Islamic Organisation for Food Security office to open by end of year

ASTANA – The office of the Islamic Organisation for Food Security will open in Astana by the end of the year, Kazakh Vice Minister of National Economy Yernar Bakenov...


Shymkent refinery completes first stage modernisation

On June 30, the Shymkent Refinery commissioned a large process facility, which is the isomerisation unit for light gasoline fractions with a pre-hydrotreating block and produced the first certified...


Kazakhstan has huge tourism potential, says UNWTO Secretary General

ASTANA – World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said during the June 26-27 “Tourism and Future Energy: Unlocking low-carbon growth opportunities” conference in Astana that Kazakhstan has great...


Kazakhstan population reaches 18 million

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced at the recent Fifth World Kurultai of Kazakhs that Kazakhstan’s population had reached 18 million. “In 1991, when Kazakh independence was declared,...


Astana hosts ethnic music festival

ASTANA – Tamikrest gave a concert featuring incredible guitar mastery as part of their world tour June 24 during the Spirit of Astana, an ethnic music festival held in...


EXPO 2017 features nightly music, laser shows and dancing

ASTANA – EXPO 2017 features nightly music, laser shows and dancing featuring more than 150 performers. All of the artists are local and were chosen during a casting call...


Italian engineering companies eye benefit of EXPO 2017 meetings

ASTANA – Italy and Kazakhstan have been loyal trade partners for more than 25 years and the business council established in 2007 provided insight into the economies and needs...


Serbians celebrate National Day as part of EXPO 2017, promote energy for all concept

ASTANA – Serbia marked its National Day June 28 with cultural events and films about the country, as well as an entertainment programme with stars such as Jela Cello...


Kazakh Senate elections fair and transparent, say international observers

ASTANA – Sixteen senators representing 14 regions as well as Astana and Almaty were elected June 28 to the upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament in elections which international...


Ancient Egyptian artefact exhibit opens in Astana

ASTANA – An exhibit featuring the Tutankhamun collection and artefacts of ancient Egypt opened June 24 at the National Museum of Kazakhstan, giving locals and guests the chance to...


Air Astana named Best Airline in Central Asia and India

ASTANA – Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, won the Best Airline in Central Asia and India award at the June 20 Skytrax World Airline Awards at the Le Bourget...


Duke of Gloucester unveils British pavilion at EXPO 2017

ASTANA – Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester officially opened June 26 the British national pavilion at EXPO 2017 as part of the National Day of Great Britain in Kazakhstan....


Celebrating U.S.-Kazakhstan Ties at World EXPO 2017

This year America’s Fourth of July Independence celebration will be shared with hundreds of other countries and countless guests on the other side of the world at EXPO 2017...


Kazakhstan finds its future without losing its past

As a country, Kazakhstan has set its sights firmly on the future. The continued modernisation of the economy and society is rightly seen as essential to provide our citizens...


Book on Kazakh President’s peacemaking initiatives presented in Astana

ASTANA – Prominent Kazakh diplomat Nurlan Onzhanov presented his book “Peacemaker: The Syrian Knot” during a June 29 international conference commemorating the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s diplomatic service. Foreign...


Int’l expert community addresses risks of chronic non-communicable diseases

ASTANA – The international conference “Modern Approaches in Managing Socially Significant Diseases. Diabetes Mellitus” addressed June 28 the prevalence and risk factors of chronic non-communicable diseases, in particular diabetes,...


Foreign policy experts praise 25 years of Kazakh diplomacy

ASTANA –Diplomats, politicians and diplomacy experts from Kazakhstan and abroad praised the country’s quarter-century of diplomatic efforts at a June 29 conference in Astana held on the eve of...


Liquefied petroleum gas becoming very popular among Kazakh drivers

ASTANA – Kazakhstan drivers continue to convert their vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption. In 2016, LPG sales increased by 43 percent, while gasoline sales fell by 5...


Kazakhstan and America at the Creation

From the outset of its modern independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has been a close and valued American partner. I will share with you a personal perspective on how the...


Prosecutor General’s Office introduces crime activity map

ASTANA – An interactive crime map on the basis of Krisha.kz, an online home search service, was launched June 20 with the participation of Legal Statistics and Special Records...


Astana moving closer to becoming smart city

ASTANA – The idea of smart cities is gaining ground around the world, and specifically in Kazakhstan, which intends to keep up with the trend. With the capital’s intention...


AllurGroup ships first batch of Kazakh-manufactured cars to Tajikistan

ASTANA – AllurGroup shipped June 24 the first batch of 55 Chinese-designed JAC cars worth almost $600,000 to Tajikistan, according to the company’s website. “The instrument of export trade...


Gas exchange trading to begin in Eurasian Economic Union

ASTANA – The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is set to start a roadmap launching gas exchange trading in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The decision was announced at the...


Kazakhstan creating criminal DNA database

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has begun creating a DNA database of individuals who have committed serious crimes, said Astana Institute of Forensic Expertise biological and chemical examination laboratory head Inkar...


EBRD supports inclusive economic development in Kazakhstan’s remote regions

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced plans to promote its economic inclusion strategy by signing a new investment project in the capital June 22...


U.S.-Kazakhstan relations: a case for people-to-people diplomacy

If you ask American ambassadors what resources and program they cannot do without, almost every single one will answer, “Our exchange programs that provide people-to-people experiences”. Encouraging people-to-people programmes...


Neighbours, parties to conflict in Syria discuss terrorism, reaching solution at Eurasian Media Forum

ASTANA – Representatives of different sides in the Syrian crisis were joined by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria and the role of...


Kazakh, Hungarian foreign ministers discuss cooperation

ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto discussed bilateral relations and international issues June 26 in Astana. Abdrakhmanov noted...


Surge in Diplomacy, Action in Mediation

The fourth edition of the Istanbul Conference on Mediation will take place on June 30 with the theme of “Surge in Diplomacy, Action in Mediation.” Experts, diplomats, practitioners and...


After a quarter-century, Kazakhstan’s foreign service has much to be proud of

Since the dawn of independence, consistency, predictability and the multi-vector character of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy under the leadership of its First President, Nursultan Nazarbaev, have been its unique features,...


More than 300,000 people have attended EXPO 2017 in two weeks, numbers keep growing

ASTANA – More than 300,000 people have visited EXPO 2017 since its opening, said Astana EXPO 2017 National Company Chairperson Akhmetzhan Yessimov at a June 23 media forum. “The...


Astana offers audio tours

ASTANA – Free walking tours with a help of audio guide were recently launched at the Nurzhol Boulevard and the embankment of the Yessil River, according to the Astana...


FC Astana to start UEFA Champions League qualification in Latvia

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s football clubs are set to start qualification rounds in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League in July. The four teams representing the nation...


Modernisation of social and cultural spheres: global experiences and Kazakhstan

Systemic modernisation implies a whole range of economic, cultural, social, political and other transformations aimed at integrating a nation into the progressive course of global development. Though it is...


National Bank chief lays out plans to improve banking sector

ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NB) recently announced the conditions for the shareholders on the mandatory injection of funds into the capital. This was stated during the...


Kazakhstan continues with green energy investments

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has continued investments in renewable energy sources and will to expand these volumes as it moves forward. So far, the investment share does not exceed 1...


Kazakh ethno village opens doors to EXPO 2017 tourists

ASTANA – EXPO 2017 guests will have a unique opportunity to explore the ancient culture of nomadic civilisation, as Ethno Auyl (which stands for Ethno Village), an unusual cultural...


EU and Central Asia ministers of education agree to expand cooperation

ASTANA – The Astana Declaration was signed June 23 at the second meeting of European Union (EU) and Central Asia ministers of education at the capital’s Rixos President Hotel...


Jackie Chan didn’t get paid for his trip to Astana

Actor, producer and director Jackie Chan did not ask for a payment nor a rider for his visit to Astana, said Kazakhstan broadcasting station chairperson Yerlan Karin. Karin said...


Part of Chinese Terracotta Warrior Army on display at National Museum of Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Astana visitors and residents have the opportunity to see a part of a unique historical monument that originates from the Chinese Qin dynasty. Four statues of the...


Nazarbayev opens World Kurultai of Kazakhs in Astana

ASTANA – Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened June 23 the fifth World Kurultai of Kazakhs in Astana, which takes place in the capital within the framework of EXPO 2017....


EXPO 2017 opens to success, offers path to the future

With EXPO now well under way, there are clear signs of lessons from the past few decades underpinning the objectives of this event. Hosting EXPO has, for instance, enabled...


New street named after Tatar Queen unveiled in Astana

ASTANA – President of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Astana Akim (Mayor) Asset Issekeshev participated in the June 12 opening ceremony of the street named after Kazan...


Finnair launches direct Helsinki-Astana flights

ASTANA – Finnair launched June 19 direct Helsinki-Astana-Helsinki flights. The flights will be Mondays and Fridays on modern Airbus 319 airliners.   The new flights initiate a partnership between...


American gives impressions of EXPO 2017 and personal ideas behind power of blogging

ASTANA – What is this trend known as blogging? What is its main aim compared to how corporate journalists write on a day-to-day base? Are they the independent media...


Eurasian Media Forum discusses media’s role in a changing world

ASTANA – More than 600 delegates from 60 countries gathered June 22-24 near the site of EXPO 2017 for the 14th Eurasian Media Forum (EAMF) to discuss the media’s...


ASTANA TOWER Business Center awarded BREEAM In-Use Excellent rating

Astana Tower Ishletme LLP announces that the ASTANA TOWER Business Center has obtained a BREEAM In-Use certification applied to existing non-residential buildings. The first A class office building met high international...


Astana basketball club hires new coach with NBA experience

ASTANA – Kostas Flevarakis has been hired as the new coach of BC Astana, Kazakhstan’s premier basketball team. He will replace Greek compatriot Ilias Papatheodorou, who guided the team...


Kazakh Foreign Investors Council discusses future energy in Astana

ASTANA – The 30th plenary session of the Foreign Investors Council under the President of Kazakhstan took place June 22 in Astana, bringing nearly 300 participants to the capital,...


Sanofi focuses on 5 key areas in Central Asia: diabetes, cardiovascular, consumer healthcare, vaccines and rare diseases

ASTANA – Sanofi, one of the world’s five largest pharmaceutical companies, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Kazakhstan this year. In an exclusive interview with The Astana Times, Central...