First Batch of Pfizer Vaccine Delivered to Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan received the first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech (COMIRNATY) vaccine on Nov. 10, the Kazakh Ministry of Healthcare confirmed on Thursday. “Delivered doses will enable the country to move toward completing mass vaccination of the population. This is already the sixth vaccine registered in Kazakhstan,” said the ministry, noting that Kazakhstan’s single distributor…
Kazakhstan’s Huge Renewable Energy Resources to Form Basis for Its Low-Carbon Future, Says World Bank Regional Director
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has huge renewable energy potential that will form the basis for a low-carbon future, World Bank Infrastructure Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Charles Cormier told The Astana Times. Cormier is in Kazakhstan to hold discussions on the green growth transition. Do you think humanity is on the right track in…
Kazakhstan Attracts $1.8 Billion in Renewable Energy Development Investment Since 2014
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has attracted 780 billion tenge (US$$1.8 billion) for the development of renewable energy since 2014, said Kazakh Energy Minister Magzum Mirzagaliyev at a Nov. 9 meeting of the country’s investment office chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin. The meeting of the investment office, a new mechanism to attract and support investors,…
Qaz Startup Battle Promotes Kazakh Language IT Solutions
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry and the Astana Hub organized the Qaz Startup Battle on Nov. 5 aimed at the development of the Kazakh language and content, reports the ministry’s press service. The competition was held as part of the fifth QazForum of Kazakh-language online content creators in…
Twenty-Seven Kazakh Enterprises Present Their Products at China International Import Exhibition in Shanghai
NUR-SULTAN – Twenty-seven Kazakh enterprises put their products on display at the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) that is taking place in Shanghai from Nov. 5 until Nov. 10. This year Kazakhstan expanded the range of products in the meat and flour industry, bakery and confectionery, as well as oil, dairy, wine and liquor…
Kazakh Healthcare Ministry, AstraZeneca Sign Memorandum of Understanding
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Healthcare and the representative office of AstraZeneca in Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding during the plenary session of the eighth Intergovernmental Commission of the United Kingdom and Kazakhstan on Nov. 4, reports the ministry’s press service. This document envisions measures to develop quality and affordable health care, increasing…
Kazakhstan’s Monotowns Account for Nearly 40 Percent of Industrial Production, But Problems Still Remain
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s monotowns produce nearly 40 percent of the country’s total industrial output, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his working visit to the city of Ekibastuz in the Pavlodar Region that began with a national meeting on the development of single-industry towns. There are 89 cities in Kazakhstan, and 27 of them are monotowns,…
Bolashak Presidential Scholarship to Empower Young People: Twenty-Eight Years of Success and Progress
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Bolashak Presidential Scholarship is a program that gives a chance to talented young people to study abroad and it celebrates its 28th year of work on Nov. 5. In 1993, Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree launching the program, the first in Central Asia, paving a way for more than…
Kazakhstan Resumes Air Travel with India, Azerbaijan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will resume air travel with India from Nov. 15, in accordance with the decision of Kazakhstan’s Interdepartmental Commission on preventing the spread of coronavirus infection, reports the Civil Aviation Committee. From Nov. 15, Kazakhstan’s Air Astana will start operating the flights on the route Almaty – Delhi – Almaty with a frequency of…
President Tokayev Pledges to Better Protect Caspian Sea Biodiversity by Signing Caspian Sea Protection Protocol
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan seeks to ensure better protection of the biodiversity of the Caspian Sea. To that effect, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the Protocol for the Protection of the Caspian Sea against Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities on Oct. 23, reports the Akorda press service. The ratification comes on the heels of the agreement…
Mohamed bin Zayed Receives Nazarbayev Prize for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World and Global Security
NUR-SULTAN – Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Mohamed bin Zayed received the Nazarbayev Prize for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World and Global Security on Oct. 28 for his contribution to peace, regional stability, and sustainable economic development during the meeting with First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, reports the press…
Kazakhstan Needs to Invest $650 Billion to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2060, Says Minister
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will have to invest nearly US$650 billion in low carbon technologies to achieve its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2060, said Kazakh Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Serikkali Brekeshev at a press briefing on Oct. 27. The sectors requiring the most investment over the next 40 years are the…
Kazakhstan’s Majilis Adopts Draft Law on Human Rights to Strengthen Role of Ombudsperson
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Majilis, the lower house of the country’s Parliament, adopted a draft law on the Ombudsperson for Human Rights in Kazakhstan, as well as legislative amendments to define at the legislative level the legal status of the Ombudsperson, and the principles and guarantees of their activities, reports the Majilis press service. “The draft…
Digital Bridge Forum in Nur-Sultan Connects Entrepreneurs, Promotes Greater Digitization
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan is hosting Digital Bridge Forum on Oct. 28-29 to promote digitization in the country and provide businesses and startups with more access to resources, including learning opportunities. Nearly 4,000 participants registered for the two-day event. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the forum a day earlier, where he was briefed on the…
Hungarian Deputy PM Mihály Varga Visits Kazakhstan to Boost Trade and Investment
NUR-SULTAN – Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Finance Mihály Varga is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, where he took part in the fifth meeting of the Kazakh-Hungarian Strategic Council that gathered 50 Hungarian business leaders. As part of his visit, he also met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Askar Mamin.…
Child Well-Being Index to Expand and Protect Children’s Rights More Effectively in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – The Child Well-Being Index will help Kazakhstan’s decision-makers to increase the effectiveness of national policies in the protection of children’s rights, experts from the Economic Research Institute told The Astana Times. The index is developed by the Economic Research Institute with the support of Kazakhstan’s Committee on the Protection of Children’s Rights, and…
Kazakhstan’s Two Big Cities Exit Red Zone As Epidemiological Situation Stabilizes
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan and the largest city Almaty exited the high-risk red zone, as the overall epidemiological situation in the country shows signs of improvement. Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexei Tsoy spoke about the different scenarios of the COVID-19 situation in Kazakhstan during a government meeting on Tuesday. There are eight regions in the…
Preserving Kazakhstan’s Historical Legacy and Culture: Tokayev Visits Zhoshy Khan Complex in Ulytau
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Zhoshy Khan historical and cultural complex in Ulytau District as part of his working visit to the Karaganda Region, reports the Akorda press service. The center serves as a tourist destination that takes visitors into the ancient Kazakh past and aims to become a scientific center for studying…
Unity in Diversity is Our Fundamental Principle to Preserve National Unity, Says Tokayev
NUR-SULTAN – Unity in diversity is Kazakhstan’s fundamental principle for preserving and strengthening national unity and a key principle that the country is committed to adhering to in the future, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as he chaired an expanded meeting of the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan on Oct. 22, reports the Akorda press service.…
New Polymetallic Enrichment Plant Launched in Karaganda Region, Boosts Regional Industrial Development
NUR-SULTAN – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev launched a new polymetallic enrichment plant at the Zhairemsky mining and processing plant in the Karaganda Region as part of his working visit to the region, reports the Akorda press service. Nearly 2,500 people were involved in the construction of the plant. For Zhairem, the launch of the…
Sixty Three Percent of Eligible Population Fully Vaccinated in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – As the vaccination effort continues in Kazakhstan, 7.2 million of the country’s 19 million population have been fully immunized against the virus, while 8 million have received at least one dose, reports the Kazakh Healthcare Ministry. The city of Almaty, the Turkistan region, and the East Kazakhstan region are leading in terms of…
Latest Travel Update: Kazakhstan to Launch Direct Flights with Lithuania – and More
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and Lithuania are expected to launch direct flights between the two countries in the first quarter of 2022, reports the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee. On Oct. 13, the Lithuanian civil aviation authorities and Kazakhstan’s civil aviation committee met to discuss the opening of regular flights on the Nur-Sultan-Vilnius and Almaty-Vilnius routes. Hungarian-based…
New Theater in Nur-Sultan to Provide Creative Opportunities for People with Special Needs
NUR-SULTAN – A new inclusive theater called Qanattylar opened its doors Oct. 15 in the Zhastar theater in Nur-Sultan, wrote Nur-Sultan Akim (Mayor) Altai Kulginov on his Instagram account. The theater debuted with a play, also named “Qanattylar”, written by Kazakh poet Gulnara Salykbai and directed by Nurfat Vahitov. “We try to provide full support…
President Tokayev Addresses Heads of Commonwealth of Independent States Council Meeting
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the CIS Heads of State Council meeting on Friday, Oct. 15 emphasizing the need for stronger cooperation and assistance to the people of Afghanistan, reports the Akorda press service. In his speech, Tokayev recalled the agreement to establish the CIS back in December 1991, in what he called was…
Kazakhstan’s Delegation Pays Working Visit to Afghanistan
NUR-SULTAN – Special Representative of the President of Kazakhstan for International Cooperation Erzhan Kazykhan visited Kabul on Sunday for a working visit, reports the Akorda press service. During the visit, Kazykhan held meetings with the representatives of the interim government of Afghanistan Abdul Kabir and Amir Khan Muttaqi. At the talks, the two sides discussed…
