Final Decision on Digital Tenge Still Pending in Kazakhstan, Says Project’s Head
ASTANA – The final decision on the Digital Tenge project has not yet been made, but is expected to be announced by the end of 2022, the project’s head Ainur Kenzhayeva said in an interview with The Astana Times. The project, which the National Bank of Kazakhstan has been working on with financial market participants,…
Kazakhstan to Host International Education Fair Next Week, Sees Growing Demand for Education Abroad
ASTANA – As Kazakhstan prepares to host the International Education Fair, the largest education exhibition in Central Asia, from Sept. 22 through Sept. 27, the nation witnesses a growing demand for education abroad, said Aizada Koigeldiyeva, director of Univero, one of the organizers and one of Kazakhstan’s leading educational agencies, in an interview with The…
President Tokayev Signs Decree Limiting Presidential Term, Renaming Capital City Back to Astana
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on constitutional amendments on Sept. 17 that officially restores the former name of the Kazakh capital city – Astana, and limits presidential tenure by a single non-renewable seven-year term, reported the presidential press service. The change is effective immediately. Astana became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997…
SCO Summit: President Tokayev Focuses on Transit and Transport, Food and Energy Security
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states to expand economic cooperation and in doing so to focus on the transit-transport sphere, food, and energy security during the сouncil of heads of the SCO member states on Sept. 15-16 in Samarkand, reported the presidential press service. The summit was in…
Kazakhstan Set to Return Astana as Name of Its Capital
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s capital is set to soon be renamed back from Nur-Sultan to Astana after the Parliament endorsed the draft law on constitutional amendments required to rename the capital on Sept. 16. The document now awaits President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s discretion. The adoption of a package of constitutional amendments, which also include a norm for…
China’s President Xi Jinping Pays State Visit to Kazakhstan, Confirming Excellent Relations Between Neighbouring Countries
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Akorda on Wednesday, who is making his first foreign visit since the start of the pandemic, announced the Kazakh presidential press service. The two counterparts, who met in Beijing in February when Tokayev flew to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter…
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…
