Articles by Staff report

Number of Young Female Entrepreneurs Increases in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – The number of businesses owned by female entrepreneurs under the age of 29 has reached 10,300 at the beginning of this year, an increase of 1.3 percent in comparison to the previous year, according to finprom.kz analytical website.   At the same time, this comprises only a quarter of all businesses owned by people…

Transparency International Ranks Kazakhstan 101st Among 180 Nations in Latest Index

ASTANA – Berlin-based Transparency International, a global coalition against corruption, has ranked Kazakhstan 101st out of 180 nations in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on April 10. The CPI ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Kazakhstan received…

Kazakhstan’s Air Passenger Traffic Sees 17 Percent Growth in 2022

ASTANA – Kazakh airlines carried 11 million passengers in 2022, a 17 percent increase compared to the previous year, reported the Civil Aviation Committee on April 12. “Air passenger traffic has recovered and exceeds all forecasts, demonstrating stable growth,” the report noted. Domestic air carriers operate international flights on 104 routes with a frequency of…

Gumilyov Eurasian National University Displays Ancient Maps of Kazakh State

ASTANA – The Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) opened a gallery displaying a unique collection of 100 European and American maps showing the Kazakh khanate in the 16th-19th centuries, reported the university’s press service on April 11. The event was organized to mark the Day of Science Workers. The earliest of these maps dating back…

KazMunayGas Holds Talks with Zhanaozen Oil Workers to Resolve Dispute

ASTANA – KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company, and BerAli Mangistau Company, an oil industry services provider, agreed to create a special working commission to address the demands of the latter company’s recently dismissed employees, who arrived in Astana from Zhanaozen this week, reported the company’s press service on April 12. The commission…

Kazakh Female Wrestler Wins Gold at Asian Wrestling Championship

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Elmira Syzdykova, 31, won over Kyrgyz wrestler Aiperi Medet kyzy in the 76-kilogram weight category in women’s wrestling, bringing second gold medal to the national team at the Asian Wrestling Championship on April 11, reported the National Olympic Committee . Earlier, Kazakh wrestler Ibragim Magomadov won gold in the 72-kilogram weight category…

UNDP Supports Kazakhstan’s Low-Carbon Development Path

ASTANA – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) welcomes Kazakhstan’s decision to become carbon-neutral by 2060,  said UNDP Resident Representative Katarzyna Wawiernia during an April 10 meeting with the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Zulfiya Suleimenova, reported UNDP’s press service.  Wawiernia noted that private funding is critical in achieving this goal. She said the UNDP…

Kazakh Foreign Minister Pays Official Visit to Moscow

ASTANA – Foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Russia signed a cooperation plan for 2023-2024 during the official visit of Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu to Russia at the invitation of Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on April 11, reported the Kazakh ministry’s press service.  During the meeting,…

Kazakhstan’s Measures to Accelerate Tourism Development in Spotlight in South Korea

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s state support measures for tourism sector entrepreneurs and the eQonaq information system presented by the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports attracted significant interest among the participants of the Korea Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Tourism forum in South Korea, reported the ministry’s press service on April 7. During a panel discussion at…

Heydar Aliyev Street Opens in Astana During Azerbaijan President’s Visit to Kazakhstan

ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev opened Heydar Aliyev Street in Astana during Aliyev’s official visit to Kazakhstan on April 10, reported the Akorda press service. Heydar Aliyev was the President of Azerbaijan between 1993 and 2003 in the first formative decade of the country’s independence. Tokayev underlined…

Microsoft to Open Multi-Regional Hub for Innovation in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – American tech giant Microsoft is ready to open a multi-regional hub based in Kazakhstan, the country’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry reported on April 10.  The agreement will turn the country into a center of attraction of technologies and advanced solutions, said Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry…

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy to Deliver Humanitarian Aid from China to Türkiye via Middle Corridor

ASTANA – Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) national railway company will deliver China’s humanitarian aid to Türkiye by shuttle trains via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, known as the Middle Corridor, the company’s press service reported on April 11. The first train carrying 50 forty-foot containers was sent from China on March 29. KTZ is expected…

Kazakh Wrestler Wins Gold at Asian Wrestling Championship

ASTANA – Kazakh wrestler Ibragim Magomadov won gold in the 72-kilogram weight category in Greco-Roman wrestling and became the first Asian champion from Kazakhstan, reported the National Olympic Committee on April 11. In a closely fought final match, Magomadov beat Sajed Ali Imentalabfumani of Iran with a score of 5:2. This is Magomadov’s first gold…

The Korea Times Signs Partnership Agreement with The Astana Times

ASTANA – The Astana Times has signed a partnership agreement with The Korea Times, one of the leading English-language media outlets in South Korea, to exchange exclusive content between the media organizations. The agreement was signed on March 14 in a virtual ceremony attended by senior representatives from both media outlets.  The agreement seeks to…

Freight Volume via Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Grows 7 Percent in 2023

ASTANA – Freight turnover via Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the nation’s railway and logistics company, increased by 7 percent in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 61.5 million tons, reported KTZ press service on April 7.  The surge is due to changes in logistics and increase in shipping…

Kazakhstan Seeks to Cooperate with Netflix and Promote Its Movies

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is seeking to cooperate with the Netflix streaming service to promote domestic movies on the platform, announced Kazakh Minister of Information and Social Development Darkhan Kydyrali on his Facebook page on April 10 after he met with Alexander Long, regional director for Public Policy at Netflix’s Asia-Pacific headquarters. “Given the company’s huge…

President Tokayev Calls for Unity, Harmony to Promote National Development During Iftar Reception

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will be able to reach goals and become a truly progressive, creative, and advanced country with unity and harmony in society,  President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during an April 7 iftar (fast-breaking evening meal) reception at the presidential palace to mark the Holy Month of Ramadan, reported the Akorda press service. According to…

Kazakhstan’s Maritime Academy Marks 10th Anniversary, Seeks to Enhance Professional Development

ASTANA – The Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU) hosted an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the Kazakhstan Maritime Academy (KMA) in Almaty on April 7, reported the university’s press service.  In ten years, 124 students working on ships and in coastal positions graduated from the academy, half working in Panama and worldwide. In 2021,…

Kazakh National Bank Keeps Base Rate at 16.75 Percent

ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan announced plans on April 7 to keep the base rate at 16.75 percent for the third time since December last year, according to the bank’s press service. The bank made the decision due to the global inflationary pressures, which remain elevated despite some countries’ declining inflation. “In Kazakhstan,…

Naval Forces of Kazakhstan Mark 30th Anniversary

ASTANA – This month marks an important date for the Naval Forces of Kazakhstan. They were established exactly thirty years ago as part of the Armed Forces to protect the state border and strategic facilities such as Aktau, Bautino and Kuryk seaports, artificial islands, pipelines and deposits on the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea.…

Endangered Greig Tulips Bloom Again in Turkistan Region, Require Preservation

ASTANA – Rare and beautiful Greig tulips bloom again in Kazakhstan’s Turkistan Region. Yet, these stunning flowers are in need of protection, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources on April 6.    “People pluck tulips to take beautiful photos, collect a bouquet, or just for fun, preventing them from…

Mangystau Region Most Sought-After Destination Among Tourists

ASTANA – The Mangystau Region is the most sought-after destination in Kazakhstan, with more than 41,000 foreign visitors staying for seven to twelve days on average in 2022, the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports reported on April 6. On average, foreign tourists stay four days in Kazakhstan.  “The length of…

World Bank Projects 3.5 Percent Growth for Kazakhstan’s Economy

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s economy is expected to grow by 3.5 percent in 2023 and 4 percent in 2024, led by the hydrocarbons sector as oil production rises due to several new projects, according to an updated World Bank review published on April 6. According to the report, continued foreign direct investment in mining and the…

Astana Opera to Present “Dreams Come True” Ballet to Mark Debut of Young Artists

ASTANA – The Astana Opera will premiere “Dreams Come True” ballet presenting several pas de deux from classical ballets and miniatures by the theater’s debutants and principal soloists on April 11, reported the theater’s press service. It is the second time the ballet troupe’s Artistic Director Atynai Asylmuratova stages such a program giving young artists…

Ambassador-at-Large Murat Mukushev Appointed Kazakhstan’s National Coordinator for SCO

ASTANA – Ambassador-at-Large of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry Murat Mukushev has been appointed Kazakhstan’s National Coordinator for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), following President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s decree signed on April 6, reported the Akorda press service. Born in 1983 in the East Kazakhstan Region, Mukushev graduated from the Amanzholov East Kazakhstan State University. He also…