A widely anticipated high-level journey by Chinese president
Chinese President Hu Jintao will pay state visits to Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine from June 12 to 20 and attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana and the 15th International Economic Forum in St.Petersburg in Russia. READ MORE
Russia Pressures Kazakhstan’s Ties With Georgia
Kazakhstan is increasingly uncomfortable within the Customs Union with Belarus and Russia due to the constant attempts by the Kremlin to politicize the structure originally intended to boost trade relations and ensure free movement of citizens, goods and capital within the union. Recently, Grigoriy Onishenko the head of the Russian sanitary and epidemiology service, urged Kazakhstan to ban the imports of wine and non-alcoholic drinks from Georgia. Clumsily trying to substantiate his statement Onishenko said Georgian wines did not conform to quality standards and the ban was necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Customs Union. READ MORE
The CSTO Seeks Stronger Security Arrangements
The Russian-led security alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has pledged to face security challenges in Central Asia by boosting military cooperation. READ MORE
“Astana Heritage” Shall not Be Forgotten
Initiatives of Kazakhstani Chairmanship shall Gain Development within Further Work of the OSCE and Other International Organizations. READ MORE
Saudabayev: Kazakhstan ready to host IAEA int'l nuclear fuel bank
Kazakhstan is prepared to host an international nuclear fuel bank under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) once such a facility is set up, the country's Secretary of State Kanat Saudabayev said at an international conference in London last Saturday. READ MORE
Littoral States Struggle to Agree on the Caspian Settlement
The Caspian nations have reiterated pledges to solve their differences later this year ahead of the Caspian summit in Moscow, but they apparently continued to disagree on a number of key issues. During a meeting in Baku on April 26 – 27, representatives of the five countries that border the Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Russia and Turkmenistan) made yet another attempt to reach an agreement on the Caspian’s division. READ MORE
Race on for Kazakh uranium
As global nuclear energy demand grows, countries possessing uranium reserves are poised to reap enormous economic and political dividends from production and export of this resource. Yet, the gains may come with costs as global rivalry accelerates among major powers, concurrently enhancing environmental, health, and proliferation risks of global and regional proportions. READ MORE
Astana Establishes Direct Dialogue of Investors
Investment attractiveness of Kazakhstan is proven by the fact that after the global financial crisis, which has weakened mutual trust between European and Asian partners, it is Astana to hold the Annual Summit of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the accompanying events on May 20th -21th in Astana. READ MORE
India Courts a Distant Kazakhstan
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Apr 15-16 revisit to Kazakhstan noted an critical step brazen in India’s ties with a rising Central Asian nation. Relations between a dual countries have gained movement given Jan 2009, when Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was a arch guest during India’s Republic Day celebrations. READ MORE
It’s Time to Create New Financial Architecture
On May 3rd – 4th the capital of Kazakhstan shall hold the IV Astana Economic Forum (AEF) on the subject: “New Decade: Challenges and Prospects”. READ MORE