New Law Encourages Development of Local Government

ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev on June 13 signed into law legislation designed to ensure the constitutional rights of citizens within local governments. The president’s signature will begin the...


EU Supports Further Foreign Investment in Kazakhstan

The EU Delegation is committed to supporting the efforts of the Republic of Kazakhstan to ensure a continuing positive climate for business and investment here. During his visit to...


Tashkent Visit Affirms Strong Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Ties

President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan held talks in Tashkent on June 14 during President Nazarbayev’s official visit there which focused on bilateral ties...


Kazakhstan Proposes Creating Eurasian Water Polo League

ASTANA – On June 13-14, during the Council on Physical Culture and Sports of the Agreement on Cooperation between CIS countries held in Astana, Kazakhstan put forward an idea...


Business Road Map Encourages Increased Entrepreneurship

ASTANA –The People’s Democratic Party Nur Otan and representatives of the DAMU Fund launched a series of meetings on implementing the Business Road Map 2020 on June 12, during...


Dutch Experience Can Be Useful to Kazakhstan

The Netherlands continues to be very attractive for foreign companies, which either choose our country as a location to do business from and/or to establish research centres. What is...


International Echo of Asia Circus Festival Returns to Astana

ASTANA – The capital of Kazakhstan will host the international circus festival, Echo of Asia, from July 1 to July 8. For the sixth year in a row, the...


Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: Mutually Beneficial Cooperation Key for Economic Development and Strengthening Security

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, along with other countries in the region occupy key positions in Central Asia due to their exclusive geopolitical location, presence of large reserves of minerals, their...


Parliament Reconsiders Pension Reform, Women’s Retirement Age

ASTANA – Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has returned to Parliament for further discussion a draft law on pension system reform, which includes raising the retirement age for women from...


Public Rides with Cycling Champions in Astana and Almaty

A two-day public bicycle ride with Astana Cycling Team stars Alexander Vinokourov, the recent London 2012 Olympic champion, and the recent Giro d’Italia 2013 winner Vincenzo Nibali took place...


Kyrgyz Artists Show Their Vision of Illusion on the Steppe

ASTANA – An exhibition called “Astana in the art of Kyrgyz artists” dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s capital is now open in the Palace of Independence. It...


Malaysia Exhibition Showcases Best of Malaysian Services

ASTANA – The Malaysia Services Exhibition 2013 (MSE 2013), which showcased the best of this country’s services, launched on June 4 at the Korme exhibition complex. The pavilions where...


A Living Memory of a Great Coach

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s largest city hosted the Tenth Youth Volleyball Tournament dedicated to Zangar Dzharkeshev in early June. Telling the story of this Honored Coach of the USSR and...


Saving the Steppe: Kazakhstan’s Environmental Protection Efforts

From the soaring, snow-capped mountain peaks of Almaty in the south to the picturesque glacier lakes nestled in the pine woods of Kokshetau in the north, Kazakhstan’s natural beauty...


Gov’t Continues Work on Innovation Technologies Park near Almaty

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited the Special Economic Zone Park, known as the Park of Innovation Technologies, near Almaty and got acquainted and with the production processes of the...


Successors of Danila the Master Show Their Craft

ASTANA – A recent exhibition “Young Talents of the Urals”, held at the Museum of Modern Art, was a success. First, a stone bowl with berries allowed for remembering...


Van Gogh Exhibition Opens

ASTANA – The Dutch Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Nazarbayev Center jointly organised an exhibition of reproductions of paintings by Vincent van Gogh, the world-famous Dutch post-Impressionist painter, to...


Kazakh Diplomat Celebrated 120 Years after Birth

ASTANA – This year, Kazakhstan celebrates the 120th anniversary of the birth of Nazir Turekulov, one of Kazakhstan’s greatest sons. Turekulov was an outstanding diplomat, statesman and scholar of...


Flower Festival Lightens up Almaty

ALMATY – The park of the First President of Kazakhstan saw the flower festival “Almaty – Gul Qala” (Almaty – the city of flowers) organized by the Almaty city...


Shanghai Shares Expo Experience with Kazakhstan

SHANGHAI – On May 17, at the invitation of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE), a Kazakhstan delegation headed by Commissioner of EXPO 2017 and Executive Secretary of the Ministry...


Energy of the Future Needs Nanotechnological Breakthroughs, Cambridge Expert Says

The Astana Times spoke with Siddharth Saxena, chairperson of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Director of Cambridge-Kazakhstan Centre and Honorary Secretary of the Committee for Central and Inner Asia,...


Diversification Drive Requires Concerted Long-Term Approach to Succeed, Expert Says

The Astana Times’ Yelden Sarybai sat down with Prasad Bhamre, Deputy General Director of Samruk Kazyna Invest, to talk about his views on Kazakhstan’s economic development, diversification efforts, agriculture,...


Long-Term Regional Stability Is an Institutional Challenge

‘Economy first, politics second’ has always been the motto of independent Kazakhstan but sometimes you cannot have the first without the latter. The political climate must allow for economic...


Business News in Brief

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is ready to assist in financing innovation projects of small and medium-sized businesses in Kazakhstan, bank head Sir Suma Chakrabarti told...


Domestic News in Brief

On June 8, Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov of Kazakhstan held a meeting on the implementation of the instructions given to the government by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev on June...


Kazakhstan Celebrates Day of National Symbols

ASTANA – On June 4, the “Our Flag! Our Emblem! Our Anthem!” campaign to celebrate the Day of State Symbols of Kazakhstan took place across the country and celebrations,...


Vincenzo Nibali Looks to More Victories with Astana Team

The May 26 Giro d’Italia victory of Astana Cycling Team Captain Vincenzo Nibali made big news in Italy, Kazakhstan and the cycling world. Following the race, Nibali, also known...


Entrepreneur Shares Recipe for Success with Youth

URALSK – Entrepreneur Balziya Yeveneyeva is demonstrating that sharing success is the way to make it grow. She has equipped a classroom and a laboratory for the practical training...


Uralsk Celebrates Tatar Sabantuy

URALSK – This western Kazakhstan city saw a large-scale celebration of the National Sabantuy, in which President of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, representatives from different regions of...


Kazakhstan Continues Transit Cooperation to Stabilize Afghanistan

ASTANA – Despite the widespread international apprehension regarding Afghanistan’s future once the majority of foreign military forces leave next year, the leadership in Kazakhstan believes that with the right...


External News in Brief

One of the biggest mosques in Asia has been built in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KZHF) announced.The Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mosque,...


Goodwill Ambassador Brings Her Art to Astana

ASTANA – On May 30, Travel Notes, the month-long solo exhibition of French-Croatian painter, sculptor and Goodwill Ambassador Jasenka Tucan-Vaillant officially opened at the Museum of Modern Art. The...


Kazakhtelecom to Focus on Fixed Mobile Convergence Services

ASTANA – Fixed mobile convergence services will be a major priority for JSC Kazakhtelecom across Kazakhstan beginning this September while by next year all rural areas in the country...


Economy News in Brief

An IMF mission led by Hossein Samiei, Division Chief at IMF visited Almaty and Astana on May 22-June 3 to conduct the 2013 Article IV consultation. The mission met...


Master Barcelona Football Coach to Train Juniors in Astana

For two weeks in June and July. Kazakhstan’s junior football players will have the opportunity to be trained by one of the best coaches in the world from the...


Dutch Cultural Festival Returns to Astana

ASTANA – The second Dutch week, an event intended to present the Dutch culture to the Kazakhstan public and raise awareness about cooperation between the two countries, kicked off...


Archaeologists Discover Ancient Princess’ Burial Site

Field archaeologists have completed preliminary work in Eastern Kazakhstan that will allow them to more thoroughly examine the burial site and materials of a third and fourth century BC...


Astana to Host Days of Mining and Metallurgy

ASTANA – On June 12-13, Days of Mining and Metallurgy Sector (MMS) will be held in the capital’s Palace of Independence. The Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of...


Leaders Expand Basis for Stronger Partnership between EU and Kazakhstan

ASTANA – During a June 1-3 visit of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to Kazakhstan he met President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to discuss a wide range of...


The Enduring Value of Family

Family is one of the oldest social institutions, predating religion, governments, armies, trade unions and markets. It is an integral element of society, the importance of which can hardly...


Calories and Consequences in Kazakhstan Today

ASTANA – According to data published by the National Statistics Agency, citizens of Kazakhstan consume, on average, 3,169 calories every day. Ten years ago, this figure was 2,858, and...


UN Refugees Chief Urges Stronger Cooperation in Central Asia

On the eve of the June 5 Second Ministerial Conference on Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration: Almaty Process, Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, sat down for an...


Gov’t Seeks Ways to Support Citizens with Disabilities

ASTANA – The issue of supporting the equality of citizens with disabilities was discussed at the sitting of the government chaired by Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov on May 31....


Expert Shows the Way Forward for Kazakhstan’s Startups

ASTANA – Sanzhar Kettebekov was born in Kazakhstan and founded his company, Segment Interactive, in Silicon Valley. He has been involved in several startups involving modern interactive technologies and...


The Caucasus and Central Asia: The Road Ahead

Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) countries are the crossroads between Asia and Europe, and have made a remarkable transition from centrally-planned to market economies over the past twenty years....


Country Celebrates International Children’s Day

ASTANA – International Children’s Day, a celebration in honour of children and their protection, was marked on June 1 in Kazakhstan. Falling on the first day of summer, this...


Customs Union States Strengthen Economic Integration, As Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine Seek Closer Ties

ASTANA – The creation of the Customs Union (CU), the Common Economic Space (CES) and the Eurasian Economic Union remains a priority and offers great potential to move the...


In Kazakhstan, Latvian President Remembers Tragic Past, Looks towards Economic Future

ASTANA – Relations between Kazakhstan and Latvia are marked by the development of close ties across numerous sectors and the June 2-4 visit to Kazakhstan by Latvian President Andris...


Kyoto Protocol Book Featured at Astana Economic Forum

ASTANA – The monograph “Low-carbon development: Kazakhstan, Russia, the EU and the U.S. position (1992-2013)” won first prize in the top-publication (book, monograph) category of the G-Global info-communication platform...


Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan Elects New Leadership

ASTANA – Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan (CPPK) Vladislav Kosarev and Tulesh Kenzhin, as well as chairman of the Central Control and...