Kazakhstan and Morocco Strengthen Partnership in Urban Development and Culture

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held an interim meeting of the Council of Foreign Investors under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The meeting addressed issues of investor support and the joint development in Kazakhstan of next-generation high-tech production with wide application of artificial intelligence and digital solutions, primeminister.kz reports.

By instruction of the Head of State, the Government is implementing a proactive investment policy. The development of artificial intelligence and digital transformation has been identified as a national priority. To achieve these objectives, an institutional architecture has been established: a Presidential Council for AI Development with the participation of international experts has been created, and a Digital Headquarters is operating. To strengthen the digital cluster, the international AI center Alem.ai has been launched; infrastructure projects are being implemented in parallel, including the Data Center Valley, as well as the Astana Hub ecosystem. To scale technology projects, a venture capital fund has been launched as a startup accelerator. Unicorn companies with valuations exceeding USD 1 billion have already entered the Kazakhstani market, including Playrix, Mytona, and NetCracker.

The Prime Minister reviewed the outcomes of implementing instructions following the 37th plenary meeting of the Council. In 2025, to enhance Kazakhstan’s investment attractiveness, new rules for issuing investor visas were approved. A "golden visa" was introduced, providing a residence permit of up to 10 years for foreign nationals. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Kuantyrov reported that measures are being taken to regulate the use of certified cloud services with due regard to national security requirements. In connection with amendments to the Tax Code, meetings were held with Council members to explain the new provisions and discuss current issues raised by foreign participants.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiev reported on preparations for the 38th plenary meeting of the Council. Kazakhstan has established a legal and technological foundation for a digital nation: President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev has signed the Digital Code; AI-based solutions are being consistently implemented; domestic large language models and public digital services are being developed. Focus areas include human capital development and strengthening the digital cluster.

The meeting heard reports from joint working groups on investment policy implementation; energy, environment, and the oil and gas sector; labor legislation, human capital development, and attraction of foreign labor; digitalization; healthcare and pharmaceutical industry development. Issues discussed included customs valuation and VAT neutrality, regulation of methane emissions in the oil and gas sector in line with international practice, proposals on visa support for foreign labor, and mentorship programs. Regarding regulation of public cloud services, the need to balance innovation and security was noted. In healthcare, the importance of public-private partnerships in professional training, internships, and dual education programs was emphasized.

Senior officials from the ministries of national economy, energy, labor and social protection, artificial intelligence and digital development, and healthcare provided comments on the issues raised by investors.

Special attention was given to the implementation of digital solutions in the energy sector. High efficiency was noted in the successful use of AI-based defectoscopy of overhead power lines. Within a pilot project, 618 power line towers were inspected over two days, more than 2,000 images processed, and nearly 7,000 defects identified. Recognition accuracy for typical damage reached 98 percent, including insulator contamination and destruction, tower deformations, missing fasteners, and line break risks. The introduction of thermal imaging and LiDAR systems further enhanced digitalization, enabling comprehensive diagnostics. In parallel, robotic in-pipe diagnostics based on acoustic resonance are being implemented in heating networks, allowing internal inspection without pipe excavation and enabling targeted repairs. A pilot project in Shymkent in 2025 demonstrated savings of over 70 percent when inspecting 1.2 kilometers of heating networks. In the gas sector, an AI assistant has been introduced for automatic recognition of gas meter readings from photographs in a mobile application, proving effective in reducing operator workload and minimizing human-error risks.

A wide range of issues was discussed during an open dialogue with foreign investors.

Marubeni expressed interest in the participation of Japanese companies in AI and digital technologies, including their application to support socially vulnerable groups. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development cited practical AI use cases based on the Digital Family Map within Smart Data Ukimet and highlighted the development of the Social Wallet.

Polpharma raised issues of patient safety and combating counterfeit medicines. The Ministry of Healthcare reported on the introduction of mandatory drug labeling from July 1, 2024, and plans to implement a risk-based mechanism for selecting medicines from the market.

Companies including CNPC, EY, JP Morgan, and Kazzinc also raised issues related to oil transportation tariffs, modernization of data localization and cross-border transfer requirements, taxation in the mining and metallurgical complex, and other matters.

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister instructed state bodies and organizations, together with the Association "Kazakhstan Council of Foreign Investors," to elaborate on all issues and recommendations raised.

 

First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Ashikbayev received Biljana Milosevic, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Delegation for Central Asia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

Biljana Milosevic expressed gratitude for Kazakhstan’s continued support for the ICRC in carrying out its humanitarian mission. She highly commended the country’s efforts in promoting the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law, as well as its contribution to protecting the values of humanism, advancing the sustainable development goals, and promoting international peace and security at regional and international platforms.

First Deputy Minister Ashikbayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to close cooperation with the ICRC and further support for global efforts aimed at ensuring full respect for international humanitarian law, strengthening collective ethical and legal responsibility.

The interlocutors discussed further work within the framework of the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law, as well as the preparations for the High-Level Conference on Humanity in War, to be held in Amman, Jordan at the end of 2026.

The parties confirmed their mutual interest in further strengthening long-term cooperation between Kazakhstan and the ICRC at the global, regional and national levels.

 

The Head of State decreed to appoint Aibek Smadiyarov as Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan - Press Secretary of the President of Kazakhstan, Qazinform News Agency learnt from the Akorda press service.

He was born on July 7 in 1983 in Shymkent.

He graduated from the Abylai Khan Kazakh University of International Affairs and World Languages. Aibek Smadiyarov had held the post as an official spokesperson at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.

Prior to the appointment served as head of the internal policy department at the Presidential Administration.

 

Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday met with Kazakhstani IT entrepreneurs Yerzat Dulat and Murat Abdrakhmanov, Qazinform News Agency cites Akorda.

The meeting with Yerzat Dulat, CTO of Higgsfield AI startup, and Murat Abdrakhmanov, founder of the MA7 Ventures platform, focused on systemic adoption of AI in the economy, public administration, and social sphere, as well as developing IT entrepreneurship, venture, and AI industry.

President Tokayev commended the success of the Higgsfield AI startup, stressing the importance of emergence of companies in the country, which become global leaders in AI.

The Head of State noted that the key task is to make Kazakhstan a platform, where IT companies could easily launch, scale and enter global markets.

 

During the 4th session of the Constitutional Commission, Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court Bakyt Nurmukhanov announced that the Khalyk Kenesi (People’s Council of Kazakhstan) will be granted the right to initiate national referendums, Qazinform News Agency reports.

According to him, this requires a dedicated section in the Constitution to regulate issues related to the Khalyk Kenesi.

 

Constitutional Court judge Bakyt Nurmukhanov spoke on the extent and nature of the proposed amendments to the Basic Law during the fourth meeting of the Constitutional Commission, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.

According to Nurmukhanov, the draft constitutional reform involves a preamble, 11 sections, and 104 articles. Meantime, it is proposed to introduce two new sections "People’s Council" and "Procedure for amending the Constitution".

Moreover, it was suggested renaming the four existing sections of the Constitution: "The General Regulations" into "The Foundations of the Constitutional System","Man and the Citizen" into "Basic Rights, Freedoms, and Responsibilities", "Parliament" into "Qurultay", "Courts and Justice, Prosecutor’s Office, Human Rights Commissioner’ into Justice, Prosecutor’s Office, Human Rights Mechanisms."

Nurmukhanov said 77 articles of the Constitution are proposed to be amended, representing 84% of its text. So, amendments and additions affect all sections of the Basic Law.

 

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting at the Financial Monitoring Agency on Wednesday, Qazinform News Agency reports via Akorda.

The Kazakh President congratulated the Agency’s personnel on their professional holiday - the Financial Monitoring Agencies Day. The Head of State said that the Agency, which was established five years ago in a time of large-scale transformations in the country, has been successfully handling the tasks assigned.

In general, much work has been done in such a short period of time, significant experience has been gained. As of now, the Agency has established itself as a self-supporting body, playing a key role in the economic and national security system. This is a direct result of your efforts and dedication to duty, said the President.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged a fundamentally new approach to work amid rapid advances in digital technologies and artificial intelligence, while pointing to ambitious goals and large-scale work ahead.

 

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday held a meeting with Chair of the Constitutional Commission - Constitutional Court Chair Elvira Azimova, the Commission’s Deputy Chair - State Counselor Erlan Karin, and member of the Commission - Assistant to the President for Legal Affairs Yerzhan Zhienbayev, Qazinform News Agency cites Akorda.

The Head of State was briefed on the outcomes of the Constitutional Commission meeting held on January 26. Azimova said that to ensure transparency the Commission provides live streams of all meetings in the media space, including via the dedicated channel on Telegram.

The Commission’s chair said an extensive public debate on the constitutional reform took place throughout six months. Over 2,000 initiative proposals from citizens, legal scholars, experts, lawyers, political parties, NGOs, professional and business communities were received via electronic platforms.

It was noted that new editions of the preamble, a number of articles and sections of the Constitution were developed and reviewed at the previous meetings of the Commission.