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Israeli President Herzog Visits Kazakhstan, Highlights AI, Smart City

4/29/2026

Summary

Herzog Visits Kazakhstan

Israel President Isaac Herzog visited Kazakhstan on April 28, 2026, meeting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Jewish leaders.
He attended a service at Astana’s Beit Rachel Synagogue with Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen, Rabbi Shmuel Karnauch and shluchim.
He toured the Alem.ai AI center hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, calling AI a great revolution for sustainability.
He and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inspected the Astana Smart City project and received a memento from shluchim.

Summary

Herzog Avoids Turkey

Leaders discussed direct flights and a double-taxation treaty to boost bilateral trade.
Kazakhstan’s rare-earth mining output surged nearly five-fold by 2024, a sector vital for computer microchips.
In 2023, Kazakhstan supplied 42 % of Israel’s crude oil, the largest share from any single source.
Isaac Herzog (President of Israel)’s flight made a three-hour detour to avoid Turkish airspace after Turkey’s August 2025 ban on Israeli official flights.

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Herzog Visits Kazakhstan

Israel President Isaac Herzog visited Kazakhstan on April 28, 2026, meeting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Jewish leaders.
He attended a service at Astana’s Beit Rachel Synagogue with Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen, Rabbi Shmuel Karnauch and shluchim.
He toured the Alem.ai AI center hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, calling AI a great revolution for sustainability.
He and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inspected the Astana Smart City project and received a memento from shluchim.

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