Kazakhstan: Building Democratic Institutions for Future Generations By Vladimir Socor, Richard Weitz, and Daniel Witt

Kazakhstan’s March 20 parliamentary elections provide an important opportunity to advance the country’s democratic development in a manner that benefits Kazakh and U.S. interests. Election observers from the authoritative...


Kazakhstan’s Most Popular Cars

ASTANA – Big city streets are full of beautiful brand new and luxury cars. The growing wealth of many Kazakh citizens is not hidden and can be easily seen...


Almaty, China Representatives Discuss City-Country Relations

An official meeting with a Chinese delegation from the Hubei province headed by Vice Governor Gan Zhunkun was held in the Almaty city akimat (administration) on March 15, reported...


March 20 Election to Mark Next Step towards Kazakhstan’s Democratic Future

As the country heads into the parliamentary election on March 20, the expectation evident throughout the nation serves as a reminder of not only how far our country has...


Italy to Export More Brands to Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Over the last two years, Italian export to Kazakhstan increased 64 percent, according to acting Honorary Consul of Italy in Almaty Pietro Calà, reported Kapital.kz. The country...


Plastic Surgery in Kazakhstan Growing in Expertise, Popularity

ASTANA – Plastic surgery in Kazakhstan is well developed and becoming more and more popular and affordable. Eyelid surgeries lead the list. The prevalence of the procedures was discussed...


Kazakhstan among Top Five Countries with Most Investment from China in 2015

ASTANA – Kazakhstan was among the top five countries that drew the largest Chinese investment in 2015, reported the Xinhua news agency with reference to the Chinese Ministry of...


Six Kazakh Parties Meet in Electoral Debate Broadcast Nationwide

ASTANA – Representatives of the six parties running for seats in Kazakhstan’s lower chamber of Parliament took part in an electoral debate March 16 shown on one of the country’s...


Kazakh Plant Announces Readiness to Develop Sea Bottom Mines

ASTANA – A Kazakh plant is ready to launch the production of sea bottom mines at the request of the country’s Armed Forces. The Ziksto company plans to develop...


Country’s First Ammunition Factory Launches Operations

ASTANA – On March 14, Kazakh Minister of Defence Imangali Tasmagambetov took part in a ceremony marking the launch of construction of the first cartridge-manufacturing plant in the Sary-Arka...


Kazakh Secretary State Shares Country’s Gender-Sensitive Policies with UN Commission on Women

Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State Gulshara Abdykalikova told the March 14-15 60th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women that her country’s women-oriented and gender-sensitive policies enable...


Chevron-Sponsored Audiobook Application Brings Kazakh Literature to Smartphones and Tablets

Chevron and Wikibilim Public Foundation presented its Audiokitap (which translates as Audiobook) mobile application at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Almaty recently. The application, unique for Kazakhstan, provides a...


Astana Improves Public Transport System

The Astana LRT (light rail transit) recently developed a modernisation programme for the capital transport system for 2015-2019. The company and city administration for public transport and roads conducted...


Kazakhs Out of Davis Cup after Thriller with Djokovic-Led Serbia

In an intriguing confrontation, Team Kazakhstan gave way to Serbia 3-2 in the first leg of the Davis Cup World Group. The match took place March 4-6 in Belgrade....


Kazakhstan Welcomes International Scrutiny of Parliamentary Elections

It may not have the glamour or excitement of the fascinating U.S. Presidential primaries, which are rightly gripping the world, but Kazakhstan goes to the polls this week. The...


Football Season Kicks off in Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, where football is played outside March-November, almost 15,000 spectators witnessed the new season open March 8 at Astana Arena. The Kazakhstan Supercup match pitted two of last...


Kazakh Rider Finishes in Top 10 at UCI World Track Cycling Championships

Kazakhstan national cycling team rider Artyom Zakharov finished in the top 10 at the March 2-6 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, increasing his changes of receiving a bid to...


Kazakhstan Embraces ‘Eat Local’ Movement, First Store of Locally Produced Food Opens

ASTANA – Astana Khalyk Markasy (Astana People’s Brand), the first store featuring food only from local manufacturers opened in the capital on March 5. The supermarket provides the items...


Parties, Observers in Final Preparations for March 20 Elections

ASTANA – The six parties competing for 98 seats in Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis (lower chamber of Parliament) and the 10,825 candidates running for seats in maslikhats (local legislatures) are intensifying...


British Government, Business Leaders Briefed on Progress of Astana Int’l Financial Centre

ASTANA – Governor of Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Kairat Kelimbetov recently shared details about AIFC’s structure with the heads of British government institutions, major investment banks and international...


India, Kazakhstan Nurture Millennia-Long Trade Relationship

ASTANA – Contacts between India and Kazakhstan go back over three millennia, with evidence of trading links between the Indus valley civilisation (3,300–1,300 BC) and the people who inhabited...


25th Anniversary of Shutdown of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site Commemorated with Message to Youth

ASTANA – Antinuclear weapons activists in Karaganda commemorated the 25th anniversary of the shutdown of the Semipalatinsk’s nuclear test site by handing over the World Relay to youth on...


British Telegraph Names 10,000 Tenge Note One of World’s Most Beautiful Bank Notes

ASTANA – The Telegraph has named the 10,000 tenge banknote (2003 series) one of the most beautiful currencies of the world. “The 10,000 tenge banknote issued in Kazakhstan in...


Domestic Enterprises Ready to Supply Textiles to Restaurants, Hotels, Medical Organisations

Secretary of State of Kazakhstan Gulshara Abdykalikova paid a visit to the KazTexExpo automated trade-industrial complex to assess its work in meeting domestic demand for textiles and the role...


Kazakhstan’s Zoos Offer a Slice of the Country’s Wild Side

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has several zoos boasting a huge variety of animals. Almaty, Karaganda and Shymkent provide the opportunity for people to visit, feed and watch the rare creatures...


Elections Are Barometers of Public Opinion, Monitoring Expert Says

The 10-year-old National Public Commission for the Control of Elections (ROKKV) has ramped up its activity in the weeks leading up to Mazhilis (lower chamber of Parliament) and maslikhat...


Almaty’s Winter Universiade 2017 Reaches Record Number of Participating Countries

ALMATY – Fifty-four countries have signed up to participate in Winter University 2017 in Kazakhstan, which is a new record high for participating countries, according to the Organising Committee...


Astana Psychiatrist Discusses Mental Health Issues in the Capital

ASTANA – How the mentally ill are treated in Kazakh society, what mental issues bother capital residents and how to deal with them are topics frequently addressed by Astana’s...


Domestic Satellite KazSat-3 Begins Transmitting OTAU TV Programmes

Kazteleradio  started broadcasting OTAU TV programmes transmitted by the KazSat-3 satellite on March 1st, reported the press service of the KazCosmos National Space Agency. The technical centre of the...


Conference Marks Completion of Civil Service Reform Project

ASTANA – March marks the end of the European Union (EU) project on Civil Service Reform (CSR) and modernising the Kazakh government. The final conference took place in the...


New Law to Reduce Risks for Kazakh Housing Equity Holders

ASTANA – Recent legislation has made the requirements for developers far more stringent. The Kazakh Senate adopted a law “About equity share in housing construction” and the accompanying amendments...


Hundreds Attend Kazakh Food Festival in New York City

The Festival of Kazakh Cuisine took place at the United Nations headquarters in New York March 7-11, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reported. Five well-known chefs from...


Award-Winning Big Cities Producers to Create TV Programme Promoting Ethno-Tourism

ASTANA – Big Cities, winners of last year’s Presidential Award for the highest–rated television programme aired on 24KZ, has announced plans to launch a new programme popularising ethno-tourism. Created...


Transport Officials Discuss Trans-Caspian Int’l Route at Eurasia Rail 2016 Conference

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company Chairman Askar Mamin, Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of Turkey Binali Yildirim and President of Turkish railway company TCDD Omer Yildiz discussed transport...


Women Run About 700,000 Kazakh Enterprises

ASTANA – Atameken Council of Business Women of Kazakhstan Chairperson Lyazzat Ramazanova recently spoke about women’s entrepreneurship in the nation, as well as the possible financing of women’s business...


Opening of Kazakhstan’s First McDonald’s Draws Big Crowds, High Officials

ASTANA – While the opening of a fast-food restaurant is not normally a big deal for most countries, in Kazakhstan, it became quite an event. The launch of the...


Kazakhstan Provides Free Military Armaments, Equipment to Kyrgyzstan

ASTANA – Kazakh Senate members approved the bill “On ratification of the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic for the provision of free military-technical assistance”...


It’s Now or Never to Make the World Gender Equal

Achieving gender equality and eliminating poverty are part of the same battle. As we mark International Women’s Day, let us remember that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development needs...


Astana Arlans Win in Baku Following Defeat in Tashkent

World Series of Boxing (WSB) reigning champions the Astana Arlans continue to defend their title in the league’s sixth season. Last week the Kazakh roster won an important away...


Kazakh Actress Calls for Contributions to Help Return Tugai Deer to Balkhash Lake

ASTANA – Kazakh actress and ambassador for Russia’s World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Kazakhstan Bibigul Aktan has called upon residents of Kazakhstan to take part in a...


Baritone Yevgeny Chainikov Debuts as King of Ethiopia in Verdi’s ‘Aida’

ASTANA – Yevgeny Chainikov, who has a master’s degree in opera singing from Arizona State University and is a laureate of international contests, debuted as Amonasro, King of Ethiopia...


Kazakh Entrepreneurs Use Liquid Nitrogen to Make Ice Cream

Two Almaty businessmen have jumped into the food industry with the idea of making ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Scoopers is the first company in the Commonwealth of Independent...


Kazakh Restaurant in Paris Included in City’s 2016 Michelin Guide

ASTANA – Chez Mademoiselle, a restaurant in the centre of Paris featuring Kazakh, Russian and Central Asian cuisine, has been included in the city’s 2016 Michelin Guide. Fewer than...


Kazakh Parliament Considers Rent Increase for Russian Rented Land

ASTANA – Members of the lower chamber of the Parliament (MPs), the Mazhilis, are discussing ways to raise the yearly rent for Russian military test sites in Kazakhstan, reported...


Nur Otan Party is Most Active in the Media, Election Commission Says

ASTANA – The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kazakhstan recently summed up the intermediate results of monitoring the activeness of political parties in the media. The Nur Otan Democratic...


Poland Is Ready to Demonstrate its Innovative Technologies at EXPO 2017

Poland expressed readiness to present its technologies in renewable and alternative energy sources during an official visit of EXPO 2017 Commissioner and Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Rapil Zhoshybayev...


Women are Important Partners in ‘Family, Community and Country’

In today’s knowledge economy, the most important resource and main driver of prosperity is the talent and energy of a country’s people. So the better a society can maximise...


Kazakh Think Tank Gathers Int’l Experts to Discuss Terrorism, Relations among Powers

ASTANA – New global challenges were discussed by foreign experts March 2 at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KAZISS). Growing strains in relations between world powers and strengthening...


City of Eggs, Buckets, Dollars and Flying Saucers

ASTANA – “Let’s meet near the Egg!” or “I’m in the Lighter!” or “I need a ride to Chupa Chups!” If you ever hear those phrases, don’t worry, you’re...


KazGUU Academic Diplomatic Club Hosts Farewell to UAE, Japanese Ambassadors

ASTANA – The South African Embassy to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway together with the KazGUU Academic Diplomatic Club hosted a farewell...