Kazakhstan Mourns Heroic Efforts of Firefighters to Contain Flames at Military Unit Blast in Zhambyl Region
NUR-SULTAN – One more person was found killed in a massive blast at an arms depot in the Zhambyl Region on Aug. 26 bringing the total death toll to at least 15, said the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations on Monday. All of them died while trying to extinguish the blaze. “The Ministry of Defense…
Dismantling Nuclear Arsenal Was a Visionary and Wise Decision by Kazakhstan, Says CTBTO Executive Secretary
NUR-SULTAN – Dismantling the nuclear arsenal that Kazakhstan inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union has been proven to be a visionary, wise and noble decision, said Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Robert Floyd at an Aug. 27 press briefing in Nur-Sultan devoted to the 30th anniversary of…
Massive Blast Rocks Kazakh Military Base in Zhambyl Region
NUR-SULTAN – At least nine people were killed and 90 wounded in a blast at a military unit stationed in the Zhambyl Region on the evening of Aug. 26, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry. The blast occurred at 6.45 pm local time after a fire began at the military base in Baizak district, 30…
Kazakh Government Adopts New Budget for Next Three Years
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Government has adopted the budget for 2022-2024 at their meeting on Tuesday. Minister of Finance Erulan Zhamaubayev spoke about the draft budget plan during the meeting. He said, “the draft law has been developed taking into account the latest changes in budget legislation and is aimed at improving the well-being of…
Majority of COVID-19 Cases, Severe Course of Infection in Kazakhstan Among Unvaccinated Population
NUR-SULTAN – Unvaccinated population accounts for the majority of coronavirus cases and severe course of the infection, said Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Alexei Tsoy at a government meeting on Tuesday, reports the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service. 97.5 percent of cases since Feb. 1 are among the unvaccinated population. People who did not vaccinate are…
President Tokayev Attends Kaisar Military Exercises in Almaty Region
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Kaisar-2021 military exercises on Aug. 22 at the Center of Combat and Methodical Training of the National Guard in the Almaty Region, reports the Akorda press service. During his visit to the center, he watched the performance of special units, toured the training systems, the climbing wall, and…
Kazakh PM Focuses on Economic Stability at Eurasian Intergovernmental Council
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin spoke about the need to update the union’s measures to ensure economic stability amid the ongoing pandemic at the Aug. 20 Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, reports his press service. The risks stemming from the ongoing pandemic could be more long-term than expected, said Mamin. To…
Fifty Young People to Be Selected in Kazakhstan’s Youth Presidential Reserve in September
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve will begin receiving applications for its second cohort from Sept. 1, announced Chair of the Kazakh Agency for Civil Service Anar Zhailganova at a press conference on Monday, Aug. 16. The positive evaluation of the first pool of reservists was the reason to continue the project. The applications…
Epidemiological Situation Stabilizing in Kazakhstan, Says Kazakh Healthcare Minister
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexei Tsoy reported about the current epidemiological situation in Kazakhstan saying it shows signs of improvement compared to what the situation was at the beginning of August. The incidence of coronavirus cases decreased by two percent over the past week. As of Aug. 18, the country confirmed 708,379 coronavirus and…
Kazakhstan, South Korea Sign $1.7 billion in Agreements in Seoul
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and South Korea signed 34 agreements, including 21 commercial documents and 13 non-commercial ones, worth US$1.7 billion during the Kazakh-Korean business roundtable in Seoul, reports the Akorda press service. The meeting was part of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s two-day visit to South Korea. The agreements were reached on joint implementation of investment projects…
No Kazakh Citizens Remain in Afghanistan: Kazakh Foreign Ministry
NUR-SULTAN – No Kazakh citizens remain in Afghanistan, said the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday. “There are no citizens of Kazakhstan on the territory of Afghanistan now. All of them have already left the territory of the country, at least those that we know of. Diplomats are on duty and continue their work,…
President Tokayev Visits South Korea, Reaffirms Commitment to Stronger Cooperation
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is on his official two-day visit to South Korea that began on Monday, Aug. 16. He met with the President of South Korea Moon Jae-in, reports the Akorda press service. President Tokayev is the first foreign leader to visit South Korea since the pandemic began. The two leaders, who met…
Fitch Affirms Kazakhstan ‘BBB’ Rating; Outlook Stable
NUR-SULTAN – Fitch Ratings affirmed Kazakhstan’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at BBB with a stable outlook on Friday, Aug. 13, reports the agency’s press service. “Kazakhstan’s ‘BBB’ IDRs reflect strong fiscal and external balance sheets that have been resilient to the coronavirus and oil price shocks, and financing flexibility underpinned by accumulated oil…
QazVac Clinical Trials Results Published in Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine Journal
NUR-SULTAN – The results of phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials of Kazakhstan’s QazVac vaccine have been published in Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine journal on Aug. 13. QazVac, which has been administered in the country since April, is an inactivated vaccine injected at a 21 day interval. The vaccine was developed by researchers from the Kazakh…
Kazakhstan Delivers 25,000 Doses of Its Own Vaccine to Kyrgyzstan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan delivered its own QazVac vaccine to Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday as humanitarian aid and as part of a broader effort between the two countries in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry press service. The batch of vaccines was handed over in Bishkek with the participation of Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Health…
New Investment Projects in Akmola Region Take Off, Bright Prospects For Future
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev checked in on the implementation of investment projects in the Akmola Region and the development prospects of the city of Kokshetau during his working trip to the region, reports the Akorda press service. Akmola Region Governor Yermek Marzhikpaev delivered the report outlining main social and economic indicators of the region,…
President Tokayev Meets With Newly Elected Rural Governors in Akmola Region
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with newly elected rural akims (mayors) in the Akmola Region on Tuesday as part of his working visit to the region, reports the Akorda press service. On July 25, Kazakhstan had its first-ever election of rural akims in an effort to give rural residents a chance to elect…
Kazakhstan Replaces State Programs with National Projects: What Should We Expect?
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan seeks to enhance its public administration system and replaces state programs with national projects, deemed to become more effective and concise. The idea of national projects is envisioned in the country’s new National Development Plan until 2025. While at this point it seems difficult to see the difference between state programs and…
Eighty Percent Need to Be Immunized to Develop Herd Immunity, Says Kazakh Vice Healthcare Minister
NUR-SULTAN – 11 million people, or 80 percent of the eligible population, should pass a full course of vaccinations to develop herd immunity in Kazakhstan, said Kazakhstan’s Vice Healthcare Minister Azhar Giniyat at a July 23 press conference. “Because of the mutation of the virus, only by vaccinating 80 percent of the people can collective…
Voter Turnout Exceeds 65 Percent Across the Board at Rural Elections in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – Lowest voter turnout surpassed 65 percent in the rural elections that ended on Sunday, according to the regional central election commissions. The elections were held in the country’s 14 regions at 1,847 polling stations. They had 2,297 candidates, including 1,419, or 61.8 percent, self-nominated individuals. Only 458 candidates were women. The highest voter…
Nearly 7,500 Schools in Kazakhstan to Reopen in September After a Year Online
NUR-SULTAN – Almost one month is left until a new academic year begins with nearly 7,500 schools welcoming close to 3.5 million pupils. After nearly a year of classes held online, Kazakhstan prepares to bring pupils back to classrooms with strict sanitary regulations in place. Last year has seen thousands of kids studying from home,…
Kazakhstan Resumes Air Travel With Sixteen Countries
NUR-SULTAN – A year and a half into the pandemic, Kazakhstan has so far resumed air travel with 16 countries, reports the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development. Regular international flights are operated between 16 countries on 44 routes with a frequency of 184 flights per week. The most frequent flights are to Turkey…
EU, UNDP Announce Call for Academic Grants for Afghan Women to Study in Central Asia
NUR-SULTAN – “A new and unfamiliar experience that turned into an exciting and wonderful time.” That’s how Muzhgan Sadat from Bamyan province in Afghanistan recalled her study experience in Kazakhstan. She was in the first group of 30 women to study in Kazakhstan as part of the European Union-funded scholarship program that launched its third…
Kazakhstan Marks Eid al-Adha Holiday With Tightened COVID-19 Restrictions
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan marked the Qurban Ait (Eid al-Adha) holiday on July 20 that comes as the countries around the world, including Kazakhstan, tighten COVID-19 restrictions and maintain the ban on gatherings. The holiday, which means the feast of sacrifice, is mostly associated with sacrificing an animal, as well as large family gatherings and communal…
Kazakhstan to Increase Oil Production, OPEC+ Agrees to Oil Supply Boost
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will increase oil production up to 1.491 million barrels per day from August, steadily adding 16,000 barrels each month, announced the Kazakh Ministry of Energy following the July 18 meeting of OPEC ministers. Kazakh Energy Minister Nurlan Nogaev participated in the meeting, which was initially supposed to take place at the beginning…
