Farkhad Sharip

Farkhad Sharip is an independent journalist who lives in Alma-Aty, Kazakhstan.

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    Articles by Farkhad Sharip

    Kazakhstan’s CSTO Membership Looks Gloomy

    The Kremlin-orchestrated Tsentr-2011 military exercises of the Collective Security Organization Treaty (CSTO), hosted simultaneously by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan and lasting almost one week, served for Astana not only

    Russia Pressures Kazakhstan’s Ties With Georgia

    Kazakhstan is increasingly uncomfortable within the Customs Union with Belarus and Russia due to the constant attempts by the Kremlin to politicize the structure originally intended to boost trade relations

    China Seeks Uranium Ore in Kazakhstan

    Future prospects for cooperation between China and Kazakhstan were high on the agenda during President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s visit to Beijing on February 21. This overshadowed all other complicated and long-drawn

    Astana OSCE Summit Ends in Division

    International attention focused on Astana on December 1-2, where the leaders of the 56 member-countries gathered for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit, billed by the

    Nazarbayev Labors to Mend Fences with Tashkent

    On March 17, Kazakhstan’s President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, arrived in Tashkent to discuss bilateral relations with his Uzbek counterpart and regional rival. Although the visit was prompted by an official invitation

    China Tightens Grip on Kazakh Gas

    Profuse eulogies such as a “milestone in Sino-Kazakh’ relations,” “an epoch-making event” were the most frequently uttered by the Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev after

    Astana Steps Closer to Military Alliance with Moscow

    In his address to the Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) summit in Moscow on June 14, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev assured his counterparts, above all the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,

    Kazakhstan Balances NATO and Pro-Russian Alliances

    On April 21 Kazakhstan's Defense Minister Daniyal Akhmetov announced the country's refusal to participate in the NATO military exercises in Georgia. Cooperative Longbow-Cooperative Lancer 2009 was scheduled for May 6

    Nazarbayev Embarks on Foreign Intelligence Reform

    On February 17 Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev issued a decree ordering the government to set up the Syrbar foreign intelligence agency. The presidential press service told journalists that Syrbar would

    NAZARBAYEV PLAYS DOUBLE GAME ON SOUTH OSSETIA

    As leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, and Russia, gathered in Dushanbe on August 29, the least thing that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev could

    KAZAKHSTAN HOSTS OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

    The 17th session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly hosted by Kazakhstan in Astana from June 29 to July 3 is generally seen as an outstanding diplomatic victory for Kazakhstan on

    KOSOVA ISSUE POINTS TO RUSSIAN SWAY OVER ASTANA

    Recent developments in Kosova have become a litmus test for Central Asian states, indicating the degree of their independence from Moscow. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry hastened to issue a statement

    CHINA SECURES NEW ACCESS TO KAZAKH OIL

    On December 11 Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov and Ma Fu Tsai, deputy chairman of the Chinese State Council Committee on Energy, arrived at Kenkiyak, a small settlement in Aktobe

    GODFATHER OF KAZMUNAYGAZ JOINS TOP ECHELONS OF POWER

    On December 6 Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed Nurlan Balgimbayev to be his advisor. Shortly before the announcement, a new wave of administrative reforms replaced several regional governors and top

    KAZAKHSTAN ADJUSTS ITS RELATIONS WITH ARAB STATES

    On November 5 Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev arrived in Damascus for a three-day visit. Both Nazarbayev and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, seemed satisfied with the talks, which covered investments,

    ASTANA CAUGHT UNPREPARED FOR WHEAT SHORTAGE

    The steeply rising price of bread in all regions of Kazakhstan, coming in the wake of controversial parliamentary elections, has fueled popular discontent with the ruling Nur Otan party and