Kazakh Costumes Decorate Exhibition in Washington

ASTANA — The costumes made by Kazakh designer were showcased at the Fashioning Power, Fashioning Peace exhibition at the historic House Museum of American President Woodrow Wilson in Washington...


KazPost, China’s YTO Express Group to Build International Warehouse in Almaty

ASTANA – KazPost and China’s YTO Express Group are set to establish a high-tech Class A warehouse with an area of approximately 40,000 square meters in Almaty, KazPost CEO...


Life Expectancy of Kazakh Citizens Increases

ASTANA – Life expectancy of Kazakh citizens at birth reached 75.09 years in 2023, marking the highest figure recorded in the past 25 years, the Bureau of National Statistics...


Dimash Kudaibergen Announces Solo Concerts in Prague and Düsseldorf

ASTANA – Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen will give solo concerts in the Czech Republic and Germany this fall, DimashNews.com reported on May 13. On Nov. 22, the “Stranger” show...


World Bank Ready to Assess Flood Damage in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – The World Bank Group (WBG) proposed providing grant support for assessing the damage caused by extensive floods in Kazakhstan during a May 14 meeting between Deputy Prime...


Roche’s Bold Vision: Revolutionizing Kazakhstan’s Pharmaceutical Landscape

ASTANA — Toylan Senel, the head of Roche in Central Asia, spoke about the company’s ambitious mission to maximize its influence, focusing on Roche’s commitment to providing the most...


Kazakhstan Strengthens Trade Turnover with Central Asian States

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with Central Asian countries totaled $7.7 billion in 2023, Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebayev said at the 13th Central Asia Trade...


Fertilizer Producer to Build Chemical Complex in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – EuroChem, a subsidiary of the Swiss fertilizer producer EuroChem Group AG, and China National Chemical Engineering Company signed a contract for the design, construction and commissioning of...


Central Asia Trade Forum Promotes Regional Prosperity Through Collaboration

ALMATY — The 13th Central Asia Trade Forum kicked off in Almaty on May 14 with a resounding call to enhance trade across Central Asia to catalyze regional prosperity....


Kazakhstan Expands Cooperation Within OTS

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev took part in an online meeting with leaders of Turkic cooperation organizations on May 10 as part of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in...


Almaty to Host Silk Way Music Festival Next Week

ASTANA – The Silk Way music festival will take place May 22-25 in Almaty. This was announced during a May 11 briefing at the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation...


Kazakhstan Provides Financial Support to 20,600 Flood-Affected Families

ASTANA – Some 20,600 families have received one-time payments in the total amount of 7.5 billion tenge (US$16.9 million), Kazakh Vice Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said at a May...


Kazakhstan Becomes First CIS Country to Join ICAO Program on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

ASTANA – Kazakh Vice Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev and Regional Director for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) European and North Atlantic Office Nicolas Rallo signed an agreement...


Kazakhstan Sees Record Tourism Indicators in 2023

ASTANA – Last year, Kazakhstan fully recovered from the pandemic and has reached an all-time high in key tourism indicators, Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev said at...


Kazakhstan Provides Training Opportunities to IT Specialists from Tajikistan

ASTANA – The Kazakhstan Agency for International Development (KazAID) transferred 100 vouchers to the Embassy of Tajikistan on May 10 for the training of IT specialists as part of...


SCO Foreign Ministers’ Council to Convene in Astana 

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu will chair a regular meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member...


Kazakhstan Concludes Clean Cities Campaign

ASTANA — The final week of the Taza (Clean) Kazakhstan environmental campaign, which focused on clearing debris from the surroundings of water bodies such as river lakes, concluded with...


Akmola Region with Diverse Nature Reserves Emerges as Prime Travel Destination

ASTANA – The Akmola Region is recasting itself as a promising travel destination, with its diverse landscapes and nature reserves, said its Akim (Governor) Marat Akhmetzhanov during the May...


Fair Sentence in High-Profile Murder Case: Bishimbayev Gets 24 Years in Prison

ASTANA – A jury trial found Kuandyk Bishimbayev, the former Kazakh Minister of National Economy, guilty of torturing and murdering with extreme cruelty his common-law wife, Saltanat Nukenova. He...


Kazakh, American Experts Launch Venture Fund for Innovative Medical Technologies

ASTANA — The first Kazakh-U.S. venture fund for innovative medical technologies, FutureMED Ventures KZ, was launched in the state of Delaware, reported Kazinform on May 13. The fund’s staff...


South Korean University to Open Drone Industry Department in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – South Korean professors will train personnel for the drone industry in Kazakhstan. This was announced during the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Construction delegation’s visit to South...


First Kazakh Woman Reaches Mount Everest

ASTANA – The Kazakh Everest Team, consisting of Kazakh skyrunner athlete Anar Burasheva and legendary Kazakh climber Maksut Zhumayev, climbed the highest mountain peak in the world at the...


Kazakhstan Increases International Flights, Launches New Routes

ASTANA – Kazakhstan continues making international agreements to expand its flight destinations and their frequency. Some 567 foreign flights from Kazakhstan are operated weekly on 121 routes to 28...


Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Address Transport Cooperation Priorities

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev met with Uzbek Minister of Transport Ilhom Makhkamov to discuss priority areas of cooperation and its advancement, as reported by the...


Housing Restoration After Floods Continues in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Some 54,755 people returned to their homes and 5,291 people remain in temporary accommodation centers as of May 12. Nearly 130 families have received houses and apartments...


Armenia, Azerbaijan Thank Kazakhstan for Initiating Peace Talks in Almaty

ASTANA – Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan expressed appreciation to the Kazakh side for hosting the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia...


Eight Must-Visit Sights to Discover Karagandy

Editor’s Note: The Astana Times introduces a new series, Exploring Kazakhstan, City by City. We are setting out to unveil the rich diversity of Kazakhstan’s cities. Starting with Zhezkazgan,...


Central Asia’s FemAgora Foundation Globalizes Women-Led Initiatives

ASTANA – In an effort to shed light on Central Asian women-led initiatives and to promote them on a global scale, the FemAgora public foundation marked its first participation...


Assyk – Great Kazakh Outdoor Game

ASTANA—Requiring good marksmanship and tactics, the Kazakh traditional game of assyk (knucklebone) is one of the oldest and most popular outdoor nomadic games. The Astana Times interviewed Zhomart Sabyrzhanuly,...


Kazakh President Signs Decree on Measures to Liberalize Economy

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the decree on measures to liberalize the economy on May 10 aimed at ensuring freedom of entrepreneurship by developing competition, reducing state...


Shymkent to Host First Go Viral Central Asia Festival 

ASTANA—Shymkent will host its first Go Viral Central Asia festival from May 17-18, reported Go Viral Central Asia on its Instagram. The festival will unite experts from the realms...


Transcontinental Corridor Forges Path to Europe’s Energy Future 

ASTANA – The energy ministries of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan have signed a historic memorandum at the Tashkent International Investment Forum on May 1, initiating cooperation on interconnecting their...


Nation Marks 120 Years of Kazakh Archaeologist Alkey Margulan

ASTANA — On May 11, Kazakhstan celebrates the 120th anniversary of Alkey Margulan, a pioneer in Kazakh archaeology, scientist, and historian.  The academician dedicated a significant part of his...


Azerbaijan, Armenia Hold Peace Talks in Almaty

ASTANA – Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan began negotiations in Almaty on May 10. Welcoming his counterparts, Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat...


News Digest: Foreign Media on Victory Day, AI in Railway Transportation and More

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Victory Day celebrations, artificial intelligence in railway transportation, and...


Civil Aviation Academy’s Female Crew Makes its First Flight

ASTANA – The female crew of the Civil Aviation Academy made its first flight at the Taraz airfield, reported the Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Transport Ministry on...


Kazakhstan, Netherlands Sign Eight Commercial Documents

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed eight commercial documents aimed at promoting bilateral relations in agriculture, healthcare, ecology, and education, reported the Kazakh Invest on...


KazEnergy, US Companies Exchange Experience in Developing Clean Energy

ASTANA – Representatives of the KazEnergy Association met with U.S. companies – BarberWind Turbines, Fluence, Fluor, Universal Renewables and others in Washington, D.C. to exchange experience in creating clean...


Kazakhstan, Vietnam Introduce Visa-Free Travel This Month

ASTANA – The agreement on a visa-free regime between Kazakhstan and Vietnam will come into force on May 25, said Aibek Smadiyarov, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson, during his...


Kazakhstan’s E-Commerce Surges by 79% in 2023

ASTANA – Sales volume in the e-commerce market in 2023 reached 2.4 trillion tenge ($5.3 billion) according to a study by Strategy&, a subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). This is...


Floods in Kazakhstan: More People Return Home, Companies Donate Funds

ASTANA – According to the latest Ministry of Emergency Situations data, 54,276 people returned to their homes, and 5,284 people remain in temporary accommodation centers. The Kazakh government continues...


Kazakhstan Highlights OIC’s Vital Role in Ensuring Peace in Muslim States

ASTANA — Kazakhstan stressed the significance of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) role in ensuring peace and security in several Muslim countries during the 15th Session of the...


Kazakhstan’s Economic Landscape in First Quarter of 2024: Insights and Trends 

ASTANA – Kazakhstan experienced a notable deceleration in gross domestic product (GDP) growth during the first quarter of 2024, dropping to 3.9% after achieving record highs the previous year,...


Kazakhstan’s Milestone Legislation

In a bold move to tackle domestic abuse and advance gender equality, Kazakhstan has introduced new legislation aimed at safeguarding the rights of women and children. Leading the charge...


Clean Kazakhstan Campaign Continues with Landscaping Yards

ASTANA — The fourth week of the Taza (Clean) Kazakhstan environmental campaign, which focused on cleaning and landscaping the yards of elderly individuals, veterans, areas of orphanage houses, and...


Almaty Museum Hosts Exhibition Dedicated to Abilkhan Kasteev 

ASTANA — The Almaty Museum hosted the “Murager” (The Heir) exhibition, paying tribute to the renowned artist Abilkhan Kasteev on his 120th anniversary from April 5-14. Over 70 pieces...


Astana Opera Launches Children’s Music Festival 

ASTANA — Astana Opera Theater has launched the nationwide Bala (Child) Music Fest, celebrating music and creativity for children across regions of Kazakhstan, from May 9-19, reported Astana Opera’s...


Insights into Destination Preferences: Kazakhstan Registers 10.5 Million Outbound Tourists 

ASTANA — According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the number of outbound tourists in Kazakhstan reached 10.5 million people in 2023. The tourism industry experts shed light on...


Kazakh National Flag Raised on Golan Heights

ASTANA – A solemn flag-raising ceremony of Kazakhstan’s flag took place at the Faouar peacekeeping base in the Golan Heights on May 7, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defense’s...


AmCorners Debate Championship Engages Young People Across 10 Regions in Kazakhstan

ASTANA — The AmCorners Debate Championship engaged more than 400 people in the American Corners of 10 cities in Kazakhstan from April 27 to May 5, reported the American...