Foreign media on Kazakhstan:Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan strengthen ties for massive global infrastructure, energy projects; Trump team backs effort for US-Kazakh tungsten mine deal

Euronews: Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan strengthen ties for massive global infrastructure and energy projects

According to Euronews, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have strengthened their strategic partnership with 15 new agreements covering energy, transport, industry, and artificial intelligence, signed during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Astana. The visit marks the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on Strategic Partnership and signals a renewed economic drive between the two Turkic nations.

A central focus was the Middle Corridor – the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route connecting Europe and Asia through Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said freight traffic on the corridor grew by 62% last year to 4.5 million tons, with plans to double it to 10 million tons. He underscored efforts to remove “bottlenecks” and harmonize tariffs. Aliyev highlighted the Zangezur Corridor, linking Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan and Turkey, calling it “strategically important” and expected to boost logistics by 2028.

Both leaders pledged to double bilateral trade to $1 billion, expanding cooperation in agriculture, IT, and renewables. A joint investment framework between Kazakhstan’s Samruk-Kazyna fund and Azerbaijan’s SOCAR was signed, alongside energy deals and a Caspian subsea cable project to strengthen electricity trade and green exports. Kazakhstan will also increase oil shipments through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.

The summit also marked a turning point for the South Caucasus. Tokayev hailed Armenia–Azerbaijan peace efforts as a “historic milestone.” Aliyev noted that “a new stage is beginning,” announcing that Azerbaijan has lifted all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia — the first shipment being Kazakh grain — calling it “proof that peace is already a matter of practice.”

Bloomberg: Trump team backs effort for US-Kazakhstan tungsten mine deal

The Trump administration has entered talks to secure U.S. access to one of the world’s largest untapped tungsten deposits in Kazakhstan, a move aimed at reducing reliance on China for critical minerals, Bloomberg reports. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facilitating negotiations between Cove Kaz Capital Group LLC and Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna.

The talks align with the White House’s push to “wean the U.S. off China’s rare-earths and critical minerals,” a key issue in the ongoing trade dispute. Washington is considering financial support for the deal through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the Export-Import Bank, though “the administration is not seeking an equity stake,” a U.S. official said.

If finalized, the tungsten project would make Kazakhstan “one of the main participants of the world tungsten market.” The metal, used by the Pentagon for ammunition and armor, remains dominated by China, which produces about 80% of global supply.

The Times of Central Asia: Kazakhstan forecasts twofold increase in internet traffic consumption

According to The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan plans to double its internet traffic by the end of 2025, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev announced, citing record growth in demand.

“It is important to note the significant growth in internet traffic consumption this year: we expect it to be twice as high as last year,” he said.

In 2024, total traffic reached 2.14 million terabytes, with users averaging 22.4 GB per month — 40% above the global average. Over the past three years, $1.8 billion has been invested in digital infrastructure, raising average speeds to 94 Mbps and connecting 20 million mobile and 3.7 million fixed-line users.

“By the end of 2027, we plan to provide 100% internet coverage for the population, and internet speeds will exceed 100 megabits per second,” Madiyev noted.

The government aims to connect 3,000 more villages by 2027, expand Starlink coverage, and phase out 3G by 2025 as part of a broader digital modernization effort.

OnlineMarketplaces: OLX Kazakhstan to be sold to Veon Group's Beeline for $75M

Prosus has agreed to sell OLX Kazakhstan to telecoms giant Veon Group for $75 million, continuing its divestment from OLX assets, OnlineMarketplaces reports. Veon, listed on Nasdaq, operates Beeline, one of Kazakhstan’s largest mobile providers. The deal, expected to close in early 2026 pending regulatory approval, will expand Beeline’s digital ecosystem into online classifieds.

“Beeline Kazakhstan is a leader in digital innovation... and the acquisition of OLX KZ represents a significant opportunity to further enhance the digital operator’s offering,” said Kaan Terzioglu, CEO of Veon Group.

Beeline Kazakhstan CEO Evgeniy Nastradin added, “OLX KZ will make it possible for us to offer customers a more comprehensive and better-integrated set of digital services.”

OLX Group CEO Christian Gisy said the sale “aligns with our strategy to focus on core categories and key markets,” while placing OLX KZ “with an owner that brings deep local reach and a powerful digital ecosystem.”

Finance.yahoo.com: Kia opens second CKD plant in Kazakhstan

Kia Corporation has opened its second vehicle assembly plant in Kazakhstan, as the South Korean automaker steps up its expansion in the Central Asian region, Finance.yahoo.com reports. The company is reported to have sold 25,500 vehicles in the local market last year, with deliveries growing by 62% annually since 2020, according to industry data. Construction of the complete knock-down (CKD) assembly plant, in Kazakhstan’s north-eastern city of Kostanay, began at the end of 2023 with a total investment of US$ 310 million. The opening ceremony was attended by Kia’s President, Song Ho-sung, and Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Roman Sklyar.

The facility, which has an initial production capacity of 70,000 vehicles per year, began assembling the Kia Sorento SUV earlier this month, with the Sportage SUV scheduled to be added next year. Kia already has a smaller, 10,000 unit/year assembly facility in the country, producing the Sportage.

Other models will be assembled at its plants later on, in line with regional demand, with Kia also targeting neighbouring markets including Uzbekistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Song Ho-sung said in a statement: “The Kazakhstan CKD plant is part of Kia’s global vision to create sustainable value through customer-focused innovation and electrification.”

“Kia opens second CKD plant in Kazakhstan” was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.

Travel and Tour World: Cross-border tourism now soars between Xinjiang, China and Kazakhstan after visa-Free agreement

According to Travel and Tour World, cross-border tourism between Kazakhstan and China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has surged following the implementation of a bilateral tourism policy and visa-free travel agreement in November 2023. The easing of travel rules has made both regions “more accessible,” driving a sharp rise in border tourism through major ports such as Alashankou and Horgos.

Almaty has seen a 33.4% increase in Chinese arrivals, hosting over 54,000 tourists in the first half of 2025. Lake Alakol remains the top destination for visitors from Xinjiang’s Tacheng region, with tour operators like Shaanxi Gaoke International Travel Agency offering three-day trips to the site.

Kazakh agency Nur-Gany and Xinjiang’s Tacheng Travel Service have launched joint routes featuring eco-tourism and cultural programs. To accommodate rising demand, Xinjiang opened the Horgos Cross-border Tourism One-stop Service Center and expanded hospitality services in cities like Yining.

FlyArystan’s new Almaty–Yining route further boosts connectivity, underscoring what officials call a “new era of tourism cooperation” between Kazakhstan and China.

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