Kazakhstan Sets Ambitious Goals to Become Eurasia's Leading Transport and Logistics Hub

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on Monday aimed at improving social welfare, increasing the country’s minimum monthly wage to 400 manats ($235) starting January 1, 2025.

Turkish companies YDA and ASFAT plan to build a shipyard near Kazakhstan's port of Kuryk to address the country's domestic fleet shortage, Kazakhstan's Minister of Transport Marat Karabaev announced on Monday during a parliamentary session. The project underscores Kazakhstan's ambitions to strengthen its maritime capabilities and logistics infrastructure.

The ASCO-owned ferry "Shahdag," freshly refurbished, has resumed operations on the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan route, aiming to alleviate severe truck congestion at ports on both sides of the Caspian Sea.

But Putin Says It's "Virtually Impossible" Due to Zelensky's Position Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico visited Moscow on Sunday to discuss energy issues, becoming the third EU country leader to hold talks with Vladimir Putin since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Prior visits include Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in April 2022 and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in July 2024. Slovakia is also a NATO member.