Articles by Michelle Witte

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has extended a $103 million loan to support upgrades to a stretch of the highway that connects Kazakhstan’s capital with its largest city, the bank announced in a Feb. 18 press release. The loan, to national road operator Kazavtozhol, is to be used to widen and upgrade the…

ASTANA – Discussions at the final roundtable of the inaugural Central Asia Security Innovation Conference at the Library of the First President in Astana Dec. 9 highlighted the importance of preparedness, communication and cooperation in dealing with security and other issues, with speakers placing particular emphasis on the need for more conversation between Central Asian…

ASTANA – Kazakh figure skater and Sochi Olympics bronze medallist Denis Ten won the men’s singles competition in the Golden Spin of Zagreb international tournament, held in Croatia from Dec. 2 – 5. Ten took gold with 276.39 points. American skater Adam Rippon came in second with 237.87 points and Russian skater Adian Pitkeev third…

ASTANA – The Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) negotiated between Kazakhstan and the European Union last year and due to be formally signed in Astana Dec. 21 reflects the growth both parties have experienced, EU Delegation Ambassador to Kazakhstan Traian Hristea says. “The EPCA reflects the changes that have happened both in Kazakhstan and…

ASTANA – The Astana Times passed its five year anniversary Nov. 30, celebrating its transition from a one-time digest to a monthly printed paper and now to its current incarnation as a biweekly print edition and one of the most-visited English-language websites about Kazakhstan. The idea of the paper was born in the weeks leading…

ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev took a few moments in his state of the nation speech Nov. 30 to address the tensions between Russia and Turkey following Turkey’s downing of a Russian plane near the Syrian-Turkish border. Nazarbayev called for restraint on both sides, but also clearly stated Kazakhstan’s position that the plane…

ASTANA – The Concluding Statement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visit to Kazakhstan from Nov. 12–17 found the macroeconomic landscape of the region still “challenging” but praised efforts by the government and National Bank to manage the crisis at the moment, while calling for more work on creating a sustainable medium-term plan and on…

ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed a law on social health insurance as well as bills supporting Kazakhstan’s Plan of the Nation, the series of 100 steps intended to implement its major five institutional reforms programme, over the past week. The legislation includes amendments or new laws on social insurance, public services, industrial policy,…

ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed on Nov. 23 Kazakhstan’s new Labour Code, which gives employers more autonomy in determining wages, work contracts and transfers, among other changes. The Labour Code, which was developed to support Kazakhstan’s major five institutional reforms programme, defines the boundaries of state intervention in employer-employee relationships and distributes responsibilities between…

ASTANA – Businesses from East Kazakhstan and China signed seven business agreements worth $1.7 billion during a mid-November working trip by a delegation from the East Kazakhstan region to Xinjiang. Leaders of the two regions also signed an agreement on trade, technical, humanitarian and cultural cooperation, Altai News reported Nov. 16. The agreements pertain to…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has suspended tourist flights to Egypt due to safety concerns following the crash of a Russian passenger plane that killed 224 people Oct. 31. The Committee of Civil Aviation recommended last week limiting flights to Egypt and for tour companies stop selling packages to the country following a meeting with air and…

ASTANA – Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov addressed Nov. 11 the closing session of the first meeting of the Astana Club, a new neutral platform operating on Chatham House rules of privacy for dialogue among business and political leaders and experts on pressing issues in Eurasia. The…

ASTANA – Astana’s annual Diplomatic Christmas Charity Bazaar will have more embassies than ever participating this year – 52 in all – and hopes to top the 19 million tenge (US$63,490) it raised last year through entrance fees, raffle tickets and sales, says chair of the organising committee for the bazaar Sophia Bakuridze, spouse of…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is predicting lower growth for most of Central Asia in its most recent Regional Economic Prospects report, forecasting average growth of 3.8 percent for this year and 3.9 percent in 2016, far below 2014’s 6 percent average. Kazakhstan’s growth is forecast at 1.5 percent in…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s currency, the tenge, fell to 300 per dollar in trading Nov. 5, reaching the low previously set in mid-September after the currency was allowed to free-float against the dollar starting Aug. 20. Morning trading on the Kazakh Stock Exchange (KASE) ended with the tenge’s weighted average at 298.92 per dollar, more than…

ASTANA – The akims (mayors) of Taraz, Shymkent, Temirtau and Lisakovsk cities of Kazakhstan officially signed memoranda of understanding with the UNDP-Global Environmental Facility (GEF) project Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for Low-Carbon Urban Development at a UNDP-sponsored conference in Astana Nov. 5. “Sustainable cities means planning, designing and construction with the aim to reduce…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced three major financing deals to support small business development, road infrastructure and public transport in Kazakhstan Nov. 3. The agreements were signed in London during the Nov. 3–4 visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the British capital. Under one agreement, the EBRD agreed to…

ASTANA – With a dramatic last minute save, FC Astana held Atletico Madrid to a 0-0 tie in a home match in Astana Nov. 3. With two games to go, Astana remain at the bottom of Group C of the Champion’s League; Atletico are second on points. Atletico controlled the ball for more of the…

ASTANA – The surge of popularity of social media in Kazakhstan, and the corresponding ability to post anonymously online is having an impact on both high and low-profile citizens in the country. In particular, lately, the children of high officials have found themselves in hot water due to being caught on video – on the…

ASTANA – Four agreements worth $580 million in new projects in Kazakhstan were signed following the Oct. 29 morning session of this year’s Astana Invest Forum, including projects on infrastructure, manufacturing and energy. Overall, more than 30 agreements worth more than $1.5 billion were signed at the event. The biggest-ticket item is a $400 million…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan was among the top 10 economies showing the most improvement in the World Bank’s 2016 Doing Business report released Oct. 27. The country leaped 12 places on the list since 2015 to 41st place in the Ease of Doing Business ranking among 189 economies. The other economies among the 10 most improved…

ASTANA – Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, India, is looking to Astana as a model for both architecture and attracting investment, according to its chief minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu. “Amaravati will be a unique blue and green capital city,” Naidu said in an interview with the Deccan Chronical in October. “Prime Minister [of…

ASTANA – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is advocating accelerated structural reforms in Central Asia to combat slow gross domestic product growth in the region. The IMF cited external shocks in its Oct. 15 Regional Economic Outlook Report for the Middle East and Central Asia as the reason for the region’s lackluster economic progress. “A…

ASTANA – A travelling digital exhibition on World War I, “14–18,” organised by the French Institute, the Mission of a Century after WWI and the Agency on Teaching French Abroad (AEFE) opened at the National Academic Library of Kazakhstan in Astana on Oct. 15 with the participation of the French ambassador to Kazakhstan. “This exhibition…

ASTANA – Afghan student Basharat Khan Yousefi has emerged as a hero of the Oct. 13 tram accident in Almaty and is being hailed for preventing more damage and injuries. The scholarship student, who is studying medicine at Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, is credited with staying in the driverless tram while other passengers leapt…

ASTANA – For the first time, satellite tags are being used to track the movements of goitered gazelles in Kazakhstan’s Altyn Yemel National Park, the UNDP office in the country announced in September. The work is being done to collect data to support opening a new state reserve in the southern part of the Balkhash…

ASTANA – Elizabet Tursynbayeva, Kazakhstan’s rising figuring skating star, won the adult competition of the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International Tournament held Oct. 13–15 in Barrie, Ontario. The 15-year-old skater earned a career-best 179.72 points, Vesti.kz reports. Tursynbayeva was in second place after the short programme, but won the free skate to win the tournament.…

ASTANA – For foreigners, being vegetarian in Kazakhstan can be challenging, but for locals, it’s practically subversive. This is a culture, after all, that has given rise to the saying, “The only creatures that eat more meat than Kazakhs are wolves.” With a cuisine dominated by meat and dairy and the presentation of a sheep’s…

ASTANA – Despite the gentle temperatures of this early October, winter isn’t far from the minds of Astana residents. And despite the capital city’s growing number of shops and restaurants stocked with food flown in from around the globe, many Kazakhs still follow traditional preparations for the season of scarcity. One of these is sogym:…

ASTANA – The role of Parliament emerged as a major theme at a roundtable discussion in Astana Oct. 12 on Kazakhstan’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) ahead of the Paris Climate Change Conference, as officials and experts from Kazakhstan and the EU discussed Kazakhstan’s voluntary commitments regarding climate change and created recommendations for the country…

ASTANA – In two years, Astana’s professional women’s hockey team, Tomiris, went from fourth place to second, and now, looking ahead to the beginning of their third national tournament, coach Alexander Tebenkov says his team is definitely a contender for first. In fact, he’d put them up against the women’s national team, he told The…

ASTANA – In connection with a project to promote Car Free Days in Almaty, the UNDP and its Global Environmental Facility (GEF) held a festival dedicated to finding creative ways to use parking spaces in the city. “Almaty designers, artists and young architects used parking spots to organise so-called ‘parklets’ – mini-zones for recreation –…

ASTANA – A new, two-year support programme for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kazakhstan has been launched by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Tengizchevroil (TCO), Kazakhstan’s top oil producer, the EBRD announced Oct. 6. The roughly $515,000 programme, which will run from 2015–2017, will cover SMEs across Kazakhstan and promote…

ASTANA – An art exhibition featuring paintings created for the third annual charity auction “I Want to Live!” was opened Sept. 28 at The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty, the hotel announced. The “I Want to Live!” auction raises funds for children fighting life-threatening diseases, according to a Ritz-Carlton, Almaty, press release. The auction will feature paintings created…

ASTANA – The theme of this year’s Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 Kazenergy Eurasia Forum was “New Horizons of Energy: Prospects of Cooperation and Investments,” but it also acknowledged the new normal: low oil prices and companies trying to balance innovation with thrift in the context of a world increasingly worried about climate change. Despite…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the Almaty Process, a two-year-old effort to enhance cooperation on legal and illegal migration in Central Asia, is bearing fruit and the region can be an example for Europe in handling migrants and refugees, say experts. Bernard Doyle, regional representative for Central Asia for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees…

ASTANA – Minister for Foreign Trade of Finland Lenita Toivakka will lead a major business delegation on a trip to Kazakhstan from Oct. 4–7 to deepen economic cooperation and trade and develop relationships within Kazakhstan’s educational system, industrial sector and green technology industry, she told The Astana Times on Oct. 2. “The business delegation accompanying…

ASTANA – The European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched a 3.7 billion tenge (US$14.1 million) credit line for women entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan, the bank announced Sept. 22. “The EBRD is proud to announce the launch of its first project in Kazakhstan under the new programme ‘Women in Business,’ actively supported by the…

How would you describe the level and the focus of cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for that matter, in fighting terrorism and extremism? How would you summarise the results of the CSTO meetings in Dushanbe on Sept. 14? Kazakhstan considers the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the…

ASTANA – Two major renewables projects have been announced recently in Kazakhstan: the provision of solar panels to a 50 megawatt solar power plant and a project to test a 25 MW flow batteries system in the country. Schneider Electric announced Sept. 9 that the company had been selected as the “solutions provider” for Kazakhstan’s…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the U.S. engaged in a bit of “treatplomacy” on Sept. 18, with Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry swapping tweets about the Eurasian nation’s iconic giant apples. Speaking at the Artisan Enterprise: The New Startup Economy forum on Sept. 10 in the U.S. State…

ASTANA – After sliding to nearly 300 tenge to the dollar on Sept. 16, the National Bank of Kazakhstan intervened and the tenge has rallied to trade at 267 to the dollar at the time of writing. The relatively steady decline and predictions that the currency could fall as low as 400 to the dollar,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan brings to the international stage – and soon, it hopes, to the UN Security Council – an ethos that eschews conflict, that is always ready to sit down for negotiations, and that is interested in finding avenues of cooperation even among the most distant partners, the country’s deputy foreign minister told The…

ASTANA – Two Greco-Roman wrestlers from Kazakhstan brought medals home from the recent World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas and earned the right to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Doszhan Kartikov, wrestling in the 75 kilogrammes weight class, beat Alvin Musaliyev of Azerbaijan to take home the bronze, in the process earning himself…

ASTANA – The government of Kazakhstan expects gross domestic product growth of 2.1 percent in 2016, 3.6 percent in 2017 and 2.9 percent in 2018, according to a draft state budget for 2016 – 2018 that was sent to the Kazakh Parliament and seen by Reuters, Reuters and AKIPress reported on Sept. 8. The new…

ASTANA – United States security interests in the region are dissipating along with the country’s focus on Central Asian and Kazakhstan policy, said U.S. scholars at the Sept. 9 New Security Trends in Central Asia conference at the Library of the First President in Astana. “There’s a sense right now, that I think is pervasive…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan topped the team rankings at the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Championships with five gold medals, as fighters, who also fight for Astana Arlans, won five of six bouts on the last day of competition on Sept. 5. Overall, Kazakh fighters won five gold, one silver and one bronze medal for a total…

ASTANA – Fuel prices are expected to rise in Kazakhstan following First Deputy Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev’s announcement that the government would stop regulating the prices of AI-92 gasoline on Sept. 4. Kazakhstan switched to a free-floating exchange rate for its national currency, the tenge, on Aug. 20. The tenge has lost roughly 20 percent…

ASTANA – The Hoope, a home detection kit to diagnose sexually transmitted diseases that was the brainchild of a team including Kazakh biotechnologist Damel Mektepbayeva, is expected to go into mass production next year, Forbes.kz reports. “Each year, 500 million people get infected with one of the four most common sexually transmitted diseases,” a video…

ASTANA – The Electric Locomotive Manufacturing Plant of Astana presented their KZ4AT passenger electric locomotive at the fifth International Railway Equipment and Technologies Fair (EXPO 1520) in Moscow from Sept. 2 – 5, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) reported in a press release. KTZ is Kazakhstan’s national railway company which has assumed greater responsibility for the…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will loan $1.8 million to the privately owned West Kazakhstan motor fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributor Niet, the bank announced in a press release on Sept. 3. The loan represents the EBRD’s continued support for Kazakhstan’s small and medium-sized business sector, the bank…

ASTANA – Construction on a new school in Astana funded by the United Arab Emirates launched on Aug. 27 with a ground-breaking ceremony. The school, which is to accommodate 1,200 primary and secondary students and was the result of agreements between the presidents of Kazakhstan and the UAE, is to be named after President of…

ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev reiterated his suggestion that Kazakhstan brand itself “Land of the Great Steppe” during the Aug. 28 conference “Constitution: unity, stability and prosperity,” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s constitution. “I believe that we should be called the ‘Land of the Great Steppe,’” the President said, according to…

ASTANA – Air Astana will relaunch direct flights between Astana and Dubai on Oct. 25, the airline announced on Aug. 24. Flights will be operated four times a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, according to Air Astana’s website. Flights had been suspended since October 2010, after the United Arab Emirates imposed restrictions on…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed three agreements on Aug. 27 in Astana that are expected to advance the international effort to place a low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel bank in the country. The Kazakh government and the IAEA signed an agreement on placing the bank in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Pakistan signed memoranda of understanding on trade and investment, defence and strategic studies and foreign services training during the two-day, Aug. 25-26 official visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, the Dawn news agency reports. “I am impressed by the scale of the socio-economic progress of Kazakhstan … We wish…

ASTANA – Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan’s flagship English-language university, launched its school of medicine on Aug. 17 with an inaugural class of 20 taking the Hippocratic oath and beginning the four-year programme. “The School of Medicine is a very important step on a way toward a strategic objective – the creation of an integrated academic health…

ASTANA – The ATOM Project (“Abolish Testing: Our Mission”) is again calling for a worldwide moment of silence to honour the victims of nuclear weapons testing on Aug. 29, the United Nations International Day Against Nuclear Tests. “We are calling for people around the world to observe 11:05 a.m. their local time as a moment…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan transitioned ahead of schedule to a free-floating exchange rate on Aug. 20 after the currency fell 5 percent against the dollar in commercial exchanges the day before. The move was announced in a two-hour press conference attended by the nation’s top finance and government officials, including Prime Minister Karim Massimov, First Deputy…

ASTANA – The European renewable energy consultancy group Wind Prospect will provide consulting services to the 3E energy company that is building the 50-megawatt Yereimentau Wind Farm in central Kazakhstan’s Akmola oblast, the firm announced on Aug. 17. 3E is an energy, ecology and engineering company working for Samruk-Energo, a subsidiary of the Samruk Kazyna…

ASTANA – The dollar rose sharply against the tenge on the morning of Aug. 19, likely the result of the the actions of a major investor on the Kazakh stock exchange (KASE) wanting to fix their position at 197 tenge to the dollar, according to Tengrinews.kz “Most likely, on the [KASE], a major investor wanted…

ASTANA – A joint Eurasia Local Governments Congress and Eurasian branch of United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) project has shown Astana has the most international activity of any Eurasian city, according to the city’s website. Astana was the overall leader in the ratings, which assessed 50 small, medium and large cities, and one of…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government plans to build a 230,000-square-metre transport and logistics centre on 92 hectares in Shymkent to help coordinate transit between Shymkent International Airport, the Western Europe-Western China highway and the Trans-Asian Railway, Kazinform reported. The centre will include Class A and Class B warehouses, dry warehouses, freezers and other equipment to…

ASTANA – Violence being conducted under the names of ISIS or the Islamic State now being referred to as Daesh, is a concern, but not a serious threat to Central Asia, and current tensions between the three major powers are merely blips in long-term “family” relationships, Richard E. Hoagland, former U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan (2008–2011)…

ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan issued seven new coins on Aug. 7, the bank announced in a press release. Four commemorative coins mark places: “Taikazan” is a new addition to the Treasures of the Steppe series, “Buran” joins the Space series and “Kyzylorda” and “Oral” join the Cities of Kazakhstan series. Two anniversary…

ASTANA – Teacher of Kazakh history Olga Kovtun’s favourite era to help students discover is the birth of the Kazakh state in the mid-15th century. But she also knows that the printed page is sometimes not enough to kindle a flame of interest – so instead, she took a trip in January to see and…

ASTANA – Three more projects funded by the Technology Commercialisation Centre (TCC) in Astana have found commercial success in Kazakhstan and beyond in agricultural, cosmetics and mining, the TCC announced. The three projects include a microbe cocktail created by scientists at the National Centre for Microorganisms to eliminate fatty waste from dairy and meat production,…

ASTANA – Shayl Majithia is one of the most recent in a long line of travellers to pass from Europe to Asia via Kazakhstan’s great landmass. Like his earliest predecessors, Majithia’s journey is self-propelled; unlike them, he comes not for trade or other gain, but for charity. Plus, he’s got a sweet bike. “I am…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Academy of Public Administration has joined the Global Network of Schools of Government of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and a delegation from the academy took part in its annual meeting in Paris on July 6 before going on a study tour of other European countries. The July 6–11…

ASTANA – This May saw another release of falcons from the United Arab Emirates into their natural habitat in western Kazakhstan, thanks to the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and the Kazakh government. This year, 55 falcons were released: eight female saker falcons, 41 female peregrines and six male…

ASTANA – The main cause of the mysterious “sleeping sickness” that has been plaguing the Krasnogorsk and Kalachi villages in the country’s Akmola region is the combined impact of carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbon gasses reducing the levels of oxygen in the air in the area, Deputy Prime Minister Berdybek Saparbayev announced on July 10…

ASTANA – The end of the Bolashak Presidential Scholarship’s five-year plan has coincided with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s election campaign call for a development push based on his proposed five institutional reforms, giving the scholarship programme the chance to create a plan based on the new needs of the developing nation. “What is good about…

ASTANA – Astana Day, the annual combined celebration of the birthday of Kazakhstan’s capital city and the President who has shaped its modern form, was marked this year by a weekend of traditional and contemporary performances. The celebrations around July 6 mark the 17th birthday of Kazakhstan’s young capital. It was on this day in…

ASTANA – DHL Global Forwarding and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) Express have signed a memorandum of understanding to provide greater rail connectivity between China, Kazakhstan and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Europe, the Post and Parcel website reported on July 1. “KTZ Express is looking to establish the most advanced…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide Aktobe-based vegetable oils producer Savola Foods with a tenge loan equivalent to $60 million, the bank announced on July 3. The loan is part of an expansion of EBRD activities into Kazakhstan’s agribusiness sector. The loan will be used to increase Savola’s oil…

ASTANA – Over two days of presentations and dialogue, participants at the Central and South Asian Regional Conference on Countering Violent Extremism called for more tools to support collaborative work to block terrorist recruitment efforts and discussed global law enforcement and other practices to identify and respond to potential threats. The need for cooperation between…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a $49.2 million loan in local currency to Kazakh food and beverage producer RG Brands, the bank announced on June 30. RG Brands is a producer and distributor of tea, juice and milk drinks, with five production sites, two logistics centres and 12…

ASTANA – The European Union’s revised Strategy for Central Asia provides increased engagement with the region through more flexible cooperation formats and a budget for bilateral and regional cooperation formats of more than 1 billion euros, an increase of 56 percent, EU Special Representative for Central Asia Peter Burian said at a press conference in…

ASTANA – A global assessment of what constitutes a terrorist group, sanctions against states that support them, a global database of extremist content online and a mechanism for removing it as well as a regional awareness network to promote research and training on countering extremism were among the topics presented during the first day of…

ASTANA – An innovative Kazakh startup with a product that prevents electricity from being wasted was ranked among the top ten at this year’s Echelon Asia Summit in Singapore on June 23-24. “We were confident that we would be in the top 10,” founder of the winning project, EcoSocket, Sanzhar Myrzagalym said at the event,…

ASTANA – Two of southern Thailand’s biggest tourism centres, Phuket Province and Koh Samui of Surat Thani province, joined the “Amazing Road Show to Kazakhstan 2015” campaign to open new tourist markets and establish direct flights to the regions, the National News Bureau of Thailand reported. Tens of thousands of Kazakhs travel to Phuket each…

ASTANA – Despite the geography that separates them, Kazakhstan and Malaysia are natural partners, with much in common – like relatives separated by a continent, Malaysian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Dato’ Hidayat Abdul Hamid says. “Malaysia and Kazakhstan are similar in many senses,” he said in an interview on June 23. “While we embrace modernity, many…

ASTANA – Soul music is not the first thing that comes to mind when surveying Kazakhstan’s sound scene, but singer Mekiel Barnett has hopes that the country’s music fans will be as welcoming to him as the rest of its people have been. You’d be forgiven for finding Barnett’s arrival on the steppe unexpected, to…

ASTANA – The seventh International Forum of Talent, Models and Designers of Fashion House International Kazakhstan (FHI) was held in Almaty’s Metro Club on June 18–20 and brought together 100 participants from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and the United States, an FHI press release reported on June 22. The forum was divided into a Day…

ASTANA – India and Kazakhstan are looking at a variety of mining, mineral and oil and gas projects, paving the way for bilateral agreements to be signed during Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s visit to the country early in July. An inter-ministerial working group has been established among the Coal, Steel and Mines Ministries…

ASTANA – Belarussian-born, Sweden-based artist L. Christeseva has brought the bright, textured paintings and installations of her “Sustainidentity” exhibit to the Kulanshi Gallery in Astana’s Palace of Peace and Harmony, with the help of the Swedish embassy in the Kazakh capital. The exhibit was arranged in connection with Sweden’s national day on June 6. “Based…

ASTANA – On June 18, experts from three continents discussed some of the thornier geopolitical issues in Central Asia today, including foreign policy failures, the political and economic impact of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the lack of trust between states of the region and the urgent need for reform. The discussions took place at…

ASTANA – In the spring, when the weather warms and residents of the steppe start to dream about summer holidays by some distant seaside, another group of travellers is making a journey in the opposite direction. Only about 120 kilometres west from Astana, hundreds of birds, many from tropical beaches, come to rest, mate and…

ASTANA – In the last five years, reported incidents of sexual violence against minors in Kazakhstan have doubled, Attorney General of Kazakhstan Askhat Daulbayev said at a recent meeting of Coordination Council on Law Enforcement under the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan, where he also called for stronger investigative procedures and more thorough assessments of…

ASTANA – A Nazarbayev University student has won an essay contest for Kazakh students sponsored by a collective of European embassies meant to raise awareness and encourage collective work to combat climate change. The essay contest was part of a joint Climate Diplomacy Day initiative sponsored by the EU delegation to Kazakhstan and the embassies…

ASTANA – With British soprano Sarah Brightman having dropped out of the spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov has a chance at the vacant seat, Spaceflight Insider reported at the end of May. Kazcosmos, Kazakhstan’s space exploration agency, is “now urgently preparing its scientific research programme,” Deputy Chairman of Kascosmos…

ASTANA – The Board of Governors of theVienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved a host-state agreement on June 12 between the agency and the government of Kazakhstan on hosting an international low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel bank in the country, an offer Kazakhstan first made in 2010, according to an IAEA announcement on June 12.…

ASTANA – The fifth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana completed its work on June 11 with the adoption of a final declaration based on peace initiatives proposed by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in his opening address to the congress. The final declaration includes calls for “political leaders of world…

ASTANA – The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) held its 12th summit in Almaty on May 18, the first time the summit was held in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Kazakh TV reported in late May. As Kazakhstan aims to become a regional financial centre, the country hopes to position Almaty as the Islamic…

ASTANA – A Representative Office of the Nobel Academy, a Swiss-based group of educational and research institutions offering online tuition accredited around the world, has opened in Astana, the Astana Akimat (city administration) has announced. “We are opening the academy in Astana due to the historical cooperation between your country and the Nobel family,” said…

ASTANA – The fifth Congress of World and Traditional Religions launched June 10 in Astana with a focus on working together to prevent violence, and with Kazakhstan offered as a model of religious and cultural harmony. “A distinctive feature of this forum is to discuss the relationship of religions and cultures in the interests of…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed four more deals to cooperate on projects in public services and transport on June 3, during EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti’s trip to the Kazakh capital. These are all projects that involve reform, Chakrabarti commented, and really symbolise the nature of EBRD and Kazakhstan’s…

ASTANA – The 28th session of the Foreign Investors Council of Kazakhstan, focusing on the development of the country’s agricultural sector, was held on June 4-5 in the Kazakh capital and chaired by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, who called on foreign investors to involve themselves in Kazakh agribusiness and said that despite economic challenges,…

ASTANA – Blogger Adlet Kumar has opened an island in the middle of landlocked Astana – a place he hopes will be an oasis for travellers, a meeting point for people from different walks of life and an island of free expression in an otherwise buttoned-up capital city. Freedom Island, as his new venue is…

ASTANA – To counter what some believe to be an underrepresentation of Kazakh art internationally, the International Art Development Association (IADA) created an “Invisible Pavilion” entitled “Protagonists” on the sidelines of the May 1-10 Venice Biennale, where Kazakh and Central Asian artists were able to exhibit their work and their culture. “Since the independence of…