Nearly Ten Million Foreign Tourists Visit Kazakhstan in 2023
ASTANA — Nearly 9.6 million foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan last year, two times more than the previous year, said Nurtas Karipbayev, chairman of the Tourism Industry Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports, at a June 6 briefing at the Central Communications Service. The number of Kazakh citizens traveling within the country increased…
Turkic States Address Environmental Challenges in Baku
ASTANA – Chairman of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, Yerlan Koshanov, took part in the 13th meeting of the Council of Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) in Baku dubbed Green Horizons for the Turkic World: Role of Parliaments in Achieving a Green Agenda, reported Mazhilis’ press service on June 6.…
Kazakh Cyclists Win Gold Medal at Asian Championship
ASTANA — Kazakh cyclists won a gold medal at the Asian Road Cycling Championship, which is taking place between June 6 to 12 in Almaty, reported the National Olympic Committee’s press service. The national team showed the best result in the mixed relay. The team included Rinata Sultanova, Evgeny Fyodorov, Dmitry Gruzdev, Igor Zhang, Makhabbat…
State Counselor Karin Outlines Core Principles of Tokayev’s Political Vision
ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s State Counselor Erlan Karin unveiled the transformative vision of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s political course, emphasizing a bold new direction for the nation in an article published in the Kazakhstanskay Pravda newspaper on June 5. The essence of a Just and Fair Kazakhstan President Tokayev outlined the nation’s ideological platform for a new…
Kazakhstan, Egypt Focus on Development of Parliamentary Diplomacy
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Egyptian Speaker of the Senate Abdel Wahab Abdel Razeq focused on the development of parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation prospects in trade and culture during a June 4 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev noted that Abdel Razeq’s first visit to Kazakhstan is intended to give new impetus to…
Kazakhstan Continues Compensating Flood-Affected Citizens
ASTANA—The Kazakh government continues to work to eliminate the consequences of floods and provide assistance to affected citizens, the Prime Minister’s press service reported on June 5. So far, 31,552 families received a one-time payment worth 369,200 tenge (US$825). Some 717 families received new houses and apartments to replace destroyed ones, and 3,981 families received…
Coventry University to Open Branch in Astana This Year
ASTANA – London-based Coventry University plans to open its branch in the Kazakh capital this September, offering Kazakh students an MBA Global Business course and eight undergraduate programs, reported the university’s press service on June 3. Undergraduate programs include advertising and digital marketing, business and human resource management training, computer science, information technology management, and…
Kazakh State Counselor Comments on Adopted Plan to Combat Gambling
ASTANA — The Kazakh government has adopted a Comprehensive Plan to Combat Illegal Gambling Business and Gambling Addiction for 2024-2026, another initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, wrote Kazakhstan’s State Counselor Erlan Karin on his Telegram channel on June 1. “In his Atyrau speech at the third meeting of the National Kurultai, the President instructed to…
President Tokayev Meets with WTO Director-General
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on June 3 in Almaty, reported the Akorda press service. Welcoming Okonjo-Iweala, Tokayev emphasized Kazakhstan’s strong commitment to expanding cooperation with the WTO. “We are confident that under your leadership, the international multilateral trading system will undergo a…
Beijing-Paris Classic Car Rally: Seventy Vintage Cars Arrive in Almaty
ASTANA — Seventy classic vintage cars arrived in Kazakhstan on June 2 as part of the legendary Beijing-Paris Classic Car Rally, reported Tengri Auto. On May 18, the brave riders left Beijing, crossed the vast expanses through Urumqi and reached Almaty. Their route passes through Kyzylorda and Aktau, where they will take a ferry to…
President Tokayev Explores Future Prospects of Orbis Kazakhstan Group
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Farrukh Makhmudov, founder of Orbis Kazakhstan Group, a multi-profile Kazakh company operating in oilfield services, petrochemicals, authorized retail, agribusiness, agrochemicals, construction, transport, and public catering on June 1, reported the Akorda press service. During the meeting, Makhmudov discussed the company’s results and development prospects. Notably, it is…
Kazakhstan, China Sign Agreement for Copper Smelter Construction
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China signed an agreement to construct a smelter with a capacity of 300,000 tons of copper per year during a June 3 meeting between Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Chairman of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Xi Zhengping, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The trilateral agreement was signed between KAZ…
News Digest: Foreign Media on Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court, Middle Powers’ Role in Tackling Challenges, and More
ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court, role of middle powers in resolving global challenges, and more. Middle powers have the power to save multilateralism Euronews published an article on May 28, written by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, about…
Italy, Central Asian States Explore New Areas for Cooperation
ASTANA – Italy and Central Asian states explored prospects for collaboration during a May 29 Central Asia + Italy third meeting of the Foreign Affairs Ministers in Rome. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu headed Kazakhstan’s delegation, reported the ministry’s press service. During the event, the officials discussed important topics of the regional…
Kazakhstan to Build 57 New Water Reservoirs Until 2030
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to build 57 new water reservoirs, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of water management facilities until 2030, reported Kazinform on May 30. Notably, it is planned to build four reservoirs in the Aktobe Region, three reservoirs in the Turkistan and Zhambyl…
Mazhilis Ratifies Kazakh-Chinese Agreement to Develop Trans-Caspian Route
ASTANA – Deputies of the Mazhilis, a lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, adopted the law on the ratification of the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and China to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), reported Mazhilis’ press service on May 29. “The agreement provides for the effective use of road, rail and…
Kazakh-Belgian Trade Exceeds $523 Million in 2023
ASTANA – Kazakh-Belgian trade turnover reached $523.7 million last year, which is 1.7% higher than in the same period of the previous year, said Anuar Kurzhikayev, director general of the BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan during a May 29 Kazakh-Belgian Business Council in Almaty, reported Kazinform. Kurzhikayev underlined that Belgium is a major trading…
Kazakhstan, EU Agree to Enhance Relations in Agriculture
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and European Union (EU) Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski explored prospects to expand cooperation in the agri-food sector during a May 29 meeting, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The sides agreed to elevate quality standards for agricultural products and support farmers. Bektenov and Wojciechowski outlined the need…
Turkistan Sets to Receive Special City Status
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov signed a government resolution on submitting the draft law on the special status of Turkistan city to the Mazhilis, a lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, for consideration, reported the Prime Minister’s press service on May 30. The document defines the legal conditions for the formation, development and…
Kazakh PM Delivers Report on Flood Recovery Efforts
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov delivered a report to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the implemented efforts to eliminate the consequences of the floods and measures to support the affected citizens on May 29, reported the Akorda press service. Some 30,770 families received a one-time payment totaling over 11 billion tenge (US$24.7 million). To…
Astana Hosts International Dog Show to Promote Kazakh Tazy Breed
ASTANA – The Kazakh capital hosted an international dog show on May 26 presenting tazy hunting dog breed and tobet shepherd from different regions of the country, reported Kazinform. A special international commission examined around 100 tazy dogs to draft the decision regarding the breed’s worldwide recognition and the approval of the Kazakh tazy brand…
Kazakhstan, Netherlands Explore Prospects for Strengthening Ties
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte explored the prospects for expanding ties in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian areas during a May 28 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. Welcoming Rutte, the President expressed appreciation for his personal contribution to promoting and developing mutually beneficial cooperation.…
Stranger Show: Dimash Kudaibergen Celebrates 30th Birthday in Istanbul
ASTANA – World-famous Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen celebrated his 30th birthday with thousands of fans from around the globe, who came to his solo concert at the Beşiktaş stadium in Istanbul on May 24. Three-hour Stranger show program included performances of guests and friends of Kudaibergen. They are Turkish singer, composer, songwriter, guitarist Haluk Levent…
Kazakhstan to Increase Output of Petrochemical Products by 75% This Year
ASTANA — Kazakhstan plans to increase the production of petrochemical products by 75% by the end of this year, Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said at a May 28 government meeting, reported the ministry’s press service. According to Satkaliyev, the ministry is taking several measures to increase the workload of existing enterprises. This will ensure the…
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan Intend to Enhance Partnership
ASTANA—President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov reiterated their commitment to advancing strategic partnership during a May 27 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. During the talks, Tokayev noted a steady growth of the Kazakh-Turkmen relationship in the spirit of…