Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA — The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture plays an important role in the country’s economy, ensuring food security, promoting sustainable regional development, and creating jobs. The Prime Minister’s press service continues to review the work of the country’s ministries in the first half-year. The state supports the agriculture industry by providing preferential financing, subsidies and…

ASTANA — The Prime Minister’s press service reviewed the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources several key environmental control, protection and biodiversity conservation projects over the past six months on Aug. 1. Climate policy and strategic goals Kazakhstan strengthens its environmental obligations, reaffirming its commitment to the global fight against climate change. To fulfill…

ASTANA – Japanese specialists inspected 13 hydraulic structures in Kazakhstan’s four regions that experienced high loads during floods. Japanese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Jun Yamada, Senior Advisor for Water Resources Management of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nobuo Sambe and Project Coordinator Aya Ito inspected facilities in the Akmola, Karagandy, Aktobe and West Kazakhstan Regions,…

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital is building more schools than ever before, wrote Akim (Mayor) of Astana Zhenis Kassymbek on his Instagram page on July 30. According to Kassymbek, more than 30 schools for almost 100,000 students (in two shifts) are being built. Among them, as part of the Comfortable School initiative, Samruk Kazyna Construction…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is set to hold meetings with high officials from Congo, Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries in the coming week. According to Akorda, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan on Aug. 2-3. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will…

ASTANA— The Prime Minister’s press service released the results of the Emergency Situations Ministry’s work in the year’s first half on July 29, reviewing efforts to tackle floods, prevent disasters and ensure the population’s safety. In January-June, the Ministry of Emergency Situations rescuers made more than 42,000 operational trips to rescue and evacuate nearly 70,000…

ASTANA – Karagandy chess player Alimzhan Ayapov secured first place at the 23rd World Individual Chess Championship hosted by the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) on July 19-28 in Gyumri, Armenia. Ayapov won in two categories at once – adult and youth (20 years and younger), reported the press service of the Karagandy Region…

ASTANA – The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic is set to issue a new silver collection coin “At Chabysh” on Aug. 1 devoted to the fifth World Nomad Games, which will be held on Sept. 8-13 in the Kazakh capital. At Chabysh is an ancient and popular sport among the Kyrgyz, representing long-distance horse…

ASTANA – Cameraman Yerkinbek Ptyraliyev, who filmed “Dala Kaskyry” (“Steppenwolf”), a movie directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, became the first Kazakh to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – the organization that votes for Oscar winners. The film received high marks from the jury at the Fantasia International Film Festival, taking place from…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s national kokpar team is training horses in the Almaty Region ahead of the fifth World Nomad Games, scheduled for Sept. 8 to 13. “We will prepare horses and select 40 animals to compete at the World Nomad Games. The team is currently at a good level. Teams from the Kyrgyz Republic and…

ASTANA – Tourists from China, India, Germany, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spent over $800 million in Kazakhstan last year, reports Kazinform on July 29. According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the average tourist from abroad leaves nearly $1,500 in the country. Kazakhstan is becoming increasingly attractive to Chinese citizens. In…

ASTANA — In January-June, Kazakhstan saw significant achievements in the transport and logistics area, including a noticeable increase in passenger traffic in aviation, improvement in rail transport and development of maritime infrastructure. The Prime Minister’s press service reviewed implemented measures aimed at improving the transport network, enhancing the quality of services and supporting the country’s…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Kazakhstan’s multi-vector foreign policy, Kazakhstan’s Middle Power status, and more. From backwater to beacon: Kazakhstan’s identity as a Middle Power Modern Diplomacy published an article on July 15 about Kazakhstan’s position on the global arena.…

ASTANA — The Bureau of National Statistics conducted a survey in April-May on the level of public confidence in law enforcement agencies and the judicial system in the country’s regions, both in urban and rural areas. According to the survey results released on July 17, 66% of people trust the prosecutor’s office, 24.1% are partially…

ASTANA – Almaty-based Auyl (village in the Kazakh) restaurant, offering neo-nomad cuisine of Central Asia, has been included in the list of the 16 Most Beautiful Restaurants in the World, according to Prix Versailles. Forbes, a famous business magazine, released the annual UNESCO architecture awards list on July 12. The 16 nominated restaurants will compete…

ASTANA – Kazakh athletes departed for the 2024 Paris Games on July 17. Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev, famous boxing champion Yermakhan Ibraimov, the 2000 Sydney Olympics wrestling silver medalist Islam Bayramukov, the 2000 Sydney Olympic champion in the 100-meter hurdles Olga Shishigina, Olympic swimming champion Dmitry Balandin, silver medalist in judo…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan delivered 19,062 tons of durum wheat to European Union (EU) countries from July 1 to 14, accounting for 68.5% of the total shipment, according to the European Commission report released on July 16. The top three also included Türkiye and Canada, which supplied -7,704 tons and 1,043 tons, respectively. This data was…

ASTANA – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) maintained Kazakhstan’s economic growth forecast for 2024 at 3.8%, according to the latest edition of Asian Development Outlook 2024, released on July 17. ADB also maintained the country’s economic growth forecast for 2025 at 5.3%. Growth prospects for Kazakhstan, the region’s largest economy, remain unchanged. The economy grew…

ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov instructed the acceleration of housing restoration efforts in the flood-affected regions at the July 17 government meeting. As a result of flooding, some 19,342 real estate objects (houses and summer homes, which are the only housing) were damaged, and 8,578 of them were recognized as beyond restoration. Work…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan produced industrial products worth 23.5 trillion tenge (US$49.4 billion) in January-June. Of them, the mining industry made up 10.7 trillion tenge (US$22.5 billion), and the manufacturing industry – 10.9 trillion tenge (US$22.9 billion). The Bureau of National Statistics reported on July 17 that production growth was observed in the mining and quarrying…

ASTANA – In 2023, environmental protection expenses reached 610 billion tenge (US$1.3 billion), which is 37.2% more than in 2022. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan, the largest volumes of expenses were recorded in the Akmola Region – 127.7 billion tenge (US$268.6 million), which is 20.9% of the total. It is followed…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has returned 1.07 trillion tenge (US$2.2 billion) in illegally withdrawn assets over the past 2.5 years, including from oligopolies, said Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Service Askhat Zhumagali on July 12. Since the beginning of this year, the Anti-Corruption Agency of Kazakhstan has reimbursed nearly 195 billion tenge (US$410 million). According to the…

ASTANA — The Zhambyl Region marked the technical launch of the Shatyrkol concentrating plant, which can produce 98,600 tons of copper concentrate annually. The plant is planned to achieve full capacity by the end of October. The building work is now complete, and technical manufacturing of the first goods has commenced, reported the region’s akimat…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee has prepared badges decorated with national ornaments for the Paris Games. Kazakh athletes have secured 92 licenses in 25 sports, including boxing, judo, artistic gymnastics, athletics, kayaking and canoeing, shooting, fencing, Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, archery, skeet shooting, tennis, road cycling , swimming, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, track cycling, trampoline…

ASTANA—Twelve referees from Kazakhstan will work at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which are scheduled from July 26 to Aug. 11. The list of specialists who received an invitation to judge at the Olympic Games includes Alua Bekturova (rhythmic gymnastics), Olga Solovyova (weightlifting), Aliya Karimova (artistic swimming), Yulia Ignatchenko, Meruyert Kaukeyeva (tennis), Timur Amirbekov (gymnastics), Yevgeniy…