November 13, 2026
6 developments
Tokayev offers Russia a seat in the Turkic bloc
At the 30 October summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara, Tokayev said it would be "appropriate and fair" to welcome Russia into the OTS+ format or as an observer, the first time Astana has proposed institutional entry for Moscow into a body it helped found. Hudson Institute reads it as a tactical concession meant to link the Middle and North-South corridors; Crimean Tatar leaders urged members to reject it (Hudson Institute, Kyiv Post).
Washington suspends the Graham Act's Russia measures
Executive Order 14436 of 16 October imposed and then waived the Act's 500% tariff on Russian goods and 100% duties on third-country buyers and sanctions facilitators, with no expiry date. Kazakh banks still screen against unchanged OFAC and EU lists, but the new tariff exposure is not being assessed (Cleary Gottlieb).
Minerals compact puts a $20 billion figure behind processing
Kazakhstan joined seven other countries in a World Bank metals and minerals compact aiming to mobilise up to $20 billion by 2031 through legal reform, digital geological data and processing investment, giving the processing-for-access rule in the uranium code a financing channel (World Bank).
AI ranking improves while company adoption lags
Kazakhstan placed 41st of 70 economies in IMD's first World Digital and AI Ranking with 75.87 points, third in education and fourth in public service delivery. AI adoption rose from 52nd to 33rd, but business adoption ranked 44th (Qazinform).
The post-CPC reroute stays incremental
BTC loadings reached 168,000 tons in October, up from 130,000 in September, against a 2026 target of 1.7 million tons and a 65 million ton CPC base. Emil Avdaliani argues the two routes will coexist, with crude-quality specifications limiting how much Kazakh oil can enter the Azeri Light blend (Saratoga Foundation).
A Caspian fibre cable takes data traffic off Russian networks
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan launched a 380-kilometre seabed fibre-optic line on 15 October, giving Kazakh internet traffic a route to Europe that bypasses Russia, with the Black Sea Submarine Cable into Romania as the next link (Caspian Policy Center).