The Ovoot-Erdenet railroad line is currently under construction in Mongolia. This railroad line is one of the key sections of the so-called “Northern Railway Corridor” – a rail highway to connect Western Siberia with the PRC, the possibility of which is envisaged in the 2016 Russia-Mongolia-China Economic Corridor Project List. The length of the Ovoot-Erdenet line is 542 kilometers and the tracks run through areas with very difficult terrain and minimal power and road transport infrastructure…

On April 5, 2024, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Uzbekistan at the invitation of the head of that republic, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It is reported that the leaders of the two states held a substantive discussion of topics related to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, which can be considered a direct continuation of the talks between the President of Uzbekistan and the new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Oljas Bektenov, held on March 15, 2024…

On April 15, 2024, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid an official visit to Armenia. These two states are partners in a number of international organizations – the CSTO (despite turbulence related to the attitude of the Armenian leadership to this organization), the EAEU, the CIS, and the OSCE. Bilateral trade is developing dynamically: trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Armenia increased by 23% from $43.1 million to $53.1 million at the end of 2023 compared to the beginning of the year…

On March 26, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held negotiations with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington. The two chief diplomats discussed a wide range of processes in bilateral relations and exchanged views on the partnership between both countries in a number of sectors and areas. Washington’s special attention to Kazakhstan is no longer a novelty – Kazakhstan is the only country in Central Asia…

Last year saw a number of significant developments in China-Kazakhstan relations, including two official visits to China by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, multi-billion dollar contracts, the promotion of transport and infrastructure initiatives, and an unprecedented 30 per cent growth in bilateral trade. Kazakhstan accounts for half of China’s trade and investment in the region, with trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China reaching an impressive $31 billion. By 2023, the volume of cargo between the two countries will have increased by 22 per cent to nearly 30 million tonnes…

Tajikistan is the only post-Soviet Central Asian republic that does not belong to the Turkic world. Tajikistan’s neighbors are Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The population of the republic is more than 10 million people (mainly Tajiks belonging to the Iranian peoples). At the same time, Tajiks are the second most numerous ethnicity in neighboring Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. “The mountains of Tajikistan are home to the entire Mendeleev table.”…

In mid-2023, as part of its preparation of the country’s 2024 budget, Mongolia’s Ministry of Finance prepared a number of documents containing assessments of national economic development prospects for the next three years.  These documents, which are available on Mongolia’s impressively comprehensive official database, allow observers to assess the Mongolian government’s views on their country’s development potential…

On March 21, 2024, in a formal event held at Astana Square in Almaty, the President of Kazakhstan, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, congratulated all Kazakhstanis on the holiday of Nauryz. In his speech in the square, the President announced four strategically important national development projects, the promotion of which he designated as a key socio-economic priority for the republic in 2024. These are the reconstruction and modernization of the country’s transport infrastructure and heat and power network…

On 11-12 March, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid a state visit to Azerbaijan, during which he met with the head of the Caspian state – I. Aliyev.  Another important bilateral event that took place during these two days was the first meeting of the Kazakh-Azerbaijani Supreme Interstate Council.

On February 7-8, 2024, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier paid a visit to Ulaanbaatar. In the course of the visit, the senior German politician held talks with Mongolia’s President, Prime Minister, and the Speaker of the State Great Khural, Mongolia’s Parliament. He was met at the airport by Mongolia’s Foreign Minister…

On March 15, 2024, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan met in Baku. The main outcome of the trilateral negotiations was the signing of the so-called “Baku Declaration,” in which the parties defined the main directions of cooperation development. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the XI Global Baku Forum…

According to the Statistical Service of Kazakhstan, the total volume of goods transported by rail between Kazakhstan and China reached 23 million tons as early as 2022 and grew by a record 22 percent last year. In view of this high volume of freight traffic and the clear upward trend, the Kazakh authorities are having to invest heavily in the development of new railroads in order to serve the growing freight volumes and enable the rapid and efficient delivery of goods through the country…