East-Caspian Express: the Stop “Verticals”
During the visit of the President of Turkmenistan Berdymukhamedov in Kazakhstan (May 10th -11th) an opening of Kazakhstani-Turkmen part of the railway Uzen – Bereket – Gorgan took place. The accomplishment of the railway project of three-party character in recent years has been contradicting. The first terms of the railway commissioning in a finalized Kazakhstani-Turkmen-Iranian way was planned for the end of 2011. Then they were postponed till December last year. But the parties didn’t manage to fit the reconsidered time frames of the railway commissioning. READ MORE
Chinese premier seeks 'mutual trust' on trade and border dispute in first India visit
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has vowed to increase "mutual trust" with India in his first trip abroad since assuming office. Talks with Indian leaders are expected to focus on trade and recent border tensions. READ MORE
The Process Stared
In Europe proceed trials on the case of the escaped Kazakhstani banker Mukhtar Ablyazov. Now Irish authorities have joined the process of clearing the international fraud scheme. READ MORE
Croatia trying to learn from Kazakhstan to reach the goals and plans participation in EXPO-2017
Croatia is trying to learn from the experience of Kazakhstan to implement the "Strategy - 2050", is waiting for Kazakhstan investments and developing plans to participate in the EXPO-2017, and the business world is waiting for proposals of Kazakh business and is ready to share high technology and experience of the tourism industry. READ MORE
Nabucco Countries’ Governments Appeal to EU for Support of the Project
The governments of transit countries in the Nabucco-West project—Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria—have appealed to the European Union’s top executive authorities to support the selection of this pipeline route by the Shah Deniz gas producers in Azerbaijan. READ MORE
The second step towards a global dialogue
Financial regulatory reforms proposed by G20 are not sufficient to restore the stability of the global financial system. This was repeatedly stated by international experts. The world is in search of a new interactive platform that would combine the best minds to develop scenarios for the world economy development. In recent years, developing countries have intensified in this matter. READ MORE
NATO in search of allies for deployment of military contingents in Central Asia
Not much time is left until 2014, when the withdrawal of NATO anti-terrorism coalition troops from Afghanistan is expected to take place; however, it still remains unknown what type of military contingent will remain in Afghanistan and Central Asia thereafter and which countries of the region will be selected by the West for this purpose. READ MORE
US and South Korea confirm united front against North Korea
US President Obama and his South Korean colleague Park have in Washington expressed their concern over the North's repeated provocations. Both reiterated their commitment to keeping up a strong military deterrent. READ MORE
Five Scenarios for the Future Borders of Central Asia
Central Asia is presently a vital area for world politics. The 9/11 acts of terror in New York and Washington showed that the collapse of states in this region as they lose control over their national borders may have serious repercussions for other parts of the world. In addition, the involvement of major world powers (China, Russia, the US, India, Pakistan) in regional affairs suggests that the borders of Central Asian countries may be changed to meet the interests of these outside players. How might national borders in the region change in one hundred years? READ MORE
China and North Korea: A Tangled Partnership
China appears to be growing frustrated with North Korea's behavior, perhaps to the point of changing its long-standing support for Pyongyang. As North Korea's largest economic sponsor, Beijing has provided the North Korean regime with crucial aid for years and offered it diplomatic protection against the United States and other powers. To outsiders, China's alliance with North Korea seems like a Cold War relic with little reason for persisting into the 21st century. However, Beijing's continued support for Pyongyang is not rooted in shared ideology or past cooperation nearly as much as in China's own security calculations. READ MORE
