External News in Brief

During the recent meeting of Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Germany Bolat Nussupov with President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of North Rhine-Westphalia Werner Gehrig, the parties agreed...


Shymkent to Get New Airport Terminal

A new international terminal will be built at Shymkent Airport, it was announced at a meeting of the management of the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and the...


Business News in Brief

Kazakhstan intends to significantly reduce its carbon footprint, Minister of Energy Vladimir Shkolnik said at an April 30 meeting titled “Improving the legislative acts in the sphere of green...


Economic News in Brief

The process of Kazakhstan joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will be completed in a few months, said Director of the WTO office of accession Chiedu Osakwe in a...


National News in Brief

“Kazakhstan has built an effective training system for its athletes that allows them to excel in international competitions,” Vice Minister of Culture and Sports Saken Mussaibekov said at a...


Kazakhstan, China: Close Neighbours that Build Mutually Beneficial Ties

Kazakhstan’s ties with China have been growing exponentially ever since the two countries formed diplomatic relations in 1992. Today, bilateral relations between the two neighbours are flourishing. Whether in...


Int’l Nuclear Disarmament Bike Tour Takes Message to UN Headquarters

NEW YORK – On April 24, a few days before the month-long Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference began here, Bike Away the Atomic Bomb riders completed their ride from...


Astana Opera’s Lead Soloist Performs in Brazil

The Astana Opera’s lead soloist, Medet Chotabaev, successfully concluded a series of performances at the Brazilian Theatro Municipal (Sao Paulo) in Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello, the Astana Opera’s press-service reported....


UNIDO, Eurasian Economic Commission Advance Industrial Development Programme

A joint programme on innovative development, technology transfer, capacity building support for business infrastructure, industrial parks and clusters as well as trade capacity and export support between the United...


Astana Mayor Wants Taxi Drivers at Airport to Speak Three Languages

ASTANA – Akim (Mayor) of Astana Adilbek Dzhaksybekov recently instructed taxi drivers officially serving Astana International Airport to be taught Kazakh and English, reported the official website of the...


UNDP, Government Work to Build Wildlife Management Capacity, Hunting Tourism

ASTANA – Huge, sparsely populated, with sprawling wilderness areas, Kazakhstan seems brimming with potential as a hunting destination, especially given its own hunting traditions (and the population’s abiding love...


Kazakh, Turkish Businessmen Cut Deals at Istanbul Building Materials Expo

Kazakh and Turkish businessmen signed agreements at the recent 38th International Exhibition of Building Materials YAPI-TURKEYBUILD, where Kazakhstan was the chief guest, according to the press service of the...


World Bank Project Brings Stable Supply of Electricity to Almaty

ASTANA – April 30th was the closing day of a five-year, $200.9 million World Bank-supported project to bring much-needed electricity to Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty. The Alma Electricity Transmission...


Kazakh, British Cooperation Priorities Have Expanded with Recent Election, Says Kazakh Ambassador

In an interview with this newspaper, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Erzhan Kazykhanov spoke about the opportunities in bilateral relations following the presidential election in Kazakhstan, as well...


Kazakhstan Takes Delivery of Four Su-30SМ Fighter Planes, Aircraft to Participate in Victory Day Show

ASTANA – The Kazakh Air Force has taken delivery of four Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker C 4++ fighter aircraft from Irkut Corporation, part of the Sukhoi Group from Irkutsk, Russia....


New Fall-Winter Collections Showcased during Kazakhstan Fashion Week

ASTANA – Plenty of ready-to-wear designer apparel for autumn-winter 2015/16 was seen on the catwalk at Kazakhstan Fashion Week (KFW). Shows were held in Almaty on April 15-17 and...


Bolashak Scholars, Young Professionals Participate in Forum on Country’s Future

ASTANA – More than 400 Bolashak scholars, laureates of the Daryn and Zhas Tulpar Youth State Award and international contests winners took part in the April 20 Educated Youth-Country’s...


Shavkat, My Friend

On April 30, Shavkat Rahmatullaev would have turned 66 years old. Three weeks before his birthday, a terrible disease took his life. Many, including his relatives, found out about...


Recent Election an Achievement in Cohesion, Civic Spirit, Chair of Public Commission Believes

Kazakhstan’s presidential election was monitored by observers from foreign countries, international organisations and representatives of foreign media. Kazakh civil society and the National Public Commission for the Control of...


Nazarbayev University Innovation Cluster Shows Positive Results

Professor Kanat Baigarin, vice-president of Nazarbayev University (NU), is also director general of Nazarbayev University Research and Innovation System (NURIS). In an interview with The Astana Times, Baigarin spoke...


TCC, Nazarbayev University Launch New Commercialisation Collaboration

ASTANA – Nazarbayev University (NU) and the Technology Commercialisation Centre (TCC) in Astana are beginning a new form of collaboration that will see students from NU’s master of business...


Karim Massimov Re-Appointed Prime Minister

ASTANA – Immediately following newly elected President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s inauguration on April 29, Nazarbayev re-nominated Karim Massimov Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. The re-appointment came later in the day by...


Seventeen Projects to Be Launched at Aktau Seaport

AKTAU – Plans are underway to launch 17 projects on the territory of the Aktau Seaport Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the next two years. The SEZ, established by...


Technology Commercialisation Centre Lands First Deals Sooner Than Expected

ASTANA – Three projects supported by the Technology Commercialisation Centre (TCC) in Astana have already signed commercial contracts in what TCC representatives call the project’s first real deals, which...


National Forest Planting Day Celebrates UN Anniversary, Supports EXPO 2017

ASTANA – To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations this year, the Coalition for a Green Economy and the Development of G-Global, the Astana EXPO 2017 company,...


Israel, EAEU Edge Closer to Free Trade Agreement

ASTANA – The Joint Study Group of Israel and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has concluded its study on the feasibility of establishing a free trade zone between the...


Re-elected President Inaugurated, Announces Five Reform Efforts

ASTANA – The official ceremony of the inauguration of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev took place at the Palace of Independence in Astana on April 29. Prominent figures of...


Kazakh Delegation Urges More Progress at NPT Review Conference

Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev addressed the plenary session of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)review conference April 27 in New York. The senior diplomat...


Obama Recommits to Working with Nazarbayev in New Term

ASTANA – U.S. President Barack Obama sent a letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan congratulating him on his new term in office following the April 26 election and...


Unique Exhibition Showcases Works of Central Asian Artists

SINGAPORE – “New Silk Roads: Painting Beyond Borders,” the first exhibition of Central Asian artists, was showcased April 21 in Icon Gallery here. The event was organised by ENE...


Kazakh Poet Nominated for Poet of Year in Russia

Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan region resident Olga Rastorguyeva was nominated for Poet of the Year by the Russian Writers Union, reported YK-news.kz. She was considered for the Debut of the...


Festive Celebrations to Mark May 1 as Day of Unity of the People of Kazakhstan

The 1st of May is a significant holiday for Kazakhstan, as citizens of the country celebrate the peaceful coexistence of various nationalities and ethnicities that has been a feature...


Young Kazakhs Among Nation’s Most Creative Inventors

Kazakhstan patents about 8,000 inventions each year from creators of all ages, according to the National Institute of Intellectual Property of Kazakhstan. And some of those inventions come from...


Foreign Observers Evaluate Presidential Election, Put It in Perspective

ASTANA – On April 27, the first day of post-election analysis in Kazakhstan, foreign observers continued sharing the findings of their missions to observe the poll putting the development...


Kazakhstan President to Continue Current Policies, Institute Infrastructure Programmes in New Term

ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was announced the winner of the country’s presidential election early morning on April 27, expressed his “grand satisfaction” at the country’s...


Central Election Commission Announces Nazarbayev’s Win with 97.7 Percent

ASTANA – Kuandyk Turgankulov, chairman of the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, announced at a news conference at 10 a.m. here, televised live on Khabar TV, that the incumbent...


With Record Turnout, Incumbent Nazarbayev Wins 97.5% of Vote, Exit Poll Shows

ASTANA – Nursultan Nazarbayev won re-election with a landslide win of 97.5%, the exit poll conducted by the Institute of Democracy showed. Institute director Yulia Kuchinskaya made the announcement...


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....