Foreign mass media on Kazakhstan: cooperation with Togo and China, new oil tankers, Almaty hostel fire
In this week’s digest of foreign mass media coverage of events in Kazakhstan you will learn of high-level visits of the Togolese and Chinese dignitaries to Kazakhstan, exciting partnerships the country entered with UAE’s AD Ports Group and Space X’s Starlink as well as the horrific hostel fire that killed people in Almaty and shocked the entire country, Kazinform News Agency reports.
La Tribune:L’Ouzbékistan et le Kazakhstan lorgnent le Rafale de Dassault Aviation
According to a recent article in La Tribune, Kazakhstan is looking to upgrade is fleet of combat aircrafts and reportedly set its sights on France’s Dassault Rafale. It was revealed after President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Kazakhstan in early November.
It looks like Dassault Aviation has been investigating Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for potential cooperation and orders. France, according to La Tribune’s Michel Cabriol, decided to help Astana modernize its Air Force fleet and contribute to its diversification.
WAM: AD Ports Group expands shipping operations in Kazakhstan with two new oil tankers
UAE’s AD Ports Group announced its plans to expand cooperation with KazMorTransFlot (KMTF) through acquisition and commencement of operations of two tankers designed for the transportation of Kazakhstan’s oil across the Caspian Sea.
According to WAM, the two oil tankers named Liwa and Taraz after ancient UAE and Kazakh cities are tailored for the Caspian shallow draft and equipped with inert gas systems. The vessels are expected to perform consecutive voyages to move the Kazakh oil to Azerbaijan. The move will help Kazakhstan improve its global trade footprint.
Aidar Orzhanov, General Director, KMTF, commented, “We are implementing this project together with our strategic partner AD Ports Group in accordance with the task of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K.Tokayev, to create alternative routes for transportation of Kazakhstani oil. This will allow us to efficiently, and safely transport Kazakhstani oil in Caspian Sea for further shipment to international markets. We believe that this is only the first step of our long-term cooperation with AD Ports Group.”
Developing Telecoms: Starlink sees support in Kazakhstan
In its recent article Developing Telecoms revealed that Kazakhstan will amend its legislation to permit the general use of Space X’s Starlink satellite constellation. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin broke the news after a trial of the technology connecting schools was permitted last month.
Minister Mussin said: “I can’t say in the first half of the year or in the second, because everything depends on the Mazhilis [lower house of parliament]. That is, first from our development of the model, then we will come to the Mazhilis and continue to discuss. If the Mazhilis supports it, it will be accepted. By the end of next year we will definitely resolve the issue.”
Kazakhstan piloted Starlink’s launch at only 10 schools in rural locations. The ultimate goal is to connect some 2,000 rural schools across the country.
Xinhua: China to consolidate ties, promote cooperation with Kazakhstan: vice premier
Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang who paid a visit to Kazakhstan this week vowed his country is ready to promote the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and propel the all-round strategic cooperation with Kazakhstan to a higher level, reads the article by Xinhua.
During the talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Ding said ‘China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to cement the foundation of mutual trust, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, enhance policy coordination and expand mutually beneficial cooperation to help each other achieve their development goals’.
He emphasized that Astana and Beijing should not only promote the synergy of the BRI and Bright Road initiative, but also the stable operation of China-Central Asia mechanisms to maintain regional peace and stability.
Trend: Togo eyes to roll up multi-sector co-op with Kazakhstan
This week saw another high-level visit of a foreign dignitary to the Kazakh capital. President of Togo Faure Essozimma Gnassingbe landed in Astana on Tuesday for high-level talks with his Kazakhstani counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The sides, according to an article published by Trend, vowed to forge cooperation in trade, economic sphere, mining, agriculture, transport and digitalization.
Gnassingbe and Tokayev hailed the fact that Togo and Kazakhstan have vast untapped potential for strategic cooperation, especially economic one.
The Head of State stressed that Kazakhstan considers Togo as ‘its essential African ally’. Tokayev also urged to find a suitable candidate for the position of Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan in Togo to step up the development of B2B contacts between the nations.
Reuters: Hostel fire kills 13 people in Kazakhstan – authorities
The week ended on a bad note as a fatal hostel fire in Almaty claimed lives of 13 people and sent shockwaves across the entire country, Reuters reports.
According to the article, of 13 nine victims were Kazakhstani, two were Russians and 2 more were Uzbeks. All 13 victims sustained carbon monoxide poisoning and suffocated in the basement where the hostel was housed.
Of 72 hostel guests, 59 people were evacuated to safety. It took local firefighters an hour to put out the blaze. A government commission was formed to investigate the causes and circumstances of the hostel fire. A criminal investigation has been launched as well.
