Latest Articles about Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Poised to Step into the OSCE’s Chairmanship
Kazakhstan is actively preparing to take over the OSCE's chairmanship next year. The challenges are daunting to any chairing country and the organization as such. According to multiple, though unofficial reports from the organization's Vienna headquarters, Kazakhstan has asked Finland to host an OSCE summit... MORE
Nazarbayev Signals Kazakhstan’s OSCE Priorities
On May 21 Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev characterized the country's forthcoming chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a vital part of its interest in pursuing integration with Europe. Having entered the OSCE troika this year (alongside Finland and Greece),... MORE
Astana Drifts Away From EU-Favored Energy Projects
Gas and oil supplies to energy-hungry Europe have always featured as the key topic in talks between Astana and EU officials, concerning Kazakhstan's OSCE chairmanship in 2010. Stifled by the precarious situation in the energy sector, the EU has often ignored the heavy-handedness of the... MORE
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 to June 1 in Georgia, originally involving forces from 18 nations. Akhmetov did not provide... MORE
Kazakhstan’s Transport Policy Faces Political Dilemma
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev on his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) praised China's involvement in an important joint $7.5 billion transnational road construction project as an example of their partnership. He said Kazakhstan started the construction of its section of the 3,000... MORE
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 be directly subordinate to the president. By the same decree, the Barlau foreign intelligence service... MORE
Critics Question Kazakhstan’s Membership in Collective Rapid Response Force
The Kazakh Interior Ministry recently released a detailed press account of an armed clash between Arlan anti-terrorist detachment and a group of "extremist forces" in the Zelenov District of West Kazakhstan Province. Four soldiers from the Arlan group were reportedly wounded during the fight, but... MORE
Kazakhstan Raising Its Afghanistan Profile
On January 28 the United States announced plans to purchase a "significant part" of the goods needed to supply its forces in Afghanistan from Kazakhstan. U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Richard Hoagland clarified these intentions in the context of the U.S.-Kazakh agreement on the transit of... MORE
Kazakh Opposition Criticizes Half-Hearted Democratic Reform Efforts
As Kazakhstan’s term of chairmanship of the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) draws near, state officials have intensified diplomatic maneuvering, constantly shuttling between Western capitals and Astana. Outwardly, Kazakhstan has made some impressive steps toward democratization of political processes to justify its... MORE
Kazakhstan’s Peacekeepers Penciled in for Afghanistan?
On January 14 Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) General David Petraeus, visited Kazakhstan. Among the key senior Kazakh military officers he met with was Lieutenant-General Bolat Sembinov, the deputy defense minister responsible for cooperation with the West. Ostensibly they discussed progress in implementing... MORE