayev criticized road quality and officials passing responsibility between central and local government. A New Minister with a Digital Background Zhanassova brings experience in digital technology and the management of Kazakhstan’s national postal operator. Born in Almaty in 1987, she graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2010 with a computer science degree. She studied under Kazakhstan’s Bolashak scholarship program. According to her published biography, her early career included technology and cybersecurity positions at an international company in London. She subsequently worked at Kazakhstan’s central bank and headed the state technology holding Zerde. She later held senior digital roles at the Astana International Financial Centre before becoming vice minister of trade and integration. From 2022 to 2025, she chaired Kazpost, a position that gave her experience managing a nationwide delivery network. Zhanassova became an adviser to Tokayev in June 2025 and deputy head of the Presidential Administration in December of that year. Her latest promotion moves her into a cabinet role combining transport management with deputy prime minister responsibilities. Sauranbayev had been appointed transport minister on June 30, 2025. His departure marks another leadership change in a ministry already subject to presidential scrutiny. His predecessor, Marat Karabayev, was dismissed in June 2025, following criticism of transport infrastructure and delays affecting transit development. An Extensive Construction Agenda In his October 28 State of the Nation Address, Tokayev outlined plans to allocate 6.5 trillion tenge, approximately $14.3 billion, from the National Fund to infrastructure by 2029. He also proposed designating 2027 as a year of large-scale construction. Transport forms a substantial part of that agenda. The 272-kilometer Bakhty–Ayagoz railway is scheduled to open in 2027, adding a border crossing with China. The project is expected to increase annual rail freight capacity between the two countries by 20 million metric tons. The Aral–Caspian Highway is another major undertaking. The approximately 800-kilometer route will connect Beineu in western Kazakhstan with Saksaulsk, near the Aral Sea. Construction began in August, with Tokayev saying the highway would shorten the freight route between China and Europe by approximately 1,000 kilometers and cut delivery times by three days. The government’s summary of the address...

4 days ago

Tungsten

Developer of Kazakhstan Tungsten Projects Drops Merger and Plans U.S. Listing

Cove Kaz, the U.S. company developing two major tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan, has dropped its planned merger with Skyline Builders. It now plans to list its shares directly on a U.S. stock exchange in the first half of 2027. The change comes alongside a $32 million investment commitment intended to fund work on the projects. Together, the announcements reshape how Cove Kaz plans to finance development and bring its Kazakhstan business to public investors. The companies announced the mutual termination of their merger agreement on November 2. American Ventures has committed to buying four million Cove Kaz shares at $8 each, implying a company valuation of $1.97 billion. The investment still needs to close. “The additional capital will fund engineering and construction-related work to shorten our time to production,” said Cove Kaz Executive Chairman Pini Althaus. Under its new listing plan, Cove Kaz intends to become a Delaware corporation and adopt the name Kaz Resources Inc. It also plans to bring other affiliated Kazakhstan assets into the company, subject to regulatory approval. The company has not named an exchange and plans to file a registration statement with U.S. securities regulators. Skyline would remain an investor under the revised arrangements. In its own announcement, it said its existing investment and outstanding loan would be exchanged for shares in Cove Kaz. Its stake would be approximately 26% after the new funding closes. Skyline said the revised arrangement should allow its shareholders to realize the value of their investment faster than the merger. The underlying mining venture centers on Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Region. Cove Kaz acquired 70% of Severniy Katpar LLP, which holds the project licenses, in April. Kazakhstan’s national mining company, Tau-Ken Samruk, retains the remaining 30%. [caption id="attachment_59844" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] The Northern Katpar tungsten project site in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Region. Image: Cove Kaz Capital Group.[/caption] The original merger agreement was intended to create a listed supplier of tungsten and other critical minerals for U.S. customers. Tungsten is used in industrial tools, aerospace and defense equipment, making alternative supplies important to Washington’s efforts to reduce dependence on China. Chinese companies already have a foothold in Kazakhstan’s tungsten sector. A $300 million processing plant opened in Almaty Region in November 2024, with Jiangxi Copper among its participants. Cove Kaz’s planned mine and refinery would establish another supply route, focused on U.S. customers. Work at Northern Katpar has moved into engineering and feasibility studies. Cove Kaz’s August update said the definitive feasibility study began in July and was expected to finish before the end of 2027. It covers the mine and a planned refinery in Kazakhstan that would produce ammonium paratungstate, a material used in tungsten manufacturing. The study will help establish the costs and design needed for a final investment decision. It will also support assessments by potential lenders, including U.S. government agencies. Cove Kaz has cited earlier studies indicating potential combined annual production of about 12,000 metric tons from the two deposits, equivalent to roughly 15% of...

5 days ago

Oil Exports

Kazakhstan Resumes Oil Exports Through Russian Pipeline After Drone Attack

Kazakhstan resumed oil shipments through the Atyrau-Samara pipeline on November 3, a day after a drone attack on a Russian transit hub forced pumping to stop. The disruption again exposed the vulnerability of Kazakh exports to attacks on infrastructure beyond the country’s borders. The attack targeted facilities at the Samara Production and Dispatch Centre in Russia. Oil transportation stopped at 6:09 a.m. Astana time on November 2. “As of November 3, 2026, oil transportation through the Atyrau-Samara trunk pipeline is operating normally,” Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry spokesperson Assel Serikpayeva said. Pumping resumed after a technical inspection. The ministry reported no injuries. Atyrau-Samara is Kazakhstan’s second-largest oil export route by volume, after the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). It connects western Kazakhstan to Russia’s Transneft network for onward delivery to international markets. Kazakhstan exported approximately 9.2 million metric tons through the route in 2025. Shipments totaled 7.573 million metric tons in the first nine months of 2026, according to KazTransOil data. The Samara hub had already come under attack. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck the pumping complex on October 2, Bloomberg reported. Kazakhstan can divert some shipments through Atyrau-Samara when CPC operations are disrupted, but both routes rely on Russian infrastructure, meaning switching between them leaves exporters exposed to similar risks. The latest stoppage follows repeated disruptions at CPC’s Black Sea terminal near Novorossiysk. In July, Kazakhstan condemned drone attacks on tankers near the terminal, including vessels loading Kazakh crude. The summer’s attacks brought fires aboard tankers and repeated evacuations. On July 19, drones struck ASIA and NISSOS IOS while they were loading Kazakh crude at CPC’s offshore moorings. ASIA was loading Tengizchevroil oil, while NISSOS IOS carried crude from Kashagan and Maten. A fire aboard ASIA was extinguished, and loading was temporarily suspended. Further attacks prolonged the disruption, eventually forcing Kazakhstan to cut production. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry called the attacks an infringement on the country’s economic interests and demanded that they stop. It also reserved the right to pursue compensation. CPC alone carried about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports in 2025, underscoring the country’s dependence on infrastructure within Russia. The interruptions soon affected production at home. An August 7 Reuters report put July CPC loadings more than 20% below schedule, citing sources familiar with the data. Kazakhstan’s oil production fell 14% from June, the sources said. On August 25, Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov cut the annual production plan from 98 million to 96 million metric tons, attributing losses to attacks in January and the summer. Planned maintenance at Tengiz and North Caspian Operating Company fields was postponed until 2027, helping limit the reduction in the annual target. A separate drone incident near the terminal briefly halted loading on September 8. Kazakhstan has been seeking to expand other routes, although their capacity remains far below the volumes moving through CPC. In an interview published on November 2, energy strategist Umud Shokri told The Times of Central Asia that alternatives would take time to develop. “I would describe the route as a...

5 days ago

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

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 OTS cooperation, Azerbaijan President Aliyev's decision not to attend the OTS summit in Ankara, and the Middle Corridor. Special guest: Dr. Robert Cutler

6 days ago

Russia's War in Ukraine

Tajik Prisoners in Russia Say They Face Pressure to Fight in Ukraine

Tajik citizens imprisoned in the Russian city of Volgograd say they are being put under pressure to sign military contracts and fight in Ukraine, allegations which the Russian prison authorities have rejected. The prisoners are asking Tajikistan to facilitate their transfer home. Two inmates contacted Radio Ozodi, the Tajik service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on October 29. They said about 150 prisoners from Central Asia were facing pressure, including approximately 60 Tajik citizens. The outlet said it knew the men's identities but had withheld them for their safety. The men said that despite difficulties, they had obtained a mobile phone, contacted Tajikistan's embassy in Moscow, and hoped to complete their prison sentences in Tajikistan rather than face military service. “We want to go home. We are ready to serve our sentences there,” one prisoner said, even offering to work without pay on Tajikistan's Rogun hydropower project if that would secure his return. “Here they are taking us to our deaths,” he added. The inmates said Central Asian prisoners were being held in blocks with particularly harsh conditions. They described facilities used for inmates considered dangerous and claimed many convictions were based on false accusations. More seriously, the men alleged that over 100 Central Asian inmates had left one Volgograd prison for the Ukraine war during the previous year. They said about 40 were Tajik citizens and claimed none of those sent had survived. There is no independent confirmation of those figures, the alleged deaths or the circumstances in which the men entered military service. The original report did not identify the prison by name. On October 31, the Federal Penitentiary Service's Volgograd regional directorate issued a denial, stating that claims Tajik inmates were being pressured to sign military contracts “do not correspond to reality.” The outlet said its calls to Tajikistan's embassy on October 30 went unanswered. Earlier Warnings from Volgograd The latest allegations follow an earlier warning from the same Russian city. In April 2025, relatives said eight Tajik prisoners had been taken from Correctional Colony No. 26, apparently for deployment to Ukraine. Another inmate at that facility described attempts to secure military contracts. “First they try to persuade us, then they start threatening us,” he said. He alleged that prisoners who refused were put in punishment cells and denied calls or visits. Russia has recruited prisoners for its war since the invasion began in February 2022. The Wagner private military group initially conducted much of that recruitment before the Defense Ministry took a larger role. Changes to Russian legislation in 2023 and 2024 expanded opportunities for convicted people and criminal defendants to sign military contracts to gain relief from criminal prosecution or punishment under specified circumstances. An August 2026 UK government assessment summarized reports of coercion in Russian detention facilities, including beatings and threats. A Request to Serve Sentences at Home The prisoners are not asking for their convictions to be overturned, but to serve out the remainder of their terms in Tajikistan, beyond the reach of...

6 days ago

Energy Security

Bishkek Turns On the Heat as Soviet-Era System Faces Winter Test

For hundreds of thousands of Bishkek residents, winter heating begins with an order from city hall. On October 28, the authorities began supplying heat through the capital's district network after temperatures dropped sharply. The decision came as Kyrgyzstan recorded an autumn electricity consumption record, and lawmakers questioned the condition of the city's main heating plant. The system does not follow a fixed calendar. Under municipal rules, heating starts when the average outdoor temperature stays at 8°C or lower for five consecutive days. The heating season ends after five consecutive days above that threshold. In comments reported on October 26, Mayor Aibek Dzhunushaliev said the preceding five-day average was 6.5°C, and that the heating network would take three days to become fully operational. The seasonal switch controls building supply, not electricity generation. Residents can face several cold days before the heating comes on. In 2021, the season began on October 5. In 2024, it started on October 22, while the 2025 opening fell on November 3. An analysis of records since 2004 by Kaktus.media put the average season at around 150 days. The Legacy of a Centralized System Bishkek's heating network traces its origins to the Soviet period. The combined heat and power plant opened in 1961, when the capital was still known as Frunze. As the city grew, pipelines carried heat from the plant to new apartment buildings. The municipal heat-network company says roughly 400 smaller, inefficient boilers were phased out as centralized heating expanded. Now, the authorities are also upgrading neighborhood heating facilities to reduce reliance on the central system. On October 28, the mayor launched new gas boilers with a combined capacity of 45 megawatts. The equipment was installed in the 10th microdistrict and at the Rotor facility in Jal. The new gas boilers serve individual neighborhoods, while much of Bishkek still relies on the main combined heat and power plant. The immediate pressure is also falling on the electricity grid. On October 27, national consumption reached 64.318 million kilowatt-hours, according to the National Electric Grid of Kyrgyzstan. That was 34.4% above the figure from October 27, 2025, when consumption stood at 47.869 million kilowatt-hours. The operator called it an autumn record, close to December’s typical daily consumption of at least 66 million kilowatt-hours. The operator attributed the surge mainly to electric heaters and warned about increased pressure on transformers. City officials said bringing the heating on earlier would help reduce reliance on electric heaters in homes and public buildings. [caption id="attachment_59552" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Residential buildings in Bishkek, where falling temperatures have increased demand for heating and electricity; image: TCA/Stephen M. Bland[/caption] The Aging Plant and Its History of Failures On October 27, parliamentarian Mahabat Mavlyanova warned that worn equipment at Bishkek's combined heat and power plant could interrupt heating. Deputy Mayor Nasipbek Kerimov acknowledged that machinery in its older section had been operating for about 65 years. Mavlyanova called for an independent technical assessment involving foreign specialists and proposed funding it in the city's 2027 budget. Plant...

1 week ago

Republic Day

Kazakhstan Marks Republic Day as World Leaders Send Congratulations

Kazakhstan marked Republic Day on October 25 with a flag-raising ceremony in Astana and congratulations from its international partners. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the occasion to describe bilateral relations as the “strongest” in their history. “Our countries are working together to strengthen regional security, expand economic cooperation, and create new commercial opportunities which will pair Kazakh ambition with American innovation to benefit both of our nations,” Rubio said in his October 24 statement. He praised Kazakhstan’s diplomatic role and support for President Donald Trump’s “peace initiatives,” and said the U.S. looks forward to further cooperation in the year ahead, both bilaterally and through the C5+1 framework, which brings together the United States and the five Central Asian countries. Trump sent a separate message to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to Akorda’s account, he welcomed the enhanced strategic partnership and said he wanted to continue developing his relationship with the Kazakh leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated Tokayev, describing bilateral relations as developing “in the spirit of strategic partnership and alliance.” He pledged to strengthen cooperation and linked closer ties to security and stability across Eurasia. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his readiness to deepen cooperation, while praising Kazakhstan’s development. The presidents of the other four Central Asian countries also sent congratulations. King Charles III of Great Britain conveyed his wishes to Tokayev and the Kazakh people, highlighting the friendship between the two countries. French President Emmanuel Macron pointed to growing cooperation ahead of the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres was also among those who sent messages. [caption id="attachment_59283" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Image: Akorda.kz[/caption] In Kazakhstan, Tokayev attended the national flag-raising ceremony outside the Akorda presidential residence. The honor guard commander reported to the president before the flag was raised and the national anthem played. The presidency announced similar ceremonies across the country’s regions. In his Republic Day message, Tokayev described Kazakhstan as a respected and influential middle power. He emphasized continued political and economic reforms, technological modernization, and the expanding use of artificial intelligence, while calling for national unity. In Almaty, more than 1,500 people gathered near the Medeu mountain skating rink for a flag-raising ceremony. A military brass band played the national anthem as the flag rose on a 40-meter pole. The city also marked Republic Day with a festive concert at the Republic Palace. [caption id="attachment_59286" align="aligncenter" width="1774"] Image: Almaty Akimat[/caption] Republic Day commemorates the Declaration of State Sovereignty, adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR on October 25, 1990. The declaration affirmed territorial integrity and established the political and legal foundations for the country’s future independence. Kazakhstan remained within the Soviet Union at that point. It formally declared independence on December 16, 1991, becoming the last Soviet republic to do so. This year’s Republic Day therefore marks 36 years since the sovereignty declaration, ahead of the 35th anniversary of independence in December. The holiday itself has undergone several changes. Republic Day was removed from the public holiday calendar in...

2 weeks ago

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