President Nazarbayev Congratulates Almaty on Millennial Anniversary
ASTANA – During his working visit to the former capital of Kazakhstan, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated the Kazakh people on the millennial anniversary of Almaty city. “This date has been included in UNESCO’s calendar of commemorative and anniversary dates of humanity, which emphasises the unique role of Almaty in regional and global development.…
FM Idrissov Briefs BIE Chief about Attracting International Participants to EXPO 2017
ASTANA – Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov briefed International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) Secretary General Vicente Loscertales Sept. 14 on the results of attracting international participants to EXPO 2017. To date, 103 countries and 17 international organisations have confirmed their participation in the upcoming exhibition in the Kazakh capital. Loscertales visited the city to inspect the progress…
President Discusses Creation of Astana Int’l Financial Centre with Finance Minister of Hong Kong
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Financial Secretary of Hong Kong John Tsang recently discussed cooperation in the framework of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). “Your experience as one the world’s leading financial centers is very important for us. Currently, we are at a formative stage. Overall, our cooperation is in line with…
Aktau Seaport Reaches Record Shipping to Iran
ASTANA – In August, the Aktau port increased its shipping by 50 percent over previous years, reported the press service of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). In particular, 159,000 tonnes of metal products were sent to Iran, reaching record levels. Previously, the average monthly shipment figures reached 100,000 tonnes. The daily metal handling reached 6,700 tonnes…
Nazarbayev Visits Samarkand, Pays Tribute to Late Uzbek President
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Samarkand, Uzbekistan Sept. 12 to pay tribute to the memory of the recently deceased Uzbek President Islam Karimov, reported the press office of Akorda. Nazarbayev laid flowers at the burial place of Karimov, met with Karimov’s family and, on behalf of the people of Kazakhstan, expressed his deep condolences.…
FM Idrissov Presents Diplomas to Winners of ‘Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media’ Contest
ASTANA – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry hosted a ceremony Sept. 6 to award the winners of the third annual “Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media” contest organised by the Ministry and the Club of Chief Editors of Kazakhstan. The winners represent France, Jordan, Russia, Turkey and the United States. As a prize, they received…
President Addresses Joint Session of Parliament: Adoption of Nearly 50 Bills on Agenda
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev addressed the second joint session Sept. 1 of the Senate and the Mazhilis of the sixth convocation. Opening the session, he noted the necessity to continue the tradition of constructive lawmaking. “In order to develop and adopt new laws, it is crucial to keep close and harmonious interaction with…
Astana to Host Major Nuclear Disarmament Conference
ASTANA – The Kazakh capital will host the international conference “Building a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World,” dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site and commemorating UN International Day against Nuclear Tests at the Palace of Independence Aug. 29, the Senate of the Parliament announced. The Kazakh Senate, Ministry of Foreign…
Kazakhstan Extends by Five Years Moratorium on Controversial Land Code Amendments
ASTANA – Kazakhstan decided Aug. 18 to extend for five years a recently imposed moratorium on the implementation of controversial amendments to its land law. “Since the introduction of a moratorium on certain provisions of the Land Code, the [land reform] commission carried out serious activities such as holding meetings in all regions of the…
Kazakhstan Has Led by Example on Nuclear Disarmament, Renowned Expert Says
ASTANA – “Building a Nuclear Weapon Free World”, the international conference to be held Aug. 29, has attracted senior figures from nations that possess nuclear weapons, as well as non-nuclear states. The conference will bring together parliamentarians, representatives of international organisations, civil activists, scholars, as well as mayors and media from around the world. Alyn…
UNDP, Kazakhstan and JICA to Jointly Assist Afghanistan
ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative to Kazakhstan Norimasa Shimomura have signed Promoting Kazakhstan’s ODA Cooperation with Afghanistan, a project financed by the Japanese government through the UNDP-Japan Partnership Fund. “We are happy that the first pilot project has been done successfully. Kazakhstan has already allocated…
Moratorium on Latest Land Code Changes May be Extended to Dec. 31, 2021
ASTANA – The land reform commission has proposed extending the moratorium on amendments to the land code for five years. The proposal has been sent to Parliament for consideration. “By announcing the moratorium on the sale of agricultural lands to private ownership and on their lease to foreigners, the Land Code of 2003 will come…
Kazakh, Other EAEU Government Heads Seek Stronger EAEU Legal Framework
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov met Aug. 12 in Sochi, Russia with the heads of the governments of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan to discuss strengthening the Eurasian Economic Union’s (EAEU) legal framework. “In particular, we have almost agreed on a draft of the Customs Code of the Union. There were one…
Sri Lanka and Singapore to Participate in EXPO 2017
ASTANA – Sri Lanka and Singapore signed on to participate in EXPO 2017 in Astana during EXPO Commissioner Rapil Zhoshybayev’s Aug. 12 – 15 visit to South Asia. Zhoshybayev met with Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka Rishad Bathiudeen, National Commissioner of the Sri Lanka expo section and Chairman of Huejay International Corporation…
Famous ‘We Will Rock You’ Musical to Be Performed during EXPO 2017
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 guests have a chance to become one of the first audiences of the Kazakh version of the popular “We Will Rock on You” musical that has already been staged in 15 countries. The premiere will take place in the Palace of Peace and Harmony next summer. Famous British film producer Edward…
Players of Ancient Togyzkumalak Meet in Germany for European Championships
ASTANA – Players from more than 10 countries of the ancient Kazakh boardgame Togyzkumalak converged on Schweinfurt, Germany July 23 and 24 for the European Togyzkumalak championships. Togyzkumalak (from the Kazakh language – “nine pebbles”) is played on a board consisting oftwo rows of nine holes. The number nine has a high significance in the…
Italy, South Korea Join List of EXPO 2017 Participating States
ASTANA – Italy and South Korea recently became the latest countries to sign agreements to participate in EXPO 2017 in Astana. EXPO 2017 national company Board Chairman Akhmetzhan Yessimov and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to Kazakhstan and Commissioner of the Italian section Stefano Ravagnan signed the participation agreement and discussed Kazakh-Italian cooperation inrenewable…
Kazakhstan Will Take Part in ‘Keys to the Sky’ Competition
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s aerospace defense forces for the first time are going to join “Keys to the Sky” anti-aircraft missile troops’ operational grouping field training contest at the Ashuluk (Russia) range July 30 to Aug. U 7, reported the press office of the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan. Spectators will be able to see the…
Brazil Establishes Visa-Free Regime for Citizens of Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Brazil and Kazakhstan finalised July 25 a new bilateral visa-free regime for the citizens of each country. First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi and Brazilian Ambassador in Kazakhstan Demetrio Bueno Carvalho signed the agreement in a July 25 ceremony at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in Astana. “The agreement will facilitate…
Dry Cargo Vessel Launched in Russia
ASTANA – The Zhibek Zholy, a dry cargo vessel with a capacity of 7,500 dead weight tonnage (DWT), was launched July 12 in Shlisselburg, Russia, reported the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) press office. KTZ President Askar Mamin, Russia’s Deputy Transport Minister Victor Olerskiy and Leningrad Oblast government First Deputy Chairmanan Finance Committee Chairman Roman Markin…
Winners of Third Contest Among Int’l Journalists Reporting on Kazakhstan Announced
ASTANA – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry and Kazakhstan’s Chief Editors Club announced the winners of their third international journalism contest, “Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media.” According to the Ministry’s press release from July 12, the contest attracted 60 entries from 29 countries, with…
Almaty Ice Palace Completed
ASTANA – Construction of the 12,000-seat Ice Palace, the main venue of the 2017 Winter Universiade to be held in Almaty, has been completed. Despite trimming the budget from 32 to 17 billion tenge (US$94.7 million to 50.3 million), the venue was commissioned three months ahead of schedule. Currently, pre-commissioning activities are being conducted at…
Peaceful Foreign, Domestic Policy Led to Kazakhstan’s Election to UN Security Council, Minister Says
ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov answered questions at the Central Communication Service (CCS) briefing July 5 devoted to Kazakhstan’s non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council (UNSC) for 2017–2018. “I firmly believe that the main reason of our victory links closely with a number of deep and meaningful global and regional initiatives of…
SCO Presidents Urge Cooperation in Transit, Infrastructure, Counter-Terrorism
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Tashkent to participate in a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where discussions focused on cooperating to counter terrorism and the flow of illegal drugs and to support regional development. The summit marked the organisation’s 15th anniversary. Nazarbayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, Russian President…
Kazakh President Urges Reduced Tensions in the World, Nuclear Disarmament
ASTANA – The manifest “The World. The 21st Century” and his nation’s moral right to advance such proposals was one of the topics addressed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in a recent interview with TASS First Deputy General Director Mikhail Gusman. “First, 26 years ago we made a tough decision to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear…
