Foreign media about Kazakhstan: French minister’s visit, rising oil exports and interview with youngest Mazhilis deputy
Anadolu Agency: French foreign trade minister's visit to Astana will boost bilateral partnership, says Kazakh president
Turkish Anadolu Agency reported on May 2 about the meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Olivier Besht that focused on the implementation of trade and investment deals.
The agency quotes Tokayev, who said, «I believe that this visit will give a serious impetus to the development of our mutually beneficial partnership in many areas.»
«France is our largest partner in Europe. I am firmly convinced that we have great opportunities for further cooperation,» writes the agency, citing Tokayev.
Euractiv: Youngest Kazakh MP: An inclusive society is an equal society
Euractiv published an exclusive interview with Dinara Naumova, a 25-year-old Mazhilis deputy, on May 3. In the interview, Naumova spoke about the specifics of the work in the Mazhilis, her aspiration and goals and her vision of inclusivity and youth voices.
«As an example of her work as a parliamentarian, Naumova described her first parliamentary question on the rehabilitation of cancer patients, which she asked after having been approached by the patients themselves. She said that she felt such empathy that when she read her parliamentary question, her voice trembled. She said that young Kazakhs were remarkably creative and that she was proud to represent the young people of her country in parliament. As for what lies ahead for her capacity as a member of the Committee on Legislation and Judicial and Legal Reform, she said the issues concerned mostly social issues such as the rights of women and children. Naumova added she is keen to learn from the models and experiences of other parliaments, including the European Parliament,» writes Euractiv.
AKIpress News Agency: Kazakhstan and Tajikistan sign declaration on allied cooperation
AKIpress news agency reported on May 5 about the meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, who was on a state visit in Astana on May 3-4.
«It is symbolic that your visit is taking place in the year of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. The Kazakh-Tajik cooperation has made significant progress over the years, steadily developing in the spirit of centuries-old friendship and strategic partnership. Thanks to the confidential political dialogue and the coordinated work of the governments, it is constantly filled with qualitatively new content,» writes the agency, citing Tokayev.
Trend: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan sign document for enhancing co-op in agriculture
Azerbaijan’s Trend news agency reported on May 4 about the roadmap for enhancing agricultural cooperation in 2023-2025, signed during the visit of Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon to Kazakhstan. The roadmap was signed between the Ministries of Agriculture of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.
«At the same time, the presidents agreed to hold the Days of Tajik Culture in Kazakhstan, where the achievements of Tajikistan in the field of agriculture will be demonstrated. Commenting on the issue, President Tokayev noted the importance of the event. Meanwhile, the main focus of the presidential meeting included strengthening trade and economic cooperation, increasing mutual trade, and developing cooperation in industry, agriculture, transport, and digitalization,» writes the agency.
Reuters: Kazakhstan's oil export revenues rose by 50% in 2022
Reuters reported on May 2 that Kazakhstan's oil export revenues rose by 50 percent in 2022 citing the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan.
«With no direct access to offshore oil hubs, Kazakhstan depends on transporting its oil through Russia which has been hit by Western sanctions over what Moscow calls a special military operation in Ukraine. According to the BNS data, the value of Kazakhstan's oil exports increased to $46.8 billion in 2022 generated by exports of 65.0 million tonnes, versus $31.0 billion and 65.5 million tonnes respectively in 2021. The increase in 2022 revenues was driven by the rise in oil prices as Kazakhstan's average annual oil export price jumped to $720 per tonne last year, from $473 per tonne in 2021,» writes Reuters.
Azernews: Heydar Aliyev is one of great figures of 20th century not only for Azerbaijani people - Kazakh minister
Azernews agency reported on May 3 about an international conference titled Heydar Aliyev and the Turkic World dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev. The conference was hosted by the National Academic Library of Kazakhstan in Astana and organized by the Turkic Academy and the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation.
«The recent opening of the Heydar Aliyev Street in Astana has brought our brotherly countries even closer. Every time we visit Azerbaijan, I try to visit the Heydar Aliyev Museum in Baku first of all. There you can not only touch the history of the country, but also see a true example of how to properly serve the people. He is one of the great figures of the 20th century, not only for the Azerbaijani people, but for many others. I consider it natural that this date is celebrated not only in Azerbaijan, but throughout the Turkic world,» writes the agency, citing Kazakh Minister of Information and Social Development Darkhan Kydyrali.
Azertac: President: Negotiations are continued in order to increase the volume of Kazakhstan’s oil through for Azerbaijan
Azertac reported on May 3 about the plans and the negotiations to increase the volume of Kazakhstan’s oil through for Azerbaijan, citing President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. «With respect to the increase through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, the problem can be the quality of final product, because Kazakhstani oil is different from Azeri Light. And if big volume is shipped through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, so we will lose quality, how to say, premium. Because Azeri Light oil, which we export through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan is more precious even than Brent. But there are other options, of course, we can work on some commercial terms. If the quality of the final oil in Ceyhan changes or we have a pipeline, which is now empty, goes from Baku to the Georgian Supsa Sea port and can be also engaged, because there is a big market in the Black Sea,» writes the agency, citing Aliyev.
The Sydney Morning Herald: The futuristic Asian city few Australians visit (or know about)
An opinion piece published in The Sydney Morning Herald on May 2 covers the futuristic city of Astana. Author Ben Groundwater writes about the history of the city, and its major sights and gives a glance on the country’s neighbours.
«Welcome to Central Asia. Welcome to a part of this continent that probably isn’t the first to spring to mind when you think about our nearest neighbour. Asia, to us, tends to be Thailand and Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. It might be India. It might be China. But it’s probably not Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and the like. That’s a shame, too. Because there is a whole world to discover in these countries, a whole new set of histories that you’re probably unfamiliar with, cultures that we in Australia tend to know so little about,» he writes.
