Energy and Economy

 

Hungary to Become the First Country to Sign a Commercial Agreement on the Import of Turkmen Gas 

President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimukhamedov met on Sunday in Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to sign a political agreement on transferring Turkmen gas. With the first commercial agreement with Turkmenistan’s gas sector, Turkmenistan will import gas through Azerbaijani infrastructure to Hungary. 

Source: AkiPress 

 

Türkiye to Enter New Grain Export Agreement with Russia and Qatar

After Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain initiative, Russia, Türkiye, and Qatar have reportedly begun talks to draft a new grain deal agreement. The new agreement would entail that Russia would supply grain mainly to African countries, while Türkiye would provide coordination support. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan encouraged Russia to reconsider its withdrawal. However, the new deal could be settled as early as next weekend. 

Source: Caspian News

Kyrgyzstan Signs New Agreement with Chinese Electric Company

The Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Akylbek Japarov, signed a new deal with the Chinese company Tebian Electric Apparatus (TBEA) after his visit to Xinjiang August 16. The deal outlines the construction of hydropower plants along the Sary-Jaz River and high-voltage powerlines in northern Kyrgyzstan. The new deals come after Japarov announced a three-year climate emergency earlier this month.  

Source: RFE/RL, The Diplomat

 

Security and Politics

 

Kazakhstan to Contribute to Saudi Arabia’s Food Security

On August 17, the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Erbol Karashukeev, met with the Minister of Environment, Water Resources, and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Alfadley, and proposed a joint center for halal product quality certification in Kazakhstan to increase agricultural trade between Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. The Saudi delegation expressed interest in this proposal and Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) Chief Executive Officer, Sulaiman Alrumaih, proposed opening a meat production facility in Kazakhstan.

Source: Kazakh Invest

Kazakhstan and Vietnam to Strengthen Bilateral Relations

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Vietnam on August 20 where he met with the President of Vietnam Võ Văn Thưởng as well as other high-level officials. Both sides expressed commitment to foster their bilateral relationship to achieve $1 billion bilateral trade by the end of 2023. Several agreements were signed during the meeting between presidents, including a 2023-2025 joint action plan to develop trade and economic cooperation, visa exemption agreements, and memorandums of cooperation in various sectors including trade, investment, natural resources, and transportation. The leaders of both countries described this visit as a new phase and momentum in bilateral relations. 

Source: Astana Times 

Moscow to Host a Ministerial Meeting Among Caspian Littoral States

During a meeting with the ambassadors of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow is preparing to host a ministerial meeting of the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea. "The sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues of comprehensive cooperation between the five littoral nations, including preparations for an upcoming meeting of the foreign ministers from the Caspian littoral states in Moscow,” said the statement released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Source: TASS News Agency, Trend News Agency

Yandex to Transfer Data Servers to Kazakhstan

Yandex, a Russian-owned multi-national technology company known for its search engine, has agreed to transfer its data servers serving Kazakhstan (yandex.kz) to Kazakhstan. The server transfer is designed to protect the data of users in Kazakhstan. This comes after Russia announced a controversial law that will give the Federal Security Service (FSB) 24/7 access to Yandex databases, including in Kazakhstan and the other 15 countries where the service operates.

Source: 5media

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Reinforce Strategic Partnership

On August 17, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu in Tashkent to discuss the prospects for Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan cooperation. Both parties emphasized the importance of the signing of the Treaty on Allied Relations in 2022, noting the trade turnover of $5 billion within the last year. 

Source: Astana Times

Sources: 5media, AkiPress, Astana Times, Caspian News, Kazakh Invest, RFE/RL, The Diplomat