Kazakhstan is working to attract more investment from Gulf states as it develops transport routes akin to the ancient Silk Road between Europe and China, the country’s deputy foreign minister has told The National.
Gulf countries have poured investment into the oil and mineral rich central Asian country, deputy minister Roman Vassilenko said in an interview at the Astana International Forum in Kazakhstan's capital. These nations are seen as "an important source of potential investment”, he said.
Emirati transport and logistics giants including AD Ports Group and DP World already work at trade and port hubs in Kazakhstan. The country is expanding capacity on the so-called “middle corridor”, a trade route following similar paths to the Silk Road, connecting China with Europe through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
Several agreements were signed with the UAE when Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, visited Astana last month, Mr Vassilenko said, in sectors such as artificial intelligence, health care, renewable energy and infrastructure.
AD Ports Group, the operator of industrial cities and free zones in Abu Dhabi, said it plans to invest another $600 million to expand its operations in Kazakhstan, and aims to develop a multipurpose terminal to improve trade and expand its fleet in the Caspian Sea.
The investment in trade infrastructure comes as countries look to shore up supply routes for consumer goods and commodities and protect against shocks similar to those caused by the coronavirus pandemic and economic and political instability.
Kazakhstan's foreign policy stands on several legs. Russia is one. China is another one. Central Asian neighbours have a special place, of course, then the West, and then the Arab world
Roman Vassilenko,
deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan
“Abu Dhabi Ports is already working to help Kazakhstan develop maritime infrastructure on the Caspian Sea, as well as building up tankers for transporting our oil across it,” Mr Vassilenko said. “That is, of course, also part of the solution to the challenges that we face as we try to develop the middle corridor.”
The volume of products traded on the route, including crude oil and consumer goods, has increased from 560,000 tonnes in 2021 to 4.5 million tonnes last year, Mr Vassilenko said.
Relationships with the Gulf countries are focused on trade and investment, Mr Vassilenko added. Kazakhstan’s wealth of hydrocarbon and mineral resources, and keenness to widen its trading base beyond traditional allies Russia and China, mean that much of its foreign policy centres around finances and economics. Ties with major powers remain important – Beijing and Moscow are Astana’s largest trade partners, followed by the EU. But Kazakhstan is looking elsewhere too.
“Kazakhstan's foreign policy is sort of standing on several legs,” Mr Vassilenko said. “Russia is one. China is another one. Central Asian neighbours have a special place, of course, then the West, and then the Arab world. It's all part of the concerted vision that we have pursued ever since independence.”
Sanctions on both Russia and Iran have complicated trade for Kazakhstan and its central Asian neighbours, creating more need to bolster routes such as the middle corridor that travel through neither’s land territory.
Astana has adopted a neutral position on the conflict since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It continues to do business with Russia, from where goods from face wash to breakfast cereal and vodka fill the supermarkets of Astana. Conflict and instability in Afghanistan have also limited north-south trading routes.
“We are not only landlocked, but we are also limited in our options, so we can trade via Russia, and we have been doing this throughout our independence,” Mr Vassinlenko said. “Yet, we now understand that we need to develop alternative routes, and that's why the middle corridor comes in handy.”
When it comes to Iran, Astana sees “enormous” potential for trade, especially for transit to third countries, said Mr Vassilenko, who added that there are prospects for much better relations if ongoing talks between Tehran and the US reach fruition and sanctions on Iran are lifted.
Sharing a naval border in the Caspian Sea, Iran and Kazakhstan had a trade volume of $303 million in 2023, according to the Observatory for Economic Complexity. The trade was dominated by Iranian exports to Kazakhstan, mostly of polymers, ceramics and tropical fruit.
“The opportunities of trading via Iran with the world for Kazakhstan are enormous, and yet they are limited now,” Mr Vassilenko said. “Now you can still send goods via Iran, mostly food stuffs which are not sanctioned, et cetera, but it's still very limited. There is an infrastructure, and we have tried using this infrastructure in the past, meaning railways, and Iran offers beneficial tariffs for transporting our goods via railways, but generally normalisation of these relations will help.”
The world’s ninth largest nation by land area, Kazakhstan gained its independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and produces 40 per cent of total current world supply of uranium, as well as crude oil. It also has other resources including rare earth minerals so attractive that they are becoming a leading area of policy for the country, as other nations seek to secure supplies.
Increasingly important in the development of consumer electronics, electric vehicles and medical equipment, rare earth minerals are highly sought-after by countries around the world, which are rapidly seeking to secure access to supplies. In April, Kazakh authorities announced the discovery of more than 20 million tonnes of metal deposits – a reserve that, if proven, would give the country the world’s third largest reserves of rare earth elements, behind only China and Brazil.
Kazakhstan not only needs foreign technologies to help it mine the precious reserves, it also wants to bring in foreign geologists to explore and discover more of them. The country has agreements with German, French, British and American geologists.
“I think in the next five to 10 years, you will hear more and more about rare earth metal developments in Kazakhstan, in particular in co-operation with the West,” Mr Vassilenko said.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESplintr%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202019%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammad%20AlMheiri%20and%20Badr%20AlBadr%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20and%20Riyadh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epayments%20%2F%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10%20employees%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eundisclosed%20seven-figure%20sum%20%2F%20pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eangel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
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If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
The%20specs
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
