Articles by Saniya Sakenova

ASTANA – Kazakhstan welcomes the completion of negotiations on the draft Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations between Yerevan and Baku, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a March 27 meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who arrived for his first official visit in Astana, reported Akorda. According to Tokayev, this significant…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has been recognized as the happiest country in Central Asia, securing 43rd place in the World Happiness Report (WHR) 2025. In the Eurasian region, Uzbekistan ranked 53rd, Russia 66th, the Kyrgyz Republic 75th, and Armenia 87th. Globally, Finland topped the ranking for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Denmark and Iceland. Afghanistan…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to bring three to four additional Turanian tigers from Russia this year, Kazakh Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev announced at a March 26 government briefing, Kazinform reported. “Thus, we will begin a large-scale launch of the Turanian tiger reintroduction project. The exact timing is still under discussion,” he…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is projected to lead Central Asia in economic growth, with its GDP expected to rise by 5.5% in 2025, an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the previous year, according to the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress Annual Report released on March 25. The report attributes…

ASTANA – The Kazakh-Chinese eternal comprehensive strategic partnership is on the rise, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a March 26 meeting with Liu Jianchao, the head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, reported Akorda. Tokayev expressed confidence that President Xi Jinping’s visit to Astana for the second…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu discussed multifaceted cooperation with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov at the first meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers during his working visit to Khiva on March 20, reported the Foreign Ministry’s press service. Kazakhstan remains one of Uzbekistan’s top three trading partners, with…

ASTANA – The Jibek Joly tourist train will set off on its third journey from March 20 to 25, celebrating the Nauryz holiday in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This time, the route will include Taraz, one of Central Asia’s oldest cities.  The international tour will cover Almaty, Turkistan, Tashkent, Samarkand and Taraz, offering travelers a five-day…

ASTANA — Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar signed documents with China to strengthen interdepartmental cooperation in water resources and archival affairs during his working visit to the country. The documents were signed at a March 19 meeting of the Kazakhstan-China Committee. According to the Prime Minister’s press service, the parties agreed to expand…

ASTANA – Mathias Cormann, the Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), will visit Kazakhstan for the first time in May to participate in the Astana International Forum, reported the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy. During a March 12 meeting with William Thompson, the head of the Eurasia Division in the OECD…

ASTANA – The Association of Investors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states held its first meeting on March 18 in Astana, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service. The Investors Association was established following the decision of the SCO Heads of State Council at the Astana Summit in July last year. It serves…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan climbed to 26th place among 71 pension systems in the Allianz Pension Index (API), surpassing Austria, Spain, Chile, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and other countries, the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund reported on March 18. In 2023, Kazakhstan ranked 34th among 75 countries. The API evaluates pension systems based on sustainability and adequacy,…

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital will take part in the Earth Hour 2025 campaign on March 22 at 8.30 p.m. local time. The annual event, initiated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007 in Sydney, encourages people all around the world to turn off lights for one hour to raise awareness of environmental issues.…

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital began to host concerts, exhibitions, performances, creative evenings, and other events on March 14 in the ten-day celebration of the Nauryz holiday, reported the Astana administration’s press service. On March 19, Renewal Day, a citywide clean-up will be held as part of the Taza Kazakhstan environmental campaign. The event will…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan with partners has provided humanitarian aid to farmers in Logar Province, Afghanistan, as part of the newly launched Promotion of Wheat Cultivation for Sustainable Development in Central Afghanistan program, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported. The program’s official inauguration took place on March 6 in Pul-i-Alam, the administrative center of Logar Province. The…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will establish six specially protected natural areas, said Daniyar Turgambayev, the chairman of the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources at a March 13 briefing in the Central Communications Service, the ministry reported. In addition to the new areas, Kazakhstan plans to expand the…

ASTANA – Despite challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic and global geopolitical tensions, Kazakhstan has made significant economic progress over the past six years under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s leadership, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov stated in a March 17 article. By the end of 2024, GDP reached $288 billion, and GDP per capita increased by nearly…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s delegation, led by Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev, met with representatives of the United States (U.S.) Chamber of Commerce, headed by Senior Vice President Khush Choksy, on March 15 to discuss trade and economic cooperation, particularly in the energy sector. According to the ministry’s press service, Satkaliyev outlined Kazakhstan’s ongoing oil and gas…

ASTANA – Kazakh boxer Nazym Kyzaibay won the 2025 International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships from March 9 to 16 in Niš, Serbia, reported the National Olympic Committee’s press service. Competing in the 48-kilogram category, Kyzaibay secured a decisive victory in the final against Russia’s Iuliia Chumgalakova. Having previously won world championship titles…

ASTANA – Tourism is becoming one of the priority sectors in Kazakhstan’s economy. The industry showed growth last year but there is a lot of work ahead, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerzhan Yerkinbayev said in an interview with Kazinform.  Earlier, Yerkinbayev spoke about the opportunities for remote workers with the launch of Neo…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has completed large-scale work on a unified database of rare and endangered animal species, Kazinform reported on March 12. According to Marina Chirikova, the deputy director general for science at the Institute of Zoology, the project integrates 2,959 records into a single information system for the first time. The system features 217…

ASTANA — The EU intends to ensure deeper and more sustainable engagement with Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela said at a March 13 meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is visiting all five countries in the region. According to the Akorda press service, Tokayev emphasized Kazakhstan’s role…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the strategic importance of developing Kazakhstan’s digital infrastructure, particularly the creation of a supercomputer cluster, during a March 13 meeting with Presight.AI CEO Thomas Pramotedham, reported Akorda. One year ago, Kazakhstan signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ Presight AI Holding to establish a supercomputer and a Data…

ASTANA – President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon signed a landmark agreement on the state border on March 13 during Rahmon’s official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic, reported the Kyrgyz Presidential Administration’s press service. The countries agreed to reopen the border, which had been closed since May 2021…

ASTANA — KazMunayGas (KMG) Chairman Askhat Khassenov reinforced Kazakhstan’s commitment to the full-scale development of the Kashagan oilfield and broader energy initiatives during key meetings with industry leaders in the United States. Discussions focused on increasing local content in major oil and gas projects, advancing renewable energy cooperation, and enhancing operational efficiency, according to KMG…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s GDP grew 5.4% in January-February, as reported during a March 12 meeting of the economic bloc ministries chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. According to the Prime Minister’s press service, dynamics improved in the production of goods and services. Industrial production rose by 5.7%, while the manufacturing industry increased by 8.9%. Key…