Articles by Assel Satubaldina

Kazakh President Urges Swift Resolution to Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Conflict at CSTO Extraordinary Session

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated in an extraordinary online meeting of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on Sept. 13 convened at Armenia’s request, reported the Akorda presidential press service. The session, which was attended by President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of…

Pope Francis Stresses World Needs Peace to Recover Its Harmony In Address to Civil Society, Diplomatic Corps in Kazakh Capital

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Pope Francis addressed the representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps on Sept. 13, a few hours after Pope Francis arrived in the Kazakh capital for his 38th apostolic journey, reported the presidential press service.  Pope Francis is also attending the seventh Congress of Leaders of World…

Single Term Limit for Kazakh Presidents Should Be Introduced Before Early Election, Akorda Explains

NUR-SULTAN – The Constitutional Council will convene soon to consider amending norms in the Constitution to introduce a single-term presidential tenure in Kazakhstan before the early presidential elections scheduled for this fall, reported the council’s press service. Limiting presidential tenure to a single seven-year term with no right for re-election was the major headline of…

Good Neighbors, Loyal Friends, Reliable Partners: Chinese President Xi Jinping Commends Bilateral Ties with Kazakhstan Ahead of State Visit

NUR-SULTAN – Chinese President Xi Jinping commended relations with Kazakhstan emphasizing the thousand-year history of friendly ties and calling the two countries good neighbors, loyal friends, and reliable partners in his article published in Kazahstanskaya Pravda newspaper on Sept. 13.  “Our people, sharing a thousand-year history of friendly contacts, are witnesses to the brilliant era…

Kazakhstan, Germany Explore Opportunities in Industry, Energy, and Logistics

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan hosted the Kazakhstan-Germany business forum on Sept. 6 gathering more than 150 delegates to explore opportunities in the industry, energy, and logistics, reported the Kazakh Invest national company.  The forum, organized by the Kazakh Embassy in Germany and Kazakh Invest, was attended by heads of central and local government…

Forest Fires Turn into Yet Another Stress Test for Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – 2022 has not been easy for Kazakhstan. A few days after massive fires were burning in the small Auliekol village of the Kostanai Region, it gives a chance to think of how this natural phenomenon serves as yet another stress test for the country and shows once again the power of people to…

Kazakh Citizens and Government Unite to Help Victims of Kostanai Forest Fires

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s citizens and the government join efforts to provide help to victims of the forest fires that broke out on Sept. 3 in the Kostanai Region in the northern part of the country.  The fires, which burned 43,000 hectares of land, displaced 1,841 people. Many were forced to leave their houses, livestock, and…

Public and Experts Express High Hopes for Tokayev’s Address to Nation But Give Cautious Assessment

NUR-SULTAN – Every year, the presidential address to the nation kicks off the political season, but this year was unlike the others. The Sept. 1 state-of-the-nation address of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was the second address he delivered this year, vowing bolder reforms in light of growing public demand for changes. Early presidential elections this fall…

Mukhtar Auezov’s “Impressions of America” Grows in Significance 60 Years Later

NUR-SULTAN – In 1960, the idea of four Soviet writers traveling to the United States to spend a month traversing the country, meeting public officials, artists, and writers would seem like a miracle, but in the era of the so-called Khrushchev Thaw, a period of rapprochement and rising optimism, this idea became a reality thanks…

Experts Highlight Special Nature of President Tokayev’s Visit to Baku

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev went on his first official visit to Baku on Aug. 24, which many experts deemed historic and notable after President Tokayev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev agreed on the strategic nature of bilateral relations. Both demonstrated a strong desire to boost cooperation across all areas. For President Tokayev, it…

Demand for Business Loans Growing, According to National Bank’s Latest Survey

NUR-SULTAN – The demand for loans from businesses is witnessing a significant rise, despite the continued growth in the cost of credit resources and some tightening of loan conditions, according to the results of the survey conducted by the National Bank of Kazakhstan for the second quarter of 2022, reports the bank’s press service. Twenty…

Volunteerism in New Reality: Kazakhstan Hosts First Central Asian Volunteers Forum

NUR-SULTAN – The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many lessons. People can have different opinions and views, but joining efforts to lend a helping hand for a common cause is what can bridge many divides, while promoting civic virtue and generosity. Last week, from Aug. 15 to Aug. 19, nearly 200 volunteers from across Central…

President Tokayev Meets Vladimir Putin in Sochi to Intensify Bilateral Ties

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi on Aug. 19 to intensify bilateral ties that this year mark 30 years, reported the presidential press service. The two leaders voiced solid optimism about the development of bilateral relations. According to Tokayev, the two countries…

Afghanistan is Key to Preserving Peace and Security in SCO Region, Say Secretaries of SCO Security Councils in Tashkent

NUR-SULTAN – The secretaries of the Security Councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) focused on addressing security and stability issues in the SCO region during their 17th meeting in Tashkent, reports the Akorda press service. Kazakhstan was represented by the Assistant to the President – Secretary of the Security Council Gizat Nurdauletov. The sides…

Central Asian Cooperation: Experts Outline the Benefits and Risks

NUR-SULTAN – While the development of cooperation and integration in Central Asia will benefit its economies and people, the road ahead is long, challenging and bumpy. Experts from Central Asia gathered in Almaty on Aug. 18 for the roundtable organized by the Institute of World Economy and Politics (IWEP) to share how they see regional…

First Central Asian Volunteers Forum Continues in Nur-Sultan

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is hosting the first Central Asian Volunteers Forum on Aug. 15-19 with the national level kicking off today in the country’s capital Nur-Sultan. The forum, organized by the Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development, brings together volunteers and volunteer organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan as well as Azerbaijan and…

Kazakhstan and Singapore Seek New Economic Opportunities in Transit, Transport, and Digital Transformation

NUR-SULTAN – Singapore is interested in seeking new economic opportunities with Kazakhstan by exploring markets and export routes, after the two-day visit of the Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi to Singapore, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. On the second day of the visit on Aug. 16,…

Cultural and Emotional Closeness Make Korean Pop Culture Welcome in Kazakhstan as Two Countries Celebrate Year of Cultural Exchanges

NUR-SULTAN – Over the past decade, Korean pop culture has swept the globe. Many countries have witnessed a massive rise in K-pop fans. While Kazakhstan was no exception, Korean culture has been particularly welcomed in Kazakhstan, said Lee Hyeran, director of the Korean Cultural Center in Kazakhstan in an interview with The Astana Times. This…

Kazakhstan Comes Up with Innovative Ways to Celebrate Day of Abai

NUR-SULTAN – “The source of humanity is love and justice. They are omnipresent and decide everything.” That’s how the 45th line in Abai Kunanbayev’s famous “Book of Words” reads. Interestingly enough, the ideas he cultivated back in the 19th century become ever more relevant to the current generation and will for sure earn their place…

Building a Digital Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Seeks to Provide 100 Percent of Population With Internet By 2025

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has set the ambitious goal to ensure 100 percent coverage of the country with high-quality internet and 95 percent with home broadband access networks by 2025. Measures necessary to achieve these targets and other challenges in the development of broadband internet access were the focus of an international forum titled Towards a…

Kazakh Women’s Team Finishes Fifth at World Chess Olympiad in India

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh women’s team finished fifth as the 44th World Chess Olympiad concluded on Aug. 9 in Chennai, India, reported the country’s Chess Federation. The players beat India-3 in the final round scoring 2.5-1.5. This year, India welcomed over 2,000 participants, including 189 men’s teams and 162 women’s teams. The Kazakh team, one…

Kazakhstan Has Right Fundamentals to Become Regional Powerhouse, Says StartX Business Development Director

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has all the right fundamentals to become a powerhouse in the region, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at StartX Darsh Mann told The Astana Times. He was on a one-week visit to Kazakhstan to meet with the country’s entrepreneurs in Nur-Sultan and Almaty to build solid partnerships and understand the country’s…

Kazakhstan’s Foreign and Domestic Trade Shows Positive Dynamics

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s foreign and domestic trade has demonstrated a positive trend, said Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Trade and Integration Bakhyt Sultanov during the ministry’s board meeting on July 29, the press service of the ministry reported. Summing up the results of the ministry’s work in the first half of 2022, Vice Minister…

Seven Months Since January Riots Investigation Continues

NUR-SULTAN – Seven months since the January riots shocked the country, the investigation is still ongoing. The press briefing on Monday convened representatives of the Prosecutor General’s office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to disclose some details of the month-long investigation. What happened in January? Peaceful protests broke out on Jan. 2 in the…

Our Economies Are Complementary, Says Israeli Ambassador to Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – The economies of Kazakhstan and Israel do not compete, but complement each other, Israeli Ambassador to Kazakhstan Edwin Nathan Yabo Glusman told The Astana Times. As the two countries mark 30 years of diplomatic relations this year, the Ambassador of Israel spoke about the dynamics in the bilateral ties and how Israel sees…