Kazakhstan, Russia agree to forge interregional cooperation
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening interregional cooperation, as the two countries signed 17 documents on infrastructure, trade and economy, among other areas, at their 16th Interregional Cooperation Forum Nov. 6-7 in Omsk. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. Tokayev, who proposed the…
Areket project offers employment to students with hearing impairment, opens adaptive gym in Taldykorgan
NUR-SULTAN – The Areket (Action) social entrepreneurship development project has helped to realise the ideas of the Bolashak Fund and Drugaya Zhizn (Another Life) public foundation in narrowing the gap to socially integrate individuals with disabilities. Their ideas have provided jobs for students with hearing impairment and opened the first adaptive gym for children with…
Shalabai breeding farm renews Akbas cow breed line, boosts local welfare
NUR-SULTAN – Shalabai breeding farm has resurrected the Kazakh Akbas cow breed in the namesake village of its origin and rejuvenated life in the dying town through many farm projects. General Director Kuanysh Suleimenov built the farm almost from scratch, driven by, as he put it, a sense of “responsibility to one’s motherland and a…
Art competition presents perceptions of Kazakhstan through drawings of children
NUR-SULTAN – More than 400 painters age 16 and younger from Kazakhstan and abroad showcased their perception of the modern country in the first Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Children of the World international drawing competition. Seventy works were on display Nov. 5 for the awards ceremony at the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Through…
Kazakh PM offers specific proposals to increase SCO cooperation
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin proposed during the Nov. 1-2 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government Council in Tashkent various initiatives to strengthen trade, investment, digitisation and transport cooperation within the SCO. His suggestions included intensifying work to create the SCO Development Bank and SCO Development Fund and creating a road…
Nazarbayev’s peace-loving policies unified society despite ethnic diversity, says Azerbaijani community leader
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is not a foreign land for the nearly 7,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis living in the capital, who embrace their identity in the many events and activities organised by the city’s Khazar ethno cultural centre. They feel an affinity for the Kazakh steppes, extending their friendship with the 137 ethnic groups living in the…
Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen to spread Kazakh culture in New York City concert
NUR-SULTAN – While Dimash Dears (the term for fans of Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen) wait for Kudaibergen’s Arnau tour ENVOY solo concert in New York Dec. 10, a team of young Kazakh professionals combine their efforts to make the show unforgettable. This time, Kudaibergen will gather his fans at the Barclays Centre arena with a…
Nur-Sultan Akimat, Emirati company to build tourist district in capital
NUR-SULTAN – Capital Akim (Mayor) Altai Kulginov and Ellington Properties Development Managing Director Joseph Thomas discussed building a tourist district with entertainment centres and hotels in the city during an Oct. 29 meeting at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The area will operate year-round, ensuring comfortable stays for tourists even on the capital’s harshest…
Akmeshit Cave attracts visitors with stunning views, legends, healing properties
NUR-SULTAN – Akmeshit Cave, an unusual spot with captivating views accompanied by legends, is perfect for a pilgrim’s journey. The cave is located 90 kilometres north of Shymkent and can be accessed year-round. The outer entrance opened in the early 20th century when part of the dome collapsed. The stories and legends surrounding it, however,…
Eurasian Economic Union, Serbia sign free trade agreement
NUR-SULTAN – The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Serbia signed a free trade agreement (FTA) on the sidelines of the Oct. 25 meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council. The agreement harmonised the existing bilateral FTAs of Serbia with Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus. It also created a similar regime with Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, which had no…
ASA Charity Bazaar brings Kazakh capital spirit of goodwill
NUR-SULTAN – Are you excited about exploring new cultures? Do you like to help charities? The Association of Spouses of Ambassadors (ASA) welcomes everyone to do both in one day Dec. 1 during the 12th Christmas Charity Bazaar at the Radisson Hotel Astana in the capital. The ASA’s annual event is a fest where one…
Kazakh-South Korean relations strengthen after top-level visit, says envoy
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh-South Korean relations have been growing at a dynamic pace since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992. The bilateral relationship was strengthened further following South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to Kazakhstan in April 2019, said South Korean Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kim Dae-sik. The state visit initiated a chain of…
Nur-Sultan’s Uzbek ethno-cultural centre is growing rapidly
NUR-SULTAN – The relevance of the Uzbek ethno cultural centre in the capital continues to grow with the increasing number of ethnic Uzbeks living in the city. The centre does its best to help local Uzbeks, especially youth, in preserving their ethnic identity through cultural activities and events. Ethnic Uzbeks comprise one of the largest…
Kazakh government estimates Nurly Zhol programme will cost $16.91 billion over next five years
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government estimates 6.598 trillion tenge (US$16.91 billion) will be necessary to fund the Nurly Zhol state infrastructure development programme for 2020-2025, said Minister of Industry and Infrastructural Development Beibut Atamkulov at an Oct. 22 government meeting chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin. “As Elbasy (Leader of the Nation, the constitutional…
World Bank data suggests Central Asian poverty rate continues to shrink, pace slowing
NUR-SULTAN – Central Asian poverty levels continue to decrease, but the pace has slowed, reported the World Bank press service in conjunction with the Oct. 17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. “The good news is that Central Asia continues to make progress towards eliminating poverty,” said Lilia Burunciuc, World Bank Country Director for…
Salam Air to open direct flights between Omani capital and Almaty, Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN – Omani low-cost carrier Salam Air plans to open Almaty-Muscat direct flights with a frequency of seven flights per week in March 2020 and Nur-Sultan-Muscat in autumn 2020. Kazakh and Omani aviation authorities inked a memorandum of understanding Oct. 8 that gives the right for air carriers of both countries to operate 14 passenger…
Turkic Council approves Uzbekistan’s membership, awards Nazarbayev Higher Order of Turkic World
NUR-SULTAN – Uzbekistan joined the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS or Turkic Council) Oct. 15 during its seventh summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The summit also featured the award ceremony to present Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev with the newly established Higher Order of the Turkic World. Uzbekistan approached CCTS regarding membership in April…
Kazakh economy grows 4.3 percent in first nine months of 2019
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan enjoyed a 4.3 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth from January to September, announced Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov at an Oct. 14 government meeting, reported primeminister.kz. Investments in fixed assets grew 9.7 percent. The growth mainly accounts for an increase in output of light industry at 19 percent, manufacturing at…
Kazakh economy attracts $900 million in investments during business forums in Berlin, Paris
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan reached approximately $900 million in investment project agreements with German and French companies during recent business forums in Berlin and Paris. The Kazakh delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar, achieved approximately $700 million in agreements with German companies during meetings at the Oct. 7 Kazakhstan-German Business Forum, reported the Kazakh…
Kazakhstan’s third 100 New Faces project looks for young, successful role models
NUR-SULTAN – The third annual 100 New Faces of Kazakhstan project has changed its application requirements and revised procedures to select the top 100 individuals whose contributions to the country’s social life deserve recognition. Application may be submitted through Oct. 20. The project requires participants to be under age 39 to find role models among…
National library for visually impaired puts young minds to challenge specialised libraries
NUR-SULTAN – The National Library for People with Blindness and Visual Impairment gathered young librarians from all regional specialised libraries Sept. 26-27 for its first nationwide meeting in Almaty. The session encouraged participants to share their success stories and exchange experiences on developing library science. The two-day meeting was composed of lectures, seminars and master…
President urges acceleration of capital city development, calls for infrastructure improvements
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the most pressing challenges facing the Kazakh capital and directed city officials and other government bodies to fix them during a major Oct. 8 meeting on Nur-Sultan’s development. Tokayev said investment in Nur-Sultan has declined for the first time in 10 years and instructed the Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration)…
Chechen-Ingush ethno cultural centre in Semei assists all minorities in preserving their identity
NUR-SULTAN – Vainakh (Our people) Chechen-Ingush ethno cultural centre in Semei helps all ethnic minorities to preserve their traditions and identity, said leader Sultan Kartoyev. Under the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (APK) initiative, Vainakh centres throughout the country have been registered since 1995. The centre in Semei was created in 2013. As a representative…
Kazakhstan grants visa-free status for 12 more countries to attract investment, tourists, businesses
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has granted visa-free entrance to 12 additional countries – Bahrain, Colombia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the Vatican and Vietnam – for up to 30 days. “Based on the political, economic and investment feasibility, as well as other interests of Kazakhstan, the list of countries with visa-free…
Kazakhstan, Rwanda need direct flights that can strengthen bilateral relations through trade, industry, says envoy
NUR-SULTAN – The relatively young diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Rwanda have a great potential to flourish and materialise in mutually beneficial agreements in trade, industry and tourism once a direct air route is established, said Williams Nkurunziza, the Rwandan Ambassador to Kazakhstan with concurrent accreditation in Azerbaijan, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Diplomatic relations between…
