Foreign media on Kazakhstan: Why Donald Trump should visit Central Asia in 2026; Kazakhstan says Chevron promises Tengiz will be operated reliably and safely

The National Interest: Why Donald Trump should visit Central Asia in 2026

While Washington has paid more attention to Central Asia than previous administrations, the region’s place in U.S. priorities remains uncertain, The National Interest reports.

Central Asia’s energy and critical mineral wealth makes it strategically important to China, Europe, Russia, and the United States. Recent U.S. engagement has intensified, including the first leaders’ level C5+1 summit in Washington in late 2025. A visit by President Donald Trump to the region, particularly to Kazakhstan, would be a logical next step.

No sitting U.S. president has ever visited Central Asia, despite growing high level contacts. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2023, while Presidents Joe Biden and Trump both met Central Asian leaders through the C5+1 format. New mechanisms such as the Critical Minerals Dialogue and Business 5+1 underscore this momentum.

Kazakhstan stands out as Washington’s key regional partner. It has the largest trade volume with the United States, an active investment agenda, and a pivotal role in Eurasian connectivity. As analyst Bruce Pannier noted, “the Middle Corridor is the driver of regional cooperation nowadays,” with Astana at its core.

Kazakhstan’s multi-vector foreign policy remains intact, balancing strong ties with Moscow and Beijing while seeking broader partnerships. In a recalibrated U.S. strategy favoring targeted engagement, Astana offers Washington a predictable and strategically valuable partner. A presidential visit would be symbolic, historic, and substantive, signaling a new phase in U.S. Central Asia relations.

Euronews: Israel and Kazakhstan sign visa-free agreement in tourism boost

Israel and Kazakhstan have agreed to waive tourist visa requirements for holders of national passports, marking a new step in expanding bilateral ties, Euronews reports. The memorandum was signed in Astana by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Kazakh counterpart Yermek Kosherbayev, with the aim of boosting people to people contacts and tourism.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Sa’ar said his visit reflected a desire to “further strengthen these relations in order to realise their full potential.” He welcomed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s decision to join the Abraham Accords, noting that Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to do so. “I commend this bold and moral move,” he said.

Kosherbayev reaffirmed Astana’s support for stability in the Middle East, stressing that Kazakhstan backs dialogue, international law, and a two-state solution.

“Kazakhstan is always ready to exert diplomatic and political efforts to establish peace,” he said, pointing to the country’s role as a founding member of the Board of Peace.

Sa’ar reiterated Israel’s stance on Gaza, saying, “Hamas must be disarmed and Gaza must be demilitarised.” Officials also announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Kazakhstan later this year.

The visit, the first by an Israeli foreign minister in 16 years, focused on trade, innovation, and food and water security, and coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Reuters: Kazakhstan says Chevron promises Tengiz will be operated reliably and safely

Kazakhstan said Chevron has assured the government it will take measures to ensure the safe and reliable operation of facilities at the Tengiz oilfield, following a series of incidents that disrupted production, Reuters reports.

The statement followed a meeting between First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar and Derek Magness, managing director of Chevron’s Eurasia Business Unit. Sklyar expressed concern over the incidents at Tengiz, where three unexplained electrical fires earlier this month forced a temporary halt in output.

“Chevron management provided information on the measures taken to eliminate the consequences of the incidents and gradually increase oil production,” the government said, adding that the company “assured that it would take specific actions to prevent similar situations in the future and ensure the reliable and safe operation of facilities.”

Kazakhstan said this week it is restarting the giant Tengiz field in stages and expects to reach full production within a week. The outage cost the country an estimated 7.2 million barrels of oil and added pressure to a sector that accounts for around 2% of global daily supply, already affected by disruptions along the Caspian Pipeline Consortium route.

Tengiz is operated by Tengizchevroil, a joint venture led by Chevron with Exxon Mobil, KazMunayGas and Lukoil. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov also urged Exxon Mobil to accelerate work to resolve the outage and prevent similar incidents.

Etih: Kazakhstan links MedTech strategy to higher education in AstraZeneca agreement

According to Etih, Kazakhstan’s Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek has said MedTech, data, and artificial intelligence are becoming central to national competitiveness, following a new agreement with AstraZeneca focused on research and talent development.

In a LinkedIn post, Nurbek argued that MedTech is moving beyond innovation rhetoric toward structural economic importance.

“I increasingly find myself thinking that in the coming years MedTech will become one of the key growth drivers of the global economy,” he wrote.

His comments followed the signing of a memorandum with AstraZeneca aimed at building a long-term framework for science and higher education. Nurbek cited a visit with Kazakh university rectors to the company’s Discovery Centre in Cambridge, calling it a clear example of how research moves from laboratories to real world application.

“Together with the rectors of leading universities, we visited the company’s Discovery Centre,” he said.

He noted that cooperation will now focus on applied research, real world clinical data, early diagnosis, and healthcare resilience.

“This new phase of cooperation is focused on practical transformation,” Nurbek added, stressing the need for Kazakh universities to integrate into global research ecosystems.

The Times of Central Asia: Kazakhstan to increase grain processing nearly tenfold by 2028

Kazakhstan plans to increase its deep grain processing capacity nearly tenfold by 2028 as part of a shift from raw material exports toward high value-added agricultural production, The Times of Central Asia reports. The strategy includes five major wheat and corn processing projects with a combined annual capacity of 4.8 million tons of grain, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The projects will be located in northern, southern, and central regions and are expected to become a core element of the country’s agro-industrial transformation. The priorities were outlined at the fourth meeting of the National Kurultai in March 2024, where President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed the need for diversification and stronger economic resilience.

Kazakhstan currently processes just over 510,000 tons of grain annually in the deep processing segment, with three specialized enterprises producing starch, gluten, molasses, and bioethanol. The new projects are expected to attract $2.6 billion in investment and create around 3,300 jobs.

Planned facilities include a wheat processing plant in Kostanay region, corn processing enterprises in Turkestan and Zhambyl regions, and new production sites in Astana and Akmola region. A large share of output will be exported to the United States, Europe, China, India, the Middle East, and Africa.

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