Foreign media on Kazakhstan: new railway to China, Rozhkovskoye gas field, investments in airports

Interfax: Kazakhstan holds talks with foreign investors for airport trust management

Interfax reported on December 19 citing Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev that negotiations are underway with major global investors for the transfer of Aktobe, Turkestan, and Kyzylorda airports in Kazakhstan into trust management.

The agency quotes the minister, who said as part of Kazakhstan’s efforts to establish multimodal centers at the country's airports, they are “actively involving private investors possessing the necessary expertise and capital.”

“Ongoing discussions aim to entrust the management of Aktobe, Turkestan, and Kyzylorda airports to experienced global investors," said the minister, as quoted by Interfax.

He mentioned that there is a gradual execution of projects for renovating runways, enhancing refueling facilities, and enlarging passenger and cargo terminals at Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent airports. This initiative aims to draw in private investors.

Trend: KazMunayGas, Sinopec and MOL develop gas field in Kazakhstan

Baku-based Trend news agency reported on December 22 that Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas (KMG), in partnership with the Chinese Sinopec and the Hungarian MOL, launched the large Rozhkovskoye gas condensate field in the West Kazakhstan region into commercial operation.

The field was discovered in 2008, and by 2040, it is planned to produce 14.2 billion cubic meters of raw gas and 7.1 million tons of condensate. The right to subsoil use belongs to a joint venture, which includes KMG (50 percent), MOL Group (27.5 percent) and Sinopec (22.5 percent). Investments in the project already amount to approximately $534 million.

WAM: Kazakhstan starts building new railroad to China

Emirates news agency WAM published an article on December 21 about the start of the construction of a new 272 kilometer-long railway line on the route Bakhty-Ayagoz, a railway line leading to the future third railway checkpoint on the Chinese border.

“The project is called to raise the country’s transit and transport potential. The third checkpoint on the border with China, Bakhty-Chuguchak, will open as part of the constriction. The Bakhty-Ayagoz railway line will help increase transit capacity between Kazakhstan and China from 28 to 48 million tons, unload the southern checkpoints, and attract additional transit volumes. The double-track railway will be commissioned in 2027,” reads the article.

Eurasianet: Kazakhstan: China explores developing infrastructure at Caspian ports

Eurasianet, a news organization based at Columbia University's Harriman Institute in the United States, reported on December 18, citing the Ministry of Transport in Kazakhstan, that Shipbuilding Industry, a Chinese company, is currently investigating the potential construction of container facilities in the Kazakh port cities of Aktau and Kuryk.

China Railways Group has also shown interest in initiatives aimed at modernizing current routes and constructing new railway lines.

“In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, representatives of Kyrgyz Railways (KTZ) say freight rail traffic in the country experienced a 15 percent increase during the first 10 months of 2023, compared with the same period the previous year. Cargo traversing Kyrgyz rails during the January-October period amounted to 7.45 million tons, according to KTZ,” reads the article.

The Jamestown Foundation: Kazakhstan and Turkey Make Steady Progress in Expanding Military Cooperation

The Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative defense policy think tank, published an article on December 20 about the cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkiye in the military sector.

“Turkiye and Kazakhstan have enjoyed over 30 years of military and security cooperation. Turkiye was the first state to recognize Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991 and swept into Central Asia with grand plans for multilateral cooperation. The first bilateral intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation was signed in 1993. It included sending Kazakhstani army officers to Turkiye for training,” reads the article.

The author continues to write that a significant development in the collaboration between Turkiye and Kazakhstan in the defense sector occurred in 2011, marked by the signing of an agreement to establish a joint venture for the production of military-industrial goods. This milestone was followed by the unveiling of the Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering plant in 2013, a collaboration between Turkish state enterprise Aselsan and Kazakhstan Engineering.

AzerNews: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan reach agreement on export of green electricity

AzerNews published an article on December 21, reporting that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have finalized an agreement for the export of green electricity to Europe through Azerbaijan. The article cites Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov.

“The Azerbaijani Minister informed about the establishment of an extended working group of the two countries on the energy corridor through Nakhchivan to Türkiye. Shahbazov reminded that Azerbaijan plans to export up to 5,000 MW of green energy in the future through various directions, including 1,000 MW through Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic,” reads the article.