Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – Aktau, Kazakhstan’s city on the shores of the Caspian Sea, officially became the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2025 on April 5. The event featured a grand opening ceremony attended by honored guests from Azerbaijan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Hungary, and gathered over 100,000 spectators from Kazakhstan and…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Janibek Alimkhanuly, who defended IBF and WBO middleweight titles by knocking down France’s Anauel Ngamissengue on April 5 in the Kazakh capital. Tokayev emphasized that the entire nation feels a sense of pride for the athlete, who worthily defended the honor of the country on his native land,…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has curated a selection of articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest includes topics such as the Central Asia – EU summit in Samarkand, discovery of vast deposits of rare earths, upcoming Astana International Forum and more. Kazakhstan says it has discovered 20 million ton…

ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired a meeting on April 3 discussing the implementation of the digital tenge and mechanisms for monitoring targeted budget fund usage, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The meeting focused on the current state and plans for developing Kazakhstan’s national digital financial infrastructure, enhancing the traceability and efficiency…

ASTANA – Geologists from Karagandy, working under the state program for geological exploration, have discovered several promising areas at the Kuirektykol site with large resources of rare earth metals, estimated at around one million tons. The site, located 300 kilometers southeast of Astana in the Karkaraly district, lies within an ancient volcanic structure formed by…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan continues working on constructing its first nuclear power plant. The Ministry of Energy shared up-to-date information on the progress of negotiations with potential partners, uranium reserve and personnel training, reported Kazinform news agency on April 2. International consortium for nuclear power plant During the past year, negotiations were held with potential suppliers…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with EU Special Representative for Central Asia Eduards Stiprais on March 31 to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and regional cooperation. During the meeting, the officials discussed various aspects of bilateral and regional cooperation, including the implementation of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Slovenia have forged strong and equal political and diplomatic ties over the past 30 years, with both Presidents reaffirming their commitment to strengthening economic cooperation for the benefit of their peoples during recent talks, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during an April 1 business forum. “Kazakhstan continues to be the largest…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government has allocated 228 million tenge (US$452,761) from recovered illegally withdrawn assets to build medical facilities in villages of the Pavlodar Region. The funds will be used to implement projects in the rural areas of Ekibastuz and Aksu, as well as Irtysh, Zhelezinka, Terenkol districts, reported the Prime Minister’s press service…

ASTANA – President Sadyr Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan signed the Treaty on the Junction Point of State Borders and the Khujand Declaration on Eternal Friendship on March 31. The documents were signed following a trilateral summit in Khujand, Tajikistan, highlighting the commitment of…

ASTANA — President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan arrived in Almaty on a working visit on March 29 and was greeted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan. The two leaders held informal talks and toured key sites in the city. The two presidents held in-depth discussions on prospects for cooperation in the political, trade and economic,…

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received detailed briefings on March 28 from Zhambyl Region Akim (governor) Yerbol Karashukeyev and Minister of Emergency Situations Chingis Arinov concerning the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the region earlier that day, according to a statement from Akorda. The government is closely monitoring the situation, with Prime Minister…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas on March 28 in Almaty to discuss the current state and future prospects of Kazakh-European relations. The officials highlighted the importance of upcoming events, including…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Kazakhstan’s tourism industry, nuclear energy agency, AI development and more. Portugal and Kazakhstan are getting closer Portugal’s DNOTICIAS.PT published an article on March 23 about Kazakhstan’s tourism industry, which experienced significant growth, marked by a…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – Vice-President of European Commission Kaja Kallas discussed the prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union during the March 28 meeting in Almaty.  Tokayev and Kallas focused on the expansion of trade and economic partnership in priority areas…

ASTANA – A new national ecotourism standard, set to take effect on June 1, aims to minimize the environmental impact of tourism in Kazakhstan while ensuring the preservation of its unique ecosystems and landscapes.  Developed under the UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) program, the standard incorporates global sustainability guidelines and offers a framework for eco-friendly…

ASTANA – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is working to restore operations at the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station following a recent drone attack, the company’s press service reported to Kazinform on March 24. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on March 24, at around 2 a.m. local time, air defense forces intercepted a UAV…

ASTANA – President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar will make an official visit to Kazakhstan on March 31- April 1, meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss key areas of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The discussions will delve into trade and economics, transportation and logistics, cultural and humanitarian exchange, ecology and sustainable development,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s government will allocate illegally withdrawn assets from the Special State Fund to enhance social infrastructure, with 1.7 billion tenge (US$3.4 million) allocated to construct new medical facilities in ten villages across the Akmola Region. The project will establish four medical outpatient clinics, five feldsher-obstetric stations, and one medical center. This will greatly…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National School of Physics and Math (FIZMAT) became the first in Central Asia to receive the Apple Authorized Training Center for Education (AATCE) status, reported the Education Ministry on March 23. Granting the AATCE status confirms the school’s adherence to Apple’s global standards for teaching digital subjects and training IT professionals. The…

ASTANA — In recent years, Kazakhstan has achieved notable results in attracting foreign investment, driving sustainable economic growth and enhancing its global standing. The government prioritizes creating a favorable investment climate and executing large-scale international projects. These efforts focus on infrastructure development, supporting key economic sectors, and improving the country’s competitiveness. According to Kazakhstan’s National…

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 oil exports and more. Kazakhstan’s constitutional reforms have created a stable investment climate The European Financial Review published an article on March 14 highlighting Kazakhstan’s recent constitutional reforms and governance improvements,…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government allocated returned illegally acquired assets from the Special State Fund to finance the construction of commissioning the Hematology Center in Oskemen worth 33.6 billion tenge (US$66.7 million). The medical institution will have two buildings: a hospital with 148 beds and a 24-bed hotel for patients receiving treatment. The main building…

ASTANA – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has confirmed that oil shipments continue as usual despite ongoing repairs at the Kropotkinskaya pumping station. Russian media and Telegram channels reported another drone attack on CPC infrastructure on March 19. However, CPC press secretary Ilya Arkhipov clarified that the CPC did not own the object targeted. According…

ASTANA – State Counselor Erlan Karin attended the launch of the Assyl Mura (Precious Heritage) audio collection, the largest national music archive in Kazakhstan’s history, now available on over 100 global streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Yandex Music, and YouTube Music, reported Kazinform on March 20. Featuring 1,500 carefully selected recordings — ranging from…