Kazakhstan's Kazmunaigas and Uzbekistan's Uzbekneftegas appear in the Top 50 for the first time.
Less than a month left until Kazakhstan's entrance into Customs Union with Russia and Belarus, but there are more questions than answers on present moment. Objectively, a big economical alliance would help our home economy. However, the tradition to turn inside out every good beginning gives a clue that different things might happen.
Kazakhstan will celebrate the New Year by fulfilling a cherished ambition: on January 1 it assumes the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But an OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, held in Athens December 1-2, offered a stark reminder that doubts remain over Kazakhstan's suitability for the job, due to its controversial record on political and democratic freedoms.

Human rights groups have expressed concern that Kazakhstan will take the chair of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) next month.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) encouraged Kazakhstan to continue its efforts to diversify its economy and stop relying on commodity prices as an engine for economic growth, visiting EBRD executive said.