Central Asia Archives

With Kazakhstan set to hold a referendum on whether to build its first nuclear power plant, the uranium-rich country is emerging as an attractive player in the field of nuclear energy and strategic minerals at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, attracting increasing international attention.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday (1 November) on the first leg of a trip to Central Asia, a region long regarded as Russia's backyard which has drawn fresh Western attention since the war in Ukraine began.

As the largest Central Asian nation, situated on the fringes of the Russian and Chinese worlds but resolutely oriented towards the EU, Kazakhstan is performing a strategic balancing act to maintain its stability and position in the heart of Eurasia.

At least 32 people have died and 14 remain missing after a mine fire in Kazakhstan, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said on Saturday (28 October).

Speaking on the sidelines of a World Health Organisation conference in Astana, a European Commission official praised Kazakhstan's "impressive" efforts to improve its healthcare but recognised that similar long-term efforts can be challenging for many developing countries that struggle with funding.

At a time of heightened global uncertainties and shifting geopolitical dynamics, Kazakhstan seeks to maintain and promote stability in a world of turbulence and rapid change. Celebrating the 32nd anniversary of Republic Day, when it proclaimed its sovereignty and independence from …

Kazakhstan was quick to respond to the series of devastating quakes in Herat province of Afghanistan, guided by compassion, a timeless principle that should guide our actions in times of crisis, writes Alibek Bakayev.

Kazakhstan's support is vital for enforcing sanctions against Russia and ending the war, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said as he met Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Berlin on Wednesday, as EU countries seek to win over Central Asia as a key …

Central Asian economies from Mongolia to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will see strong growth this year and next thanks to rising trade and remittance flows from Russia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said on Wednesday (27 September).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will host the leaders of five Central Asian nations next week, Berlin said on Friday (22 September), in a bid to boost ties as Russia's influence in the region wanes.

An official from the EU’s diplomatic service warned on Wednesday (20 September) that Central Asian countries would face “negative effects” if they ratify the accession of North Cyprus as an observer to the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS).

Kazakhstan will hold a referendum to decide whether to build its first nuclear power plant, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday (1 September), adding that the date would be decided later.

Advertisements offering an immediate payment of over $5,000 for joining the Russian army have began popping up on the screens of Kazakh internet users amid the escalating Ukrainian conflict.

Work on pressuring Russia to stop its war on Ukraine must continue, even at a national level when the EU cannot, Jan Marian deputy foreign minister of the Czech Republic, told EURACTIV in an interview on Monday (3 June).

After decades of conflict, three years of consecutive drought, and the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with over a third of its population acutely food insecure.

Kazakhstan is “completely dependent” on Russia when it comes to balancing energy needs and the best solution is to create a transnational electricity grid in Central Asia, similar to the one in Europe, a Kazakh expert told a Brussels audience on Tuesday (4 July).

Authorities in Kazakhstan have detained a Russian cybersecurity expert wanted by the United States, his employer said on Wednesday (28 June), as authorities in Moscow issued a court order in an attempt to pre-empt his extradition.

A 50-billion euro plant to produce green hydrogen is among the many investments announced on the occasion of the visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Kazakhstan on 19-21 June.

With a natural agricultural potential, sound investment climate and unprecedented state measures, Kazakhstan can become a reliable partner of the European Union in enhancing regional and global food security, writes Yerbol Karashukeyev.

Following a series of high-level visits, Kazakhstan hopes for a fully-fledged Central Asian summit with the leaders of the European Council and the European Commission, a Kazakh diplomat said on 14 June at a conference organised by EURACTIV in Brussels.

The process of Kazakhstan taking distance from Russia is accompanied by big efforts by China for further rapprochement with the Central Asian country, which should signal to the EU and the US that they should bring the country westward, writes Harun Karčić.

At a time of unprecedented geopolitical tensions, Kazakhstan offered a platform to renew and rebuild a common culture of multilateralism, a global system that works for everyone, and prosperity for the many, rather than for the few.

EURACTIV spoke to former diplomats who gave a positive assessment of Kazakhstan’s cooperation potential with the EU and advised the Union against being overtaken by China, a much more assertive geopolitical player.

Speaking to EURACTIV in Astana, former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso talked about Russia, EU sanctions and their impact on Kazakhstan, but also about some important decisions he took when he was in charge of the EU, a time he described as the “geopolitical adolescence” of Europe.