Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA — The Kazakh government compensated 12,642 families affected by devastating floods, the Prime Minister’s press service reported on April 26. To date, 21,658 applications have been accepted from residents of the affected regions. More than 645 million tenge (US$1.5 million) was allocated for repair work in 468 houses. Forty-nine families received houses and apartments…

ASTANA — The Kazakh and Chinese Foreign Ministries will strengthen and expand their partnership in all areas. This was stated at an April 25 meeting between Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong, reported the ministry’s press service. During the meeting, the sides discussed…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers the U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron’ visit to Kazakhstan, Chinese-Kazakh ties and more. Kazakhstan, United Kingdom sign strategic partnership and cooperation agreement Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Murat Nurtleu, and his British counterpart, David Cameron, signed a…

ASTANA — On April 25, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Kanat Nurov as the Ombudsperson for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights, reported the Akorda press service. The main functions of the Ombudsperson for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights include representing, ensuring, protecting the rights and legitimate interests of entrepreneurs and considering their appeals.  Born in 1967,…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan and China expressed their commitment to enhance bilateral relations and achieve greater results, as a delegation of Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, led by Chairman Yerlan Koshanov, arrived on an official visit to China on April 25, reported the Mazhilis press service. In Beijing, the deputies met with the…

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed appreciation for Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun’s contribution to strengthening good neighborliness, friendship, and mutually beneficial cooperation during an April 25 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. According to Tokayev, Kazakhstan and China share views on the main topics of regional and international security. The President emphasized that both…

ASTANA – Kazakh and Turkish business leaders signed ten commercial documents worth over $180 million at an April 25 business forum in Ankara, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. These include a memorandum on the export of finished products, agreements on the construction of a logistics hub, plants for the production of soda ash, irrigation…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan and Türkiye intend to explore new prospects for cooperation in various areas, increase trade volumes and facilitate investment during Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov’s visit to Ankara on April 25, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. Notably, both countries focus on joint projects in the deep processing of grain, coal chemistry, the oil…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom David Cameron on April 24, reported the Akorda press service. Welcoming Cameron, Tokayev noted the importance of his visit to Kazakhstan in terms of giving an additional impetus to the development of bilateral relations. …

ASTANA — Based on the assessment of 30% of the houses affected by floods, the estimated damage reaches 200 billion tenge (US$452.8 million), said Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, reported inbusiness.kz on April 24. According to him, nearly 11,000 families have already received a payment worth 100 monthly calculation index (MCI), equivalent to 3,692 tenge…

ASTANA – Hungarian Association of Köbere (Kokpar) and Traditional Sports held qualifying competitions in Albertirsa for participation in the fifth World Nomad Games, which will take place on Sept. 8-14 in Astana, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry on April 23. The event participants emphasized the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of traditional games, which…

ASTANA – Kia Motors Corporation intends to build an auto parts plant in Kazakhstan, said Kia President Ho-sung Song at an April 23 meeting with the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reported the Akorda press service. According to Song, Kia signed a relevant agreement with global suppliers of automotive components. He also talked about the progress…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law prohibiting vape sales and distribution, reported the Akorda press service on April 19. “The law establishes a ban on the sale and distribution of non-smoking tobacco products, vapes, flavors and liquids for them, as well as their advertising,” according to the Akorda. Punishment for sale and…

ASTANA — According to the latest Ministry of Emergency Situations data, 24,496 people across the country returned to their homes. Some 8,850 people, including 3,840 children, remain in temporary accommodation centers. Thirty-two road overflows and 56 road washouts, including nine bridges and 45 road surfaces, remain controlled throughout the country. Food and medication supplies have…

ASTANA – “Dala Kaskyry” (“Steppenwolf”), a film directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, won the grand prize, the Golden Raven statuette, at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), reported Kazinform on April 21. BIFFF is one of the most popular genre European festivals, held since 1983. The movie tells the story of Tamara, who hired a…

ASTANA – Countries continue expressing support and sending humanitarian aid to Kazakhstan amid devastating floods that hit several regions. United States Sends ARC Drones The United States delivered three Advanced Remote Customs (ARC) drones to deliver humanitarian aid to the flood-affected regions of Kazakhstan, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin said,…

ASTANA — Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov visited the Astana Hub technology park’s digital infrastructure on April 20 and learned about some startup initiatives, according to the Prime Minister’s press service. During the meeting with Astana Hub participants and Nazarbayev University (NU) researchers, the Prime Minister reiterated the President’s task of increasing the annual export…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina secured the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 title in Stuttgart, defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final with a dominant score of 6:2, 6:2 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on April 21. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Rybakina on her victory. “I would like to extend my congratulations to Elena…

ASTANA — Experts in water management from the Netherlands are willing to work with their Kazakh counterparts to develop an action plan that will help prevent future floods, reported Tengrinews on April 18. As a state partially located below sea level, the Netherlands has historically faced the threat of floods. For hundreds of years, the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s authorities have started building new houses in the flood-affected Pavlodar, Karagandy and Aktobe Regions, reported the Prime Minister’s press service on April 18. The commission inspected 2,602 residential buildings in the affected regions, of which 1,499 were assessed. As a result, it was revealed that 794 houses are subject to restoration, and…

ASTANA – Floods made it possible to fill reservoirs even in the arid regions of Kazakhstan, said Moldir Abdualiyeva, an official representative of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, at an April 16 briefing at the Central Communications Service. “Flood waters made it possible to fill all reservoirs, even in arid regions, which is…

ASTANA — Bagdat Mussin, Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry, met with Rebecca Hunter, Starlink Global Licensing and Market Activation Director at SpaceX, on April 16 to discuss cooperation prospects, reported the ministry’s press service. The sides discussed creating digital projects, providing broadband internet to rural schools, and expanding Starlink technology in…

ASTANA – Co-founders of Kaspi.kz, one of the region’s most prominent fintech companies, Vyacheslav Kim and Mikhail Lomtadze, will transfer 20 billion tenge ($44.6 million) to help people affected by devastating floods in Kazakhstan, reported Kazinform on April 17. The allocated funds will be sent to the North Kazakhstan and Akmola Regions to restore, purchase…

ASTANA – Kyrgyz Ministry of Internal Affairs sent more than 50 tons of humanitarian aid to Kazakhstan on April 18 amid large-scale floods, reported the ministry’s press service.   The humanitarian cargo includes food, blankets, pillows, bed linens, inflatable boats, medications, rubber boots, diesel and electric generators, and other essential supplies. “Our cooperation with Kazakhstan has…

ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov reviewed digital tools to improve flood forecasting and instructed a swift launch of a service for accepting claims for compensation for damage caused by floods during an April 17 meeting at the Digital Government Office, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. Bektenov urged the Ministry of Digital Development,…