Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Kazakhstan seeks to chart own course
It may be too soon to speak of a divorce between Russia and Kazakhstan. Yet the former’s invasion of Ukraine is sending shivers through Central Asia
Alliances are being redrawn in Central Asia, with Russia, China, Turkey and the West pulling the region’s countries in different directions, and experts say energy trade is the key indicator to watch. Kazakhstan, which contains the region’s largest proven oil reserves and shares the world’s second-largest land border with Russia, is sharply in focus for defying its former imperial master. Kazakhstan, home to 19mn people, is the largest Central Asian state. It is also the only country in the region to border Russia, and has been on a geopolitical rollercoaster this year. In January, Russian forces helped quell what authorities described as a foreign-backed coup, leading many analysts to specu
Also in this section
21 April 2026
After overcoming a COVID-induced demand collapse with several years of successful market management, geopolitical events have conspired to provide the pact’s biggest test to date
21 April 2026
The regime’s policy of using nuclear ambiguity as a deterrent may have failed but it has realised it has other cards to play, while its neighbours are reappraising their approach to security
21 April 2026
As the global energy system undergoes a fundamental realignment, Algihaz Holdings has established itself as a critical player bridging conventional energy markets and the next generation of renewable infrastructure.
21 April 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress is taking place from 11-15 October 2026 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center.
