Articles by Assel Satubaldina

SAMARKAND – Central Asia could become a key node in a regional power grid, said Leah Gutierrez, director general of the Asian Development Bank’s Central and West Asia Department, as the bank rolls out a multibillion-dollar plan to link electricity networks and expand cross-border energy trade. ADB’s 59th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors…

SAMARKAND – The development of capital markets ultimately reflects the maturity of a country’s financial system, with trust emerging as the decisive factor, said Nurzhan Tursunkhanov, deputy chairperson of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market.  Tursunkhanov addressed a panel session at the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) 59th Annual Meeting of the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is positioning itself among the first countries globally to integrate artificial intelligence into its education system through a partnership with OpenAI, in what officials describe as a long-term investment in national capabilities. “Kazakhstan is among those first countries globally to embark upon a collaboration with OpenAI on the frontier of education,” said…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan unveiled an investment platform to drive just energy transition on April 23 as part of the Regional Ecological Summit in the capital, positioning it as a cornerstone of the country’s climate and economic strategy. The initiative, known as QaJET, aims to accelerate the shift to cleaner energy by adding 10 gigawatts of…

ASTANA – Central Asia is entering a decisive phase in its response to climate change, with experts warning that while governments increasingly understand the scale of the risks, the real challenge now lies in turning commitments into coordinated action. “The companies and communities in Central Asia know very well what the problems are. But they…

ASTANA – As Kazakhstan pushes to become a regional aviation hub, Airbus is deepening its presence across multiple sectors, from passenger aircraft to military transport and space technology.  Speaking with The Astana Times on the sidelines of the Central Asia Aviation Summit in the capital last week, Roman Blachshishin, head of Airbus in Kazakhstan, said…

ASTANA — United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua delivered a stark warning on April 22 in his remarks to the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, saying the world is falling dangerously short of its 2030 sustainable development targets, with more than 700 million people still living in extreme poverty and over…

ANTALYA – The world produces enough food, but gaps in distribution, infrastructure and crisis response prevent it from reaching those most in need, said Berik Aryn, director-general of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), addressing a panel at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17.  The Antalya Diplomacy Forum convened on April 17 and…

ANTALYA – What began as an intellectual vision of unity in language and culture a century ago is now translating into concrete cooperation across the Turkic world, officials said on April 19 at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. They highlighted joint initiatives and a UNESCO-backed recognition of Turkic languages.  Kubanychbek Omuraliev, secretary-general of the Organization of…

ANTALYA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for greater responsibility and pragmatism among global leaders and renewed efforts to reform the United Nations during remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17, where The Astana Times was present.  Speaking at a high-level panel, Tokayev emphasized that leadership today should be defined by restraint and accountability,…

ASTANA – Central Asia’s aviation sector is being reshaped by global disruptions, as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine force airlines to reroute traffic and drive a sharp increase in flights over the region, according to Rizwan Siddiqui, country manager for Central Asia at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). “Just to give you…

ASTANA – Relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union have reached a state of positive intensity, fueled by high-level diplomacy and a momentum in regional investment, Lithuania’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Egidijus Navikas said in an interview with The Astana Times.  The ambassador described the trajectory over the past three decades as a gradual but steady…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s economic growth is set to ease in 2026 and 2027 as oil production approaches its peak and private demand weakens, according to the April 2026 edition of the Asian Development Outlook, released April 10 by the Asian Development Bank. Kazakhstan’s economy is projected to grow at 4.8% in 2026 and 4.5% in…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is making another effort to reintroduce Turan tigers into the wild, with four Amur tigers expected to arrive from Russia this year as part of a broader effort to rebuild a sustainable population in their historical habitat. The initiative aims to establish a self-reproducing tiger population in the Ile-Balkhash region in southeastern…

ASTANA – The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy artery, left major oil producers unable to reach international markets and drove crude prices toward record highs. Despite a two-week ceasefire agreement, it will take time to clear the massive backlog in a waterway that carries a quarter of the world’s seaborne…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) has signed a three-year agreement with BitGo, a U.S.-based digital asset infrastructure firm, on March 30, as it moves to build a regulated market for cryptocurrencies and lay the groundwork for tokenized finance. Speaking to The Astana Times, Abel Seow, managing director and head of APAC at BitGo, explained…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to build a Data Center Valley project capable of scaling up to one gigawatt of computing power. Located in the northern town of Ekibastuz, the project is set to serve as a cornerstone of the nation’s push into artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, according to officials.  The government is already in…

ASTANA – With shifting global supply chains shift and geopolitical tensions on the rise, Japan is looking to Kazakhstan as a strategic partner not only for critical minerals and transport routes, but for a broader relationship built on trust, education and shared global priorities, said Japan’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Yasumasa Iijima in an interview with…

ASTANA – European Union Envoy for Sanctions David O’Sullivan was on his fifth visit to Kazakhstan on March 17 and briefed Kazakh journalists on the progress of the EU’s work to prevent circumvention of sanctions.  The visit’s schedule featured several important meetings, including with Kazakh authorities. O’Sullivan met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of…

ASTANA – Exit poll results released after Kazakhstan’s national referendum on March 15 suggest overwhelming support for the proposed constitutional amendments. According to a survey conducted by the Eurasian Institute for Integration research company, 86.7% of participating voters supported the changes. Voter turnout is estimated at 75.3%. The institute surveyed 30,000 voters in 200 polling…

ASTANA – For jeweler artist Serzhan Bashirov, a silver coin is rarely just currency. It carries memory and the weight of history. Decades ago, his grandmother sent him a small silver coin with a request to make her a ring. Bashirov carried it for a long time, unable to bring himself to melt it down.…

ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan has begun forming a portfolio of crypto-related investments and plans to allocate up to $350 million from its gold and foreign exchange reserves into the national crypto reserve, said National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov at a March 6 press briefing. He described the move as part of a…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed a statement by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, who announced that the country’s interim leadership council had decided to refrain from attacks on neighboring states. According to Tokayev, this decision is an important step toward easing tensions in the Middle East, reported the presidential press office on March 7. …

ASTANA — Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for condemning the attack on the Nakhchivan and voicing support for Azerbaijan, describing the gesture as reflecting the brotherly and allied relations between the two countries. “I express my gratitude to the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his condemnation of the attacks on…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry has strongly advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to several Middle Eastern countries due to continuing military activity in the region and the closure of airspace in multiple states. In a statement, the ministry urged Kazakh citizens to avoid all travel to Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Iran,…