More than 4,000 participants from 100 countries gathered June 15-16 in Astana for the 10th annual Astana Economic Forum. The forum focused primarily on renewable energy and green economy under the theme “New Energy – New Economy” as well as discussions of sustainable economic growth, world trade and infrastructure. [...] This year’s key speakers presented their views at the session called Globalization: a Future Full of Uncertainties.

Twenty-five U.S. companies and representatives of Kazakh state bodies, national companies and local business representatives gathered in Astana June 14 for the U.S. – Kazakhstan business forum. The event aimed to attract U.S. companies to priority sectors, including car assembly industry, health, construction, agriculture and light industry. About 500 companies in various sectors of the economy with the U.S. participation operate in Kazakhstan, Minister for Investments and Development of Kazakhstan Zhenis Kassymbek told the gathering.

Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi were apparently talking movies, among other things, at a summit in Kazakhstan on Friday. Xi mentioned that he, like millions of Chinese, had enjoyed the hit Bollywood film Dangal. Xi and Modi went on to discuss boosting cultural cooperation between the two countries. [...] Dangal is still screening across China at more than 7,000 cinemas.Its success follows a string of other Bollywood films that have won over Chinese audiences in recent years, including the previous biggest hit, PK, which took in 118 million yuan.

The UN Women and Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan public Fund raised the issues of women’s participation in the country’s economic life and the rights and opportunities of women in the workplace by organising exhibitions in honour of International Women’s Day. This year, women in rare occupations are in the focus of special attention. [...] The #YesSheCan exhibition was held March 6-11 in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent and Semei.

Innovative approaches have transformed foreign policy in recent years. Digital diplomacy is a modern and technological dimension of foreign policy, used as a new soft power tool to advance national interests, project political and economic power. In his address to the nation, President Nursultan Nazarbayev attached particular importance to digitalisation as one of the means “to get ahead of the future and decisively meet the challenges” of today’s changing world. 

Few people are aware that Kazakhstan played a major role in ending the diplomatic crisis that followed Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane last year. Now Kazakhstan is taking a much more public mediator role in strategic talks among Moscow, Ankara, Tehran and Damascus on Syria’s future. [...] How did Kazakh diplomacy emerge as a successful endeavor in recent months? 

February 22, 1992 is a historic date for Kazakhstan and India, as it was on this day that bilateral and diplomatic relations was established between these two countries. Reflecting on this relationship and on his over two year stay in India as Kazakhstan’s envoy, Ambassador Bulat Sarsenbayev said that it has so far been a very busy and rewarding diplomatic assignment in more ways than one.

Overtly member states of the Heart of Asia Conference emphasized upon regional peace and stability, especially in Afghanistan, but, covertly US-led secret diplomacy prevailed over the moot. It was owing to such a strategy and American influence that the member delegates appreciated India’s constructive role in supporting Afghanistan and its people for the past decade and half.