The results of a recent European opinion poll commissioned by the Eurasian Council on Foreign Affairs show some positive trends in the perception of Kazakhstan in five...
ASTANA – The upcoming Bolashak Alumni Reunion Conference and Education Fair 2014 is drawing the support from some of the very universities whose support is critical for...
ASTANA – The capital’s football club Astana defeated Kaisar from Kyzylorda 3-0 on Nov. 1 to capture their first Kazakhstan national title early with one game left...
The genesis of the book An Illustrated History of Kazakhstan: Asia’s Heartland in Context was an exhibition titled “Nomads and Networks: The Ancient Art and Culture of...
ASTANA – Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Kairat Kelimbetov predicted an increase in the country’s gross domestic product of up to 5 percent at the...
The Astana Barys hockey team recently wrapped up a tour of the North-Western countries of the Continental Hockey League (KHL), which included matches against Finland’s Jokerit, Latvia’s...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s multi-vector foreign policy has long roots in history, as Kazakhs throughout time have been hospitable and giving. Even today, the country maintains a balanced...
ASTANA – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov reported on the draft law “On Official Development Assistance” at the plenary session of the Mazhilis (lower...
ASTANA – American filmmakers Andrea Meditch and Lisa Olken are travelling through Kazakhstan as part of the American Film Showcase programme, participating in the red carpet premiere...
The Astana Ballet wrapped up its 2014 world tour recently with a performance of “Alem” in Seoul, South Korea. The tour included performances at the Mariinsky Theatre...
WASHINGTON – The challenges and opportunities of regional integration in Central Asia were recently brought back to light at an international conference, which gathered U.S. government officials,...
ASTANA – The Kazakh government has developed a plan to increase the competitiveness of the country’s light industry while enhancing its social efficiency from 2015 to 2019,...
DUBAI – President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s efforts to promote Islamic finance and banking were rewarded Oct. 28 when he received the Global Islamic Finance Award (GIFA) at the...
The third Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) took place in Macau on Oct. 27 and 28. Kazakhstan’s delegation, headed by First Deputy Foreign Minister Rapil Zhoshybayev, reported...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund will redistribute responsibilities within the fund and change its portfolio structure and approach to investment as part of its...
BOSTON – Prahim, a youth dance and vocal group comprised of talented Jewish teenagers from Kazakhstan, has been performing in New England as part of a delegation...
ASTANA – The question of whether or not hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics would be good for Kazakhstan has been much debated in social media as the...
Kazakhstan and Japan signed an agreement on the encouragement and mutual protection of investments at the fifth Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Astana on Oct. 23....
ASTANA – An international library, a concept sparked by a former cellmate of Nelson Mandela, was opened Oct. 21 at the Kazakh Humanities and Law University (KAZGUU)....
A new park zone is planned for Astana between Zhaukazyn and Makatayev streets on the left bank of the Yessil River. The tender for park construction was...
A new plan to develop the western Kazakhstan city of Aktobe was approved by the maslikhat (regional assembly) during its 27th session on Oct. 15. The plan...
“Nagima,” a film by Kazakh director Zhanna Issabayeva, was presented during the recently completed BFI London Film Festival 2014. The heart-breaking story tells the tale of two...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan “welcomes the holding of elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Oct. 26 this year,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in...
Chinese and South Korean companies are said to plan to invest in a recently opened special economic zone, the Taraz Chemical Park, which was initiated by the...
Kazakh artist and winner of several international art awards Bolat Mekebayev, who now lives and works in Germany, bemused spectators with his honest and vivid paintings during...
Kа-226Т helicopters are expected to be constructed at Almaty-based aircraft repair plant No. 405, said Plant Director Konstantin Ushakov. The announcement was made by the Ministry of...
The Astana Times recently interviewed Kazakh Ambassador to Brazil Bakytzhan Ordabayev who also represents the country in Argentina and Chile. How do you assess the current status...
Since the most recent visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Indonesia in 2012, Kazakhstan and Indonesia have seen a trade surge that has tripled the two...
As part of Kazakhstan Culture Weeks being held in France, the “Abai” opera was performed at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees by Abai Kazakh State Academic Theater of...
ASTANA – A new book edited by Hong Kong-based writer Jeremy Tredinnick collects essays, photographs, maps, artefacts and other visual and textual information to illuminate the historical...
ASTANA – The 6th Economic Forum of national business, Expert-200-Kazakhstan, will take place at the Radisson Hotel Astana on Nov. 14, 2014. The forum is the final...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is keen to strengthen the United Nations further and is willing to assist in expanding its presence in the country, including through the establishment...
Almaty is preparing to host 683 weightlifters from 75 countries for the Weightlifting World Championship Nov. 8-16 which will determine the strongest men and women on earth...
Some of the best fighters from 35 countries will battle to win the first Kazakh kuresy (Kazakh wrestling) international title in Pavlodar on Oct. 25 in a...
ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced on Oct. 22 that next year Kazakhstan will celebrate the 550th anniversary of Kazakh statehood. “In 1465, Kerey and...
ASTANA – More than 200 participants discussed conceptual and logistical details related to EXPO 2017 at the first International Planning Meeting (IPM) and the Future Energy Forum...
ASTANA – Following the release last week by the New York Post, among other media outlets, of a video claiming to show a bride-kidnapping in Kazakhstan’s Akmola...
ASTANA – Based on the annual increase of more than 100,000 claims filed with the courts during the last five years, Kazakhstan citizens appear to have a...
In the first 20 years of independence, Kazakhstan has had many successes and, among its most recent, has been in the field of cardio vascular surgery. Heart...
As the proverb goes, “the first impressions are the most lasting.” For the first time this year, representatives of Kazakhstan’s civil society attended the Asia-Europe People’s Forum...
“Within the privatisation programme, three companies of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy were sold for 2.6 billion tenge ,” the Samruk Kazyna National Welfare Fund press service noted...
Young and talented people from other countries will be encouraged to move into Kazakhstan, Minister of Health and Social Development Tamara Duissenova said. “One of the directions...
“The Western Europe-Western China transport corridor plans to add a branch to the countries of the Persian Gulf. The branch will start from the territory of Kazakhstan....
According to Karim Kokrekbayev, Akim (Governor) of the Zhambyl region, meat production is expected increase to 82,000 tonnes – by 40 percent – in the region by...
A multi-vector foreign policy has always been a priority for Kazakhstan. Since independence, the government has signed a multitude of treaties establishing partnerships and working relations with...
ASTANA – China’s main broadcaster, China Central TV6, has completed a documentary about Kazakhstan, the China Movie Channel reported. The five twenty-minute episodes will unveil Kazakh cuisine,...
SHYMKENT – An exhibition centre housing artefacts from archaeological sites in the region, including important early written texts, has been opened at the South Kazakhstan State Pedagogical...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s paralympians won one gold, four silver and four bronze medals over two days at the Incheon 2014 Asian Para Games. On Oct. 20, Anuar...
ASTANA – The first European Laser Eye Surgery Centre has opened in Astana at the Republican Diagnostic Center (RDC), in collaboration with the Slovakian Oftum Clinic, with...
Gennady G. Golovkin of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, knocked out Marco Antonio Rubio of Mexico in round two of an Oct. 19 bout in Carson, California to win the...
ASTANA – The Astana Marriott Hotel launched its new Sunday brunch on Oct. 19 in the hotel’s Aroma Restaurant. Brunches will be held every third Sunday of...
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) commended Astana’s preparations for EXPO 2017 as a Kazakh delegation led by First Deputy Foreign Minister and EXPO 2017 Commissioner Rapil...
MILAN – Kazakhstan has officially joined the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), a key forum for dialogue and cooperation between the two continents, and took part in the 10th...
ASTANA – Photographer Dieter Seitz, whose work focuses on people and cultural issues, has chosen Kazakhstan to be the subject of a multi-year photo project exploring its...
ALMATY – International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach called Almaty and Kazakhstan’s application to host the 2022 Winter Olympics “very solid and competitive” during an Oct. 11-12...
TheUN Climate Summit in New York marked a high point in political mobilisation for climate, with over 120 countries represented at the highest level. The summit should...
ASTANA – The regional administrations (maslikhats) of Kazakhstan elected 16 new senators on Oct. 1 in a process that unfolded largely without incident, reported Central Election Commission...
Students from Shymkent Aliya Tugelbai and Bakbergen Saparov were recognised among participants from 35 countries during the recent 18th To Save and To Reserve International Ecological Festival...
SHYMKENT Scientific projects related to EXPO 2017 developed by students of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, including a playground that produces electricity, were presented during a recent festival in...
Cutout: Petrochemical cluster in region relies on foreign expertise and investments. PAVLODAR – Nurlan Kapparov, head of Kazatomprom, the national atomic company, and Kanat Bozumbayev, Akim (Governor)...
ASTANA – Latvian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Juris Maklakovs will wrap up his embassy’s turn as NATO point of contact in Kazakhstan at the end of this year,...
Peugeot plans to begin production on two new cars in Kostanai that will be available for sale as early as spring 2015, according to the website of...
Kazakhstan’s former world champion and top judoka Maxim Rakov won gold in the men’s under 100 kilogrammes category at the season-ending Asian leg of the International Judo Federation’s...
Kazakhstan’s performance at the 17th Asian Games in South Korea in early October was further evidence of the country’s growing reputation as a sporting nation. Of the...
ASTANA – Earth is our Home, the programme for Kazakh water resources management, was launched on Oct. 8. As part of this project, international organisations represented by...
Almaty’s renowned outdoor skating rink Medeo opened its doors for the season on Oct. 4. Medeo is located 1,691 metres above sea level, which makes it the...
ASTANA – Professional and amateur musicians participated in an Oct. 4 Dombyra party musical event at the new National Museum of Kazakhstan to promote the traditions of...
Almaty boxer Isa Akberbayev knocked out Geovanni Sarran from Palmdale, California, in Santa Monica on Oct. 1 in round four to continue his professional 13-win career streak....
Senator Nurlan Orazalin requested during an Oct. 2 plenary session with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan that social programmes and housing support be provided...
The northern Caspian Sea may contain large amounts of previously unexplored oil reserves, the Kazakh Ministry of Energy announced on Oct. 1. “Computer simulations of 15 sedimentary...
MINSK – Illustrating the growing pull of the yet-to-be-launched Eurasian Economic Union, Armenia joined the group at a meeting of the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan...
ASTANA – The Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund officially unveiled its transformation programme Oct. 6. The programme is designed to help modernise Kazakhstan’s economy and bring an...
ASTANA – The governments in the region and Kazakhstan’s government, in particular, are working to improve service delivery and are reviewing European best practices, experts involved in...
BRUSSELS – Kazakhstan and the European Union completed talks over an expanded Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in Brussels on Oct. 9 during the visit of the...
During his working visit to the Mangistau Region on Oct. 1, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev had a meeting with entrepreneurs and members of the public sector where...
“A Dream,” an art exhibition opened recently in Arman cinema hall in Almaty, displays paintings created by children who are suffering from leukemia and angiostaxis. The children...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s hosting of the recent third Global E-Government Forum under the auspices of the United Nations is part of the country’s effort to develop an...
Kazakhstan is a country on the move. It is an unmistakable impression one gets from hearing scholars, diplomats and businessmen visiting Washington. Time and again one finds...
ASTANA – The government of Kazakhstan is moving to address the growing problem of electronic waste through training programmes, technology disposal receptacles and awareness-raising events, and private...
Twenty adventurers are in the midst of a cross-country expedition to increase patriotic feelings among Kazakh youth and popularise the beauty and distinctive character of the country....
ASTANA – In an interview with this newspaper, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Rapil Zhoshybayev addressed a number of topics, including the process to...
BRUSSELS –Kazakhstan’s government is committed to creating stable and predictable conditions for European investors that enhance the diversity of Kazakhstan’s economy while the country is in the...
Almaty visitors and residents were able to sample some of the best of Frenchcuisine during the Sept. 26-28 Festival de la Gastronomie Francaise. The festival was held...
ASTANA – An international television series that, in part, features Kazakhstan as the backdrop for the adventures of the great explorer Marco Polo is set to premiere...
ASTANA – Voicing support for the new Asian security concept proposed by China, Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov called for more contact between members, more organisational institutions...
The Astana-based rock band, The Redlights, won the grand prix at Indyushata 2014, the rock music festival that took place in September. The musicians performed seven music...
Latvian hockey star and Astana Barys player Oskars Baruis recently played his first match with Barys against Metallurg from Novokuznetsk. Following the match, Bartulis spoke with The...
More than 150 dogs from eight regions were inspected for their hunting merits on Sept. 22 in the Malaya Timofeevka village near Astana. The inspection was organised...
I am delighted to be making my first visit to Kazakhstan, a country with which the U.K. has a rapidly growing bilateral relationship. It is also my...
In my new book, “Kazakhstan’s Emerging Economy: Between State and Market,” I study the type of market economy that has evolved in Kazakhstan since 1991 by focusing...
The presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia launched a new hydrocarbon development initiative as they met in Atyrau, Kazakhstan on Sept. 30. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev met...
ASTANA – The Kazakh government has agreed to provide $14 million in funding over the next three and a half years to support the Regional Civil Service...
The presidents of the five Caspian littoral states reached several important agreements, including an agreement on the conservation of marine resources, on their way to settling the...
ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has arranged a financing package of $200 for private oil company KOM Munai to finance new environmentally...
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund is moving forward with its plans to sell a sizable part of the enterprises it controls to the private...
The recent commissioning of the Zhezkazgan-Beineu and Arkalyk-Shubarkol railways, as well as the upcoming launch of the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railroad, draw a line under the key stage of...
Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s recent interview with Khabar TV at the foothills of Ulytau, a sacred mountain in Kazakh lore, covered a broad and in-depth list of...
ASTANA – Qazaq qyzy (Kazakh girl), the first women’s institute of cultural and moral education, opened its doors on Sept. 18. The institute aims to provide behavioural...