Foreign media on Kazakhstan: Vučić in Astana: Trade, defense, and technology drive Kazakhstan–Serbia talks; Kazakhstan looks west after pipeline hit, avoiding China dependency

The Times of Central Asia: Vučić in Astana: Trade, defense, and technology drive Kazakhstan–Serbia talks

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić arrived in Astana on February 26 for a two-day official visit, where he was received at the airport by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Astana Mayor Zhenis Kassymbek, The Times of Central Asia reports. He is scheduled to hold talks with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on February 26 and 27.

The agenda covers political dialogue, trade, digital transformation, healthcare, science, culture, and judicial cooperation. The two leaders are expected to adopt a joint statement and oversee the signing of ten memorandums. Kazakhstan also plans to award Vučić the Order of the Golden Eagle, the country’s highest state honor.

Economic cooperation is central to the visit. According to Kazakhstan’s government, bilateral trade grew by 7.6% in 2025. At the first meeting of the Kazakhstan–Serbia Business Council and Business Forum in Astana, Minister without Portfolio Nenad Popović said trade turnover reached about $117 million in 2025, an increase of roughly 7%.

“The free-trade agreement between our countries ensures a strong institutional basis. It is now important to further strengthen this foundation with concrete projects and targeted mechanisms to support entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan and Serbia, as well as their business communities,” he stated.

Business meetings also produced agreements in defense, including cooperation on the repair and modernization of 122mm and 152mm self-propelled artillery systems and a framework deal on technology transfer and high energy materials production. Additional memorandums were signed in digital innovation and biotechnology.

Diplomatic relations were established in December 1996. Following Tokayev’s visit to Serbia in late 2024, the Astana talks signal a practical expansion of ties between Central Asia and the Balkans.

Trend News Agency: Aleksandar Vucic invites President Tokayev to visit Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has invited President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to pay an official visit to Serbia, Trend News Agency reports.

The invitation was extended during narrow format talks in Astana, where Vučić described the relationship between the two countries as truly strategic.

“I am confident that our friendship will reach a new level through stronger cooperation in artificial intelligence, information technology, and energy. I would be pleased to welcome you to Serbia in the near future,” he said.

Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan regards Serbia as a very important strategic partner in Europe and highlighted progress across several areas of cooperation.

“We have done much to strengthen our cooperation in many areas, primarily in the economy, as well as in the humanitarian and cultural spheres. A direct flight between Astana and Belgrade has been launched, and our trade relations are developing very successfully. More than 60 Serbian companies operate productively in Kazakhstan. We share common approaches to key international issues,” Tokayev said.

He added that a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation has been created and expressed confidence that Vučić’s visit would give additional momentum to friendly ties.

Tokayev paid his first official visit to Belgrade on November 18 and 19, 2024. Serbian presidents have visited Kazakhstan four times, three of them on official state visits.

Politico: UK strikes critical minerals deal with Kazakhstan

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to announce a critical minerals agreement with Kazakhstan as London seeks to diversify supply chains away from China, Politico reports. The deal will be unveiled at Lancaster House during a meeting with foreign ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Alongside Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, Cooper will present the minerals pact, as well as agreements on carbon capture and higher education across the region.

“Central Asia is an important region with huge potential to boost economic growth,” Cooper said in a statement. “These agreements deliver for British businesses, strengthen economic security and are a clear demonstration of UK support for the independence of the Central Asian states.”

The memorandum, signed by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Industry Minister Olzhas Saparbekov and UK Trade Minister Chris Bryant, aims to support British investment in Kazakhstan’s critical minerals sector.

“Global demand for critical raw materials is rising rapidly, driven by clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing and defense industries,” Kosherbayev wrote in a recent op-ed. He noted that Kazakhstan produces 22 of the 36 minerals listed in the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy, including uranium, titanium, silicon and rhenium.

Kazakhstan supplies more than 40% of global uranium and is a leading titanium producer. Britain’s strategy seeks to ensure that by 2035 no more than 60% of any single critical mineral is sourced from one country.

Live Science: Kazakhstan plants tens of thousands of trees in giant effort to reintroduce tigers

Kazakhstan planted 37,000 seedlings and cuttings in South Balkhash last year as part of an ambitious effort to restore habitat for tigers that vanished from the country more than 70 years ago, Live Science reports. The last Caspian tigers disappeared in the late 1940s after decades of hunting and habitat loss.

The reintroduction program, led by the Kazakh government with support from WWF and the United Nations Development Programme, has now planted 87,000 trees in the region since 2021. The new vegetation along Lake Balkhash is designed to shelter prey species such as boar and Bukhara deer, laying the ecological groundwork for the return of the world’s largest cats.

“Already, wild ungulates have been seen foraging on the restored sites, indicating that the ecosystem is beginning to function,” a WWF Central Asia spokesperson told Live Science. “Each planted seedling is therefore a direct contribution to the future of the tiger in Kazakhstan.”

Two captive Amur tigers, Bodhana and Kuma, arrived from the Netherlands in 2024 and are housed in the Ile Balkhash Nature Reserve as part of a breeding program. The first wild tigers from Russia are expected in the first half of 2026. According to WWF Central Asia, “based on publicly available information and recent media reports, it is understood that the Amur tigers expected in the first half of 2026 are from the wild.”

To mitigate risks, authorities have created a monitoring team. “The group's main tasks include regular patrols, monitoring tiger movements via satellite collars, early detection of potential approaches to settlements, and rapid response measures,” the spokesperson said, describing the effort as part of a strategy for long term coexistence between people and predators.

Boxing Scene: Janibek Alimkhanuly issued six-month suspension by Kazakhstan commission

Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly has received a six-month suspension from the Kazakhstan Professional Boxing Federation following a positive test for Meldonium, Boxing Scene reports.

The ban is retroactive to December 2, when the unbeaten IBF and WBO middleweight titlist was provisionally suspended after a VADA test forced him out of a planned unification bout with Erislandy Lara.

According to the KPBF’s final report, Alimkhanuly, 17-0 with 12 knockouts, ingested the substance during an emergency medical visit on May 7 in Almaty after suffering acute symptoms, including “acute severe headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, transient bilateral visual disturbance, limb numbness [and] chest pressure.” He was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack and prescribed medication that included Ripronat, a legal drug in Kazakhstan that contains Meldonium.

“The medical intervention, including the administration of Ripronat (Meldonium), was medically necessary, urgent, and professionally justified,” the KPBF stated, adding that the documentation was legitimate and verifiable. Alimkhanuly said the brand name “did not lead him to associate the product with the prohibited substance Meldonium.”

The commission ruled he was “found negligent to a minimal degree and is… [suspended] from professional boxing for six (6) months.” He cannot fight before June 2 and must undergo random testing at his own expense.

The WBO has approved an interim title bout between Denzel Bentley and Endry Saveedra, with Alimkhanuly required to face the winner upon his return. The IBF is still reviewing the case.

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