The Astana Times

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Move to Revive Caspian Passenger Ferry Service ALMATY – Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are working to resume passenger ferry services across the Caspian Sea, reopening a route that connected the two countries until 2020 and could provide an additional boost to tourism and regional connectivity. Photo credit: exclusive.kz Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119574

BlackRock at AFD 2026: AI Investors Should Stay Calm and Focus on Constraints ASTANA – As artificial intelligence drives a new investment boom, the best strategy may be to resist the excitement and focus instead on the bottlenecks that could constrain its growth, according to Ben Powell, managing director and chief investment strategist for Asia-Pacific at the BlackRock Investment Institute. Speaking on Sept. 9 during a fireside… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119592

CPC Oil Flows Surge Despite Disruptions as Kazakhstan’s Export Routes Gain Importance, Expert Says ALMATY – Kazakhstan increased oil transportation through KazTransOil’s main pipeline network by 4% in the first eight months of 2026, while volumes transported into the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system rose 39%, highlighting both stronger oil flows and the continued strategic importance of export infrastructure to the country’s resource economy. Photo credit: KazTransOil. KazTransOil… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119585

History for Kazakhstan 🎾🇰🇿 Elena Rybakina rises to world No. 1 after rallying past Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the US Open semifinals.

Kazakhstan’s First Government Meeting Puts Skilled Workers in Focus ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first government meeting in its updated composition after the Kurultai elections focused on a topic that could determine the success of its economic transformation: whether the country will have enough skilled workers to support planned growth. Photo credit: inkaraganda.kz At the Sept. 8 meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov called for an… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119578

Masdar’s 1 GW Wind Plant Highlights Kazakhstan’s Race to Build More Flexible Power System ALMATY – Kazakhstan is moving ahead with a $1.4 billion renewable energy project with Masdar, a leading renewable energy company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the country seeks to expand wind generation while addressing electricity shortages and building a more flexible power system. The development was discussed Sept. 8 during a… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119570

Digital Customs Could Boost Kazakhstan’s Transit Potential, But Infrastructure Remains Key, Experts Say ALMATY – Kazakhstan is stepping up its partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO) as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s position as a key Eurasian transit hub. But while digital customs reforms could significantly reduce trade costs and border delays, experts say their long-term economic payoff will ultimately depend on… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119559

Golden Horde History Challenges Europe-Centered View of Medieval Eurasia, French Historian Says ALMATY – For centuries, the history of the Golden Horde has often been told from the perspective of the societies it encountered. French historian Marie Favereau is trying to turn that perspective around. Her book, now available in Kazakh, examines the Ulus of Jochi not as a peripheral chapter in European or Mongol history,… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119543

Can Kazakhstan Take its Capital Markets to Next Level? The sense of progress and economic momentum in Kazakhstan is tangible and impossible to ignore. Having spent this week at the Astana Finance Days conference, I understand why. The government’s clear growth agenda, combined with bold steps to reform the nation’s capital market, is having a real, positive impact. In my conversations with policymakers,… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119547

The Semipalatinsk Treaty at 20: Enduring Logic of Nuclear-Free Central Asia Twenty years ago today, representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in Semipalatinsk, now Semey, to sign a treaty that would make Central Asia the first nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Northern Hemisphere. It was also the first such zone established in a region where nuclear weapons had actually been tested and deployed.… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119538

Almaty and Astana Maintain Economic Lead as Central Asia’s Cities Race to Catch Up ALMATY – Almaty and Astana are likely to retain their position as Central Asia’s leading economic centers, even as Tashkent and Bishkek record rapid growth and invest heavily in their future expansion. Kazakhstan’s two largest cities benefit from an economic scale, financial infrastructure and established business ecosystems that have been built up over decades,… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119531

EBRD Supports Alatau Zharyk’s Grid Modernization Program ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a long-term loan of up to 102 billion tenge (US$224.2 million) to Alatau Zharyk Company (AZhC) to modernize its electricity distribution infrastructure and expand digitalization. Photo credit: EBRD The financing will help AZhC, a regional electricity distribution company supplying around 4 million… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119508

Experts: Kazakhstan’s AI Balancing Could Challenge Old Logic of Geopolitical Rivalry ASTANA – For decades, Kazakhstan has built its foreign policy around a principle central to its place in the world: maintaining productive relations with competing powers without becoming dependent on any one of them. This has allowed Astana to work with Russia, China, the United States (US), the European Union and others, even as… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119513

Kazakhstan Expands Air Links to Southeast Asia with New Singapore Route ASTANA – Kazakhstan is continuing to broaden its aviation network across Asia, with SCAT Airlines set to launch flights from Shymkent to Singapore via China’s Sanya on Oct. 20. The new service comes amid a wider expansion of routes by Kazakh carriers to China and other Asian destinations. Photo credit: Shutterstock. Via Sanya… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119520

Expert: Kazakhstan Residents See Infrastructure Gains, Demand Further Development ASTANA – Kazakhstan residents are largely positive about improvements in their towns and villages, but their expectations are shifting toward further development of everyday infrastructure and services, according to a nationwide survey presented on Sept. 7. Photo credit: The Astana Times National Analytical Center expert Roza Tleukhan said the findings show that people continue… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119505

EDB: Kazakhstan Maintains Growth, Strengthens Position Amid Tighter Global Financing Conditions ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s resilient economic growth, moderate public debt and strong external buffers are strengthening its ability to access global capital markets despite tighter borrowing conditions worldwide, according to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) September Macroeconomic Outlook. Photo credit: Shutterstock The EDB experts said the economy continued to expand this year, with GDP growing… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119502

Kazakhstan Takes Lead as Central Asia Expands Space Cooperation ASTANA — Kazakhstan is positioning itself as a Central Asian space hub as the nation expands its satellite and spacecraft capabilities and deepens regional cooperation, including discussions on a proposed Central Asia Space Agency. Space Days Kazakhstan 2026 brings together government representatives, space agencies, scientists, technology companies and investors. Photo credit: Ministry of Artificial… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119493

Caspian Sea’s Decline Raises Water Security Concerns As Kazakhstan Strengthens Management ALMATY – The rapid decline of the Caspian Sea is emerging as one of Kazakhstan’s most complex water and environmental challenges, with falling water levels threatening ecosystems, fisheries, coastal infrastructure and communities. As the country strengthens its broader water management system, the changing Caspian is adding urgency to efforts to improve how Kazakhstan monitors… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119484

Experts Say Kazakhstan’s Youth Advantage Won’t Last Without Action ALMATY – Kazakhstan has one of the relatively young population structures globally, with people under 18 accounting for 34.2% of the population in 2025 and placing the country 80th among 163 countries and territories. Experts say the large share of children gives Kazakhstan a potential demographic dividend, but realizing that opportunity will depend on… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119453

Joint Statement by Ministers of Foreign Affairs of States Parties on Occasion of 20th Anniversary of Signing of CANWFZ Treaty We, the Foreign Ministers of the States Parties to the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (hereinafter referred to as the “CANWFZ Treaty”), on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the CANWFZ Treaty in Semipalatinsk Participation in the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty as of November 2008. Photo… Read full post here https://astanatimes.com/?p=119456