Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana on the second day of his Central Asian Countries Tour. A welcome ceremony was held for PM Modi at the Akorda Presidential Palace. Kazakhstan invited India for investments in green economy development, mining and agriculture development.

Modi in Kazakhstan – Points to Note

• Kazakhstan PM Karim Massimov seeks India’s assistance in helping the Kazakh central bank in financial inclusion.
• Modi offered to help the Kazakh companies through an initiative like digital India.
• Kazakhstan national railway company is investing India’s infrastructure sector starting with Mundra port in Gujarat.
• India has called from Kazakhstan’s involvement in building the connectivity from India to Iran to Kazakhstan.
• Modi has also called for cooperation between the two countries in areas of defence, joint training and military and technical cooperation.
• India has also sought Kazakhstan’s help in getting oil fields.
• The central Asian country has also expressed its interest in building solar plants of up to 3GW in India.
• Kazakhstan the world’s largest producer of uranium will supply a total of 5,000 tonnes of the natural uranium to India during the 2015-19.

Facts About Kazakhstan

• Kazahstan is the 9th largest country by size in the world. It’s a huge place with a very small population of only 16 million people.
• It’s the largest landlocked country in the world.
• Kazakhstan is home to the Baikonur Cosmodome, the world’s first and largest space launch facility. It is leased by the Russians until 2050.
• The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana.
• The 2015 presidential election was held on April 26. President Nazarbayev won, receiving 97.7% of the vote
• Currency: Kazakhstani tenge