Articles by Assel Satubaldina

ASTANA – Oil prices fluctuated in overnight trading after United States President Donald Trump took action against Venezuela by capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3, and adding uncertainty over future global supply and the impact on oil-exporting countries such as Kazakhstan. The developments come amid criticism from governments and analysts who have questioned…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan produced 171,144 motor vehicles of all types, including passenger cars, buses and trucks, in 2025, with total output valued at more than 2.3 trillion tenge (US$4.5 billion), according to data from Kazakhstan’s Automobile Union released on Jan. 9. The result marked the strongest performance in the history of Kazakhstan’s automotive industry. That…

ASTANA – Financial literacy in Kazakhstan’s pension system continued to improve in 2025, according to a nationwide survey of 3,000 adults conducted across all regions of the country. The study assessed public knowledge of pension rules, trust in the pension system, and participation in the pension model. The main section of the survey questionnaire consisted…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s clearly defined higher education strategy makes it a compelling partner for international universities, Heriot-Watt University Vice-Chancellor Richard A. Williams said in an interview with The Astana Times.  “The country’s commitment to internationalisation, English-medium provision, research-led education, and stronger links between universities, industry and innovation creates a powerful foundation for long-term collaboration. From…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has started a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization campaign in September 2024 as part of broader efforts to curb cervical cancer, a disease that claims the lives of hundreds of thousands of women globally each year despite being one of the most preventable forms of cancer. The Astana Times breaks down the…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Energy Ministry confirmed efforts to find additional routes for the Kazakh oil and said Kazakhstan’s crude exports have not been entirely halted following a Nov. 29 attack from a Ukrainian drone on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal.  “Oil loadings continue through the remaining operational infrastructure under heightened safety measures. The…

ASTANA – UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the organization is reshaping its internal system to give young people a stronger voice, responding to a question from AT’s Assel Satubaldina during a virtual briefing with this year’s cohort of the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship (RAF).  The RAF is a prominent international journalism program run under…

ASTANA – The United Nations headquarters in New York hosted a high-level ceremony to launch the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development 2026, an initiative aimed at elevating the role of volunteerism in advancing the 2030 agenda. The event, co-organized by Kazakhstan, Germany and the UN Volunteers program, brought together member states, civil society,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Airbus signed a memorandum of understanding to deliver more A320neo aircraft to the country following the 16th meeting of the Kazakhstan-France Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation and the Kazakh-French Business Council meeting on Dec. 5 in Paris.  The memorandum entails the delivery of Airbus A320neo aircraft in a format…

ASTANA – Geopolitical factors have pushed Central Asia to rethink its transport and logistics geography. Regional analysts say Central Asia is facing a rare opening to reshape its connectivity through Afghanistan, but warn that the absence of a unified strategy could once again turn the Trans-Afghan agenda into a missed opportunity. Regional experts highlighted practical…

Editor’s Note: To mark the 15th anniversary of The Astana Times, we are launching a special series of columns written by our newsroom. Over the days, members of our team reflect on their journeys, the stories that shaped them, and the evolution of The Astana Times. We began with a column by our editor-in-chief Zhanna…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s ITeachMe Competence Development Center has received the Intercultural Achievement Award from Austria’s Foreign Ministry on Nov. 24 for its OrleTech project. The initiative expands IT training for youth from vulnerable families, including young people whose parents have disabilities and households raising children with special needs.  State Secretary Sepp Schellhorn presented the twelfth…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision announced on Nov. 21 at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to admit Kazakhstan to the agency’s Far East Regional Group. In its Nov. 21 statement, the Kazakh ministry said the country’s accession to the regional group reflects an “important step toward…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is moving to upgrade its energy system, working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to modernize key power infrastructure, expand renewable energy, and improve electricity reliability for millions of people in the country.  “ADB has invested over $500 million to strengthen Kazakhstan’s energy sector. These investments include renewable energy projects, modernization of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s push for investment and continued subsidized lending through state-owned enterprises is keeping the broader public sector on an expansionary path, offsetting budget tightening and fueling demand, a key reason inflation is expected to remain elevated, said Ali Al-Eyd, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Kazakhstan, at a Nov. 19…

ASTANA – Sales of foreign currency from the National Fund reached $660 million in October, with the transactions accounting for 11% of overall market activity, or roughly $30 million in daily trading, the National Bank of Kazakhstan said in its monthly update. The sales helped cover transfers to the state budget and finance the construction…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is participating in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, on Nov. 10-21. Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev leads the country’s delegation. The UN Climate Change Conferences, known as COPs, are held annually and serve as the world’s sole multilateral platform where nearly all nations come together…

ASTANA – European officials say Central Asia’s transport expansion should go hand in hand with workforce development, as both areas are emerging as key pillars in Central Asia’s growing engagement with the European Union.  Transport has become one of the core priorities in Central Asia – EU cooperation, a focus reaffirmed at the first EU–Central…

TURIN – Pilvi Torsti, director of the European Training Foundation, sat down for an interview with The Astana Times on the sidelines of the fourth high-level group meeting of the European Union-funded DARYA program in Turin on Oct. 30-31. She discussed the program’s key deliverables and what lies ahead. ETF is a key EU agency…

ASTANA – The upcoming Central Asia-United States summit in C5+1 format could deliver concrete deals in critical minerals and transport, according to Ibrahim Mammadov, head of the Turkic-Western Engagement Initiative at the Danube Institute, who expects new U.S. investments to take shape in both sectors. “When assessing the importance of this summit, it is crucial…

ASTANA – Central Asian leaders are set to gather in Washington on Nov. 6 for a C5+1 summit with President Donald Trump, marking 10 years of U.S. engagement with the region through this platform. The summit, the second at the presidential level since the format was launched in 2015, is expected to focus on security…

ASTANA – Christopher Duggan, Ambassador of Canada to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, describes the relationship with Kazakhstan as deeply constructive and values-aligned, noting strong convergence on multilateralism and shared global priorities, from peace and security to climate and economic resilience. In an interview with The Astana Times, he reflects on his priorities…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan now hosts over 550,000 international migrant workers, nearly 21,000 more than in January, said International Migration Organization (IOM) Chief of Mission Serhan Aktoprak as he discussed the latest Baseline Mobility Assessment during the Astana Think Tank Forum on Oct. 16. “There are over 550,000 migrant workers taking up jobs in various sectors…

ASTANA – A full house gathered inside the main hall of the Kuanyshbayev Kazakh State Drama Theater on Oct. 17 evening in Astana, as the United Nations in Kazakhstan marked UN Day with “Music for Global Goals,” a full orchestral concert that replaced policy rhetoric with Kazakh classical depth and global soundtracks. Performed by the…

ASTANA – Marton Krasznai, scientific director of the Center for Central Asia Research at the Corvinus University of Budapest, highlighted water diplomacy as a strategic imperative for Central Asia in his remarks to an Oct. 16 panel session at the Astana Think Tank Forum.  He reiterated that around 54–56% of Kazakhstan’s water flows originate outside…