News Digest: Foreign Media on Middle Corridor, Kazakhstan’s Tourism and More
ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers the Middle Corridor, Kazakhstan’s tourism sector and more. Officials report 29 survivors and 38 killed as plane crashes in Kazakhstan This week, the world mourns the 38 killed in an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash near…
Kazakh Mazhilis Chair Recaps Year’s Work
ASTANA — Since the beginning of the session, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament, Mazhilis, has considered 106 draft laws. Of these, 37 have been adopted, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed 19. Yerlan Koshanov, chairman of the Mazhilis, discussed the most important of them at the last plenary session, reported the Kazinform on Dec.…
Kazakhstan Named Most Peaceful Country in Eurasia in 2024 Global Peace Index
ASTANA — The 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI), produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), ranked Kazakhstan as the most peaceful country in Eurasia. The 18th edition of the GPI evaluates 163 independent states and territories on their levels of peacefulness, encompassing 99.7% of the global population. Among the region’s 12 countries, Kazakhstan…
New Terminal Opens at Shymkent International Airport
ASTANA – A new terminal opened at the Shymkent international airport on Dec. 25. The terminal will initially serve mainly local flights, with international flights anticipated to commence by the end of January. According to the city’s akimat (administration), the new terminal covers an area of 39,000 square meters and employs 700 people. It is…
Kazakh PM Holds Government Meeting on AZAL Plane Crash
ASTANA – According to the Kazakh Emergency Ministry’s updated data, 38 bodies of the deceased were found and delivered to the forensic center, including six citizens of Kazakhstan and three crew members, as a result of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash near the city of Aktau on Dec. 25, reported the Prime Minister’s press…
Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash Leaves 38 Dead, 29 Survivors
ASTANA – An Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku to Grozny with 67 people on board crashed on Dec. 25 morning in Aktau, killing 38 people, including six Kazakh nationals, and leaving 29 survivors. According to Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev, 67 people were on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members. “There were…
Japan’s Globe-Trotter Travel Guidebook’s Latest Edition Features Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Japanese travel publication Globe-Trotter Travel Guidebook published detailed information about tourism and culture of Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries in its latest edition for 2025-2026. According to the Kazakh Tourism national company, an entire chapter of the Globe Trotter Central Asia 2025-2026 handbook is dedicated to Kazakhstan. The publication covers significant topics of…
Kazakh Movie Wins Main Prize at Cinema Vérité Festival in Iran
ASTANA — Kazakh director Alina Mustafina’s documentary road movie “Gingerbread for Her Dad” won the main prize at the Cinema Vérité festival, the International Documentary Film Festival of Iran. Magazine98 reported on Dec. 24 that the documentary film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and was screened at the Turin Film Festival. An 84-year-old…
Kazakhstan to Enhance Digital Safety, Improve AI Literacy Among Population
ASTANA – Kazakh officials discussed the introduction of new digital technologies and artificial intelligence in everyday activities during a Dec. 24 government meeting chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov at the Digital Government Office. According to the Prime Minister’s press office, Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev reported on…
Kazakhstan Welcomes Nearly 12 Million Foreign Tourists This Year
ASTANA – The number of international tourists visiting Kazakhstan doubled, hitting 11.5 million this year. The Kazakh capital brought together more than 30 foreign and local officials and experts in tourism to discuss the industry’s development in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ press service reported on Dec. 23 that accommodation facilities’ income increased…
Headlines in 2024: Key Events in Various Fields
ASTANA — This year, Kazakhstan witnessed a lot of events ranging from political and social to sporting success, all of which had an impact on everyone. These include the biggest floods in decades, Olympic triumphs in Paris, the ongoing battle against domestic abuse, and much more. The Astana Times presents a roundup of top-viewed stories…
Air Astana Sets to Launch Flights from Almaty to Frankfurt in June 2025
ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s flagship airline, Air Astana, will launch a new direct route between Almaty and Frankfurt on June 1, next year. The flights will be operated three times a week on Airbus A321LR, with tickets already on sale. The new service will complement existing flights to Frankfurt from Astana and Uralsk. Air Astana first…
Kazakhstan Builds School in Earthquake-hit Türkiye’s Nurdağı District
ASTANA – A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Dec. 19 in Türkiye’s Nurdağı municipality in Gaziantep Province to construct a school, initiated by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Gaziantep Province was among the worst-damaged areas by the devastating earthquake that occurred on Feb. 6 last year. The Kazakhstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) has been designated…
Kazakhstan Maintains Diplomatic Relations With 186 States
ASTANA — Kazakhstan currently maintains diplomatic relations with 186 countries. Members of the Senate and the upper house of the Kazakh Parliament approved amendments to some legislative acts regarding diplomatic service, international treaties and official development assistance. According to Galiaskar Sarybayev, a member of the Senate, the geography of Kazakhstan’s diplomatic relations includes 109 foreign…
Presidents of Kazakhstan, Guinea-Bissau Visit Astana International Financial Centre
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, visited the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) on Dec. 19. According to the Akorda, AIFC Governor Renat Bekturov discussed the AIFC structure and its main areas of activity. He suggested that major areas…
Kazakhstan, Guinea-Bissau Forge Strategic Partnership for Beneficial Cooperation
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who arrived in Kazakhstan on an official visit on Dec. 18, to discuss priority areas for cooperation and outline plans for the coming period. During the narrow-format talks, Tokayev stressed that Guinea-Bissau is Kazakhstan’s important partner on the African continent,…
Kazakhstan Sees Growth in Business Activity Index
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s business activity index, based on surveys conducted by the National Bank, rose to 51.6 points by the end of November, according to National Bank Chair Timur Suleimenov, who spoke at a government meeting on Dec. 17. Suleimenov noted that the index has remained positive for nine consecutive months. The services sector index…
Kazakh Chess Players Secure 10 Medals at FIDE Youth Championship in Slovenia
ASTANA – Kazakh young chess players won 10 medals, including two gold at the FIDE World Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship 2024, which took place on Dec. 14-16 in Terme Čatež, Slovenia. Yelnaz Kaliakhmet and Daniyal Sapenov became the champions, reported the Committee on Sports and Physical Culture of the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and…
Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Breaks New Records This Year
ASTANA – In January-November, the gross agricultural output increased by 13.4% with an annual plan of 11.6% and reached 7.8 trillion tenge (US$14.9 billion), said Kazakh Deputy Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov at a Dec. 17 government meeting. He noted that this growth was achieved due to an increase in production volumes in crop production…
Kazakhstan Enhances Efforts to Restore, Preserve Endangered Animal Species
ASTANA — Kazakh Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev discussed the restoration of the snow leopard and Przewalski’s horse populations and the preservation of rare and endangered animal species in Kazakhstan during a Dec. 17 government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. The Prime Minister’s press service reported that the meeting highlighted…
Kazakhstan’s Main New Year Tree to Light Up Today
ASTANA – More than 30 New Year’s trees will be lit simultaneously in six districts of Astana at 8 p.m. local time on Dec. 18. According to Astana’s Akimat (administration), all sites will include various entertainment options, including ice rinks, slides, hardscape components, photo zones, and more. The 25-meter main New Year’s tree will be…
Kazakhstan Surpasses the US, Japan, and Singapore in Anti-Money Laundering Index Ranking
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has significantly improved its standing in the independent Basel AML (anti-money laundering) Index, ranking 111th with 4.65 points and surpassing 110 nations. The ranking, developed by the International Center for Asset Recovery (ICAR) at the Basel Institute on Governance based in Switzerland, assessed 164 countries. The Basel AML Index measures the risk…
Kazakhstan’s Strongman Tsyrulnikov Dazzles Audience at Opening Ceremony of 2024 World Weightlifting Championships
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s strongman Sergey Tsyrulnikov became the first Kazakh citizen invited to the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships opening ceremony, which took place on Dec. 6-15 in Manama, Bahrain. Tsyrulnikov’s involvement drew special attention to the event, which brought together approximately 500 competitors from 92 nations. His performance at this tournament highlighted Kazakhstan’s rich sports…
Azerbaijan Assumes CICA Chairmanship From Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan officially handed over the chairmanship in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) for 2024-2026 term to Azerbaijan at the seventh meeting of the Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers on Dec. 17. During the meeting, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu outlined Kazakhstan’s four-year CICA…
Kazakh Capital to Host First Fight Nights Boxing Tournament This Month
ASTANA – The first Fight Nights Boxing tournament will be held on Dec. 20 in Astana featuring Kazakh and foreign boxing stars. The main event of the evening will be the title fight between Marlon Aguas from Ecuador and Daulet Daukenov from Kazakhstan, reported Kazinform on Dec. 9. The co-main fight of the evening will…
