After more than a decade of independence, the majority of Kazakhs feel deeply disillusioned with post-Soviet development of their country. Many are tormented with gnawing doubts whether Kazakhstan has really become independent of Moscow. The lingering nostalgia of older Russians for the socialist motherland clashes... MORE

In a clear signal of the growing importance that Kazakhstan attaches to military cooperation with the West, an historic agreement has been reached with Britain's BAE Systems to upgrade Kazakhstan's air defense systems. According to Russian media reports, Astana negotiated a tough deal, which stimulated... MORE

Kazakhstan's Foreign Affairs Minister Kasymzhomart Tokaev presented a set of innovative proposals on June 9 in Astana regarding the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Addressing a session of the five riparian countries' working group, which is charged with drafting a legal convention, Tokaev called... MORE

A demarcation ceremony was held at the Gishtkuprik customs checkpoint on May 19 to officially delineate the Uzbek-Kazakh border. The demarcation process was begun in fall 2003. Gishtkuprik is located 17km from Tashkent. Astana and Tashkent plan to plant border poles along the entire length... MORE

The Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO) announced on May 20 that it has begun delivering oil to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium's (CPC) main export pipeline. The pipeline mostly serves the large Tengiz onshore oil field, operated by ChevronTexaco. The KPO consortium includes British Gas and... MORE

The Kazakh parliament's May 13 decision to postpone the request for extending the deployment of the country's peacekeeping battalion (KAZBAT) in Iraq highlights the question over the future deployment of Kazakh forces in Iraq. Of the CIS countries, only Ukraine with its 1,800 troops in... MORE

It seems a marriage made in heaven. Growing energy giant Kazakhstan has tapped into China, the world's biggest market and a booming economy. Kazakhstan and China signed an agreement on May 17 on the construction of the Atasu-Alashankou oil pipeline which will connect western Kazakhstan... MORE

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev will participate in the next presidential elections, which will be held in 2006. Nazarbaev declared his intention to run for another term on May 14, 2004 during a question and answer session broadcast on Kazakh national television. Nazarbaev stressed that "the... MORE