On April 24, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurleu and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron signed a strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the UK. The parties also signed memorandums of understanding in education and trade, QazMonitor reports citing the press service of the British Embassy in Kazakhstan.
Strategic partnership: The signed document provides the legal basis for developing bilateral cooperation in areas such as education, critical minerals, climate change, finance and business environment, defense, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people links.
Investment in Central Asia: The British side announced allocating £50 million (as of April 25, 2024, $62.4 million) for development projects across Central Asia over the next three years. The investment is aimed at transitioning the region towards carbon neutrality, developing innovative SMEs and economic reforms. This includes £19.5 million ($24.3 million) for regional climate program and £6.5 million ($8.1 million) for regional education programs.
Higher education: The UK will offer English language teachers in the region access to specialized teaching materials from the British Council. Additionally, the British government will double the number of Chevening scholarships for Kazakh students, providing more opportunities for tuition-free Master's programs at UK universities. The Chevening scholarship has been available in Kazakhstan since 1992, and currently, over 250 Chevening graduates reside in the country.
Academic cooperation: Additionally, discussions focused on enhancing academic collaboration between the two countries.
The Birsöz Initiative at the University of Oxford signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Linguistics named after Akhmet Baitursunuly in Almaty, the Bolashak Center for International Programs, and the Til-Qazyna Kazakh Language Center. This initiative will enable Kazakh scientists to teach the Kazakh language at Oxford, engage in a one-year teacher training program, apply for research scholarships, and collaborate with British counterparts in the field of language teaching methodology.
Coventry University has signed a memorandum of understanding with Primus Education to create a new campus Coventry University Kazakhstan. This campus will offer a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including pedagogical training.
Queen's University Belfast and Narxoz University in Almaty have signed an agreement to develop three dual-degree programs in business and economics. They are also exploring the possibility of opening a branch of Queen's University Belfast in Kazakhstan.
