Team of Young Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uzbek Women Launch Nanosatellites as Part of UniSat Program to Encourage Girls in Science
NUR-SULTAN – More than 150 girls and young women from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan created and launched three nanosatellites into the stratosphere for air pollution analysis as part of the UniSat program, a joint project between UNICEF and the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University on March 27 in Almaty, reported the UNICEF Kazakhstan press center. The…
Political Reforms Come First, Say Foreign Experts Discussing President Tokayev’s Address
NUR-SULTAN – Foreign experts discussed the importance of political reforms that act as a catalyst for the overall change in society and democratization, following President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state of the nation address, during a round table held at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) in Nur-Sultan on March 24. Yerkin Tukumov, KazISS Director, who…
Kazakh Analysts Say President Tokayev’s Address Went Beyond Expectations
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s sweeping reforms announced in his state-of-the-nation address went beyond expectations and will strengthen the political system’s agility and responsiveness to the people’s demands, Kazakh experts noted during a roundtable on March 17. Among the key proposals attracting most attention were the transition to the mixed electoral model, the establishment of…
Threshold For Party Registration Should Be Reduced Fourfold, Kazakh President Tokayev Says
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his annual state of thе nation address on March 16 focused on the need to create “a favorable environment for the institutional and organizational development of parties” that will ensure clean and free political competition. The main changes concern the simplification of party registration procedures. The new proposition reduces…
President Tokayev Calls For Moving from ‘Super-Presidential’ Model to ‘Presidential Republic With a Strong Parliament’ in Address to the Nation
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a state of the nation address on March 16 at the joint session of the Kazakh Parliament. The focus of President Tokayev’s message was the need to transform the distribution of power from the office of the Presidency to a strong Parliament through enhancing the power and responsibilities…
Kazakhstan Sends First Humanitarian Aid Plane to Ukraine Through Poland
NUR-SULTAN – The first plane with humanitarian aid for Ukrainians departed from Almaty airport on March 14, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Healthcare. Humanitarian aid consists of the medical supplies that Ukraine needs most. The total weight of the humanitarian aid is 28.2 tons, which includes 17 kinds of medicines: antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, anti-cough and anti-hypertensive…
Kazakhstan’s Commissioner For Human Rights Explains How Punishment For Riots Was Mitigated Where Appropriate
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Elvira Azimova and representatives of the public commissions on human rights revealed examples of cases where the penalty for participation in the January unrest was mitigated during the March 14 plenary session of the Majilis, a lower house of the Kazakh Parliament. Azimova said that the commission was…
Thirty Years on, Kazakhstan Remains Committed to Advancing UN Principles and Cooperation
NUR-SULTAN – Three decades ago, Kazakhstan became a full-fledged member of the United Nations (UN), opening a new chapter of building peace, prosperity, and human rights in the region. Kazakhstan will continue its cooperation with the UN in tackling global challenges, said experts at the roundtable marking the 30th anniversary on Mar. 2 in Nur-Sultan.…
Nation Celebrates 105th Anniversary of Prominent Kazakh Actress Khadisha Bukeyeva
NUR-SULTAN – Refined, elegant, possessor of an excellent voice, a star of theater and film, Khadisha Bukeyeva, would have turned 105 this year. The prominent Kazakh actress was born in 1917 in the Kaztalovka village in Western Kazakhstan. She was only 15 when she moved to Almaty in 1932 to prepare for medical school. However,…
The Man Who Led His Nation to Enlightenment: Kazakhstan Marks 150th Anniversary of Prominent Scholar Akhmet Baitursynov
NUR-SULTAN – From a teaching career to becoming the founder of the first Kazakh alphabet and establishing the first national newspaper, Akhmet Baitursynov left a significant mark in the history of Kazakh literacy and is rightly called Ult Ustazy (Teacher of the Nation). This year Kazakhstan will celebrate Baitursynov’s 150th anniversary which was included in…
Two Major Kazakh National Companies to Undergo IPO This Year
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s national airline Air Astana and the KazMunayGas (KMG) oil and gas company, whose major shareholder is the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, will go public this year, said Yernar Zhanadil, Samruk Kazyna Managing Director for Privatization and Development, in an interview with the Deputy Chair of Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) – Andrey…
Hometown Heroes: Stories of Almaty Residents Who Saved People During January Riots
NUR-SULTAN – Whether it is a single act of sheltering or someone risking their life to rescue beleaguered soldiers, such selfless acts of people made a huge difference in the lives of those saved during the tragic events of January in Almaty. Aleksandr Tsoi, a blogger and Almaty resident shared several stories on Facebook of…
Kazakh Poet Abai’s Song Played as Part of Dennis Vasilyev’s Dance Score at Winter Olympics in Beijing
NUR-SULTAN – When Latvian figure skater Dennis Vasilyev took to the ice for his short program at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the viewers heard the lyrical melody of “Aittym Salem, Kalamkas” (Greetings to you, Kalamkas) – a famous love song by the great Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbayev. Even though Kazakhstan and Latvia are far from…
Businesses Receive Compensation and Restoration Advances in Almaty a Month after Tragic Events (Video)
NUR-SULTAN – The regional commission on compensation to small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the tragic events of January has paid out 370 million tenge (US$854,000) to 221 business owners, reported the press service of the Almaty akimat (city administration). January’s tragic events followed by mass looting in Almaty have caused more that 87 billion…
First Training Days of Kazakh Olympic Team at Beijing Winter Olympic Villages Go According to Plan
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh teams of freestyle mogul, speed skating and short track speed skating have settled into the Olympic villages in Beijing and Zhangjiakou and started their first training…
Law Does Not Violate Human Rights in Conditions of Detention, Says Kazakhstan’s Commissioner for Human Rights
NUR-SULTAN – All matters of human rights violation of detainees: ill-treatment, absence of lawyers, and psychological pressure will be thoroughly examined and treated accordingly, said Kazakhstan’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Elvira Azimova in her appeal to Kazakh citizens on Jan. 27. From Jan. 13 to 24, regional groups of the National Preventive Mechanism for…
Open Door Investment Policy Remains Consistent, Says Kazakh President
NUR-SULTAN – “Kazakhstan remains consistently open to multifaceted cooperation with the international community,” said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Jan. 24 on his Twitter. “We will continue to strengthen close ties with partners to benefit our country and our people. Our investment policy of open doors also remains consistent,” he added. In the aftermath of the…
Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund Undergoes Corporate Restructuring and Reforms
NUR-SULTAN – Chairman of the Board of Samruk Kazyna Almassadam Satkaliyev and Minister of National Economy Alibek Kuantyrov proposed several reforms, including the privatization of the assets of the fund, transparency of procurement procedure, and administrative changes during the meeting with Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov on Jan. 22, reported the Prime Minister’s Office. Later, on…
Terrorism Should Be Condemned By Both Government and Civil Society Says State Secretary Erlan Karin
NUR-SULTAN – The government should no longer be the sole institution responsible for the fight against terrorism, according to State Secretary Erlan Karin. All members of society should become allies in the effort to enhance security and combat terrorism “if we do not want to repeat this violent course of events going forward,” said Erlan…
Top Experts Assess President Tokayev’s New Social Initiatives to Address Unrest
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh experts commended President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiatives to promote social equality, government transparency, and education that were announced at the plenary session of the Majilis, the lower house of the Parliament, on Jan. 11. A lot of work should be done by the government under the leadership of the newly appointed Prime…
Seventeenth Round of Talks on Syria in Nur-Sultan Emphasizes Need for Continued Fight against Terrorism on Syrian Territory
NUR-SULTAN – The 17th international high-level meeting on Syria, known as the Astana Process, concluded on Dec. 22 in Nur-Sultan with delegations stressing the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria and stepping up efforts to combat terrorist groups. Delegations from Syria and the Syrian opposition, the guarantor states of Russia, Iran, and Turkey…
Kazakhstan Has Strong Tourism Potential, Says CEO of LOT Polish Airlines
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has strong potential for establishing itself as an attractive tourist destination and LOT Polish Airlines’s intent is to help people to discover Kazakhstan by providing quality service on airline routes, said Rafal Milczarski, CEO of LOT Polish Airlines in an interview to The Astana Times. Milczarski said that the COVID-19 pandemic was…
Foreign Dignitaries Praise Kazakhstan’s Remarkable Nuclear Non-Proliferation Efforts at International Conference in Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN – Leading foreign politicians praised the initiatives of Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev aimed at international cooperation and his decision to abandon the nuclear arsenal at an international scientific conference titled “Leadership. Stability. Progress” on Dec. 10 in Nur-Sultan. Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary and President of the Global Green Growth Institute, congratulated all…
Experts Discuss Major Economic and Political Achievements of Kazakhstan Over 30 Years at International Conference in Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN – During the 30 years of its independence, Kazakhstan was able to improve its economic and social indicators and transform from a peripheral Soviet republic to a modern state with a strong economy. Policies in business and trade, industrialization, and representation of Kazakhstan in world politics that led to such transformation were the main…
Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable 2021 Concludes with Agreements Worth Over $2.1 Billion
NUR-SULTAN – Thirty commercial agreements worth $2.1 billion were signed during the fourth Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable which took place in Nur-Sultan on Dec. 7. Agriculture, the green economy, IT, healthcare, and non-extraction sectors were noted as high potential investment opportunities for future investors. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi began…
