Articles by Saniya Sakenova

Kazakhstan Expands Energy Cooperation with South Korea

ASTANA – South Korea’s major energy companies and government agencies expressed their readiness to provide support in building a nuclear power plant (NPP) following the recent referendum at a meeting with a Kazakh delegation led by Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev during his official visit on Oct. 22-25. According to the ministry’s press service, Satkaliyev spoke with…

Kazakh Metamodernism Artist to Open Personal Exhibition in Almaty This Friday 

ASTANA – The Abilkhan Kasteyev State Art Museum in Almaty will open a personal exhibition of metamodernism artist Aruhan (Gaukhar Bissengaliyeva), titled From Steppe to the City, on Nov. 1, reported the museum’s press service. With this exposition, Aruhan became the first Kazakh artist to participate in the United Kingdom’s Wetherby Art Festival this month,…

Kazakhstan-Mongolia Trade Hits Nearly $84 Million Ahead of Tokayev’s Visit

ASTANA – Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Mongolia reached $83.9 million in January-August 2024, Kazinform reported on Oct. 28, citing the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration, ahead of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Mongolia. According to Aidar Amrebayev, the Center for Political Studies director at the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious…

Silicon Valley Conference Highlights Central Eurasia’s Tech Potential

ASTANA – Billion-dollar tech companies with global market reach will emerge from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia in the next 10-15 years, said organizers of the Central Eurasia at Silicon Valley conference on Oct. 25 in San Francisco, the United States. As stated by the Silkroad Innovation Hub’s…

Kazakh President Takes Part in BRICS Summit

ASTANA – BRICS is becoming a global center of international attraction, generating practical interest from many countries, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the BRICS plenary session in an outreach/BRICS Plus format in Kazan on Oct. 24, according to Akorda. BRICS, originally an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was established as an…

Kazakh Citizens Have Visa-Free Access to 41 Countries

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens have visa-free access to 41 countries, according to the Global Passport Power Rank, which placed Kazakhstan in 54th place among 199 countries, with a mobility score of 94. As stated by Kazinform, China holds a similar position, while Russia, with a stronger freedom of movement indicator of 127, is ranked 40th…

Citi Celebrates 30th Anniversary in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – A delegation of senior Citi officials, led by Omar Hafeez, the Citi’s CEO and Banking Head for Sub-Cluster North Africa, Levant, and Central Asia, marked the bank’s 30th anniversary in Kazakhstan with a visit to the local Citi team in Almaty on Oct. 18, reported the Citi’s press service. Citi, one of the…

Chinese Companies Expand Presence in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Chairman of Kazakh Invest National Company Yerzhan Yelekeyev met with representatives of large Chinese companies to expand investment cooperation during his working visit to China on Oct. 22, reported the Kazakh Invest’s press service. At a meeting with Fufeng Group Chairman Li Xuechun, Yelekeyev reviewed the progress of a project to build a…

French Development Agency Group Launches Operations in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – The Mazhilis, a lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, ratified an agreement between the Kazakh and French governments on Oct. 23, enabling the French Development Agency (AFD) Group to begin operations in Kazakhstan, reported the Mazhilis press service. This agreement was reached following French President Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to Kazakhstan on Nov.…

Kazakhstan Launches In-Depth Course on Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies

ASTANA – In collaboration with the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Binance Kazakhstan, a leading provider in the cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure space, will conduct webinars for students from more than 100 universities nationwide as part of the course launched on Oct. 22. According to Binance’s press service, this course aims to provide…

Kazakhstan Opens Longest Bridge in Eastern Region

ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov participated in the opening ceremony of the country’s longest bridge across the Bukhtarma Reservoir in the East Kazakhstan Region on Oct. 21, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The 1,316-meter two-lane bridge, capable of handling up to 80,000 cars daily, connects six districts and includes 18 kilometers of…

Kazakhstan and EU Strengthen Ties Through ESG Principles at Berlin Eurasian Club

ASTANA – The Berlin Eurasian Club (BEC) held its 41st meeting on Oct. 17 in Brussels, focusing on the adherence to ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles in economic cooperation between Kazakhstan, the European Union and Germany, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service. Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko highlighted the key outcomes of…

National Greyhound Competitions Name Most Beautiful Tazy Dog

ASTANA – A Tazy dog named Kokkaska from the Karagandy Region was named the most beautiful dog at the recent national greyhound competitions in the Arshaly district of the Akmola Region, the Karagandy Region’s administration reported on Oct. 17. A dog from Astana won the 700-meter race among Tazy dogs whose speed can reach up…

Kazakhstan to Expand Cooperation with EU in Energy, Logistics and Transport 

ASTANA – Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko noted the importance of expanding cooperation in the energy, logistics, and transport sectors at an Oct. 17 meeting with Giusi Princi, the new chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Central Asia and Mongolia (DCAS) in Brussels. As stated by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service,…

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic Join Forces to Preserve Snow Leopards

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic signed a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 17, aimed at conserving snow leopards and their habitats in the northern Tien Shan Mountains within four specially protected nature areas of both countries. According to a press release from the UN Development Program (UNDP) Kazakhstan, the country has seen a…

Kazakhstan, China Strengthen Cooperation in Investments

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China reviewed their expanding partnership in industrialization and investment during the 21st meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese Coordinating Committee, held on Oct. 16 in Astana and co-chaired by Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Kuantyrov and Zhao Chenxin, Vice Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). In a press statement released…

Kazakhstan’s GDP Growth Reaches 4% in Nine Months of 2024

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s GDP grew by 4% during the first three quarters of 2024, driven by the development of the non-resource sector, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said during the meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Oct. 17. According to a press statement from Akorda, the strongest growth was seen in agriculture, which surged by 11.4%.…

WB Forecasts Stabilization of Central Asia’s Economy ‘Amid Sluggish Growth’

ASTANA – Economic growth in developing economies of Europe and Central Asia is stabilizing after a series of crises but at much slower rates than the early 2000s, according to the World Bank’s Economic Update released on Oct. 17. Regional growth is projected to moderate to 3.3% this year from 3.5% in 2023, and slow…

Astana Think Tank Forum Discusses Middle Powers’ Role in Global Order

ASTANA – The Astana Think Tank Forum 2024 opened on Oct. 16 in the capital, centered on the theme Middle Powers in a Changing Global Order: Strengthening Security, Stability, and Sustainable Development, and organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, reported the forum’s press service. Held under the auspices of the Astana International Forum,…

Kazakhstan Outlines Position on Joining BRICS 

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will refrain from submitting an application to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), at present and likely in the foreseeable future, considering the multi-stage membership process and other factors related to the association’s development, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s spokesperson, Berik Uali, said in an interview with Tengrinews on Oct. 16. “The President…

EU Confirms its Interest in Attracting Expertise and Investment for TITR Progress

ASTANA – The European delegation confirmed its interest in developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) by attracting expertise and investments within the Global Gateway strategy during the 21st meeting of the Kazakhstan-European Union Cooperation Council on Oct. 14 in Luxembourg. Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and Hungary’s Minister of Foreign…

Kazakhstan Adopts Infrastructure Dev’t Plan Until 2029

ASTANA – The Kazakh government has adopted a National Infrastructure Plan until 2029, which includes 204 projects in energy, transport, digital, and water infrastructure sectors worth nearly 40 trillion tenge (US$81.8 billion), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baibazarov said during an Oct. 15 press conference. In a statement released by the…

Kazakhstan’s Honorary Consulate Opens in Greater Manchester

ASTANA – Kazakhstan opened its Honorary Consulate in Greater Manchester on Oct. 11, the Kazakh Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Magzhan Ilyassov announced on his X account. He described the opening as a major step in developing Kazakh-British regional ties with a focus on trade, investments, cultural and educational relations. According to Kazinform, the…

Dollar Sales from National Fund to Top $1 Billion for October Budget Transfers

ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) is expected to sell between $1.3 to $1.4 billion in currency from the National Fund this October, based on preliminary government requests for national budget transfers, reported The Tenge. Nearly three-quarters of this amount will be directed to the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (UAPF) to mitigate its…

Open Skies Regime Operates in 15 Kazakh Airports

ASTANA – The open skies regime is now active at 15 airports of Kazakhstan in the cities of Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktau, Aktobe, Karagandy, Oskemen, Pavlodar, Kokshetau, Taraz, Petropavl, Semei, Turkistan, Kostanai, and Oral. According to the press statement released by the Civil Aviation Committee on Oct. 12, Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev has recently…