Articles by Aibarshyn Akhmetkali

ASTANA – Marking 35 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Kazakhstan’s State Sovereignty, celebrated as Republic Day on Oct. 25, political experts say the document not only defined the birth of modern Kazakhstan, but continues to shape its foreign policy. Declaration as a foundation of statehood According to Baurzhan Sheriyazdanov, senior researcher of…

ASTANA – Nearly 800 years after the man called Genghis Khan forged a vast empire stretching from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, the Mongol emperor’s conquest story continues to fascinate historians and the public alike. According to historian Artem Porsin, his expansion into the steppes of what…

ASTANA – Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are reliable partners of state, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his welcoming remarks to the plenary session of the 12th Civil Forum of Kazakhstan on Oct. 16 in Astana. “Today, there are more than 18,000 non-governmental organizations operating in Kazakhstan. They can rightly be considered reliable partners of the…

ASTANA – Public councils are playing an increasingly important role in promoting transparency and accountability of state institutions and strengthening civic participation in decision-making, said experts at the 12th Civil Forum of Kazakhstan on Oct. 15 in Astana. Established by a special law in 2015, public councils are a key element of the system of…

ALMATY – For those who have a sweet tooth for fine pastries, there is promising news. Young Kazakh confectioner Sabina Tanatarova is honing her skills at France’s prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, with the goal of bringing her expertise back to Kazakhstan and helping to shape the country’s emerging pastry scene. In an interview with The…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan adopted a law on artificial intelligence, followed by a Mazhilis (lower house of the Kazakh parliament) hearing to examine its opportunities and challenges. On Sept. 24, deputies of the Mazhilis passed the second reading of laws on artificial intelligence with amendments on issues related to culture, education, family, and state control. Working…

ASTANA – Five underground mosques in the Mangystau peninsula are to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Mangystau Region governor’s press service announced on Sept. 22. The five mosques – Beket-ata, Karaman-ata, Shakpak-ata, Shopan-ata, and Sultan-epe – were included in the UNESCO preliminary list in 2021. Since then, the Ministry of Culture…

VIENNA – The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) continues meaningful engagement with nine states that have yet to ratify the treaty that prevents testing of nuclear weapons, said the organization’s executive secretary Robert Floyd in an interview with The Astana Times. In a conversation that took place on the sidelines of CTBTO’s Science and Technology…

VIENNA – As the shadow of nuclear testing hangs over the world, scientists from Kazakhstan reveal on-the-ground applications of nuclear test monitoring systems in glacier research at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Science and Technology conference (SnT2025) in Vienna on Sept. 11. Kazakhstan is among the signatory and ratifying states for the CTBT, which prohibits…

ASTANA – As Asia moves from the periphery to the center of global affairs, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) holds the potential to act as a collective voice for the continent, said CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay in an interview with The Astana Times  Ahead of the Congress of…

ASTANA – Researchers delve into the vestiges of the Karagandy corrective labor camp, also known as Karlag, to preserve untold stories. Their work sheds light not only on the camp’s structure but also creates a digital database of Kazakhstan’s Gulag sites, providing future generations with a better understanding of this dark chapter in history.  Two…

VIENNA – The world is approaching a new record for the longest period without a nuclear test, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization’s (CTBTO) Executive Secretary Robert Floyd said at the high-level panel of the Science and Technology conference (SnT2025) on Sept. 9 in Vienna, Austria. If no nuclear tests are conducted by Jan. 14 in 2026,…

Editor’s Note: In the run-up to the eighth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, scheduled for Sept. 17–18 in Astana, The Astana Times has launched a special series exploring the diversity of spiritual life in Kazakhstan. The first articles highlighted the Jewish, Bahá’í, Russian Orthodox and Pentecostal church communities. This edition turns to…

ASTANA – When the Wales football team stepped into the Astana Arena stadium on Sept. 4 to face Kazakhstan in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match, they were backed by thousands of fans, who flew to Kazakhstan to cheer them on. But unlike the rest of the Welsh legion of fans, John McAllister, travel YouTuber,…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined his vision for the priority areas of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s development at the 25th SCO Heads of State Council meeting in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, reported the Akorda press service. His remarks spanned security to trade and logistics, as well as digitalization and environmental issues. “Kazakhstan fully…

ASTANA — Friendships take many forms, but when they develop between the great minds of two nations, they transcend the personal, forging a bond that unites nations and fosters respect for the literature and culture of others. Such was the friendship between Kazakh ethnographer Shokan Ualikhanov and Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, known for novels such…

ASTANA – Growing up in a house full of books, it is hard to imagine that just two or three centuries ago, the ability to read and write was a rare privilege. In the nomadic Kazakh steppes, despite the constraints of the way of life, it was the elite — the khans (rulers) and sultans…

ASTANA – Ten years from the first C5 +1 format meeting, the regional cooperation and multilateralism in Central Asia are in much better shape, according to foreign policy experts speaking at the Layers of Cooperation: The Future of Central Asian Regional Integration webinar on Aug. 26. Organized by the American Foreign Policy Council’s Central Asia-Caucasus…

ASTANA – In recent years, Kazakhstan has been making efforts to lay the foundation for the country’s low-carbon development. But beyond the Paris Agreement and the transition to net-zero emissions lies a challenge: where are the workers who will bring the government’s green agenda to life? The Astana Times is examining whether the country will…

ASTANA – Kazakh interventional cardiologists at the University Medical Center (UMC) adapted the innovative Pan (percutaneous and nonfluoroscopic) method for treating heart defects, the UMC press service reported. The training took place on Aug. 11-13 under the guidance of Professor Xiangbin Pan, a leading specialist at the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases from China. Over…

ASTANA – On Aug. 15, Kazakhstan celebrates 95 years since the birth of a revered composer Shamshi Kaldayakov, a genius for ballroom music, which made him the “king of Kazakh waltz.” It was also Kaldayakov who gave Kazakhstan the beloved national anthem music. Anthem’s author Born in 1930, Kaldayakov may be best known as the…

Waking up one morning in April, the important news that broke during the night was that Jennifer Lopez had announced her concert in Astana. I may not consider myself a devoted JLo fan, but when a big star like Lopez decides to visit our part of the globe, I cannot resist joining the rush for…

ASTANA – The drive to climb runs deep in human nature, and for some, it does not fade with age. In an interview with The Astana Times, Dina Shabdukarimova reflects on her motivation to climb Khan Tengri, the highest point of the Tien Shan mountain range, and what it takes to conquer such a formidable…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions in Jordan and Israel, evacuated six citizens from the conflict zone in the Gaza Strip on Aug. 8, reported the ministry’s press service. Kazakh citizens were safely transported through border checkpoints and brought to Queen Alia international airport in Amman, from…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev considers the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia signed in Washington to be a historically significant achievement, said Ruslan Zheldibay, advisor to the President and press secretary of the President of Kazakhstan in his Telegram channel. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a joint declaration for peace at the…