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Kazakh-German Business Council Meets to Expand Economic Cooperation

The 15th meeting of the Kazakh-German Business Council for Strategic Cooperation, co-chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar and Director of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy Michael Harms, was held in Berlin on August 28. The meeting gathered Kazakh government and business representatives and heads of leading German companies such as Siemens, Svevind Energy, CT Agro, CLAAS KGaA, Flight Design General Aviation, Deutsche Bahn, KfW Banken Gruppe, and Deutsche Bank. The co-chairs emphasized that the event was taking place ahead of Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz's visit to Kazakhstan in September. The meeting focused on expanding Kazakh-German trade and economic cooperation, attracting investments, and implementing joint projects in the agro-industrial sector and processing industry. It was noted that Germany is Kazakhstan's largest trading partner in the European Union, and that Kazakhstan is among Germany's top 50 foreign trade partners. The lion's share of German investments in Kazakhstan go to the country’s non-raw materials sector — the processing industry, chemical industry, production of building materials, transport, and agro-industrial sector. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Kazakhstan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov urged further to intensify cooperation between the Kazakh and German business communities. Noting the critical role of German companies in Kazakhstan’s industrialization, Kuantyrov stated that German companies are implementing 66 projects in Kazakhstan for a total of $54 billion, creating about 15,000 jobs. Kuantyrov added that since 2005, German companies have invested about $7.8 billion in Kazakhstan’s economy, with a significant increase in the past year, reaching $770 million. He expressed confidence that the upcoming visit of Scholz to Kazakhstan will bring bilateral relations to a new level and give an additional impetus to strengthening existing and creating new economic ties. Kuantyrov emphasized the significance of cooperation in the context of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor. He noted that cargo traffic through the Middle Corridor to Germany and the EU has increased almost threefold since the beginning of 2022 — to 1.5 million tons and 2.6 million tons, respectively, during the first seven months of this year, adding that the potential of TITR is estimated at 10 million tons of cargo a year. In this regard, Kuantyrov invited German partners to participate in developing Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea ports of Aktau and Kuryk.

Agriculture Germany Water Management Economic cooperation Agricultural produce

Kazakhstan and Germany to Cooperate in Water and Agriculture

During a visit to Germany last week, Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev met with the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to discuss the possibility of Kazakh agricultural and organic products entering the German market. The parties agreed to draft a concept for the Regional Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Central Asia, an initiative announced by the President of Kazakhstan during his official visit to Germany back in September 2023. Following Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister's meeting with Boris Greifeneder, Managing Director of the German Water Partnership (GWP), a decision was made to draft an Agreement on a Water Partnership between Kazakhstan and Germany. Cooperation with GWP, a network of more than 300 companies in the water sector with a strong international focus, marks an essential step towards sustainable and efficient water management in Kazakhstan and will allow the use of proven new technologies. Speaking at the roundtable "Water for Sustainable Development," Bozumbayev noted that the consequences of the unprecedented floods experienced by Kazakhstan in spring, illustrate the need for innovative approaches to combat and prevent similar disasters in the future. To this end, he added that Kazakhstan is currently testing Talsim, a German digital flood forecasting solution, and is ready to study German cases in solving flood problems. The Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister discussed training specialists for Kazakhstan’s water management industry and in turn, the German side expressed its readiness to identify a university to collaborate with the newly- established Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation in Taraz.

Terrorism Security Islamic State Afghanistan Migration Germany

Germany Negotiating Afghan Deportation Deal with Uzbekistan

The government of the Republic of Uzbekistan may agree with the leadership of Germany on sending its labor migrants to Europe in return for the deportation of Afghan refugees. This was reported by the Bloomberg agency. According to sources, Germany is negotiating with Uzbekistan on the conclusion of a migration pact, which may include the deportation of Afghan asylum seekers, so that Berlin does not have to make direct deals with the Taliban. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised a tougher stance on migration, including the deportation of asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Syria. The decision follows a recent series of violent attacks and growing sympathy for the populist far-right in Germany. Interior Minister Nancy Feather, a senior member of Scholz's center-left Social Democrats party, sent officials to the Uzbek capital, Tashkent in late May to negotiate a pact on migration and deportation. Any prospective deal is yet to be finalized. Under the proposed plan, the Uzbek government would accept a limited number of rejected Afghan asylum seekers deported from Germany, and then send them to neighboring Afghanistan using private flights to Kabul. The Uzbek government is considering the idea, but wants any migration pact to also include bilateral rules allowing for the legal migration of skilled workers from Uzbekistan to Germany. According to sources, the German government's special representative for migration agreements, Joachim Stamp, will soon travel to Uzbekistan for further negotiations on such an agreement. An interior ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the plan, which was also reported by Der Spiegel magazine and the DPA news agency. Following a fatal knife attack by an Afghan refugee on a German policeman, Chancellor Scholz, delivering a speech on law and order in parliament on June 6, said his government would allow criminals to be deported to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Syria. "Serious criminals and terrorist threats have no place here," Scholz said, adding that the interior ministry was working on practical implementation and was already in talks with countries bordering Afghanistan. Germany previously completely halted deportations to Afghanistan shortly before the Taliban returned to power in the summer of 2021.

Export/import exhibition renewable energy sources Germany Economy Investments

Turkmenistan Hosts European Exhibition on Energy-Saving

An ambitious and multi-faceted traveling exhibition “Transition to Renewable Energy Sources—Energy of the Future” has just opened at the Technology Center of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan. As reported by “Turkmenistan: Golden Age”, the exhibition, curated by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), presents the various means and measures developed by European countries to save energy. Divided into five sections, the exhibition provides a hands-on exploration of energy efficiency practices through interactive touch panels and by immersing themselves in virtual reality, visitors can envisage the world in the future. The exhibition highlights the multilevel aspects, challenges, and potential of the global energy transition from society, politics, economics, and science perspectives, and during its tour, aims to encourage widespread dialogue and an exchange of knowledge and views on decarbonization and global energy transition. Regarding the tour, project manager Yasmine Deren, stated, “This exhibition started three years ago and has already visited Europe, Asia, the Gulf States and in Central Asia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. We are happy that the exhibition is now being shown in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and afterwards, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan." The exhibition will be displayed Monday - Saturday in Ashgabat until 25 June and thereafter, in Turkmenistan's city of Mary.

Germany Education

New Program Lets Kyrgyz Students Study For Diplomas in Germany

Kyrgyz students can now study at vocational schools in Germany, under a new project between the country's ministry of education and a German company, FAV Service gGmbH. As 24.kg reports, referencing the agency's press service, the partnership has been created to train Kyrgyz professionals to work in both countries. Applicants must be citizens of Kyrgyzstan between 18-26 years old, who speak German to at least a "B2" level. Project participants will be provided with a place to study in Germany. During three years of study, students will receive support from German partners in finding housing, help in setting up an account in a German bank, and will receive a stipend from 939 euros per month and medical insurance. After graduation, participants will receive a diploma that is recognized worldwide.

Industry Russia Transport Kazakhstan Central Asia Export/import Germany Oil and Gas

Russian Comments Put Kazakhstan’s Oil Transit to Germany Under Threat

Russia has warned Kazakhstan about the possible suspension of Kazakh crude oil transshipment to Germany through the Druzhba oil pipeline system. The stated reason is the debt of Polish pipeline operator PERN, according to a report by Reuters. Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, claims that Russia's Transneft has warned its Kazakh partner KazTransOil about the suspension of oil deliveries to the Schwedt refinery. The reason for this demarche is the outstanding debts of Polish state pipeline operator PERN. If the Polish company doesn't pay for the services of oil acceptance and transfer at the Polish transit point Adamova Zastava on the border with Belarus by June, the transit will be stopped. The amount of the debt is unknown. PERN explained its version of the situation by citing western sanctions against Russia. Payment of money to the Russian side can lead to violations of the sanctions regime. According to comments made by the Kazakh Ministry of Energy, the Kazakh government itself looks at the possibility of transit suspension very negatively. KazTransOil said that the plan of deliveries to Germany remains unchanged, and that negotiations with all participants of the process are underway. Curiously, the Ministry of Energy denied the Reuters report, claiming that "the information does not correspond to reality." In early April it was reported that the Kazakh side intends to supply 1.2 million tons of oil to the Schwedt refinery by the end of the year. This would not be the first case involving a cessation of Kazakh oil transiting Russian territory. Earlier, there were repeated problems with the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in Novorossiysk, Russia, on the Black Sea. Some analysts believe that Russia uses oil transportation as an instrument to apply pressure to the Kazakh government.