Articles by Assel Satubaldina

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…

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…

NUR-SULTAN – The government meeting chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin adopted a National Action Plan for the implementation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s plan, outlined in his address to the nation, the Prime Minister’s press service reports.  Minister of the National Economy Aset Irgaliev presented the plan, which consists of 102 points across seven…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan launched its pilot Digital Government Office. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the office on Monday, Sept. 6, reports the Akorda press service.  The office includes the National Analytical Center, the Center of Digital Transformation, and the National Project Office. Bagdat Musin, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, briefed the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s security forces undertook a tremendous effort to return Kazakh citizens from Afghanistan within the three days, said Aide to President Erlan Karin.  “On board were 25 Kazakhs, 10 of whom were children, 14 Kyrgyz citizens who had been evacuated at the request of the Kyrgyz side and one person each from Russia…

NUR-SULTAN  – Phase 3 trials of Kazakhstan’s QazVac vaccine have been completed, said the head of the Kazakh Institute for Biosafety Research Kunsulu Zakarya at a Sept. 6 press briefing. 3,000 people participated in the phase 3 trials.  “Indeed, all clinical trials have been completed. On July 9, we collected the last samples.  By the…

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted his country’s interest in strengthening business ties with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region during the plenary session of the VI Eastern Economic Forum which is taking place in Vladivostok through Sept. 3 in a virtual format, reports the Akorda press service.  In 2020, Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with the…

NUR-SULTAN – As Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address on Sept. 1, the government came up quickly with their ideas on how to implement the tasks set by the President.  Agriculture Sector The agriculture sector is one of the most promising sectors for the Kazakh economy. Nearly 15 percent of the country’s…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has ordered two Airbus A400M aircraft for its Defense Ministry, reports the Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development. The delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for 2024.  Negotiations between Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Beibut Atamkulov and Airbus Chief Operating Officer Alberto Gutiérrez concluded with the signing of…

NUR-SULTAN –  Kazakhstan’s Air Astana will resume direct flights from Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan to London starting Sept. 18, adding the United Kingdom to the list of countries open for Kazakhstan’s citizens. The flights will be operated on Airbus A321 aircraft on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Tickets are available for sale on the airline’s website.  According to…

NUR-SULTAN –  Developing nuclear energy, boosting the country’s military capacity, extending support for businesses, and five new social initiatives were among the topics that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev raised during his one-and-a-half-hour-long state-of-the-nation address delivered on Sept. 1. All initiatives voiced in the address are aimed at supporting the country in the post-pandemic period, improving the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev resigned after an explosion at an ammunition depot in the Zhambyl Region killed 15 and injured nearly 100 people, reports the Akorda press service. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev introduced the new minister Murat Bektanov on Aug. 31.  Before being appointed to this position, Bektanov served as a Deputy…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…