How the SCO’s Tianjin Summit shaped cooperation beyond 2025
The 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, held in Tianjin, China, has been hailed as one of the most significant gatherings in the bloc...
Kazakh Tourism National Company has introduced a draft concept to transform the historic Baikonur cosmodrome into a future-focused destination for scientific and industrial tourism. The plan aims to attract visitors year-round, beyond just the times of rocket launches.
The project, titled "Baikonur: From Silk Way to Milky Way," was unveiled during a facilitation session in Astana on June 2, bringing together stakeholders from tourism, academia, and government. The initiative aligns with the upcoming 70th anniversary of the renowned spaceport.
Discussions at the session centered on crucial aspects of the development, including infrastructure modernization, the creation of new tour routes, strengthening the Baikonur brand, and attracting investment and strategic partnerships for sustainable growth.
Kairat Sadvakasov, Chairman of Kazakh Tourism, emphasized that the core of the concept is to build a self-sustaining tourism ecosystem that thrives even in the periods between rocket launches. "Baikonur is gaining a clear trajectory for future development," Sadvakasov stated. "We envision Baikonur as a global platform of the future, combining cultural diplomacy, museum transformation and brand development."
A key priority of the strategy is to expand "inter-launch tours" to ensure a consistent flow of visitors, which would optimize the use of existing facilities and reduce seasonal pressures.
To propel these ambitions, a consortium was established in 2025 between Kazakh Tourism and the state-owned Infracos enterprise. This partnership will focus on developing space tourism, astro-tourism, and cultural tourism at Baikonur and its associated sites.
Marking a significant step in enhancing the visitor experience, an Open-Air Museum was recently inaugurated in the city of Baikonur. The museum showcases authentic space technology, reinforcing the site's legacy as a living monument to human space exploration and creating new engagement opportunities for tourists. This development, coupled with the new tourism strategy, signifies Kazakhstan's broader efforts to diversify its tourism portfolio and highlight its unique heritage on the world stage.
A majority of Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, state pollster VTsIOM said on Wednesday, in a sign that the Kremlin could be testing public reaction to a possible peace settlement as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensify.
In 2025, Ukraine lived two parallel realities: one of diplomacy filled with staged optimism, and another shaped by a war that showed no sign of letting up.
It’s been a year since an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Relatives and loved ones mourn the victims, as authorities near the final stage of their investigation.
The White House has instructed U.S. military forces to concentrate largely on enforcing a “quarantine” on Venezuelan oil exports for at least the next two months, a U.S. official told Reuters, signalling that Washington is prioritising economic pressure over direct military action against Caracas.
Polish fighter jets on Thursday intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near Poland’s airspace over the Baltic Sea and escorted it away from their area of responsibility.
The move is intended to combine digital innovation and long-term infrastructure planning with further modernise urban mobility while strengthening the country’s position as a key transit hub across Eurasia.
Foreign aid and its political implications are at the centre of public debate in Georgia with mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze echoing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's stance on USAID.
Jeyhun Bayramov expressed concerns regarding the Russian Investigative Committee’s decision to close the criminal case related to the AZAL airplane crash.
Iran has rolled out a test vending of imported premium at market price in Tehran to address the country's domestic petroleum consumption deficit.
In 2025, Azerbaijan made notable strides in its foreign policy with the country's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said on Friday.
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