Bilateral Relations - The Times Of Central Asia

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Ashgabat Hosts Vibrant Days of Korean Culture, Showcasing Music, Art, and Tradition

On November 22 and 23, Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, became a hub of cultural exchange during the Days of Korean Culture, an event organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. The festivities kicked off on November 22 at the Arkach Shopping and Entertainment Center, where visitors were treated to a lively introduction to Korean culture. Colorful photo zones displayed scenic Korean landscapes, while interactive stations allowed attendees to craft souvenirs such as traditional-style trinkets and mirrors. Korean snack tastings and live music enhanced the festive atmosphere, making it a family-friendly event that drew many visitors of all ages. The celebrations culminated on November 23 with a concert at the Makhtumkuli Music and Drama Theater of Turkmenistan. Korean artists, accompanied by the State Symphony Orchestra of Turkmenistan under the direction of Rasul Klychev, delivered a memorable performance. The program featured a blend of Korean lyrical compositions inspired by love and nature, alongside timeless pieces of world classical music. A standout moment of the evening was the performance by acclaimed Korean singers, tenor Kwon Hwapyeong and mezzo-soprano Kwon Miji, which earned a standing ovation from the audience. Kwon Hwapyeong, a graduate of the Vienna University of Music and Korea National University of the Arts, is celebrated internationally for his exceptional artistry. Mezzo-soprano Kwon Miji, a distinguished alumna of Gyeonggi-do University with further studies abroad, has similarly garnered acclaim for her remarkable vocal range and stage presence. The concert was a fitting finale to Ashgabat's fall cultural season, blending the traditions of Korean musical artistry with the creativity of Turkmen performers.

Serbia Critical Minerals Bilateral Cooperation Bilateral Trade Bilateral Relations

Kazakhstan and Serbia Strengthen Ties Despite Different Geopolitical Paths

Serbian President Vucic (54) might physically resemble Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (71), but the geopolitical positions of Sebia and Kazakhstan could not be more different. While the Balkan nation – a European Union candidate since 2012 – remains in the EU’s “eternal waiting room”, the Central Asian country – a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union – seems to have found a delicate balance between Russia, China, and the West. Those differences, however, have not prevented Serbia and Kazakhstan from strengthening their bilateral ties. Over the past six months, the two countries have been actively preparing for Tokayev’s trip to Serbia. This year, he spoke by phone with Vucic twice, while various Serbian and Kazakh officials held several meetings. On November 18-19, Tokayev finally visited the Southeastern European nation, where he met with his Serbian counterpart. According to the Kazakh leader, they discussed strengthening trade and economic relations and bilateral partnerships between the two nations. “It is essential that we develop cooperation. We had constructive talks and reached important deals,” Tokayev stressed. During his visit to the Balkan country, Serbian and Kazakh ministers signed several bilateral agreements. One of them is a 2025 plan on military cooperation. It is, therefore, no surprise that, following the talks in Belgrade, Vucic and Tokayev attended an exhibition of arms and military equipment at the Batajnica military airport near the Serbian capital. Indeed, military ties seem to be an important aspect of the Serbian-Kazakh relationship. Back in 2017, the two nations signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of military-technical collaboration. Six years later, in November 2023, Kazakhstan and Serbia inked intergovernmental agreements on military-technical cooperation, while in June of this year Serbian and Kazakh defense ministers discussed in Astana military relations between the two countries. Also, in September, Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, announced that Belgrade and Astana plan то expand cooperation in the defense industry. It remains to be seen how Moscow – Astana’s nominal ally in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – will react to Kazakhstan’s ambitions to deepen military ties with Serbia – a nominally neutral country that has indirectly supplied Ukraine with $885 million worth of weapons. Despite being in different geopolitical positions, Serbia and Kazakhstan seem to share the same approach regarding Ukraine. Both nations support the Eastern European country’s territorial integrity, while trying to preserve relatively good relations with the Kremlin. At the same time, they support each other’s territorial integrity, which is particularly important for Serbia given that Kazakhstan does not recognize the 2008 unilateral independence of Kosovo. In 2022, sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tokayev said that if the right to self-determination is put into practice worldwide, then there will be over 600 countries instead of the 193 states which are currently members of the United Nations. “For this reason, we do not recognize either Taiwan, or Kosovo, or South Ossetia, or Abkhazia… This principle will also be applied to quasi-state territories, which, in our opinion, are Lugansk and...

Construction Bilateral Relations Infrastructure Development Border disputes

Kyrgyzstan Opens New Village for People Resettled from Barak Exclave

On November 15, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov attended the opening of a new village, Jany-Barak, in the country’s southern Osh region. The village was constructed for Kyrgyz citizens resettled from the Barak exclave, previously Kyrgyzstan’s largest exclave, located in Uzbekistan’s Andijan region. For many years, the residents of the exclave experienced severe difficulties due to their partial isolation and the difficulty of traveling between the exclave and the Kyrgyz mainland. After signing a border delimitation agreement with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan ceded a portion of its land to Kyrgyzstan in exchange for control of the Barak exclave. Construction of Jany-Barak (New Barak) was launched in May 2024 and is now complete. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Japarov emphasized that the construction of the new village marked a significant milestone. He highlighted that residents, who had relocated from the exclave, can now live and work in Kyrgyzstan, on their native land, in new homes, with renewed confidence in their future. Japarov highlighted the extensive work completed to establish infrastructure in the new village: 101 residential houses have been built, roads have been laid, electricity has been connected, and wells for clean drinking water have been drilled. The new village will have social amenities, including a school, a kindergarten, a park, a mosque, and a football (soccer) field. Plots have been allocated to residents for agricultural use.

Nuclear France Bilateral Relations Strategic Partnership

Tokayev and Macron Forge New Path for French Investments in Kazakhstan

The Paris summit between Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and France’s President Emmanuel Macron was a significant event in their countries' evolving bilateral relations. The high-level discussions were centered on deepening cooperation across trade, economic investment, cultural, and humanitarian issues. The talks have reaffirmed and broadened existing frameworks, foretokening robust and diversified collaboration. The historical foundation of Kazakh-French relations, particularly in the economic sphere, has long been strong. French multinational corporations, such as TotalEnergies, have played significant roles in Kazakhstan’s major energy projects, including the Kashagan oil field. At the recently concluded summit, President Tokayev held meetings with prominent French business figures, seeking to enhance investment flows and economic partnerships across the renewable energy, infrastructure, and technology sectors. France recognizes Kazakhstan’s strategic significance in Central Asia and seeks to deepen the partnership, which also complements Europe’s generally expanding engagement with the region. The summit builds on a series of annual encounters that sustain the momentum in Kazakhstan–France relations. In November 2023, a year after President Tokayev’s trip to France in November 2022, President Macron made an official visit to Kazakhstan. This visit highlighted the shared interests between the two countries and underscored the importance of their growing cooperation. The meeting not only strengthened political dialogue but also laid the groundwork for further economic, cultural, and technological collaboration, reflecting a commitment to long-term partnership. The regularity of summits between Kazakhstan and France, besides indicating the pragmatic nature of their relationship, speaks to the personal rapport between Tokayev and Macron. The sustained, high-level engagement indicates a mutual appreciation for reliable and constructive diplomacy. The Paris summit continues the momentum and deepens the strategic significance of relations between Kazakhstan and France relations, as the new agreements demonstrate their common intention to leverage shared interests in pursuit of more comprehensive cooperation. At the 2022 meetings, 25 economic agreements were signed amounting to a value of $3 billion, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If we include the agreements signed at the 2023 meetings, then the newest agreements bring the overall total to $6.4 billion. Bilateral trade reached $4 billion from January to August this year, representing a 44.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Kazakhstan’s exports to France for the same period rose by 45.2 percent to $2.7 billion for the first eight months of 2024. These exports were heavily concentrated in crude oil and uranium. Just ahead of Tokayev's visit to Paris, the city hosted the 13th meeting of the Kazakhstan–France Business Council. Twenty-four documents were signed there, worth $2 billion, which spanned the agro-industrial, information-technology, light industry, medicine and mining sectors, not to mention a continuing interest in the energy sector. Kazakhstan’s proactive engagement, including its receptivity to French participation in the NPP consortium is in the line of the country's balanced and pragmatic approach to international partnerships. For France, this partnership deepens its footprint in Central Asia while also promoting the policy goals of broader energy diversification and geopolitical influence. Kazakhstan represents 90 percent of France’s trade with...

France Bilateral Relations Nuclear power Strategic Partnership

Kazakhstan’s Tokayev in France: It’s All About Nuclear Energy

For France – a country that gets around 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy – Kazakhstan’s decision to build its first nuclear power plant presents an ideal opportunity to strengthen economic ties with the Central Asian state. For Astana, potential cooperation with French nuclear corporations could help reduce dependence on Russia and its State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Rosatom. But will things really go that smoothly? In November 2023, following the meeting between Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, in Astana, it became clear that, for Paris, establishing a strong nuclear partnership with the largest Central Asian nation was the top priority with regard to Kazakhstan. The following year, Tokayev flew to Paris for another round of talks with Macron. Reports suggest that nuclear cooperation was once again one of the key topics the two leaders discussed. On November 4, a day prior to the Macron-Tokayev summit, French and Kazakh officials signed 24 documents on cooperation worth $2 billion. Unsurprisingly, energy was a central focus. Kazakhstan agreed to establish closer ties with two French nuclear giants: Orano and Électricité de France (EDF). According to Gabidulla Osspankulov, Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Orano’s great experience in uranium extraction makes it a key partner for Astana. That is why the former Soviet republic aims to use the company’s technologies and experience in uranium production in Kazakhstan. Ospankulov also expects both Orano and EDF to be part of a consortium that will build the nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country. Paris, on the other hand, is likely seeks to not only be involved in the construction of the nuclear facility, but also to get Kazakhstan’s spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing. In exchange, Astana – possibly the world’s largest uranium producer – can increase its uranium exports to France. From the French perspective, such an arrangement would be very beneficial, especially after Niger's military government revoked Orano’s permit to operate at its Imouraren uranium mine – one of the biggest in the world. The problem, however, lies in geography and logistics. On the eve of the Macron-Tokayev summit, the French train manufacturer Alotom and the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Electric Locomotive Assembly Plant signed a deal on the supply of 117 French-made freight electric locomotives, weighing up to 9,000 tons, to the former Soviet republic. Will they be used for the transport of Kazakh uranium to France? Russia and China, as the Central Asian nation’s giant neighbors, could easily, under any pretext, block the transport of Kazakh nuclear materials through their territories to Europe. Rail remains the dominant mode of transport for Kazakhstan’s uranium exports, but its reliance on Russian and Chinese routes poses a strategic challenge for Astana. To avoid using the two nations’ railways, Astana would have to boost uranium and potentially also spent nuclear fuel exports via the Caspian Sea Route, primarily through the Middle Corridor. It is, therefore, no surprise that modernization of this network remains Kazakhstan’s primary objective. But...

China Belt and Road Initiative Bilateral Relations International Cooperation negotiations international cargo International trade International Diplomacy

Kazakhstan and China to Double Trade, Increase Cargo Transportation

On November 4, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov arrived in Shanghai and held talks with his Chinese counterpart China Li Qiang. They discussed strengthening trade, investment, transport and logistics cooperation, agriculture, energy, and tourism. Kazakhstan and China aim to double bilateral trade turnover from last year’s historic high of $41 billion. In January-September 2024, Kazakh-Chinese trade totaled $33 billion. Bektenov stressed that Kazakhstan is ready to increase exports to China of 180 high-value-added commodity items worth $1.6 billion. Bilateral agricultural trade increased by 5.8% from January to September 2024, reflecting China’s growing demand for Kazakhstani organic and environmentally-friendly agricultural products. The sides discussed expanding the export of Kazakh grain, crops, and livestock products. Regarding the transport and logistics sector, the Kazakh and Chinese prime ministers noted that over 80% of land cargo transportation from China to Europe today passes through Kazakhstan. Therefore, Kazakhstan is interested in deepening cooperation within China’s Belt and Road Initiative framework. Bektenov noted that this globally important project, together with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the Middle Corridor), running through the territory of Kazakhstan, can unlock the potential of the North-South and East-West corridors. In January-September 2024, the traffic volume along the Middle Corridor exceeded the previous year's figures by 23% and amounted to 3.4 million tons. This figure is expected to increase to 10 million tons annually by 2030. Bektenov also attended the Kazakh-Chinese investment roundtable in Shanghai, which resulted in the signing of commercial agreements with Chinese companies totaling $2.5 billion, including on energy projects and localized automotive production. Addressing the forum, Bektenov said: "Kazakhstan and China have huge potential for implementing joint investment projects. Together, we can open new horizons for interaction and increase the effectiveness of cooperation. To this end, we should actively work to expand transit opportunities, strengthen industrial cooperation, and build ties between our business communities."