Articles by Galiya Nurzhan

ASTANA – This March, Kazakhstan and Hungary marked the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The common roots and historical ties between the two nations have always served as a firm basis for mutual sympathy and trust. Today, a real boost in the bilateral cooperation is observed with significant growth in trade turnover, promotion of fruitful…

Kazakhstan and Indonesia. What can be the common ground between these countries? Island and equatorial Indonesia, with a population more than 14 times greater than that of continental Kazakhstan, would seem to have nothing in common with its Central Asian counterpart. For the last 23 years, however, these two states have found points of contact…

ASTANA – On May 30, the 2030 Master Plan was discussed at the Akimat of the Karaganda region (the regional government of Karaganda) with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development, the Astana branch of the Kazakh Research and Design Experimental Institute of Earthquake-Resistant Construction and Architecture (RSE KazNIISSA), deputies of the…

ASTANA – On May 24, the fourth international investment forum Astana Invest 2013 took place within the framework of the Sixth Astana Economic Forum (AEF) at the Palace of Independence in Astana. The event was organised by the akimat (city government) of Astana and JSC Astana Innovations with the support of the government of Kazakhstan.…

ASTANA – On May 21-22, the first International Astana Smart Technologies Exhibition and Conference (ASTEX 2013) took place within the framework of the Sixth Astana Economic Forum (AEF) at the Palace of Peace and Harmony in Astana. The event was organised by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Zerde National Info-Communications Holding and the Info-Communication…

ASTANA – Dagmar Schreiber, a native of Germany, arrived in Kazakhstan for the first time in the early 1990s, fell in love with the country at first sight and decided to dedicate the rest of her professional life to it. During numerous far-reaching trips, she became aware of its potential for tourism and has devoted…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s international flagship carrier, Air Astana, is celebrating its 11th year in the skies. On May 15, 2002, Air Astana completed its first flight from Almaty to Astana. Currently, Air Astana’s network of flights includes 63 destinations in Kazakhstan and abroad and its fleet consists of 26 modern, Western-built aircraft. In the 11…

ASTANA – Last month, Chairman of the Board of Samruk Kazyna Umirzak Shukeyev took part in the opening ceremony of a new plant for the production of lighting devices based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the Astana-New City Special Economic Zone. The LED System Media plant was built pursuant to the 2010-14 State Programme for…

ASTANA – In April, Environment Protection Minister Nurlan Kapparov spelled out government strategy on the transition to a green economy at a conference in Astana U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Fairfax also attended the conference entitled “Building a Green Economy in Kazakhstan.” It was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce for Economic Policy in Astana. The…

ASTANA – On April 12, Astana joined the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) at the invitation of Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun. The WTCF is one of the largest groups of its kind in the world. It comprises 56 major cities including Los Angeles, Rome, Berlin, Macau, Beijing, London and Vienna. Astana is only the third…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s13th International Tourism Fair (KITF) was held from April 24 to April 26 at the Atakent International Exhibition Centre in Almaty. The KITF is a major annual event in the national tourism industry. It showcases new developments and allows participants to share information and attract foreign companies to Almaty, which is the financial…

ASTANA – On April 12, Astana joined the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) at the invitation of Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun. The WTCF is one of the largest groups of its kind in the world. It comprises 56 major cities including Los Angeles, Rome, Berlin, Macau, Beijing, London and Vienna. Astana is only the third…

ASTANA – Since the middle of 2012, Western media abounded with news mentioning unexpectedly impetuous investment activity of Kenes Rakishev, a Kazakh businessman. Coverage of investments by this mining magnate, who has not been previously noticed as expressing love for venture capital business, sounded more like reports of Genghis Khan’s military campaigns in Europe: first,…

ASTANA – On April 12, Environment Protection Minister Nurlan Kapparov spelled out government strategy on the transition to a green economy at a conference in Astana U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Fairfax also attended the conference entitled “Building a Green Economy in Kazakhstan.” It was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce for Economic Policy in Astana.…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s state agencies and leading national companies took part in a road show in California’s Silicon Valley in late March. Kazakhstan’s delegation had more than 40 meetings with American companies working in the field of power, information and communication technologies (ICT), electric car production, consumer electronics and energy saving technologies, and concluded a…

HANNOVER – The premier international trade show, Hannover Messe 2013, was held in Hannover, Germany on April 7-12 to highlight the current state of the art in industry, preview key future trends towards integration and open up new prospects for expert dialogue across all aspects of Industry 4.0, one name for the current “fourth industrial…

Kumis, a mildly alcoholic drink made from fermented mare’s milk, is the popular national beverage of Kazakhstan. Now experts are working to make it an export success in Europe as well. Kumis has been widely known since ancient times. Avicenna (Ibn Sina), the 11th century great philosopher and physician praised its therapeutic effects a thousand…

ASTANA – A major German company is investing big in modular construction in Kazakhstan. On March 28, the KAZNEX INVEST Agency and the Chandler Modular company from Germany held a press briefing at KAZNEX offices on their new project. Markhabbat Balgabay, KAZNEX INVEST’s regional director for Europe, and Alexander Eckart, Chandler Modular’s director general in…

ASTANA – On March 14, Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov visited Almaty and met with local businessmen to review progress in implementing the 2020 Business Road Map and the 2020 Productivity, 2020 Exports and 2020 Agribusiness plans. The prime minister visited the KazStroySteklo glass factory where he was briefed about the manufacture of energy-efficient glass. KazStroySteklo…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has improved its position as a global tourist destination in a new report issued March 7 by the World Economic Forum. The biennial Travel and Tourism Report, entitled “Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth and Job Creation,” reported considerable movement in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index’s top 10 countries. Over the past…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Germany are entering their third decade of mutually beneficial partnership after having celebrated in 2012 the 20th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic relations. Diplomatic ties were established on Feb. 11, 1992, only four weeks after Kazakhstan declared its independence on Dec. 16, 1991. The German Embassy in Almaty was opened in…

ASTANA – KEGOC, the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company, will issue its Initial Public Offering (IPO) of shares by the end of June, a press conference was told on March 18. KEGOC is part of the Samruk Kazyna National Welfare Fund. The move follows the first successful IPO offering issued by KazTransOil (KTO), the country’s…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s economy is projected to grow by a robust 6 percent this year, the government and the National Bank announced March 13. In a statement, the government said its economic policy this year would focus on modernization through diversification and social programmes. It would follow a policy of seeking full employment, well-balanced regional…

ASTANA – The Samruk Kazyna National Sovereign Fund is embarking on a massive programme of railway and port construction this year, its chairman Umirzak Shukeyev told an expanded meeting of directors in February 2013. Shukeyev said 2012 had been a year of great success for the fund when its enterprises generated a total gross income…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Japan have agreed at a recent Tokyo meeting to dramatically expand their industrial cooperation and launch a new series of joint ventures beyond the energy sector. The projects will raise Japan’s investment in Kazakhstan’s industry, oil, gas and nuclear industries to a whole new level. Nine bilateral documents were signed at…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s oil industry is entering a new era of growth. In the years of national independence oil exports have increased from 13 million tons to 71 million tons per year, about 4,000 kilometres (2,400 miles) of oil pipelines have been built and pipeline export capacity has increased from 10 million tons to 58…

ASTANA – Sheraton style and luxury are coming to Aktobe. On Jan. 11, 2013, the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide of America and the Akcept Contraction Company of Kazakhstan signed a contract to build a new Sheraton Aktobe Hotel to open in 2013. It will be the first hotel of the famous international chain in…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has signed an agreement with Toyota Motors to make its first-ever SUV in the country. On Feb. 12, the government and Toyota signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch Toyota’s Made in Kazakhstan project to manufacture Toyota’s Fortuner SUVs at the Saryarka Avtoprom automobile plant in Kostanay city. The factory will…

ASTANA – It’s about to get a lot easier to drive between Almaty and Astana, Kazakhstan’s two main business and government hubs. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport and Communications plans to build a new road cutting the travelling distance between Almaty and Astana by 200 kilometres (120 miles) and reducing the travel time between the two…

ASTANA – In keeping with the global trend for saving energy and resources, the Kazatomprom National Atomic Company (Kazatomprom) announced the development of a smart uranium mine project at the fifth seminar dedicated to the development of Kazakhstan’s uranium and atomic industries held on January 31 in Almaty. The implementation of the project will contribute…

ASTANA – On January 24, the Kazatomprom National Atomic Company reported its production activities in 2012. The company’s work has been conducted within its development strategy, aimed at keeping Kazakhstan’s current leading position in the world uranium market. Kazatomprom is becoming a transnational, vertically-integrated company involved in all stages of the atomic fuel cycle. It…

The Akbulak Mountain Resort in the foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau Mountains is a picturesque place for family holidays, corporate events, business meetings, parties and training camps for athletes. Located about 40 kilometres east of Almaty at a height of 1,600 metres above sea level, the Akbulak resort has established itself as a prime location…

ASTANA – France has become one of Kazakhstan’s main trading partners and closest partners in Europe over the past two decades. Diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and France were established on Jan. 25, 1992, only three weeks after Kazakhstan declared its independence on Dec. 16, 1991. The French Embassy in Kazakhstan was opened in March 1992,…

ASTANA – A new auto plant for the welding and painting of Nomad SUVs for Kazakhstan’s domestic auto market will open in Kostanay city over the next year. Agromash Holding has announced that the new plant will be turning out a new line of Nomad SUVs by the end of this year for the domestic…

ASTANA, December 14 – The Highvill Construction Company of South Korea has been building a million square metre residential complex in the heart of Astana’s government area on the right bank since 2005. The complex is located next to the Palace of Peace and Harmony (the Peace Pyramid) and the President’s Park on the bank…

ASTANA, Dec. 25 – In the years of national independence, Kazakhstan has made significant economic and social progress and has positioned itself as a leading state in addressing national, regional and global environmental problems. The initiatives of on closing the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, establishing a national policy of nuclear non-proliferation, destroying the country’s nuclear…

ASTANA, December 29 – President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called on the government to develop a space tourism programme that will draw upon the legendary achievements and global reputation of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Space exploration is of strategic significance for the development of Kazakhstan and is considered to be a primary resource that makes the country…

ASTANA, January 3 – On December 25, as part of the Industrialization Day a new wave of major investment projects around the nation were launched as President Nursultan Nazarbayev held a nationwide teleconference with senior officials and leading industrialists. The president inaugurated work on high-speed 4G LTE (fourth-generation long-term evolution) networks in Astana and Almaty,…

ASTANA – On January 17, The RTS Ministop Kazakhstan-Japanese joint venture opened its first combo-store under the Ministop trademark in Almaty. The joint venture plans to establish a convenience store chain worth about 10 million dollars around the whole of Kazakhstan. The combo-store, which combines the properties of convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, is a…

ASTANA, January 14 – On January 9, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved a loan of $196.5 million to Kazakhstan to rebuild and expand the road connecting Shymkent City to the Uzbek border. The expansion is a part of the project to create the Western-Europe-to-Western-China international transport corridor. The expanded road will…

ASTANA, January 11 – The Kashagan giant oil field is set to enter commercial production in the first half of this year. The field is located in Kazakhstan’s offshore waters in the northern Caspian Sea and is the largest oil field in the world to be found and developed over the past 30 years. Ruslan…

ASTANA, November 12 – Since mid-October, scientists and researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy have been working on a project in the Akzhayik National Park of the Atyrau region to preserve its unique biodiversity and develop eco-tourism in the Caspian region. The Akzhayik Nature Reserve is located in the delta of the Ural…

EAST KAZAKHSTAN REGION, November 12 – On September 27, World Tourism Day, East Kazakhstan opened its first regional tourism centre. The region is at a global crossroads with vast potential for future tourism growth. East Kazakhstan is located at the intersection of the nation’s borders with China and Russia. The major part of the region…