Week in Brief: 10 key developments shaping Kazakhstan this week

1. Tokayev: Kazakh-Armenian relations elevated to strategic partnership

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived at Akorda Palace. The President Tokayev emphasized that Armenia is a crucial and reliable partner for Kazakhstan, with bilateral ties grounded in strong friendship and mutual respect.

2. Tokayev says Kazakhstan regards Estonia as key strategic partner during talks with Estonian president

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed visiting Estonian President Alar Karis at the Presidential Palace Akorda. The Kazakh leader expressed his appreciation for the progressive development of relations between the two nations. “We have no major problems or hurdles,” said the President, noting both nations’ huge cooperation potential that is yet to be realized.

3. Astana–Yerevan: Kazakh wheat on the “Trump route”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Kazakhstan for an official visit on November 20-21. More on the new stage in Kazakh-Armenian relations is provided in an analytical piece by a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.

4. Estonia sees Kazakhstan as a key partner bridging Europe and Asia - President Alar Karis

In the exclusive interview with a Qazinform, the Estonian leader shares his vision for expanding cooperation, strengthening connectivity between the two regions, and exploring new opportunities in technology, logistics, and people-to-people partnerships.

5. Kazakh President signs law on AI

The press service of the presidential residence Akorda said the law on AI lays down guiding principles for the functioning of AI systems. The law identifies artificial intelligence systems as an element of informatization, as well as a tool used by humans to accomplish specific tasks.

6. Central Asia moves closer to new economic era amid potential repeal of Jackson–Vanik amendment

Washington is advancing legislation to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment and grant the region permanent normal trade relations, which would ease trade, investment and technology flows.

7. Astana IT University becomes first Kazakhstani university to join global MIT network

Under the program, an AITU faculty will undergo intensive MIT training, with the first group traveling to MIT in January 2026; AITU students will participate in StartMIT on an annual basis; as well as AITU will gain full access to MIT Orbit and Jetpack AI for building startup hypotheses, value propositions, and business models.

8. Kazakhstan joins the World’s TOP-500 most powerful supercomputers

According to the published data, the NIT JSC supercomputer has entered the TOP-100 and ranked 86th with a performance of 20.48 PFlop/s (Rmax). The system is listed in the ranking under the name Alem.Cloud (NITEC).

9. Kazakhstan makes history with first men’s team judo title at Deaflympics 2025

According to the National Deaflympic Committee, Kazakhstan registered a decisive win over France in the men's team judo final. Kazakhstan men’s team got off to a confident start after a 2-0 victory over hosts Japan in the quarterfinal. The team continued their relentless winning streak after beating Iranian opponents 2-0 in the semifinal.

10.Kazakhstan claims four medals at World Boxing Cup Finals in India

Kazakhstan won four bronze medals at the World Boxing Cup Finals in New Delhi, with two athletes placing in the women's division and two in the men's. The boxers were defeated by opponents from Uzbekistan, Poland, the UK and India.

You can read last week’s 10 key developments shaping Kazakhstan here.