Articles by Dana Omirgazy 

ASTANA – Kazakhstan outlined its plans to develop a global hub for computing and data processing at the World Government Summit 2026, with a government delegation highlighting its intention to convert the country’s energy potential into large-scale digital and AI infrastructure. Kazakh delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital…

ASTANA – The United States has reaffirmed its support for Kazakhstan’s continued regional integration and development, including through platforms such as C5+1, following talks between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4. During the meeting, Landau and Kosherbayev discussed political and economic cooperation,…

ASTANA – The second international B5+1 (Central Asia + the United States) business forum opened in Bishkek on Feb. 4, bringing together government officials and business leaders to strengthen practical cooperation in trade, investment, and technology across priority sectors. Discussions focus on economic cooperation in finance and banking, critical minerals, agriculture, transport and logistics, tourism,…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s construction industry continues to strengthen its role as a key driver of economic diversification, attracting 3.8 trillion tenge (US$7.6 billion) in housing investment, most of it private, while accelerating urban renewal, improving living standards, and modernizing utilities infrastructure. Consistent government policy, institutional reforms, and digitalization have elevated the sector to a new…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Pakistan signed 32 commercial agreements at a Feb. 4 business forum in Islamabad during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit. The agreements aim to expand bilateral cooperation across priority sectors, including finance, logistics, industry, energy, the agro-industrial complex, digital services, and infrastructure. The largest industrial agreement concluded during the forum was a…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the European Union are celebrating 33 years of diplomatic relations, marked on Feb. 2, a partnership that has evolved into a strategic, forward-looking collaboration across trade, investment, energy, connectivity, education, and sustainable development.  EU Reporter published an article by Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to the European Union, highlighting the milestone. “When…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will introduce an AI-powered digital assistant for tourists as part of efforts to scale up a national electronic tourism service based on the Kazakhstan.Travel platform.   According to Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports Baurzhan Rapikov, work to populate the platform’s database will begin in February, to create a unified digital tourism ecosystem,…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan and the United States addressed their strategic cooperation in nuclear energy and fuel security during the Nuclear Fuel Supply Forum, organized with the support of the Kazatomprom national atomic company. The event was held at the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C., the leading U.S. industry organization in commercial nuclear energy policy…

ASTANA — Saltanat Tompiyeva, chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Transport Ministry has been appointed an ambassador under the Global Ambassadors Program of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) by decision of ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar. The appointment reflects ICAO’s high level of trust in Kazakhstan. It recognizes the country’s…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s digest highlights a multibillion-dollar arbitration loss for oil majors at the Karachaganak field, talks with U.S. officials on energy cooperation, Kazakhstan’s leadership in attracting foreign investment in Central Asia, and more. Oil majors lose Kazakh field dispute worth as…

ASTANA — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cautioned that Kazakhstan’s strong economic growth is showing clear signs of overheating, calling for tighter and better-coordinated macroeconomic policies, continued monetary restraint, and accelerated structural reforms to ensure sustainable growth. The IMF Executive Board completed its Article IV Consultation with Kazakhstan. Under this process, the IMF holds…

ASTANA — Driverless taxis will be tested in Astana and Almaty, according to the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. The ministry noted that two memorandums on pilot projects for driverless taxis were previously signed with the Transport Ministry, the Astana Akimat (administration), and operators inDrive and Yandex Qazaqstan. The three-year pilot project will…

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has urged the Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) to rapidly adopt artificial intelligence and digital tools to counter financial crime, warning that technological lag could pose serious risks to Kazakhstan’s economic and national security during a Jan. 28 meeting. Tokayev noted that the agency, established five years ago during a period…

ASTANA — Dimash Qudaibergen’s project, Voice Beyond Horizon, will premiere worldwide on Feb. 5 on Hunan TV and Mango TV, and in Kazakhstan on QazaqstanTV.  Created in partnership with Hunan Broadcasting System, Voice Beyond Horizon brings together artists from six countries – China, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Serbia – who will showcase…

ASTANA — World No. 5 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland 7-5, 6-1 in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Jan. 28. The match lasted one hour and 35 minutes. Rybakina served 10 aces, committed three double faults, and converted four of seven break points. This marks Rybakina’s fourth Grand…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan will resume and open 15 international air routes this year, including flights to Vienna, Rome, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Riyadh, as part of a broader plan to improve transport connectivity and support tourism, Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev said at a Jan. 27 government meeting. Currently, 42 domestic routes are in operation, with nine…

ASTANA — An international consortium developing Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak oil and gas field may be required to pay up to $4 billion after losing an arbitration case brought by the Kazakh government, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 26, citing sources familiar with the matter. Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry has not yet confirmed the information. The project is operated…

ASTANA — Almaty Region Akim (Mayor) Marat Sultangaziyev met with a South Korean delegation to discuss Kazakhstan’s possible accession to South Korea’s Employment Permit System (EPS), which allows foreign nationals to work legally in the country. Kazakh Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Victoria Shegai and representatives of local governments also took part in…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan, alongside Brazil, China, France, Jordan, South Africa, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), invited leaders of all states to the High-Level Conference on Humanity in War in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The conference is scheduled for the fourth quarter this year, under the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political…

ASTANA — KazMunayGas (KMG) Chair Askhat Khassenov met with ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Peter Larden on Jan. 26 to review the current status of cooperation and plans for key partnership areas. The talks covered prospects for collaboration in geological exploration, oil transportation and the introduction of innovative production technologies. Under a confidentiality agreement between the…

ASTANA — Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with ExxonMobil Senior Vice President Peter Larden on Jan. 26 to discuss cooperation in the oil and gas industry, including matters related to the joint projects Tengiz, Kashagan and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. During the talks, Bektenov expressed concern over the situation at the Tengiz field, stressing…

Walk through any part of our city, and you will see life everywhere. You will also notice risks that affect everyone: from poorly lit streets to crowded intersections. Keeping our city safe is not just the job of the police; it depends on planning, solid infrastructure, and strong communities. If we ignore these rules, our…

ASTANA – The United Nations University (UNU) released an article on Jan. 20 about the dawn of an era of global water bankruptcy, formally defining a new post-crisis reality for billions. Amid chronic groundwater depletion, water overallocation, land and soil degradation, deforestation, and pollution, all compounded by global heating, a UN report declared that many…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan citizens working illegally in South Korea can voluntarily leave the country without fines or restrictions on re-entry until the end of February, under agreements between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and South Korea’s Ministry of Justice aimed at protecting citizens’ rights and helping them regularize their status.  To participate in…

ASTANA – The volume of the Northern Aral Sea is planned to increase to 34 cubic kilometers over 4-5 years, and a 191.7 billion tenge (US$377.4 million) hydropower project is being implemented, said Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov at a Jan. 21 government meeting. According to him, established water diplomacy and the…