Nazarbayev announces Kazakhstan to lower mortgage costs, reduce taxes on low-wage workers and provide more microloans, among other initiatives
ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced March 5 what he called “Five Social Initiatives,” including tax breaks for low-income workers and greater access to education, that are expected to directly positively impact half of the country’s 18 million people. The other initiatives include increased access to low-cost mortgages and expanded business microloans as well as…
Kazakhstan makes ‘meaningful progress’ in extractive industry transparency, report suggests
ASTANA – The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) determined Feb. 13 that Kazakhstan has made meaningful progress overall in implementing the EITI Standard. The decision was made based on the validation process conducted by the EITI starting from July 1, 2017. Validation is the EITI’s independent evaluation mechanism that assesses countries against progress made in…
Aral Sea revival challenges discussed in Astana
ASTANA – Kazakh government officials and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) discussed mitigating the effects of the shrinking Aral Sea during a Feb. 19 symposium in Astana. Over the past 40-45 years, the level of the sea has declined 22 metres, the water volume has decreased tenfold and the salinity has reached…
Kazakh economy grows 4 percent in 2017 on increases in manufacturing, non-extraction industries
ASTANA – The Ministry of National Economy leadership outlined Kazakhstan’s economic results for 2017 and shared its plans for the current year at a Feb. 12 press conference, reported the ministry press service. Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4 percent in 2017, said National Economy First Vice Minister Ruslan Dalenov. The outcome was determined…
Extended Kazakh government meeting sums up results of 2017, outlines errors
ASTANA – Members of the Kazakh government reported to President Nursutlan Nazarbayev during the Feb. 9 extended government meeting, outlining the key outcomes of 2017 and setting goals for the coming years. Opening the meeting that lasted for more than three hours, President Nazarbayev said the past year was tough and marked by an unstable…
Eurasian PMs outline digital priorities, economic cooperation at Almaty meetings
ASTANA – The Eurasian Economic Union’s (EAEU) digital agenda and mechanisms for implementing policies were the main topics of the Feb. 2 meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (EIC) in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. The meeting resulted in the adoption of 14 documents, including an agreement on labeling goods and a treaty on pensions. The…
Kazakhstan proposes code of conduct at UN for terrorism-free world
ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov presented Jan. 18 at a special event at UN headquarters in New York a proposed code of conduct to achieve a terrorism-free world by 2045, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reports. The proposal is an initiative of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and calls for the creation of a broad…
Kazakh foreign ministry beefs up economic presence in Asia, FM tells parliament
ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov recently briefed participants at a government hour at Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) on the country’s foreign policy in Asia, saying the foreign ministry has strengthened its economic component in the region. Speaking at the end of December 2017, Abdrakhmanov noted Asia’s growing political and economic role…
Nazarbayev, Jeenbekov enhance cooperation, ink border demarcation treaty in Astana
ASTANA – The new Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov arrived Dec. 25 in Astana for a two-day official visit to meet Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and other top officials for talks aimed at re-launching bilateral relations. Having discussed the state and prospects of cooperation, the two heads of state signed a number of bilateral documents, including…
President Nazarbayev’s new book presented in advance of Independence Day
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s book “The Era of Independence” was presented in the capital Dec. 15 on the eve of the country’s Independence Day. The work outlines the sovereign state’s development stages and the challenges the young nation faced on its path to success. The publication reflects Kazakhstan’s newest history in a journalistic…
Kazakh President congratulates nation, awards outstanding citizens on Independence Day
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev presented awards to outstanding citizens and praised the nation’s accomplishments during the ceremony marking Kazakhstan’s Independence Day, the Akorda press service reported. “This day always brings feelings that do not abide the time – a special combination of pride, joy and excitement,” he said on Dec. 15. Nazarbayev said…
Kazakh MFA launches app to assist citizens travelling abroad
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched Dec. 14 a new mobile app that will help Kazakh citizens find resources, understand local cultures and travel more safely abroad. The application, SmartTravelKZ, contains information about countries, regional peculiarities, standards of behaviour in different countries, recommendations on actions in hazardous situations, warnings about emergencies and…
EP approves EU-Kazakhstan enhanced partnership agreement
ASTANA – The overwhelming majority of European Parliament (EP) members approved Dec. 12 the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Kazakhstan and the European Union (EU) and its member states, the first of this kind concluded with a Central Asian country. The EPCA, signed in Astana Dec. 21, 2015 and temporarily applied since May…
Kazakhstan inks economic cooperation roadmap with Kyrgyzstan, eases border control
ASTANA – A roadmap on bilateral economic cooperation, including on the situation on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border, was signed Dec. 2 by Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Askar Mamin and Kyrgyz Vice Prime Minister Tolkunbek Abdygulov during a visit of the Kyrgyz governmental delegation to Astana. The 50-point document was concluded upon Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s…
Kazakhstan’s modernisation model discussed at international parliamentary conference
ASTANA – The Kazakh Parliament’s Mazhilis (lower chamber) gathered experts and politicians from throughout the world in the capital Nov. 27 to discuss the nation’s ongoing modernisation processes and exchange legislative support experiences used for reforms in different countries. “Kazakhstan’s modernisation model in the new global reality” international parliamentary conference, dedicated to the Day of…
AIFC, green tech centre and IT start-up hub to begin operating in 2018
ASTANA – The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), international centre for green technologies and international IT start-up hub are expected to begin operating on former EXPO 2017 premises in 2018. The news was announced during the EXPO 2017 legacy presentation to the diplomatic corps Nov. 15 at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. “The President of the…
EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting reiterates mutual commitment to cooperation
ASTANA – Participants in the Nov. 10 13th European Union – Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan adopted a joint communiqué reconfirming mutual commitment to jointly tackling economic, security and governance issues. Foreign ministers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the European Union’s (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy…
Central Asian nations agree to increase cooperation within region and with EU
ASTANA – Foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan signed Nov. 10 in Samarkand a programme of cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Central Asian States for 2018-2019. The five ministers met on the margins of several events taking place in the ancient city simultaneously, including the European Union – Central…
Kazakh, Russian Presidents discuss developing human capital at interregional forum
ASTANA – A number of interstate, intergovernmental, regional and commercial documents were signed Nov. 9 at the 14th Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia in Chelyabinsk. Visiting Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also signed a joint statement devoted to the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two…
CIS council of government heads sign array of agreements in Tashkent
ASTANA – The Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) reached agreements during its Nov. 3 meeting in Tashkent defining and sharing the customs value of goods, efforts to combat terrorism and land reclamation, among other issues. The group also reached agreements concerning oil and gas engineering and preparations for…
King of Jordan awarded inaugural Nazarbayev Prize during visit to Kazakhstan
ASTANA – King Abdullah II of Jordan was awarded the Nazarbayev Prize for a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World and Global Security during his Nov. 1 official visit to Kazakhstan. The Jordanian monarch was decorated for his contribution to “regional stability, global security and steadfast stance against war and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” “This award…
826-km Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway launches operations
ASTANA – The 826-km Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway route launched operations Oct. 30 with an opening ceremony at the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to a Kazakh Prime Minister’s office press release. The route has a current annual capacity of 1 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of freight with plans to…
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan meeting addresses concerns over border trade regulations
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan agreed during an Oct. 18 meeting in Astana of each country’s prime ministers to ensure priority crossing at the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border, especially in Kordai, for individuals with personal luggage, regular passenger buses, cars and empty cargo vehicles beginning at midnight October 19. The meeting to discuss customs, tax, transport, phytosanitary…
Multilateral strategy to combat corruption discussed at public hearings
ASTANA – Public hearings on “Anti-corruption strategy: combining state and social efforts” were held Oct. 13 at the Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption Agency. The hearings are the result of more than 70 roundtables and other large-scale events sponsored across the country in the last few months to discuss the anti-corruption strategy implementation plan for…
President Nazarbayev congratulates Kyrgyz president-elect
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated via telegram Sooronbay Jeenbekov on his election as President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Akorda press service reported. Nazarbayev said he believes Jeenbekov’s presidency will be good for the Kyrgyz Republic and that Kazakh-Kyrgyz Republic cooperation will continue under Jeenbekov’s leadership. “I believe that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan’s relations…
