Articles by Assem Assaniyaz

LONDON – Kazakh citizens celebrated Nauryz at the Central Asian Spring Festival (CASF) in London after casting their vote in the March 19 parliamentary election in the Kazakh Embassy in the United Kingdom.       Voting kicked off at 7 a.m. London time in Kazakhstan House, the home of the Kazakh Embassy in London, offering visitors national…

LONDON – The Kazakh Embassy in London held a cultural program for British fans of world-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen on Feb. 17 to mark International Mother Language Day, celebrated on Feb. 21, reported dimashnews.com.  The meeting turned into a charity event, as “the dears” (the term used by Dimash fans to refer to themselves)…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government is considering a new Social Code, projecting a 51 percent basic pension growth in four years, reported the ministry’s press service.  Minister of Labor and Social Protection Tamara Duisenova presented a new draft on Feb. 7 to the Senate, an upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament.  The Social Code embraces…

ASTANA – The British-Kazakh Society (BKS) organized a webinar on Feb. 8 to address the transitional balance of coal, oil, gas, and renewables in Kazakhstan, as the country is boosting gas generation, developing clean energy projects, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.    The KazMunayGas (KMG) national oil and gas company,…

LONDON – The Heriot – Watt University will open a branch at the Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University in Kazakhstan. This was announced during the signing of an agreement between Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek and Vice-Principal and Provost at Heriot – Watt University Mark Biggs at the Feb. 1 meeting of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s political reset is not just for the sake of novelty, but for the implementation of important economic and social reforms this year, said Director of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) Yerkin Tukumov in an interview with Kazinform, referring to the presidential election and national referendum on constitutional amendments in the past…

ASTANA – The short documentary film “Qantar Okigasy” (January Events), published by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan on its official YouTube channel on Jan. 5, presented the detailed chronology of the tragic January events, the most unprecedented unrest in the history of the country.    The 11-minute film, which tells the key developments of each…

ASTANA – The situation in Ukraine and a recent spike in the US-China tensions have increased Western interest in the development of rare earths in alternative jurisdictions, particularly in Kazakhstan, said Managing Director of Prism Political Risk Management company Kate Mallinson, an independent political risk expert on Central Asia, in an interview with The Astana…

ASTANA – This year has provided a solid impetus to expanding Kazakhstan’s cultural potential. The country held a plethora of large-scale events in art, music, history, literature, and cinematography, presenting its perspectives both at the local level and on the world stage.    Amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, the Kazakh capital hosted the seventh Congress of Leaders…

ASTANA – Beknur Zhanibekuly, a 10-year-old singer from Kazakhstan, entered the Guinness World Records (GWR) book as the holder of the first functional LEGO prosthetic arm with a stylus and the foot-controlled LEGO prosthetic arm, according to the 2023 edition of the book.   “Got two Guinness World Records certificates, thanks to my dear friends @handsolooficial…

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens traveling or living abroad have demonstrated a high level of engagement in the Nov. 20 presidential election. As of 7 p.m. Astana time, the voter turnout abroad was 57.5 percent with nearly 7,400 people out of 12,841 registered casting their vote, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign embassies…

ASTANA – Amanat Nazarkulov, a member of the Kazakh Union of Artists, presented on Oct. 26 his art exhibition titled Menin Elim (My country) at the Kazakh National Military History Museum in Astana.  The exhibition, which will be open to the public until the end of this month, marks Republic Day in Kazakhstan and the…

ASTANA – A screen adaptation of comics about Kazakh legends would be timely and relevant, said Madibek Musabekov, a 30-year-old comic book illustrator from Kazakhstan, in an interview with The Astana Times. He now works for the world-renowned Marvel Comics entertainment company.  An Almaty native, Musabekov is an author of the “Yermek Batyr” and “Golden…

ASTANA – The French Association of Kazakh Cinema hosted the fourth Kazakh film festival in Paris from Oct. 27 to 30 to introduce local cinema to the public, according to the association’s press service.  The film festival, organized with the help of the Kazakh State Center for Support of National Cinema, the Kazakh Ministry of…

NUR-SULTAN – The art project against domestic violence titled “Behind the Door” will be unveiled at the Almaty-based Kazakh Central State Museum on Sept. 23, according to an Instagram post by Kazakhstan’s CITIX IT company. The exhibition, which will be held until Oct. 9, tells the real stories of victims of domestic violence through paintings,…

NUR-SULTAN – This year, films from Kazakhstan are picking up steam at international film festivals worldwide.  The film “Goliath” by Adilkhan Yerzhanov was presented at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on Lido Island from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10.  In May of this year, his other work titled “Shturm” (Assault) won the grand jury…

NUR-SULTAN – The Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, has approved the draft amendments that revive the Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Oct. 25, reported the chamber’s press service on Sept. 7. The holiday was celebrated in Kazakhstan until 2009.  The proposal to revive the important date was put forward by…

NUR-SULTAN – More than 100 delegations from 50 countries will gather at the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, said Speaker of the Senate (an upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament) Maulen Ashimbayev, during his Sept. 6 meeting with Kazakh President Kassym Jomart-Tokayev, reported the Akorda’s press service. According to Ashimbayev who…

NUR-SULTAN – The ARBA international exhibition by the TAMYR creative group was unveiled to the public on Sept. 2 at the Kazakh National Museum, according to Kazinform. TAMYR (“roots” in Kazakh) is a Shymkent-based group comprising 11 artists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. They have been collaborating for more than 40 years.    The artists reflected…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan marked the 150th anniversary of prominent Kazakh scholar, statesman, linguist, and poet Akhmet Baitursynov on Sept. 5 with a series of celebratory events under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).   Кnown in Kazakhstan as the Ult Ustazy (Teacher of the Nation), Baitursynov left a significant mark…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh National Bank’s monetary policy committee has decided to keep the base rate at 14.5 percent per annum with a corridor of +/- 1.0 percentage points amid an adverse economic situation in the region, reported the bank’s press service on Sept. 5. The decision is driven by the increasing prices of logistics…

NUR-SULTAN – All measures are being taken to mitigate the consequences of the fires in the Kostanai Region, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Sept. 5 meeting of the operational headquarters to battle fires in the region, reported the Akorda’s press service.   According to Tokayev, the situation in the region is under control.  The…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kostanai Region declared a state of emergency on Sept. 4 after forest fires burned a record 43,000 hectares (the size of Сarribean Barbados’ island) and forced an evacuation of 1,841 people.  President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in the region today. The President held a meeting with the operational headquarters, where he learned about…

NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Ballet Theater will stage “The Silk Road” ballet, choreographed by an honored worker of Kazakhstan Mukaram Avakhri, on Sept. 9-10, opening the tenth season, reported the theater’s press service.  The two-act performance, which premiered earlier in June, will unveil to the public the history of the emergence of the Great Silk…

NUR-SULTAN – The heads of the governments of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) discussed the development of the common gas market at an Aug. 25 meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Cholpon-Ata, reported the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press office. Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin,…

NUR-SULTAN – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline temporarily loads crude oil using only SPM-3 single point mooring, reported the CPC press service.  A diving survey of the SPM-3 was conducted at the CPC Marine Terminal on Aug. 24. The underwater equipment of the remote mooring device was recognized as suitable for the operation without…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will start the construction of the Children’s Center for Creative Development named after Kurmangazy next month in the city of Fizuli in Azerbaijan, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his official visit to Azerbaijan, reported the Akorda’s press service. Tokayev noted that the center, reflecting the two countries’ friendship, brotherhood, and mutual support,…

NUR-SULTAN – There is a growing consensus in Kazakhstan that women’s political engagement improves the quality of life, said Deputy of the Senate, the upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, Lyazzat Suleimen at the Women’s Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), reported the Senate’s press service. Suleimen said Kazakhstan has established a legislative and…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the declaration on strengthening strategic relations and deepening allied interaction and the comprehensive program to develop bilateral cooperation, reported Akorda’s press service on Aug. 24. During President Tokayev’s first official visit to Baku, the Kazakh and Azerbaijani sides signed the government agreement…

NUR-SULTAN – Pope Francis will conduct an open-air holy mass for Roman Catholics and representatives of other religions and confessions on Sept. 14 in Nur-Sultan, reported the press service of the seventh Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.  The mass will start at 4.45 p.m. Nur-Sultan time at the International Exhibition Center…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during his first official visit to Baku as the head of state on Aug. 24, Akorda’s press service reports.    President Tokayev was greeted with an official welcoming ceremony, after which the presidents held bilateral talks. “Firstly, I would like to express my…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) national railway company and Baku International Sea Trade Port, the largest port of the Caspian sea, signed a memorandum of cooperation in logistics that envisions implementation of joint projects in the framework of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s official visit to Baku on Aug. 24, reported the company’s press service. The…

NUR-SULTAN – The export of non-primary goods from Kazakhstan increased by 33.5 percent in the first half of this year and topped out at $12 billion, according to QazTrade, the center for trade policy development under the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration, reported the ministry’s press service on Aug. 17. Overall, the trade turnover…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is ranked 73rd out of 112 countries with visa-free visits to 76 countries available to passport-holders, according to the Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2022 Global Ranking. Updated quarterly, the Henley & Partners research and consulting company forms the HPI based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The total…

NUR-SULTAN – The police have found one-third of 1,259 service weapons, stolen from the law enforcement bodies during the January riots in Kazakhstan, including rifles, handguns and grenade launchers, said Deputy Head of the Criminal Prosecution Service of the General Prosecutor’s Office Yeldos Kilymzhanov at an Aug. 16 press briefing at the Central Communication Service…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh mechanical engineers from the city of Shymkent have invented their own electric motor for the car, reported the Khabar24 TV channel. Nursultan Seisenbay and Yerlan Rakhmatullayev, both experts with ten years of expertise, have created an electric engine prototype – a silent, ecologically friendly electric motor with fast charging capable of traveling…

NUR-SULTAN – David Charlin, an 11-year-old Kazakh artist from Almaty, will represent Kazakhstan at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 following the results of the Baqytty Bala 2022 (Happy Child) children’s vocal competition, reported dimashnews.com.   The 20th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place in Yerevan, Armenia on Dec.…

NUR-SULTAN – A new freight train route connecting China’s eastern province of Jiangsu with Central Asian countries began operating on Aug. 13, reported the Chinese Xinhua news agency.   The first cargo train departed from Wuxi, a city in southern Jiangsu province in East China. The shipment via rail track is projected to take nearly 20…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Energy Bolat Akchulakov announced a planned reduction of oil production by two million tons during his working visit to the Atyrau Region on Aug. 11-12, reported Kazinform.   “The oil production plan has been adjusted. Our initial target was 87.5 million tons per year, but we revised it due to shipping…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with China topped out at $11.26 billion in the first half of this year, which is 36 percent higher than last year’s statistics, according to the Kazakh Economic Research Institute (ERI). According to ERI, both import ($4,63 billion) and export ($6,63 billion) data are at all-time highs, indicating a strong…

NUR-SULTAN – The Turkic World Educational and Scientific Cooperation Organization (TWESCO) and the Organization of Turkic States in Hungary hosted a presentation of the “Akhmet Baitursynuly and Alash” book on Aug. 12, dedicated to the 150th birth anniversary of an outstanding Kazakh poet and public figure Akhmet Baitursynuly, as well as the book “Journey through…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh airlines carried more than 4.5 million passengers in the first half of this year, indicating a 7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2021, reported the press service of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development on Aug. 8. To date, Air Astana’s passenger…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has entered the low-risk green zone as the epidemiological situation improved across the country, according to the Aug. 12 matrix updated daily by the interdepartmental commission on the prevention and spread of coronavirus. The commission reported 1,643 new daily COVID-19 cases in Kazakhstan on Aug. 11. Most of them were registered in…

NUR-SULTAN – Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan Zhakyp Assanov noted a seven-fold increase in the number of acquittals for felonies and serious criminal acts during an Aug. 11 meeting with Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev, reported the Akorda’s press service. According to Assanov, in every fifth case, law enforcement authorities are denied an…

NUR-SULTAN – Five Kazakh companies plan to export beef and lamb meat to Saudi Arabia as a result of bilateral cooperation between the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), reported the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture on Aug. 8. The Kazakh meat-processing companies of Altyn Kazyk from the Akmola Region,…

NUR-SULTAN – Three Kazakh universities will be transformed into research institutions to spur the development of breakthrough technologies, said Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek at an Aug. 9 government meeting, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) has obtained research university status. The L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan might become the Eurasian Development Bank’s largest shareholder (EDB), as Russia plans to give up its majority stake to reduce the chance of the institution being sanctioned, according to Bloomberg’s data. Bloomberg assumes that Russia seeks to reduce its combined stake with Belarus to less than half to protect the country’s institutions…

NUR-SULTAN – On Aug. 10, Kazakhstan celebrates the 177th anniversary of the prominent poet and writer Abai Kunanbayev. The Kazakh capital will host a series of cultural events to commemorate the date, reported the Nur-Sultan Akimat’s (city administration) press service on Aug. 9. The Central Library gathers citizens, as well as literary scholars to hear…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Labor and Social Protection will launch the digital family map’s pilot project on Sept.1, reported the Central Communications Service (CCS). The digital family map is an automated system that will help identify families in difficult life situations to provide timely social assistance without the need for citizens to appeal…

NUR-SULTAN – A new public space will be opened in the capital that will symbolize spiritual unity. This was announced on Aug. 7 on the eve of the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, reported the Central Communication Service (CCS). Nazym Zhangazinova, the official representative of the Congress, invited all architects, landscape…

NUR-SULTAN – Vietnamese VietJet Air low-cost airline plans to resume regular passenger flights between Kazakhstan and Vietnam next month, according to an Aug. 8 announcement of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development. Vietjet Air plans to launch the air communication on the Kamran – Nur-Sultan and Kamran –…

NUR-SULTAN – The government will consider proposals from businesses while drafting a new economic policy, said Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov at an Aug. 5 meeting with the council of domestic entrepreneurs and representatives of Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister’s press service reports. The draft strategy, developed at the initiative of the…

NUR-SULTAN – The number of tourists in Almaty totaled 842,900 people (a 64.9 percent increase), foreign tourists – 95,700 people (a 8.2 percent increase), and domestic tourists – 747,200 people (a 76.8 percent increase), according to the report of the city’s department of tourism for the third quarter of 2021. “The country had more flights…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated 18-year-old Bibisara Assaubayeva on receiving the Outstanding Chess Player of Asia 2021 title on Aug. 5, according to the president’s press service. “Bibisara Assaubayeva has achieved tremendous success. FIDE [International Chess Federation] recognized a young talented Kazakh player as the best in Asia. President Tokayev, who is an…

NUR-SULTAN – Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf expressed readiness to hold the first ministerial meeting of the Central Asia – GCC dialogue platform at the Aug. 5 meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi, reported the ministry’s press service. Speaking about the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is developing clinical guidance for the treatment of the monkeypox infectious disease, said Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Azhar Giniyat at the Central Communications Service (CCS) press briefing on Aug. 4. “Every piece of information from the World Health Organization (WHO) is being reviewed. Vaccination, according to the organization, is not required. We…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development Kairbek Uskenbayev invited the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) aircraft manufacturer to take an active part in the construction of an aviation industrial park in Nur-Sultan during the Aug. 4 meeting with the top management of leading Turkish conglomerates, reported the ministry’s press service. At the meeting,…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh capital will host the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on Sept.14-15. Considering the geopolitical situation and the post–pandemic crisis worldwide, the role of religious leaders in conflict resolution is more relevant than ever, says Chair of Nazarbayev Center for Development of Interfaith and Intercivilization Dialogue Bulat Sarsenbayev…

NUR-SULTAN – More than 100 service officers, including personnel of Kazakhstan’s Naval Forces and the National Security Committee’s Border Service, participated in comprehensive exercises on Aug. 2 at the Aktau garrison, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defense. The exercises focused on the organization of anti-aircraft, anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-sabotage defenses of the ship station. “The…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan plans to launch 40 renewable energy projects by 2025, said Kazakh Minister of Energy Bolat Akchulakov at the Central Communications Service (CCS) press briefing on Aug. 3. This year, the ministry plans to launch 11 renewable energy projects creating more than 900 workplaces. Three solar power plants and two wind farms will…

NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Hub International Technopark of IT startups is accepting applications for the second cohort of the Silkway Accelerator program for tech companies until Aug. 21, reported the Astana Hub’s press service. The second cohort of the partnership training with Google for Startups (GfS), a program with hands-on lessons from the top Google…

NUR-SULTAN – Half-year tax revenues to Kazakhstan’s consolidated budget reached a five-year record high, largely driven by high energy prices, according to the review published by the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan (AFK) on Aug. 3. As a result, the budget surplus reached 1.4 trillion tenge (US$ 2.9 billion). Considering the increase in oil prices…

NUR-SULTAN – The tax on digital mining will be increased starting January of next year and will depend on the cost of electricity consumed in Kazakhstan, reported the State Revenue Committee press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Finance. The revisions to Kazakhstan’s Tax Code announced last month call for a progressive scale of tax…

NUR-SULTAN – As the investigation into the tragic January events continues, 92 persons were sentenced to prison for felonies and serious criminal acts, said Mukhtar Kozhayev, deputy head of the investigative department of the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Central Communication Service press briefing on Aug. 1. “In total, the police investigated 4,642…

NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Hub International Technopark of IT startups and the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry have launched the Scalerator-2022 acceleration program for tech companies to increase their exports, reported the Astana Hub’s press service on July 29. Following the objective outlined by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to increase IT…

NUR-SULTAN – The average daily trading volume increased from $96.4 million to $118.6 million for the month at the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), reported the bank’s press service on July 1. According to the bank, the total trading volume in July reached $2.4 billion. “By the end of the month, the tenge exchange rate changed…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will present its products and services in the tourism industry at the TT Warsaw international tourism fair on Nov. 24–26 in the Polish capital, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sport’s press service. TT Warsaw, a prestigious event in Europe, has been held annually starting from 1993 with the support of…

TASHKENT – Kazakhstan intends to continue cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in all areas, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi at the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting on July 29, reported the ministry’s press service.   “Over the course of our work, we have…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s “Sensitive” Ballroom Dance Ensemble, which is also known as the Theater of Deaf Dancers, has made it to the finals at the 25th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in the United States, according to the ensemble’s Instagram. The dancers are the graduates of a special boarding school for children with hearing…

NUR-SULTAN – For June this year, the gross international reserves of the National Bank of Kazakhstan decreased by 2.3 percent reaching $32 billion, reported the bank’s press service on July 28. According to preliminary data, the decrease was caused by a withdrawal of client funds from the bank’s foreign currency accounts, as well as a…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sport expects 2 million people to visit national parks in Kazakhstan this year, reported the ministry’s press service on July 27. According to the ministry, 550,000 people have visited the Burabay National Park for the first half-year, which is two times more than for the same period…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has visited the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) headquarters in the city of Nyon in Switzerland, according to her Instagram account. UEFA, a governing body of football in Europe, unites 55 national football associations across the continent. Its headquarters in Nyon is located 25 kilometers northeast of…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan exported 2.85 million tons of coal and coke to the European Union (EU) countries since the beginning of this year, as its coal is suitable for their power plants, according to the July 25 S&P Global Commodity Insights report. For comparison, Kazakhstan exported an average of 0.81 million tons of coal to…

NUR-SULTAN – President of Global High Growth Regions at Honeywell Ben Driggs shared the company’s plans for the introduction of carbon capture technology and plastic processing, as well as the production of green jet fuel and diesel fuel in Kazakhstan at the July 26 meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, reports the Prime Minister’s…

NUR-SULTAN – This year, the Kazakh capital will host its first-ever Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour 500 tournament on Oct. 9-10, announced the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation’s (KTF) press service.   The ATP Tour 500, also known as the ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, ATP International Series Gold, and ATP Championship Series, represents the fourth highest…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh people now have access to three COVID-19 vaccines including the QazVac, Sinopharm, and Pfizer vaccines, reported Roza Kozhapova, the head of the department for epidemiological monitoring of infectious diseases of the Kazakh Health Ministry at a July 22 Central Communications Service (CCS) press briefing.     The COVID-19 vaccination and revaccination effort are ongoing…

NUR-SULTAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a $25 million loan to the micro, small, and medium-sized businesses in Kazakhstan, reported the bank’s press service. The main objective is to help the national business sector to overcome the ongoing macroeconomic downturn amid geopolitical tensions and numerous after-effects of the COVID…

NUR-SULTAN – Domestic auto production increased by one-third in the first half of this year contributing to the growth of exports by 23 percent, reported the press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Overall, domestic mechanical engineering grew by 37.5 percent, against the background of an increase of the production of cars, trailers,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s air carriers are acquiring new aircraft due to the increase in the passenger air traffic by 10 percent over a six-month period this year, according to the July 18 statement of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development.  This year, 75 domestic aircraft have transported 4.6…

NUR-SULTAN – The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries in January – May this year reached $10 billion, which is 4.8 percent higher than in the same period of the previous year ($9.5 billion), reported the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration press service on July 19. In five months,…

NUR-SULTAN – National air carriers’ ticket prices are competitive and affordable compared to foreign airlines, reports the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development press service on July 20. The conclusions are based on a comparative analysis of the domestic and foreign air carriers’ price policy, conducted by the ministry after receiving numerous complaints from…

NUR-SULTAN – The trade turnover of non-primary goods of Kazakhstan in January – May this year reached $25.3 billion, which is 20.4 percent higher than in the same period of the previous year ($21.0 billion), reported the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration press service. According to QazTrade, center for trade policy development under the…

NUR-SULTAN – Civil servants visit the pre-trial detention centers in the Mangystau Region as part of Kazakhstan’s anti-corruption policy concept for 2022–2026, reports the press service of the region’s Department of the Anti-Corruption Service. Employees of state institutions, including high-level personnel, had an overview of the offices where investigations were being held, prison cells and…

NUR-SULTAN – The rapid increase in the number of COVID infections by 3.2 times in one week in Kazakhstan was announced at the July 19 meeting of the interdepartmental commission on the prevention and spread of coronavirus, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. Among infected citizens, 89 percent are unvaccinated and have not been revaccinated…

NUR-SULTAN – The United States National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) representatives visited the National Nuclear Center in Kurchatov, a city in the East Kazakhstan Region, and addressed the processes of minimizing highly enriched uranium on July 15, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Energy press service. One of the major accomplishments of the cooperation between the…

NUR-SULTAN – In just the first 15 minutes, fans from 36 countries purchased tickets for Dimash Kudaibergen’s first long-awaited solo concert “Stranger” in Almaty on Sept. 23 this year, reported dimashnews.com. “After my announcement of the start of ticket sales, within 15 minutes, dears [the name of Dimash’s fans] from 36 countries bought the tickets.…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Border Service of the National Security Committee (NSC) averted the outflow of more than $8 million in cash from the country in the first six months of 2022, reported the committee’s press service on July 18. All attempts to carry the cash out of the country were revealed in Almaty by the…

NUR-SULTAN – The interdepartmental commission on counteraction of the illegal concentration of economic resources will launch a website to keep the public informed of the commission’s work on asset recovery, reported the Prosecutor General’s Office press service on July 14. The website will contain a special section where citizens will be able to send messages…

NUR-SULTAN – The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) announced the development of a roadmap for expanding the share of national currencies in mutual settlements at the July 15 meeting of the SCO countries’ industry ministers in Tashkent, Kazinform agency reports. This measure will contribute to the stability of monetary systems and the security…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has entered the ranking of the world’s 16 best tennis players by income this year, both men and women in singles, according to the rating compiled by the Relevant | Tennis Stats & Info Twitter account for statistics in world tennis. Rybakina took seventh place with total earnings…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to launch a digital family map and introduce a social wallet program by the end of the year at the July 14 expanded government meeting, reported the presidential press service on the Telegram channel. “The family social map must be accomplished so that it finally becomes…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to establish a single road company in Kazakhstan by merging the KazAvtoZhol and KazAvtodor state-owned road companies at the July 14 expanded government meeting, reported the presidential press service on Telegram channel. He said that following the merger of the two main operators with the same functional responsibilities,…

NUR-SULTAN – Inflation has reached 14.5 percent and exceeded the level of 2015, says Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the expanded government meeting on July 14, reported the presidential press service on the Telegram channel. According to the half-year results, Kazakhstan’s economy grew by 3.4 percent, and the real sector – by 4.1 percent. The…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s National Bank Chairman Galymzhan Pirmatov confirmed the bank’s readiness for economic challenges, reports the bank’s press service. “We face some challenges, but the financial system withstands and successfully overcomes them. Our measures allowed us to maintain financial stability during the events that shocked the whole world in February. No one can say…

NUR-SULTAN – The participants of the first round of Europe – Asia international march for peace and accord visited the city of Taraz in southern Kazakhstan on July 10 with a rich program, including concerts, an arts and crafts exhibition, and competitions in national games, according to Khabar 24. The main goal of the march,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has resumed the work of 12 border crossing points with Russia and Uzbekistan from July 12, reported the Interdepartmental commission on the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus infection on its Telegram channel.  This month, Kondybai, Akbalshyk, Kyzylzhar, Naiza, Zhezkent, Baitanat, Koyanbai, Orda, Shagan, Karashatau will start working across the border…

NUR-SULTAN – The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) have included Kazakhstan in the list of countries through which sanctioned goods can be imported to Russia and Belarus, says the joint alert.  Along with the Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and…

NUR-SULTAN – In June this year, the Business Activity Index (BAI) remained stable at 49 points slightly over 48.9 points in May, according to the results of a monthly survey of 469 real sector enterprises, reported the National Bank of Kazakhstan. The BAI is a composite indicator that includes the aggregate of enterprises’ surveys regarding…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov instructed the executive bodies to reduce excessive requirements for entrepreneurs by revising the regulatory framework at a July 7 meeting on business regulation, reported the Prime Minister’s Office. Delivering his report at the meeting, Kazakh Minister of National Economy Alibek Kuantyrov outlined unnecessary and overlapping requirements that were…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined measures to develop alternative cargo delivery chains and diversify oil export routes at the July 7 government meeting in the Akorda, reported the presidential press service. Tokayev emphasized the need to enhance the country’s transport and transit potential and ensure safe and uninterrupted export of domestic products amid…