Proud Day for Kazakhstan and A New Step Forward for Our Nation

Today is a proud day for Kazakhstan. In the midst of uncertain times for the country, the region and the world economy, the people of Kazakhstan have again demonstrated...


Int’l Observers Commend Transparency of Early Presidential Election

ASTANA – As voting was held throughout the day on April 26, a number of international observers shared their initial impressions with local media. Italian legislator, who recently served...


Polls Close on a Day of Record Voter Turnout

ASTANA – Kazakhs went to the polls in record numbers for the country’s early presidential election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the country has announced: 95.11 percent of...


Kazakh FM Welcomes “A Victory for Stability and Progress”

ASTANA – In remarks to foreign observers and reporters today made as the polls were closing at 8 p.m. Astana time, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Idrissov hailed...


All Three Candidates Vote in Presidential Election, Turnout at 41.69 Percent by Noon

ASTANA – “As of 12 p.m. , 41.69 percent of registered voters have voted,” Central Electoral Commission (CEC) member Tatyana Okhlopkova announced to the media shortly after one...


Voting Begins Across Kazakhstan As Nation Elects President

ASTANA – Polling stations opened across the eastern part of Kazakhstan at 07.00 am Astana time, and one hour later they opened in the country’s another time zone in...


President Calls Upon Citizens to Use Their Voting Rights

ASTANA – Ahead of what is termed the “day of silence,” when the law explicitly bans campaigning and electioneering one day prior to the election, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan...


Public Commission to Deploy 10,000 Observers on Election Day

ASTANA – The National Public Commission for Control of Elections has promised to recruit the single largest group of observers, up to 10,000 well-trained individuals, for the April 26...


Is There a Need for Elections in Central Asia?

In early spring of 2015, an intense political season opened in Central Asia, with three out of five post-Soviet republics in the region holding nationwide elections. Parliamentary elections in...


Assembly of People of Kazakhstan Seeks to Strengthen Interethnic Harmony

ASTANA – The 22nd session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK) was held at the Palace of Peace and Accord April 23 under the chairmanship of...


CEC Working to Reach All of Kazakhstan

ASTANA – The Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan (CEC) is conducting a large-scale outreach campaign to reach each and every citizen of the country during the presidential election campaign. ...


Historic Scenes, Retro Military Equipment to be Presented in Victory Parade

Retro military equipment, much of which is currently exhibited as monuments in different cities throughout Kazakhstan, will line the streets of Astana May 7 as part of the military...


Government Innovation Expert Says E-Government Advancing

Improving public services online in Kazakhstan and making sure that they are freely accessible has become one of the most important strategic objectives set bythe country’s President, Nursultan Nazarbayev....


Two New Subway Stations Open in Almaty

ASTANA – Two new subway stations opened in Almaty on April 18, and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev was among the first to take a ride.  The new Moscow...


April 26 Election to Serve as Another Test of Kazakhstan’s Democracy

Three days are left until the key event of Kazakhstan’s political life over the last four years. More than 9 million citizens are registered to vote in the presidential...


Solar Power Plant Construction Begins in South Kazakhstan

German company Promondis Kazakhstan recently began construction of the country’s largest solar power plant with a total capacity of 75 MW in South Kazakhstan, according to the regional akimat...


Samruk Kazyna Plans to Open Subsidiary in Silicon Valley

The Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund plans to establish a subsidiary in Silicon Valley, California. A working group consisting of the heads of a number of Samruk Kazyna companies,...


$50 Million Wind Farm to be Built in East Kazakhstan by 2016

ASTANA – A new wind farm with 16 turbines and generating 78MW of power will be built in the Tainty Ulan district of East Kazakhstan this year. All the...


National Hockey Team Dominates in First Two Group Games

Kazakhstan’s national hockey team has made a confident start in the first division of the world championships in Krakow, Poland. In their first two games in Group A, Kazakhstan...


First Stage Completed in Steppe Eagle 2015 Peacekeeping Exercise

ASTANA – The first phase of the Steppe Eagle 2015 peacekeeping exercises was completed April 6-17 at Iliskiy training area near Almaty, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defence press...


Astana Arlans Beat Argentina Condors, Extend Undefeated Streak to 13

The Astana Arlans continued their domination of Group B of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) by knocking out the Argentina Condors 4-1 in an away match on April...


Barys Goalie Achieves Playoff’s Highest Save Percentage

The seventh season of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) wrapped up on April 19 with the premier Gagarin Cup going to SKA Saint Petersburg. The club from Russia’s second...


Floods in Karaganda Draw Unprecedented Outpouring of Popular Support, Civil Activism

ASTANA – Man is often powerless in combating natural disasters. Theseevents oftenoccur without warning, which sometimes means big losses, endangered lives and property destruction. Last week’s floods in the...


Eurasian Economic Union Minister Discusses Competition, Antitrust Regulatons

Nurlan Aldabergenov is the minister for competition and antitrust regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission. The creation of a supranational antimonopoly body on Jan. 1 established the legal base...


Three Presidential Candidates Continue Campaigns across Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Presidential candidates Abelgazy Kussainov, incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev and Turgun Syzdykov and their campaigns are continuing election canvassing across Kazakhstan. This week, self-nominated candidate Abelgazy Kussainov visited a...


Iran at the Crossroads

Despite the diplomatic success achieved in the talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group in March, the situation surrounding Iran is still uncertain. Presently, the Iranian issue is one...


New Research Finds Majority of Kazakhs Think Country Is Moving in Right Direction, Ready for Election

ASTANA – New research conducted by U.K. market research agency Ipsos MORI with Kazakh adults shows that a large majority of citizens of the country believe the country is...


Bike Away the ATOMIC Bomb Calls for Progress at NPT Review Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 21, the Bike Away the Atomic Bomb riders began their journey from Washington, D.C. to New York in another push to a global drive...


Newest Trends and Challenges in Occupational Health to Be Discussed at KIOSH 2015 in Astana

ASTANA – Astana will host the fifth annual Kazakhstan International Occupational Safety and Health (KIOSH) Conference on April 28–29. KIOSH aims at reducing the rate of injuries and accidents...


Kazakh Weightlifters Win Four Medals at World Youth Championship

Kazakh weightlifters earned four medals at the April 8-12 World Youth Championship in Lima, Peru.   Igor Song and Tatyana Kapustina won gold medals, Aigerim Aulbek took silver and...


Kazakhstan Responds to Syrian Opposition Negotiation Request, Supports Continued Dialogue

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the country did receive a request from some quarters of the Syrian opposition to provide a platform for dialogue in the...


Astana’s Rotary Club Launches

ASTANA – Astana’s Rotary Club has now become operational, marking their launch with an opening ceremony in the capital’s Hilton Garden Inn on April 16. The humanitarian club has...


Astana Piano Festival Supports Young Musicians

ASTANA – The third international classical music festival and young pianist contest directed by Denis Matsuev, a world-famous musician and People’s Artist of Russia, will take place from April...


Celebrating APK’s 20th Anniversary is as Much About the Past as it is About the Future

It would be no surprise if there was some bewilderment from those outside our country at the prominence given to the 20th anniversary of the Assembly of the People...


KazGeo Expedition Succeeds in Reaching North Pole on Skis

ASTANA – The first Kazakhstan ski expedition to the North Pole has conquered the extreme northern tip of the world on April 15 and planted three flags on the...


Cultural, Economic Cooperation with UNESCO, OECD Discussed during Top Level Visit to Paris

ASTANA – Gulshara Abdykalikova, Kazakhstan’s secretary of state, discussed potential avenues for expanding the country’s economic and cultural cooperation with international organisations during her visit to Paris on April...


Astana Theatre Production to Highlight Friendships between Country’s Ethnic Groups

Kazakh Auenderi, a national concert company, will produce a theatrical performance about friendship between different ethnic communities of Kazakhstan, according to  company President Askhat Maemirov who spoke at a...


Autism Resource Centres to Open as Almaty Holds World Autism Awareness Day

Hundreds of blue balloons were released into the sky to draw attention to the Light Up Blue campaign to mark United Nations Autism Awareness Day on April 2 in...


Cheap Loans to be Available for Kazakh-Made Car Purchases

ASTANA – Cheap loans to purchase Kazakh-made cars, with a four percent nominal fee rate and five year maximum loan term, will be available beginning April 20. “As of...


The Short, Colourful Lives of Spring Steppe Flowers

ASTANA – The hardy souls who stick out one of Astana’s long and frigid winters can count on at least one reward: when the snows finally melt in April...


Business News in Brief

Acting Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft Kazakhstan Marat Malatayev reported April 15 that the company is currently considering the issues for Euro-4 domestic refineries gasoline quality in 2016....


Economic News in Brief

Chairman of the Committee on Statistics of the Ministry of National Economy Alikhan Smailov spoke at an April 15 media briefing about the main indicators of Kazakh socio-economic development....


External News in Brief

Over the past 10 years, Kazakhstan has invested $900 million in Singapore’s economy, while the inflow of direct investment from Singapore into Kazakhstan’s economy amounted to more than $60...


National News in Brief

All necessary measures are being taken in Kazakhstan to develop the languages of various ethnic groups living in the nation, said Deputy Prime Minister Berdibek Saparbayev at a recent...


Kazakhstan, Turkey Discuss Regional, International Cooperation

ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Akorda presidential residence on April 16. The two presidents discussed strengthening cooperation in trade, the...


Kazakh-Specific Keyboards Expected by End of 2015

A recently patented keyboard with comfortable positioning of Kazakh letters will be produced in Almaty and is expected by the end of the year, according to project curator Medet...


New Social Network Meant to Increase Kazakh Law, Financial Knowledge

ASTANA – A new website, www.1ccc.kz, has been created by the Financial Academy to increase Kazakh citizens’ understanding of the law and financial literacy. “The social network is a...


Almaty to Host Sixth French Film Festival

ALMATY – The latest sophisticated, vibrant and daring films from France will be showcased beginning April 23 during the sixth French film festival “Le cinéma français aujourd’hui.” The four-day event,...


Development Assistance Key to Eliminating Support for Extremists

As we look around the world, violent extremism and terrorism has never been a greater threat. In parts of the Middle East and Africa, for example, it has fuelled...


Chinese Company Plans to Construct New Oil Refinery in Mangistau

The Chinese company CITIC, which recently launched the first bitumen plant in Mangistau, is planning to finance the construction of a new oil refinery in the region, according to...