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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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 – 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…

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 – 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…

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.…

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’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…