Articles by Assel Nussupova

Kazakhstan’s turquoise flag, featuring a golden eagle and bright sun, flew proudly in Toronto, Canada, from March 3 to 6 at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference, the world’s largest mineral and mining convention.   Kazakhstan holds a place of significance amongst mining nations due to the abundant wealth hidden in its rocks…

WASHINGTON DC – Thirty-two years ago, Kazakhstan began an unprecedented journey. As the country embraced independence from the USSR, its economic system, like those of other former Soviet republics, began to experience radical change. Fast forward to today and Kazakhstan is a world player in the oil trade, a growing force in the trade of…

Kazakhstan is a land with a proud history stretching back thousands of years to nomadic herders and brave warriors on horseback. It is also, however, a very modern state poised to be the third largest exporter of oil to Europe. It is a country embracing technological innovation and economic diversification, even as it revives its…

Over 30 years ago, Kazakhstan was little known outside Central Asia despite its vast size and rich resources. Long isolated under Russian and then Soviet rule, it only opened to global trade after declaring independence in 1991, embarking on a journey towards a market-oriented, capitalistic society. This transition included integrating concepts like competition and innovation…

As 2023 draws to a close, it is a good opportunity to reflect on a year that has seen some remarkable developments in Kazakhstan. The year began with big political change — on Jan. 19, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the Parliament’s lower chamber and announced a snap parliamentary election. This move came almost exactly a…

Thirty years ago, on Nov. 15, 1993, 16 million Kazakh people woke up to a radically new reality — Kazakhstan had introduced the tenge, its new national currency.  Tenge is a word drawn from Kazakhstan’s nomadic past, an era in which the Kypchak tribes used coins named “tanga.” Prior to launching the new currency, Kazakhstan,…

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes it is time for Kazakhstan to adopt a new economic model and implement fresh policies to support it. He outlined his vision for the economy in his address to the nation on the first of September. In the past, the President has noted that the economic development of Kazakhstan is in…

Washington, DC is a city synonymous with both American History and modern political power. It is also the frequent host of international visitors, as countries around the world interact with the leadership of the United States. On May 25, Washington provided a fitting backdrop to a conference that explored a region of growing importance in…

The connections between China and Central Asian nations such as Kazakhstan are garnering a lot of attention lately. News media are reporting that this May Xi’an in China will play host to the first in-person Central Asia-China Summit. Kazakhstan and China are known to be discussing the possibility of dropping visa requirements for travelers between…

The horse and the history of the Kazakh people are deeply intertwined. Our close relationship with horses began about 5,500 years ago. We believe our ancestors were the first people on the planet to climb on a horse’s back and ride it, then utilize it as a pack animal to carry our goods. We were…

Kazakhstan marked an important anniversary on April 6. The American oil company Chevron entered the former Soviet country and signed a 40-year contract to develop the Tengiz oil field, located in western Kazakhstan 30 years ago. The Tengiz oil field was discovered by Soviet geologists in 1979. An article in The Washington Post described the…

The Astana International Forum will take place in the capital of Kazakhstan this June. At this dynamic gathering, energy and climate will be key topics for discussion. For Kazakhstan, the energy sector development is a highly relevant issue, touching on the country’s economic survival. Kazakhstan is a leading energy producer in the region, with vast…

Kazakhstan is a country noted for its warm hospitality. A guest in a Kazakh home is treated with great honor and offered a delicious meal and the delights of traditional Kazakh tea. That spirit of hospitality felt throughout the centuries now extends to modern Kazakhstan’s role in fostering international cooperation. As a result, Kazakhstan continues…

Observed annually on March 8, International Women’s Day is one of the most popular holidays celebrated in Kazakhstan. And while this holiday has some old-fashioned elements, March 8 sends a very current reminder to the world of the important roles that women play in every part of Kazakh society.    When we talk about Kazakh women,…

Kazakhstan is preparing for an important political event – a parliamentary election planned for March 19.  This date is already significant to the Kazakh people because it was on March 19, 2019, when Kazakhstan’s first President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, resigned from the post he had held for nearly three decades. Since then, Kazakhstan has had a…

The unprecedented social unrest that shocked Kazakhstan a year ago has pushed its government, once again, to lay out an agenda for accelerating the process of the country’s economic diversification.  Kazakhstan’s oil and gas sector currently accounts for nearly half of the country’s GDP and around 70 percent of its exports. This sector generates more…

Kazakhstan’s GDP has relied on a number of key sectors according to the Minister of National Economy. Areas such as construction, agriculture, information and communication, manufacturing, trade, transport and warehousing helped expand the GDP to 3.10 percent in 2022, slightly below the 4.0 percent growth of 2022.  The growth rate calculated by the ministry differs…