Articles by Abira Kuandyk

International Art Exhibition in Nur-Sultan Raises Awareness For Female Causes

NUR-SULTAN – “Pink Ribbon” is an international art exhibition that promotes raising awareness through arts, for women and men on breast cancer. Contemporary artists from Italy, Israel and Kazakhstan presented their masterpieces at the exhibition that kicked off on March 11 and is open until March 22 in Nur-Sultan. The exhibition coincides with the celebration…

Italian and Hungarian Investors Launch Solar Power Plant Project in Turkestan Region 

NUR-SULTAN — Plans have been announced to build two 50 megawatts (MW) solar power plants in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region by Italian investor Eni and Hungarian investor Globalia Kft, according to Kazakh Invest national company. The project by Italian investor company Eni is expected to install a solar power plant worth more than 12.5 billion tenge…

Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Four Regions Enter Moderate Risk Yellow Zone 

NUR-SULTAN – The four regions, Akmola, Atyrau, the West Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions as well as Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities, have been included in the moderate risk yellow zone on the coronavirus infection spread map on March 9.  All other regions are in the low-risk green zone, according to the matrix assessing the epidemiological situation…

Arabic Music with Kazakh National Instruments: Kazakh Musicians Bring Fresh Breath to Cross-Culture Music (Video)

NUR-SULTAN — Marked annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day is one of the most important days to celebrate women’s achievements. Polina Tyrina, 29, a peer of independent Kazakhstan is one of the dedicated women who contributed to spreading Kazakh music culture abroad. Tyrina shared how she lighted up the music project in cooperation with…

Rare Footage: Snow Leopard Family of Three Caught on Camera in Kazakhstan (Video)

NUR-SULTAN — The footage, recorded in January 2021 by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, shows a snow leopard family of three wandering through a forestry area in Kazakhstan’s southern Zhambyl region.   The footage was taken using installed camera traps. Near the end of 2019, a snow leopard was featured on video in…

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Form United Front to Prevent Spread of COVID-19 

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Yeraly Tugzhanov and Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Behzod Musayev met in Tashkent to discuss the current epidemiological situation in countries and joint measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reported primeminister.kz on March 4.  Tugzhanov emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for interaction and mutual support between…

President Tokayev Calls For Expanding Women’s Economic Opportunities 

NUR-SULTAN — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the importance of ensuring women’s rights and creating conditions for female empowerment at the experts’ meeting on Measures and Tools to Expand the Economic Opportunities of Women on March 3, reported Tokayev’s spokesperson Berik Uali.  “The women’s share employed in small and medium-sized businesses in Kazakhstan has exceeded…

Kazakhstan Designates March as Kazakh Traditions and Culture Celebration Month

NUR-SULTAN – March is designated as a month dedicated to Kazakh national traditions and culture with a series of holidays: the new Day of Gratitude, International Women’s Day, Korisy kuni (meeting day) and Nauryz celebrations. More than 500 events will be conducted across the country, including 2,000 projects of various formats starting March 1, the…

Nevada-Semipalatinsk International Anti-Nuclear Movement Commemorates 32 Years Since Inception 

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is commemorating 32 years of work of the Nevada-Semipalatinsk International Anti-Nuclear Movement on Feb. 28. According to Olzhas Suleimenov, leader of Kazakh anti-nuclear movement, “the Nevada-Semipalatinsk movement, initiated on Kazakh land on February 28, 1989, considered its main mission not only to close the Semipalatinsk test site, but also to inspire other…

Ile-Alatau National Park Celebrates 25th Anniversary, History of Conservation

NUR-SULTAN – 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the Ile-Alatau national park, the mission of which is to “preserve unimpaired the unique landscapes, the flora and fauna, and improve conditions for tourism and recreation” for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of all generations.  The first natural reserve was designated in 1931, 65 years before the…

Trilateral Roadmap for Tourism Development 2021 Combines Efforts to Develop Local Tourism in Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – The Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Kazakh Tourism National Company and the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports have signed a roadmap for tourism development for 2021 to join efforts in the development of local tourism, the Atameken national chamber of entrepreneurs press service reported on Feb. 25.  The roadmap is aimed at…

Cultural Event in Ankara Honors Legacy of Zhambyl Zhabayev, Prominent Figures of Great Steppe

NUR-SULTAN – This year Kazakhstan celebrates its 30th anniversary of independence with a celebration and study of the great steppe figures’ history. Ankara gathered representatives of cultural delegations to honor the anniversaries of Abu Nasr al-Farabi, Abay Kunanbayev and Zhambyl Zhabayev, reports the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service on Feb. 23.  The Kazakh…

Kazakhstan Records Highest Number of Babies Born in 2020

NUR-SULTAN – The preliminary data for Jan.- Dec. 2020 shows a record 425,600 registered births in Kazakhstan, reports the Kazakh Bureau of National statistics on Feb. 19. According to the report, the number is 22,600 (5.6 percent) more than in 2019 and 8,500 more (2 percent) than in the previous record number year of 1987.…

Kazakhstan to Modernize 115 Public Service Centers and Support Capacity-Building for Youth Cadres

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin shared the progress report on the modernization of public services centers as well as the Listening State concept at a Feb.19 meeting with the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Akorda press service reported.   Mussin reported on the project to modernize 115 public service centers…

Kazakhstan Increases Flights with UAE and Turkey

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s SCAT airlines has made the decision to increase flights to the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting Feb. 15, while Turkish air carriers will add more flights between Almaty and Antalya, the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee reported.   The decision is made by the Interdepartmental Commission on…

Forest Cover in Kazakhstan Increases by 188,000 Hectares in 2020

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s forest area has reversed its decline and increased by 188,000 hectares in 2020. The country’s forest cover is expected to reach 5 percent by 2030, said the Kazakh Vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev at a recent ministry meeting.  Nyssanbayev shared the results of the work for 2020. …

Shymkent Launches 20 MW Capacity Solar Power Plant Worth $15 Million

NUR-SULTAN – A new 20 MW capacity solar power plant, the third in Shymkent, has started operating in the Aikol residential area, the Kazakh Invest National Company press service reported. The power plant covers the area of 50 hectares. The project, worth 6.2 billion tenge (US$14.7 million), has already attracted foreign investors.  The city authorities…

Kazakhstan Establishes International Centre for Rapprochement of Cultures under Aegis of UNESCO to Promote Interethnic and Interreligious Harmony

NUR-SULTAN – Preserving and strengthening intercultural and interreligious harmony and prioritising dialogue and social consensus has always been the fundamental pillars of the state policy during the 30 years of an independent Kazakhstan. Today, Kazakhstan will have a unique international platform aimed at spreading the values of intercultural dialogue at the international level. Kazakh President…

Kazakhstan to Conduct Online Population Census Starting Sep. 1 

NUR-SULTAN – The online population census will begin on September 1, 2021 in Kazakhstan. This decision was made at the first meeting of the special commission for the national population census of Kazakhstan in 2021. Kazakh citizens will have an alternative option to participating in the census: not only by providing information to the census…

Kazakh Tazy Breed, Cultural Heritage of Nomads, Seeks Recognition of FCI International Canine Organization

NUR-SULTAN – Tazy is one of the jety kazyna (seven treasures) of the Kazakh people. For centuries, this four-legged heirloom of the nation has been the most devoted friend and reliable counterpart to nomads. The distinctive features of tazy are the breeds rare delicacy and tact in relations with people, it’s innate aristocracy, amazing cleanliness,…

Tokayev Pledges Support For Local Entrepreneurs at Samruk Business Forum

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated at the Samruk Business Forum during which the local businesses and the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund signed preliminary contracts and strategic agreements for a total of 67 billion tenge (US$160 million) on Feb. 11, the Akorda press service reported.  Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the importance of…

Kazakhstan Resumes and Increases Flights with Five Countries Starting Feb. 10

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan increases and resumes international flights to Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and the Maldives from Feb. 10, the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee reported.  This permission was given by the Interdepartmental Commission on Preventing the Emergence and Spread of Coronavirus in Kazakhstan.  Flights to Russia have increased up to seven times a week, from…

Nation’s Economy of Simple Things Program Approves Production of Aluminum Cans Project Worth US$56 Million in Shymkent 

NUR-SULTAN – The Nation’s Economy of Simple Things program has financed the production of aluminum cans worth 23.4 billion tenge (US$56 million) in Shymkent. The plant is to be unique and the only one operating in Central Asia, the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs press service reported. The Economy of Simple Things program, within the…

India Seeks to Improve Connection by Land and Sea with Kazakhstan, Plans to Deepen Cooperation, Says Indian Envoy 

NUR-SULTAN – India is one of the the first foreign countries visited by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1992 after gaining independence. In the almost 30 years of an independent Kazakhstan, India and Kazakhstan launched joint projects in energy, tourism, education, information technology, pharmaceuticals as well as in culture, said Indian Ambassador in Kazakhstan…

Kazakhstan’s Border Crossing Rules Updated for Kazakh and Foreign Citizens For Duration of Quarantine 

NUR-SULTAN – The rules for crossing Kazakhstan’s state border during the quarantine restrictions period have been updated on Feb. 4, the Border Service of the Kazakh National Security Committee press service reported.  Until the sanitary and epidemiological situation improves, border crossings have been restricted temporarily by the state for foreigners and stateless persons with several…