Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas on March 28 in Almaty to discuss the current state and future prospects of Kazakh-European relations. The officials highlighted the importance of upcoming events, including…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Kazakhstan’s tourism industry, nuclear energy agency, AI development and more. Portugal and Kazakhstan are getting closer Portugal’s DNOTICIAS.PT published an article on March 23 about Kazakhstan’s tourism industry, which experienced significant growth, marked by a…

ASTANA – A new national ecotourism standard, set to take effect on June 1, aims to minimize the environmental impact of tourism in Kazakhstan while ensuring the preservation of its unique ecosystems and landscapes.  Developed under the UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) program, the standard incorporates global sustainability guidelines and offers a framework for eco-friendly…

ASTANA – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is working to restore operations at the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station following a recent drone attack, the company’s press service reported to Kazinform on March 24. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on March 24, at around 2 a.m. local time, air defense forces intercepted a UAV…

ASTANA – President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar will make an official visit to Kazakhstan on March 31- April 1, meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss key areas of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The discussions will delve into trade and economics, transportation and logistics, cultural and humanitarian exchange, ecology and sustainable development,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s government will allocate illegally withdrawn assets from the Special State Fund to enhance social infrastructure, with 1.7 billion tenge (US$3.4 million) allocated to construct new medical facilities in ten villages across the Akmola Region. The project will establish four medical outpatient clinics, five feldsher-obstetric stations, and one medical center. This will greatly…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National School of Physics and Math (FIZMAT) became the first in Central Asia to receive the Apple Authorized Training Center for Education (AATCE) status, reported the Education Ministry on March 23. Granting the AATCE status confirms the school’s adherence to Apple’s global standards for teaching digital subjects and training IT professionals. The…

ASTANA — In recent years, Kazakhstan has achieved notable results in attracting foreign investment, driving sustainable economic growth and enhancing its global standing. The government prioritizes creating a favorable investment climate and executing large-scale international projects. These efforts focus on infrastructure development, supporting key economic sectors, and improving the country’s competitiveness. According to Kazakhstan’s National…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers the Middle Corridor, Kazakhstan’s oil exports and more. Kazakhstan’s constitutional reforms have created a stable investment climate The European Financial Review published an article on March 14 highlighting Kazakhstan’s recent constitutional reforms and governance improvements,…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government allocated returned illegally acquired assets from the Special State Fund to finance the construction of commissioning the Hematology Center in Oskemen worth 33.6 billion tenge (US$66.7 million). The medical institution will have two buildings: a hospital with 148 beds and a 24-bed hotel for patients receiving treatment. The main building…

ASTANA – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has confirmed that oil shipments continue as usual despite ongoing repairs at the Kropotkinskaya pumping station. Russian media and Telegram channels reported another drone attack on CPC infrastructure on March 19. However, CPC press secretary Ilya Arkhipov clarified that the CPC did not own the object targeted. According…

ASTANA – State Counselor Erlan Karin attended the launch of the Assyl Mura (Precious Heritage) audio collection, the largest national music archive in Kazakhstan’s history, now available on over 100 global streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Yandex Music, and YouTube Music, reported Kazinform on March 20. Featuring 1,500 carefully selected recordings — ranging from…

ASTANA—President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced that the 34th session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan will be held on April 23-24, marking the assembly’s 30th anniversary. The previous 33rd session, held under the theme Unity, Creation, Progress, focused primarily on the government’s response to the devastating floods. Despite the widespread destruction, Tokayev emphasized…

ASTANA – Between September 2024 and early March, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy national railway company reported the transportation of 7.7 million tons of grain, which included 1.6 million tons for domestic use and 6.1 million tons for export. Export volumes saw a significant increase of 52.8%. Key export destinations included Uzbekistan, with 2.3 million tons (up…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with representatives of Japan’s business community to discuss ongoing and future projects, as well as potential investment opportunities in Kazakhstan as part of his official visit to Japan. Kazakhstan, which has benefited from over $8 billion in investments from Japan, remains one of…

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired a meeting of the country’s Security Council on March 18 to review the results of the 2024 implementation of the Action Plan for National Security Risk Management for 2021-2025, which was adopted to implement the National Security Strategy. The government and heads of a number of relevant government…

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Shen Yanfeng, the general director of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), on March 17 to explore prospects for cooperation in nuclear energy. During the meeting, Tokayev focused on Kazakhstan’s plans to develop its nuclear energy sector, highlighting the significance of the recent decision to create the…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev underscored the cultural significance of the ten-day Nauryz celebration, the promotion of national clothing and the ongoing development of the Abai Institute during his speech at the National Kurultai on March 14 in Burabai. Tokayev highlighted the significance of the Nauryz celebration, which has now expanded to a ten-day…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the crucial role of tax reform in the country’s future, calling it the foundation of the state system and the key to fulfilling social obligations during the fourth meeting of the National Kurultai (Congress) on March 14 in Burabai. Welcoming the participants, he noted that the members of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines will launch Shymkent-Seoul flight on May 29. The flights will operate twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. Thus, the total number of flights between Kazakhstan and South Korea will increase from eight to ten per week, reported the Transport Ministry’s press service on March 13. On the same day,…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov visited the Abai Region and reviewed the progress of the country’s energy development and nuclear cluster initiatives. The Prime Minister’s press service reported on March 13 that the visit included inspections of key facilities, including the Balapan test site, the Baikal-1 research nuclear reactor, and the National Nuclear…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s National Bank will launch the Gold Coin project, a digital equivalent of the investment coin, on March 17. According to a press release from the bank on March 13, a new investment product will be available for purchase through the Astana International Exchange (AIX)’s Tabys mobile app. The Gold Coin project aims…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated the nation on the Amal holiday (‘Korisu’ in Kazakh, meaning to meet each other) or the Day of Greeting, on March 14. “Inquiring about each other’s well-being after a long winter is a special tradition that dates back centuries. On this day, people meet with relatives and friends,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has secured the 100th position in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), published by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). The GTI assesses countries based on the impact of terrorism, with a lower rank indicating a lower risk of terrorism. With a score of 0 points, three Central Asian countries, namely…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev engaged in discussions with global energy leaders at CERAWeek 2025 in Houston, the United States. Meetings with S&P Global Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin and executives from major energy companies, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and Eni, focused on enhancing Kazakhstan’s role in the global energy market, diversifying energy sources,…