US secures 49-year land lease in Almaty for $25.3 million

The U.S. will lease a land plot in Kazakhstan for 49 years at a cost of $25.3 million to construct its Consulate General in Almaty, according to Akan Rakhmetullin, Kazakhstan’s vice minister of foreign affairs.

On March 26, the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, reviewed a draft law granting the U.S. government a lease for the consular premises in Almaty.

«Following the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, the head of state instructed that the U.S. Consulate in Almaty be established. To implement this directive, an agreement was signed in New York on Sept. 27, 2024, to lease a land plot to the U.S. Under the agreement, a 70,500-square-meter (7.05-hectare) plot — located between Zhamakaev Street, Aldar Kose Street, Al-Farabi and Seifullin Avenues — will be leased for 49 years,» Rakhmetullin said.

He added that once the agreement takes effect, the U.S. will make a one-time payment of $25.3 million within 30 days of its ratification.

Later, speaking on the sidelines of the Mazhilis, Rakhmetullin clarified that the payment will be made over 49 years, provided all conditions of the agreement are met.