Kazakhstan Intensifies Cooperation with International Monetary Fund
The Astana government presented a number of international projects, including the Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline
Kazakhstan, the largest of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia, wants to give a boost to its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Delegations from the government of Kazakhstan and the International Monetary Fund met in the capital Astana to “synchronize” plans for cooperation in the short and medium term.
During the visit to Astana, IMF representatives held a number of meetings in the Parliament, the National Bank, the Ministries of Economy and Finance. As the Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan Nurlan Baibazarov (pictured) stated, the delegation of the Monetary Fund was presented numerous national and international projects, on implementation of which the Kazakhstani government is working.
Kazakhstan is currently negotiating with China to increase natural gas exports. Two neighboring countries are considering building a new cross-border gas pipeline. China imports natural gas from Russia – through the Power of Siberia super-pipeline – and from Turkmenistan, another hydrocarbon-rich Central Asian republic. Having exported 33.6 billion cubic meters of pipeline gas worth $11.7 billion to China in 2023, Russia hopes to gain primacy as China’s largest supplier in 2024, with exports through the Power of Siberia pipeline totaling 24 billion cubic meters in the first nine months of this year.
