EBRD Loans $103 Million to Upgrade Almaty-Astana Highway
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…
Canada, Central Asian States Discuss Major Challenges to Security Governance in Astana
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…
Kazakh Skaters Take Gold, Silver at Golden Spin Tournament
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…
New Partnership Agreement Reflects More Equal, Mature Relationship Between Kazakhstan, EU, Ambassador Says
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 Times Celebrates Five Years Informing Nation, Expats and Visitors
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…
Kazakh President Urges Russia and Turkey to Move Toward Reconciliation
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…
Following Visit to Kazakhstan, IMF Mission Praises Short-term Counter-Crisis Measures, Calls for Stronger Medium-Term Plan
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…
President Signs Social Insurance Law, Other Legislation Supporting Plan of the Nation
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,…
Newly Signed Labour Code Reduces Gov’t Interference in Employer-Employee Relations
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…
East Kazakhstan, Chinese Businesses Ink Agreements Worth $1.7 Billion
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…
Kazakhstan Airlines Suspend Flights to Egypt
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…
Kazakh PM, FM Address Newly Established Astana Club, Stress Commitment to Win-Win Cooperation in Central Asia
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…
Annual Diplomatic Christmas Charity Bazaar Opens Ticket Sales
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…
New EBRD Regional Report Predicts Lower Economic Growth for Much of Central Asia
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…
Tenge Falls to 300 per Dollar, No Intervention from National Bank
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…
Four Kazakh Cities Join UNDP-GEF Sustainable Cities Project
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…
Kazakhstan, EBRD Sign Transport, Infrastructure, SME Support Financing Deals in London
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 Ties Atletico Madrid at Home
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…
Kazakhs Harnessing Social Media to Demand Justice
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…
More than $1.5 Billion in Deals Signed at Astana Invest Forum
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…
Kazakhstan Leaps 12 Places to 41st in World Bank Doing Business Report
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…
Indian Team Visits Astana to Study Architecture, Investment
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…
IMF Advocates Accelerated Structural Reform, Sustainable Fiscal Policies to Weather Economic Crisis in Central Asia
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…
French Digital WWI Exhibit Opens in Astana
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…
Afghan Scholarship Student Emerges as Hero in Almaty Tram Accident
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…
