Articles by staff report

ASTANA – Uzbekistan topped the list of tourists to Kazakhstan with 40,452 visitors, according to the statistics of the eQonaq system for September, the Tourism and Sports Ministry’s press service reported on Oct. 21. Russia ranked second with 34,650 tourists, followed by China with 15,868 visitors. Tourists’ reasons for visiting varied: 39.1% came for leisure,…

ASTANA — According to the Bureau of National Statistics, Kazakhstan’s population reached 20,201,849 as of Sept. 1, an increase of over 168,000 people since the beginning of the year. Urban areas saw an increase of 173,171 people, bringing the cities’ population to over 12.68 million, while the rural population slightly declined by 5,164 people, approaching…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government decided to allocate returned illegally acquired assets from the Special State Fund to finance two social projects, including a sports complex in Zerendi, Akmola Region, costing 2.1 billion tenge (US$4.3 million), and a renovation of a music school in Temirlan, Turkistan Region, worth 890 million tenge (US$1.8 million). According to…

ASTANA – The construction of a new customs terminal at the Dovut-Ota border post in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan, is nearing completion, the Uzbek Customs Committee’s press service reported on Oct. 21. Covering six hectares, the terminal is equipped with modern technology and features nearby amenities such as hotels, technical service points, and…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan has a unique opportunity to not only reduce its dependency on extractive resources but also to position itself competitively in high-value-added segments of the global economy by engaging more deeply in global value chains, says a new study from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). The report…

ASTANA – Twenty-four kulans arrived at the Altyn Dala Nature Reserve in the Kostanai Region from the Altyn Emel National Park in the Almaty Region on Oct. 2, following a 50-hour journey covering 2,139 kilometers. The transportation of kulans was conducted as part of a program to restore the populations of these wild ungulates in…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) has launched a week-long training course for ten teachers from medical universities of the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan as part of the expanded Avicenna: Healthcare program, which runs from Oct. 17-23, reported the KazAID’s press service. The training is being held free of charge through a grant…

ASTANA – The Strengthening Financial Resilience and Accelerating Risk Reduction in Central Asia program (SFRARR) – funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank – hosted a final regional forum on Oct. 14-15 in Almaty. The event marked the conclusion of…

ASTANA – Canadian Chicken Ltd., specializing in poultry breeding, meat processing, and preservation, has begun the construction of a cutting-edge poultry production and processing facility in the Kostanai Region, with a total investment of 55.4 billion tenge (US$114.2 million), the Kazakh Agriculture Ministry’s press service reported on Oct. 11. The project will be implemented in…

ASTANA – The Astana City Marathon welcomed a total of 2,300 people on Oct. 13, including not only city residents but also guests from 18 countries such as the Kyrgyz Republic, China, the Netherlands, Kenya, Russia, and France, despite the chilly -6 degrees Celsius weather, reported the city administration’s press service. The marathon, part of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to increase its petrochemical production from 357,800 tons in 2023 to 1.8 million tons by 2030, as outlined in the Roadmap for the Development of the Petrochemical Industry for 2024-2030, recently developed by the Ministry of Energy, the ministry’s press service reported on Oct. 14. The document was approved by…

ASTANA – For the first time, Kazakhstan hosted the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships from Oct. 6 to 13, reported the Tourism and Sports Ministry’s press service. The tournament brought together 210 athletes from 26 countries, competing in singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team events among men and women. Kazakhstan’s men’s table tennis team achieved…

ASTANA – The U.S. Department of State gave an official assessment on the results of the C5+1 meeting during the UN General Assembly in New York, at the request of Kazinform. The U.S. Department of State spokesperson gave the following assessment: “The C5+1 partnership has demonstrated that we are at our strongest when we work…

ASTANA – Health Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) signed a protocol of intent to create a unified information system, called Türktransplant, during their fourth meeting chaired by Azerbaijani Health Minister Teymur Musayev on Oct. 8 in Shusha, reported the OTS press service. The participants also signed memoranda of understanding on cooperation between…

ASTANA – Approximately 69.8 percent of people voted in favor of constructing a nuclear power plant, according to exit poll results announced at midnight on Oct. 7 by Alibek Tazhibayev, an expert at the Sotsis-A Institute for Social Research.  Around 30.2 percent of people voted against the construction. The voter turnout was declared at 67.3…

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens are heading to the polls on Oct. 6 to vote in the national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant. A total of 10,323 polling stations are open for the vote, including 74 abroad in 59 countries. More than 12 million citizens are eligible to vote. Voting will take…

ASTANA – Kazakh boxer Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 knockouts) retained the International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title as he defeated New Zealand’s Andrei Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 knockouts) in a fight at The Star in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 4, reported Sports.kz. Initially, only the IBF title was at…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has set up 74 polling stations at its foreign missions in 59 countries for the upcoming referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, scheduled for Oct. 6. According to the press statement released by the Foreign Ministry, eligible voters with valid Kazakh passports, residing or staying for private, official, educational,…

ASTANA — The water volume in the Northern Aral Sea has increased to 22 billion cubic meters, said the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s spokesperson Moldir Abdualiyeva, during a Sept. 25 press conference at the Central Communications Service, reported Kazinform. Abdualiyeva highlighted that during this irrigation period, 418 million cubic meters of water were…

ASTANA – In an exclusive interview with Euronews Culture, Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen reflects on his career, evolving musical style, and how the World Nomad Games provided a perfect stage to spotlight Kazakhstan’s heritage. “Kazakh global sensation Dimash Qudaibergen is not just a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist – he is a man on a mission.…

ASTANA—IT Park Uzbekistan and Astana Hub, the top technology parks in Central Asia, have teamed up under a new unified brand, Central Asian Innovation Hubs. The goal is to elevate the region’s startup ecosystem and strengthen its global innovation footprint. During ICT Week Uzbekistan 2024, Farhkod Ibragimov, IT Park Uzbekistan CEO, and Magzhan Madiyev, Astana…

ASTANA – The Mazhilis, a lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, ratified an agreement on Sept. 11 between Kazakhstan and Qatar on the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership for the development of projects in priority sectors, concluded in Doha on March 20. Nine investment projects will be implemented in Kazakhstan, reported the Mazhilis’ press…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Turkish Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler on Sept. 11 to discuss cooperation in security, reported Akorda. Tokayev expressed satisfaction with the progressive development of relations between Kazakhstan and Türkiye across the entire spectrum of bilateral and multilateral agendas. He conveyed his best wishes to Turkish President Recep…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Energy Ministry signed a Memorandum of Intent with Turkmenistan’s national gas company, Türkmengaz, to strengthen cooperation in the gas industry on Sept. 11. According to the ministry’s press service, the agreement was reached during a meeting between Kazakh Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev with Deputy Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Cabinet of Ministers…

ASTANA — Almaty hosts the 26th Annual General Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Association of Central Depositories (ACG) on Sept. 9-12, organized by the Central Securities Depository of Kazakhstan (KCSD). The meeting will address opportunities for cooperation between the financial markets of Asia-Pacific countries and Central Asia. The panel discussions on Sept. 10 were held with…