Share of SMEs in Kazakhstan’s GDP Reaches 32 Percent
NUR-SULTAN – The share of small and medium-sized businesses in the country’s gross domestic product has reached 32 percent with 3.5 million people, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the eighth meeting of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs on Tuesday. The figure grew from 24 percent to 32 percent over the past five years.…
World Bank Regional Director for Sustainable Development Commends Kazakhstan’s Commitment to Decarbonization
NUR-SULTAN – On his official visit to Kazakhstan on Sept. 20-24, Steven Navon Schonberger, Regional Director for the World Bank Group’s Sustainable Development Department with Europe and Central Asia region, acknowledged the country’s efforts in transitioning to a low carbon strategy as he met with the country’s senior officials. The Astana Times spoke with Schonberger…
Saudi Investment Minister Visits Kazakhstan to Boost Bilateral Ties
NUR-SULTAN – Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih met Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Askar Mamin during an official visit to the country on Sunday. The sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties and boost cooperation in different sectors. The Saudi delegation led by Al-Falih also met government officials and representatives of major Kazakh…
Kazakh Foreign Minister Attends Turkic Council Meeting on Afghanistan
NUR-SULTAN – The Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi participated in an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States on Sept. 27 that discussed the situation in Afghanistan, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry press service. The ministers focused their discussion…
Supreme Council for Reforms Focuses on National Projects, Commodity Distribution System, Exports
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired the meeting of the Supreme Council for Reforms that focused on national projects, the formation of an effective commodity distribution system, systemic measures to promote exports, and the draft Territorial Development Plan, reports the Akorda press service. The council was created in September 2020 and is meant to serve…
President Tokayev Inspects Military Exercise in Mangistau Region
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Otpantau-2021 operational and strategic command post exercise at the Oymash training range as part of his working visit to the Mangistau Region, reports the Akorda press service. “This historic place (referring to Oymash) symbolizes our statehood, heroism, and the unity and cohesion of our people. When our borders…
Mangistau Region Attracts Over $16 Billion of Investment in 30 Years
NUR-SULTAN – The Mangistau Region has attracted seven trillion tenge (US$16.5 billion) over the 30 years of the country’s independence, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as he visited the region on Sept. 22. “The volume of industrial production in the region more than doubled – from 3.5 percent to 8 percent. The region is in the…
President Tokayev Addresses Global COVID-19 Summit as Part of UNGA 76th Assembly
NUR-SULTAN – As the United Nations headquarters hosts the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) from Sept. 21 until Sept. 27, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a video message at the global COVID-19 virtual summit titled “Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better to Prepare for the Next” taking place at this high-level…
ADB Raises Economic Growth Outlook Projection For Central Asia to 4.1 Percent
NUR-SULTAN – The Asian Development Bank raised its economic growth outlook for Central Asian economies this year to 4.1 percent from the previous 3.4 percent projected in April in its latest Asian Development Outlook 2021. The outlook was improved for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan with the subregion’s 2022 outlook rising to 4.2 percent…
Kazakhstan to Export Up to 6.5 Million Tons of Grain in 2021
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan may export up to 6.5 million tons of grain in 2021, said Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin at a government meeting on Tuesday. Kazakhstan, which is among the world’s leading grain producers and exporters, has been hit hard by droughts last summer. “Despite the reduced volume of grain due to drought in…
Kazakhstan Resumes Visa Free Regime with 30 Countries, Increases Air Travel
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will resume a visa-free regime with 30 countries with a stable epidemiological situation and high vaccination rates soon, announced Kazakhstan’s interdepartmental commission working to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection on Monday. The list of countries includes Italy, Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Poland Denmark,…
More Than Half of Jobs in Kazakhstan at High Risk of Automation, Education Remains a Priority
NUR-SULTAN – Nearly 52 percent of all future jobs in Kazakhstan are at high risk of automation. That is one of the conclusions made in the country’s first national report on the labor market prepared by the Center of Labor Resources Development. The figure stands at 47 percent in OECD countries. As the impact of…
Astana Open ATP 250 Kicks Off in Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN – The first day of the Astana Open ATP 250 finished on Sept. 19, as the Kazakh capital hosts the event through Sept. 26. Nur-Sultan was one of four new ATP 250 events added to the 2020 provisional schedule, as tennis continued its return to schedule following the suspension of the season due to…
President Tokayev Addresses SCO Heads of States Meeting in Dushanbe
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Dushanbe on Sept. 17, reports the Akorda press service. “Thanks to joint efforts, the SCO has become the most successful and influential regional organization in the world. The SCO possesses vast demographic, financial, and natural resources, as well as powerful technological potential. It…
President Tokayev Attends CSTO Meeting in Dushanbe
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in Dushanbe on Sept. 17, reports the Akorda press service. He joined Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the meeting via videoconference, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Armenian Prime Minister…
Thirty Second Berlin Eurasian Club Meeting in Nur-Sultan Focuses on New Technologies
NUR-SULTAN – Development of new technologies and know-how were at the focus of the 32nd meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club hosted in Nur-Sultan on Sept. 13, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. The event, which was organized with the support of the Kazakh Ministry and the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, gathered representatives of…
Kazakhstan’s Economy Recovers to Pre-Pandemic Levels, Says Kazakh PM
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s economy has reached pre-pandemic levels and continues to recover, achieving a three percent growth in the first eight months of 2021, said Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin at a government meeting on Tuesday. Growth in the manufacturing sector reached 5.8 percent, 9.1 percent in trade, 12.8 percent in communications, and 11.4 percent…
COVID-19 Incidence Decreases 35% Over Two Weeks in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – The COVID-19 incidence rate has decreased by 35 percent over the past two weeks in Kazakhstan, said Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Alexei Tsoy at a government meeting on Tuesday. “The global morbidity and mortality for COVID-19 continues to be unstable. More than 224 million cases have been reported worldwide, with more than 300,000…
North Macedonian Foreign Minister Visits Nur-Sultan, Signs Important Agreements
NUR-SULTAN – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Northern Macedonia Bujar Osmani made an official visit to Kazakhstan on Sept. 10, meeting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi. Welcoming Bujar Osmani to Kazakhstan, Tokayev said that the visit is extremely important in terms of giving an additional impetus to the development of…
Kazakhstan Assumes One-Year Presidency in Islamic Organization for Food Security
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan hosted the two-day Fourth General Assembly of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) that convened in Nur-Sultan on Sept. 8, reports the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture. During the assembly meeting, Turkey handed over the presidency in the organization to Kazakhstan for one year. Founded in 2018 with its headquarters based in…
Kazakhstan Launches Flights to Qatar, Increases Air Travel to Russia, Turkey, UAE
NUR-SULTAN – Since last year, COVID-19 has made traveling an uneasy endeavor, but despite this, flights are steadily resuming and giving hope to people who need to travel. Kazakhstan has recently launched flights to Qatar, increased flights to Turkey, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates as well as resumed flights to the Maldives, report the…
Kazakh Capital Attracts Nearly $1.2 Billion in Seven Months
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan has attracted over 504 billion tenge (US$1.2 billion) within seven months, nine percent more compared to the same period in 2020, said Nur-Sultan Akim (Mayor) Altai Kulginov. “The attractiveness of our capital for investors is growing every year. Despite the pandemic, both last year and this year, we managed…
President Tokayev Outlines Kazakhstan’s Position on Afghanistan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the position of Kazakhstan regarding the situation in Afghanistan saying the country is ready to establish business ties with the new leadership in Afghanistan, wrote President’s spokesperson Berik Uali on his Facebook account. “Kazakhstan believes that Afghanistan must become a stable, sovereign, and united state, living in peace…
Kazakhstan to Continue Steadily Increasing Oil Production Under OPEC+ Deal
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will continue to steadily increase its oil production under the OPEC+ agreement, said the Kazakh Ministry of Energy. The 20th meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, including Kazakhstan and Russia, concluded on Sept. 1. The meeting participants noted that, while the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic…
Tokayev Visits North Kazakhstan Region, Inspects Harvesting Campaign, Agricultural Equipment Production
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the North Kazakhstan Region on Sept. 7, reports Akorda press service. Tokayev’s working trip to the region began with a visit to the village of Baiterek in the Kyzylzhar district, where he met with local producers and inspected the agricultural equipment deployed in the harvesting work. “We need…
