Kazakh Fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov Scores Another UFC Victory
ASTANA – Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov remained undefeated after his fifth UFC fight in Las Vegas on March 4, Sports.kz reported. Rakhmonov defeated American Geoff Neal in the welterweight fight with a rear-naked choke submission in the final 43 seconds of the third round. Rakhmonov and Neal won the Fight of the Night title. Shavkat…
World Bank: Central Asia Requires $20 Billion of Investment in Green Energy by 2030
ASTANA – Central Asia will need $20 billion of investment in solar, wind, hydro, and modernizing national and regional grids for improved trade and interconnectivity by 2030, according to the preliminary estimates announced at the Central Asia Energy Trade and Investment Forum 2023 in London on March 2-3, World Bank’s press service reported. A two-day…
Syrian President Sends Gratitude to Kazakhstan for Humanitarian Aid in Aftermath of Deadly Earthquake
ASTANA – President of Syria Bashar al-Assad sent a telegram to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev extending gratitude for the humanitarian assistance provided by Kazakhstan to the Syrian people after the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, the Akorda press service reported on March 6. “The Syrian people highly appreciate the position of…
Standard & Poor’s Revises Kazakhstan’s Rating Outlook from Negative to Stable
ASTANA – Standard & Poor’s (S&P) international rating agency confirmed Kazakhstan’s sovereign credit rating at BBB-/A-3, improving its outlook from negative to stable, according to its rating released on March 3. The Kazakh economy’s fiscal and external balance sheets are the key factors supporting the country’s credit rating. The S&P report states the significant amount…
UN Kazakhstan, Kazpost Launch Campaign to Combat Gender Stereotypes
ASTANA – A campaign to combat gender stereotypes was launched on March 6 by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Kazpost national postal operator, the press service of UN Kazakhstan reported. Posters with the slogan “Empowered woman –…
Tokayev Discusses Allied Relations with Uzbek President During Informal Meeting in Shymkent
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev trade and prospects for strengthening allied relations between the two countries during an informal meeting on March 3 in Shymkent, the Akorda press service reports. Tokayev and Mirziyoyev addressed the details of the agreements reached following Tokayev’s state visit to Tashkent in December 2022,…
Kazakhstan to Promote Bozok Ancient Settlement National Park with Open-Air Museum
ASTANA – A new open-air museum will be built at the Bozok ancient settlement site near Astana to showcase the life, history, and cultural features of ancient nomads, according to the Jibek Joly TV channel. The Bozok settlement is a significant archaeological site that provides evidence of the formation and development of steppe civilization, including…
Kazakhstan Names Five Top-Rated Tourist Destinations
ASTANA – More than 610,000 foreign tourists visited Kazakhstan in 2022, reported the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on Feb. 27. There was an increase in domestic tourism as well. Here is the list of the most visited places in the country in 2022. Charyn Canyon National Park Approximately 200 kilometers east of Almaty, the…
Kazakh Film “The Rat” Wins Awards at Five Global Festivals
ASTANA – Kazakh film “The Rat” directed by Zhantemir Baimukhamedov won awards at five international film festivals in Brazil, Macau, Malta, Scotland, and Russia, reported Jibek Joly TV channel on Feb. 21. The film won a Grand Prix at the 60th anniversary edition of the Golden Knight International Short Film Festival in Malta, competing with…
Kazakh Universities Welcome Nearly 30,000 Foreign Students
ASTANA – Some 28,169 international students study at 113 universities in Kazakhstan as of March 2023, according to the Study in Kazakhstan platform, which shares information about the country’s available educational programs for international students. In recent years, the country has seen an increase in the number of students coming from African countries, Russia, the…
Francophonie Spring Festival Kicks Off in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Francophonie Spring 2023 Festival kicked off on March 1 and will run until April 30 to promote the French language and Francophone cultures in Kazakhstan, said French Ambassador to Kazakhstan Didier Canesse at a Central Communications Service briefing on March 1. The festival, which has been held in Kazakhstan for the past 13…
London-Based Brand Strategy Consultancy Ranks Kazakhstan 79th Among 121 Nations in Global Soft Power Index
ASTANA – Kazakhstan rose from 88th to 79th place out of 121 countries in the 2023 Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, the world’s leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy, according to the company’s report. The ranking was announced on March 2 at Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Summit in London, where delegates…
Kazakhstan Needs $610 Billion in Investments in Low-Carbon Technologies, Says Minister
ASTANA – The net investment in Kazakhstan’s low-carbon technologies is estimated at $610 billion, said Kazakh Minister of National Economy Alibek Kuantyrov at a Feb. 28 seminar dedicated to the country’s strategy for achieving carbon neutrality, the ministry’s press service reported. “Our goal is to reduce our carbon footprint and reap the new benefits of…
Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia to Build Wind Farm in Zhetisu Region
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Energy, Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power company signed an agreement to build a one-gigawatt wind farm in the Zhetisu Region during a working trip of Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov to Riyadh on March 1, the ministry’s press service reported. The construction will start in…
Kazakhstan Calls for Resumption of Dialogue Between Nuclear Powers at Disarmament Conference
ASTANA – The resumption of dialogue between nuclear powers is necessary as never before, said Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi at a Feb. 28 High-level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, reported the UN Office press service. “Over the past year, the world has become even…
Kazakhstan Seeks to Increase Agricultural Exports to EU
ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Karashukeyev said during a Feb. 27 meeting with top EU officials in Brussels that Kazakhstan is ready to expand trade and economic partnership with the European Union, reported the ministry’s press service. During talks with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, the sides discussed exporting Kazakh fish…
EU Clarifies Procedures for Issuing Schengen Visas for Kazakh Citizens
ASTANA – The European Union made no significant changes to the Schengen visa application procedure for Kazakh citizens and did not place Kazakhstan on a “black list”, according to a March 1 statement from the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan. “As a general rule, a decision to issue a Schengen visa is taken by the respective…
IAEA Expert Mission to Review Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Power Infrastructure
ASTANA – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert mission started its work in Kazakhstan on Feb. 27 to help prepare a comprehensive report on the country’s nuclear power infrastructure, reported the Kazakh Energy Ministry’s press service. The mission, which will last until March 3, will explore the development of Kazakhstan’s nuclear energy infrastructure, including…
Kazakhstan, UNICEF Join Efforts to Raise Awareness of Kazakh Open-Source IT Products Worldwide
ASTANA – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Nazarbayev University Innovation Cluster (NURIS) launched a project to raise global visibility, support, and publicity of Kazakh open-source IT products, UNICEF Kazakhstan reported on Feb. 24. Every product will pass the Digital Public Goods Alliance’s (DPGA) global standards verification to enter the DGPA global registry,…
Mexican Metro Broadcasts Dimash’s Video to Celebrate Nauryz (VIDEO)
ASTANA – The official fan club in Mexico of the world-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen has broadcast his music video for the song “Kieli Meken” (Sacred Place) on 576 media facades of the Mexican metro to mark the upcoming Nauryz holiday, reported Dimashnews.com on Feb. 28. The video will be broadcast every hour from Feb.…
Almaty Court Arrests Suspected Coordinator of Attacks on Journalists for Two Months
ASTANA – The Almaty specialized interdistrict investigation court ruled on Feb. 24 to arrest for two months a person suspected of coordinating provocative attacks against journalists, reported the court’s press service. “The court decided to satisfy the request of the pre-trial investigation and authorized the use of a preventive measure in the form of an…
New York-Based Think Tank Includes Astana in Smart Communities List
ASTANA – The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a New York-based global network and think tank, listed Astana among the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2023, the organization announced during a Feb. 23 virtual conference. “This may be ICF’s most ‘youthful’ and diverse group of cities,” said ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla. “As we continue to move to…
President Tokayev Congratulates Nation on Gratitude Day
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated the nation on the Day of Gratitude celebrated on March 1, the Akorda press service reports. Celebrated since 2016, the holiday marks the establishment of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan on March 1, 1995. “This holiday embodies the enduring values of friendship, kindness, and solidarity, which are…
New Rules for Schengen Visa Not to Delay Applications for Kazakh Nationals, Says MFA Spokesperson
ASTANA – As of March 1, Kazakhstan will be included in the list of countries whose citizens will be required to pass through additional consultations to obtain a Schengen visa, Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov noted at a press briefing on Feb. 27. “As for the question that supposedly Kazakhstan is included in some kind…
Kazakh CEC Announces Schedule for Pre-Election TV Debates
ASTANA – Pre-election debates among political parties ahead of the upcoming parliamentary election will take place throughout March, the Kazakh Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on Feb. 27. Sixty-three million tenge (US$141,158) will be allocated to organize the debates. Both Khabar and the Qazaqstan TV channels were selected to air the debates, with the aim…
