Kazakhstan's banking sector assets grew by 11 percent in 2025.

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Astana, January 15 (Xinhua) — Kazakhstan's banking sector assets increased by 11 percent in 2025 to reach 68.3 trillion tenge (approximately $133.68 billion), with the capital adequacy ratio reaching 20.7 percent, the Kazinform news agency reported on Thursday.

The relevant data were reportedly presented by Madina Abylkasymova, Chairperson of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of Kazakhstan, at a meeting with the country's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

M. Abylkasymova noted that, based on the results of the year, the stability of the banking sector was ensured and the annual supervisory assessment cycle was completed.

In business lending, the volume of loans issued increased by 17.9 percent as of November 2025, reaching 14.8 trillion tenge. At the same time, the pace of consumer lending slowed by half compared to 2024. To reduce household debt burden, banks and microfinance organizations settled and partially forgave the debt of 703,000 borrowers. Under the personal bankruptcy law, banks wrote off the debt of 56,000 individuals totaling 209.7 billion tenge.

Following the meeting, K.-Zh. Tokayev gave a number of instructions aimed at ensuring financial stability, expanding lending to the real sector of the economy, and strengthening the protection of the rights of consumers of financial services. –0–

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The United States has imposed sanctions on 13 organizations and 11 individuals suspected of having ties to Iran.

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

Washington, January 15 (Xinhua) — The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on 13 more entities and 11 individuals believed to have ties to Iran, according to a statement from the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

According to the updated list of Specially Designated Nationals, all of the sanctioned individuals are Iranian citizens, including those associated with Iranian law enforcement or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and at least three with ties to the energy sector.

The organizations sanctioned included a prison in Alborz province and eight companies based in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the OFAC notice, the assets of designated individuals and entities are frozen, and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them. –0–

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Georgia has extended its agreement with TAV Georgia to manage Tbilisi Airport until 2031.

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Tbilisi, January 15 (Xinhua) — The Georgian government has extended the management agreement for Tbilisi International Airport with TAV Georgia, part of the French company Groupe ADP, for another five years. The agreement also includes the airport's expansion. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced this Thursday at the airport expansion project presentation.

According to him, in accordance with the agreement, TAV Georgia will continue to manage the airport until the end of 2031, that is, until the completion of the new Tbilisi International Airport in Vaziani.

"US$150 million will be invested in the airport's expansion, which will significantly increase its capacity and simultaneously improve the quality of passenger service," said I. Kobakhidze.

The Prime Minister noted that the project's implementation will ensure increased passenger traffic, continuous improvement of services, the creation of a comfortable and safe environment for passengers, the optimization of operational processes, and the implementation of modern service standards that meet international requirements.

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Specialists from Armenia and Azerbaijan conducted a joint inspection of railway infrastructure on the border between the two countries.

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Yerevan, January 15 /Xinhua/ — Representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan inspected the state of the railway infrastructure on the Yeraskh-Sadarak border section on Thursday, the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure reported.

The statement clarified that the inspection was conducted to assess the technical suitability of this section for the movement of specialized railway construction equipment during the implementation of the corresponding comprehensive infrastructure restoration measures. During the inspection, the parties exchanged views on assessing the technical condition of the railway infrastructure on this section.

On the same day, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, at a briefing in Yerevan, stated the country's government's firm commitment to the agreement to unblock communication routes in the region. –0–

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The Danish Prime Minister said differences with the US over Greenland remained after a meeting in Washington.

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OSLO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday described recent negotiations with the United States over Greenland as difficult, saying Washington's ambitions to acquire the island remain unchanged despite Denmark's firm refusal.

Commenting for the first time on the talks held in Washington on Wednesday, M. Frederiksen said in a press release: “This was a challenging meeting, and I would like to thank the two ministers [the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland] for clearly and concisely stating the Kingdom’s position and countering American claims. This was important.”

The Danish prime minister confirmed her intention to establish a working group but stated that the impasse remains. "This does not change the fact that fundamental disagreements exist, because American ambitions to take over Greenland remain unchanged," she stated. "This is clearly serious, and therefore we will continue our efforts to prevent such a scenario from materializing," Frederiksen emphasized.

A meeting between Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Viviane Motzfeldt with US Vice President J.D. Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Greenland issue took place in Washington on January 14. –0–

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All issues surrounding Greenland must be resolved within the framework of international law, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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Moscow, January 15 (Xinhua) – All issues surrounding Greenland must be resolved within the framework of international law, taking into account the interests of its residents. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a briefing on Thursday.

"Our country, the largest Arctic power, is closely monitoring the situation around Greenland. We believe that any disagreements surrounding this autonomous, self-governing territory should be resolved through negotiations in accordance with international law, taking into account the interests of the people of this country and this self-governing region," Zakharova emphasized.

According to her, the situation around Greenland reveals the flaws in Copenhagen's long-standing policy of unconditional submission to Washington. "This flaw in Copenhagen's long-standing policy of unconditional submission to its senior ally, the United States, is clearly visible and obvious," the Russian diplomat noted.

"The current tensions surrounding the northern Danish autonomy particularly acutely demonstrate the failure of the so-called rules-based world order being built by the West," added the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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The imperatives of the UN Charter are in demand today more than ever, says Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Moscow, January 15 (Xinhua) — The imperatives enshrined in the UN Charter remain more relevant than ever, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Thursday at the presentation of credentials by new ambassadors.

"The imperatives of this fundamental document, such as equality, respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and dispute resolution through dialogue, are in demand now more than ever," the Russian leader said, emphasizing that Russia supports strengthening the UN's central role in global affairs.

"Russia supports strengthening the key, central role of the United Nations in global affairs, which celebrated its anniversary last year," the Russian president said, recalling that 80 years ago, the organization's charter established the fundamental rules and principles of international relations.

“Eight decades ago, our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, having won World War II, were able to unite, find a balance of interests, and agree on the fundamental rules and principles of international relations, and they enshrined them in the UN Charter in their entirety, in the fullness of their interconnectedness,” Vladimir Putin emphasized. –0–

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The crisis around Ukraine is a direct consequence of Russia's disregard for its interests, says Vladimir Putin.

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Moscow, January 15 (Xinhua) — The crisis surrounding Ukraine is a direct consequence of Russia's interests being ignored and threats to its security being created. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this on Thursday at the presentation of credentials by new ambassadors.

Vladimir Putin noted that security must be comprehensive. "It cannot be ensured for some [countries] at the expense of the security of others. This principle is enshrined in fundamental international legal documents. Neglecting this basic, vital principle has never led to anything good, and never will," the Russian leader said.

“This was clearly demonstrated by the crisis around Ukraine, which was a direct consequence of years of ignoring Russia’s legitimate interests and a deliberate course of creating threats to our security and advancing NATO toward Russia’s borders,” he added.

V. Putin recalled that Russia has repeatedly put forward initiatives to build a new, reliable, and fair architecture for European and global security. –0–

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A member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee stressed the importance of high-quality development of organizational building in the Party

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BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, on Thursday stressed the importance of advancing high-quality development of the Party's organizational building to ensure a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).

Cai Qi made a corresponding statement at the All-China Meeting of Heads of Party Departments for Organizational Work.

He called for improving the mechanisms for implementing important decisions and orders of the CPC Central Committee, ensuring their full and thorough implementation.

Cai Qi emphasized the need to formulate and implement a correct view of political achievements and improve the system for evaluating them, as well as adhere to proper standards in selecting personnel and strictly examine and screen candidates.

A member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee called for prioritizing Party building in emerging sectors and accelerating the training and recruitment of talented professionals in various fields.

The meeting was chaired by Shi Taifeng, a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organizational Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. He called for prioritizing political development within the party and for properly carrying out the next round of leadership changes at local party organizations.

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The President of Belarus has appointed a new head of the Great Stone Industrial Park administration.

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Minsk, January 15 (Xinhua) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday appointed Tatyana Kharlap as head of the state institution "Administration of the China-Belarus Industrial Park 'Great Stone.'" The corresponding information was published by the press service of the Belarusian head of state.

Until recently, T. Harlap served as the Consul General of Belarus in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. She also previously participated in the legislative process for the Great Stone Industrial Park.

"The People's Republic of China is not just our business partner, but also a great friend. Therefore, of course, our work will be based primarily on these principles. I think you know very well that the leaders of Belarus and China were the ideologists behind the Great Stone project. Our leaders set the tone, and we must follow it," T. Kharlap noted in an interview with the Belta news agency, discussing the industrial park's future directions.

She noted that 171 residents are registered at Great Stone. "Last year, a record number of residents were attracted—34. Regarding the capital structure, today there are approximately equal numbers of companies with Belarusian and Chinese investments. The rest are from 14 other countries, both near and far," explained T. Harlap.

According to her, the industrial park has already received over $1 billion in investment from various sources and built modern, first-class infrastructure. More than a third of its residents have already begun work.

“The park administration’s role is to provide comprehensive and high-quality services to these residents so that they can quickly implement their projects and our economy can benefit from them,” T. Harlap concluded. –0–

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