Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – Turkish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mustafa Kapucu extended gratitude to Kazakhstan’s citizens and organizations for the support and emergency assistance provided to the Turkish people after the Feb. 6 devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, reported the embassy.  The Kazakh people and organizations donated over $10 million to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority,…

ASTANA – Tau-Ken Samruk national mining company and Turkish D Mineral plan to launch a joint gold exploration project in Kazakhstan, reported the Kazakh company’s press service on April 11. Tau-Ken Samruk Chair Bakyt Chirchikbayev, D Mineral Deputy Chair Ilkhan Poyraz, and Kazakh Deputy Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Iran Sharkhan signed an agreement…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held the first meeting of the National Council for Science and Technology on April 12, where he outlined priorities for Kazakhstan’s science and technology development, reported the Akorda press service. The event marked the Day of Science Workers. During the meeting, Tokayev announced the appointment of Kunsulu Zakaria to the…

ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a joint statement to strengthen cooperation and agreed to establish the Supreme Interstate Council following an April 10 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. The meeting focused on strengthening political, trade, economic, transport and transit, as well as cultural and humanitarian…

ASTANA – The retail e-commerce market in Kazakhstan continued its moderate growth and reached 1.3 trillion tenge ($2.9 billion) in 2022, 30 percent more than in the previous year, according to an analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on Kazakhstan’s retail e-commerce market, published in April.   “One of the important factors influencing the development of the e-commerce…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is the only country in the geopolitical environment implementing profound reforms that are ushering in a new era of development, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the opening of the first session of the Kazakh Parliament of the eighth convocation on March 29, outlining priorities aimed at improving the country’s political system, the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan seeks to deepen cooperation with China based on strategic partnership and eternal friendship, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a March 27 meeting with a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Ma Xingrui, reported the Akorda…

ASTANA – The Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) held an expert meeting on March 20 to discuss the preliminary results of the country’s parliamentary election, expected changes and the country’s development prospects. According to Yerkin Tukumov, KazISS director , Kazakhstan is set to have a new, more pluralistic parliament. “Six of the seven parties…

ASTANA – The advancement of Kazakhstan’s healthcare sector was discussed by experts at the March 14 meeting of the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee (SCRC), a subcommittee of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Europe, which was held in Almaty for the first time, reported the Healthcare Ministry’s press service. The meeting…

ASTANA – The Khorgos International Center for Border Cooperation will soon resume its work after years of being idle due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a relevant agreement had been reached with the Chinese side, Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said during his Feb. 24 working visit to the Zhetisu Region. “Khorgos should start its…

ASTANA – Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Isobel Coleman emphasized the United States’ commitment to each of the Central Asian states’ sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence during her working trip to the region on Feb. 12-18, reported the USAID press service. Coleman began her trip…

ASTANA – A German delegation from the Bundestag, headed by Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Relations with the States of Central Asia Eugen Schmidt, arrived in Astana on Feb. 20 to meet with the Kazakh top officials and discuss the Kazakh-German relations.  The official delegation included Bundestag members Thomas Bareiss, Christian Gorke, and…

ASTANA – Uzbek exporters are set to increase freight shipments to European markets through the Aktau seaport, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s Dunyo media agency reported. Aktau seaport President Abai Turikpenbayev met with the Consul General of Uzbekistan in Aktau Atabek Tursynbekov to address the cooperation development in transport and logistics on Feb. 16. Turikpenbayev spoke…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will deliver 55 tons of additional humanitarian assistance for the earthquake victims in Türkiye at the instruction of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reported the Prime Minister’s press service on Feb. 15. The humanitarian relief includes clothes (warm jackets and trousers), tents, metal beds, and bedding, among other essential items. The airplane with humanitarian…

ASTANA – According to the Turkish Embassy in Kazakhstan, four tons of humanitarian aid collected by Astana residents were delivered to charitable organizations in Türkiye on Feb. 11. People of the Aktobe Region sent over 11 tons of humanitarian aid worth more than 30 million tenge (US$66,340) on Feb. 12 to support those in need…

ASTANA – The Zhetisu regional court in Taldykorgan sentenced five former police officers to prison terms on Feb. 10 after they were found guilty of torturing detainees involved in the January 2022 events with the use of a hot iron, reported Liter.kz.  The court found the defendants guilty under Article 146, part 2 of the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan was named among the top 10 most budget-friendly countries to visit in February, according to the Curly Tales food, travel, experiences, and lifestyle content platform. “Kazakhstan is a country with two time zones and five climate zones. This landlocked country offers a diverse range of canyons, glaciers, arid plains, and deserts. You…

ASTANA – Kazakh native Sabina Mamadyarova was found alive after being trapped for hours under the rubble in Hatay, Türkiye on Feb. 8, said the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in a statement published on its Telegram channel. She was taken to hospital with a broken arm. The rubble under which two Kazakh citizens, Astana Hub international…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for unity and strengthening the principles of democracy for effective governance in his address to the Senate, the upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, on Jan. 26.  Tokayev noted the inviolability of the principle “different opinions, but one nation.” “Democracy is responsibility for one’s words and actions. We all…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko held meetings with top European Union (EU) officials on Jan. 23 in Brussels to address the effective and full implementation of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Kazakhstan and the EU, covering 29 areas of interaction, reported the ministry’s press service. Vassilenko met with Deputy…

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens witnessed hundreds of endangered Saiga antelopes racing along the streets and roads in one of the villages in the Ulytau Region, reported the Khabar 24 TV channel. Ecologists believe this is a one-of-a-kind case because steppe antelopes are extremely rare in Central Kazakhstan. Additionally, they typically travel south in the winter.…

ASTANA – Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva, 18, took second place at the Belt and Road 2022 World Chess Woman’s Summit tournament in China’s Xi’an, Assaubayeva wrote on her Instagram account. “I managed to play in a Chinese tournament over the weekend. I played without defeats and scored one point more, at least. Unfortunately, the…

ASTANA – The Civil Aviation Committee of the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development extended the open sky aviation policy for five years through to Dec. 26, 2027, reported the committee’s press service on Jan. 6. This regime removes all restrictions on the number of flights and provides foreign airlines with a fifth degree…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will continue implementing the political modernization program this year, State Counselor Erlan Karin wrote on his Telegram channel on Jan. 3, reporting on fundamental changes coming in 2023. The Constitutional Court, which just started its operation on Jan. 1, would ensure strict and unswerving observance of the norms of the Constitution. The…

ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrapped his state visit to Tashkent on Dec. 22, resulting in the signing of major documents cutting across many areas of cooperation, reported the Akorda press service. Among the key documents are the treaty on allied relations and an agreement on border demarcation.  During their talks in a…