Sixth CICA Summit: Expectations and Retrospective
ASTANA – The sixth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) started today on Oct. 12 in Astana. This year the summit marks three major events: the 30th anniversary of CICA, the end of Kazakhstan’s two-year chairpersonship in the conference, and the objective to transform the conference into a full-fledged…
Traveling Exhibition of ALZHIR Museum Opens in Astana to Tell Stories of Soviet Union’s Imprisoned Women
ASTANA – The traveling exhibition of the ALZHIR museum and memorial complex of political repression and totalitarianism victims opened at the National Center of Manuscripts and Rare Books in Astana on Oct. 10. The exhibition will last till Oct. 28. The Akmola’s Camp for Wives of Traitors of the Motherland (known as ALZHIR for its…
Ode to Dombra, National Instrument Reinvigorating Kazakh Culture and Identity (Video)
ASTANA – If you have ever listened to traditional Kazakh songs, chances are you have heard the dombra with its intricate, but delicate tonality that produces magical sounds from the endless Kazakh steppe. Sometimes it soothes by its fragile tunes, sometimes it excites by resembling a herd of wild horses galloping across the wide prairie.…
CICA Offers Security System For Rapidly Developing Asian Countries, Says KazISS Expert
ASTANA – The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) may offer a new course for promoting security systems for rapidly developing Asian countries, says Bulat Auelbayev, the chief expert at the Almaty branch of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) in an interview with Zakon news agency on Oct. 4.…
CICA Member States Draft Transformation Road Map Ahead of Sixth Summit in October
ASTANA – The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Special Working Group (SWG) meeting conducted on Sept. 28-29, has made a major advance in preparing draft documents to be adopted at the upcoming sixth CICA Summit on Oct. 12-13 in Astana, reported CICA Secretariat on Twitter. The main document includes a…
World Petroleum Council Youth Forum Kicks Off in Almaty, Gathers Leading Oil and Gas Specialists from 37 Countries
ALMATY – The seventh World Petroleum Council (WPC) Youth Forum opens on Sept. 29 in Almaty with the goal of expanding the discussions around energy transition and adoption of sustainable technologies gathering over 700 delegates from 37 countries. Among the honorary participants of the forum are the heads of the largest Kazakh and foreign oil…
Shymkent Has Potential to Become Major Southern Hub, Says Kazakh President
ASTANA – Shymkent has the potential to become a major southern hub, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the meeting with the city’s public on Sept. 27, reported the presidential press service. The city has attracted over 1.5 trillion tenge ($3.1billion) in investments since it gained the status of a city of national significance in 2018,…
Mukhtar Auezov’s Masterpiece on Abai Remains Showcase of Kazakh Culture to World, 125 Years Since Author’s Birth
ASTANA – On the 125th anniversary of a great Kazakh literary figure Mukhtar Auezov, whose talent transcended national borders, it is worth exploring his contribution to the Kazakh and world literature. Through Auezov’s works, the reader is able to discover the Kazakh culture, understand the mentality and overcome existing prejudices. Auezov is best known for…
Kazakh Central Election Commission to Ensure Barrier-Free Access at Polling Stations for People with Disabilities
ASTANA – The Central Election Commission (CEC) approved a document that outlines measures to ensure unhindered and barrier-free access to polling stations for citizens with disabilities during their meeting on Sept. 26. The document ensures that people with disabilities can register to vote and take part in elections with no hindrance. According to the decree,…
A Man of Many Talents: Kazakh Writer Mukhtar Auezov’s Underrated Contribution to Kazakh Theater
ASTANA – Kazakhstan celebrates 125 years since the birth of renowned Kazakh writer Mukhtar Auezov on Sept. 28 . Famous for his book, “The Path of Abai,” which tells the story of the prominent poet and thinker Abai and which has transformed the way generations perceive the wisdom of the life of a 20th century…
Kazakhstan’s Unique Story of Building Interfaith Dialogue and Co-existence Must Be Told, Says US Rabbi
ASTANA – With rising geopolitical confrontations around the world, the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions that took place in Astana on Sept. 14-15 could not have been more timely. Attended by high-level religious leaders, such as Pope Francis and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the congress claimed to be…
Exhibition Dedicated to Shining Light on History and Consequences of Nuclear Testing Opens in Astana
ASTANA – An exhibition drawing on the international experience with nuclear testing and armaments, titled Everything You Treasure – For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons, opened in Astana in the Keruen shopping center on Sept. 16. The exhibition, which runs until Sept. 30, depicts over 70 years of nuclear history from the Hiroshima explosion…
Kazakhstan Celebrates 100 Years of Syrbay Maulenov, Great Patriotic War Poet and Warrior
NUR-SULTAN – Syrbay Maulenov, one of the few Kazakh poets and writers, whose life was devastated by World War II, was born 100 years ago on Sept. 17. His works derived from his love for his homeland and embraced a wide range of topics from sharp depictions of war to tender praise of homeland scenery…
Three Events Highlight Final Day of Seventh Congress of World and Traditional Religions Leaders
NUR-SULTAN – Over the past two days the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan once again served as the platform for dozens of religious leaders to engage in dialogue and seek ways to promote peace and tolerance amid rising tensions in the world. The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which the country has hosted…
Religion in a Post-Pandemic World Panel and Holy Mass Mark First Day of Congress of World and Traditional Religions Leaders
NUR-SULTAN – The first day of the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions started with an organized panel on the role of religious leaders in the spiritual and social development of humankind in the post-pandemic period followed by an award ceremony dedicated to the contribution to interfaith dialogue and concluded with Pope…
Tokayev Stresses Role of Religious Principles in Building New System of International Security at Congress of World and Traditional Religions
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to build a new international security system based on humanistic ideals using world religions as a template as he addressed the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Nur-Sultan on Sept. 14. The two-day congress, convened for the first time in 2003, brought some of…
Nazarbayev Center Chair Briefs Foreign Journalists on Agenda and Peacebuilding Contribution of Congress of World and Traditional Religions Leaders
NUR-SULTAN – Bulat Sarsenbayev, chairman of the board of the Nazarbayev Center for the Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilization Dialogue, briefed foreign media on the main agenda and the contribution that the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions could offer to peacebuilding on Sept. 13, a day ahead of the congress. The…
Congress of World and Traditional Religions Leaders to Address Social Topics Beyond Religion, Says Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev
NUR-SULTAN – Discussions at the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will range from religious education and combating extremism to strengthening the status of women and promoting peace and religious dialogue, said Maulen Ashimbayev, chairperson of the Senate and head of the Secretariat of the Congress an upper chamber of the Kazakh…
Women of Kazakhstan Virtual Museum Celebrates Overlooked Kazakh Women in Arts and Culture
NUR-SULTAN – The Women of Kazakhstan project is the first virtual museum exploring the history and accomplishments of Kazakh women undertaken as part of an effort to broaden the picture of women’s important, yet historically overlooked roles in driving the cultural and historical changes in Kazakhstan. In an exclusive interview with The Astana Times, the…
Faithful Few: How Religious Minority Communities of Jews and Protestants Live and Practice Their Religion in Kazakhstan
Editor’s Note: In the run-up to the seventh Congress of Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions to be held on Sept. 14-15 in Nur-Sultan, The Astana Times has started a series of articles on the diversity of spiritual life in Kazakhstan. The first three articles focused on Kazakhstan’s Muslim, Orthodox Christian, and Catholic communities.…
30 Years of CICA: Executive Director Talks About Results of Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship, Milestones and Upcoming Sixth CICA Summit
NUR-SULTAN – As the sixth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit draws near, Kairat Sarybay, executive director of CICA shared the details on the preparation for the summit and the results of Kazakhstan’s chairpersonship of CICA from 2020 to 2022 during his meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sept. 7,…
Researchers Inaugurate New Academic Journal on Central Asian Studies to Offer Insider Approach to Regional Studies
NUR-SULTAN – A group of leading scholars from Central Asia launched an open access peer-reviewed journal titled Ketmen International Journal for Central Asian Voices on Aug. 26 to challenge the existing dominant perspectives on Central Asian studies. The first special issue of the journal is titled Autoethnography of Spiritual Practices in Central Asia and includes…
Out of the Dust: Kazakh Researchers Bring Back Manuscripts That Might Open New Pages of Kazakh History From World Archives
NUR-SULTAN – An ancient Quran gifted to a Golden Horde ruler called Uzbek Khan, fragments of Mahmud Churas’s history book, and medieval maps revealing the territories of Kazakhstan along with thousands of pages of other ancient manuscripts discovered in the largest archives of Russia, Türkiye, and Hungary could “open new pages of history,” said Zhandos…
Prominent Diplomats in Kazakh Capital Give Positive Assessment of President Tokayev’s Reforms Announced During Address to Nation
NUR-SULTAN – Members of the diplomatic corps in Kazakhstan expressed their support for President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiatives to ease investment procedures as well as his decision to call early presidential elections which was announced during the address to the nation on Sept. 1. European Union Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kestutis Jankauskas addressed Tokayev’s social and economic…
Dialogue and Tolerance are Nation-Building Framework for Kazakhstan, Says Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies Director
NUR-SULTAN – Agreement, dialogue, and tolerance are not just a foreign policy image, but the framework of Kazakhstan’s nation-building, said the director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies Yerkin Tukumov in an interview with Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper, emphasizing the importance of the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will be…
