Articles by STAFF REPORT

ASTANA – A 33-year-old Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic beat Kazakhstan’s top seed Elena Rybakina, 23, in straight sets 7-6, 6-2 at the Miami Open 2023 Tennis Tournament at Hard Rock Stadium on April 1, reported Sports.kz. Rybakina’s career-best 13-match winning streak was snapped, ending her hopes of claiming the “Sunshine Double” of both…

ASTANA – Nine former law enforcement officers have so far been sentenced to prison for torture, while other legal proceedings are underway in connection to the January 2022 events, Kazakh Deputy Prosecutor General Bulat Dembayev said during a March 31 meeting on preventing torture.  The General Prosecutor’s Office hosted the round table meeting with non-governmental…

ASTANA – The League of Arab States (LAS) expressed its interest in participation in the upcoming Astana International Forum (AIF) on June 8-9, said LAS Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit during his meeting with Kazakh Ambassador to Egypt Kairat Lama Sharif on March 29 in Cairo, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.  The diplomats agreed…

ASTANA – Dozens of camera traps have recorded rare footage of snow leopards, Kazakh argali (mountain sheep), and bears in the Zhongar-Alatau mountains, reported Tabigat National Union of Hunters on March 27. As part of the project to develop sustainable tourism, the union’s experts, zoologists and rangers monitored snow leopards and other animals on the…

ASTANA – President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev extending gratitude for the support and emergency assistance provided by Kazakhstan to the Turkish people after the Feb. 6 devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, reported the Akorda press service on March 30. “During a natural disaster, the solidarity…

ASTANA – The online festival organized by the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports and TikTok to mark Nauryz garnered more than 120 million views, reported the ministry’s press service on March 29. As part of the festival with the Nauryz2023 hashtag, Kazakh citizens created and posted videos on the platform showing how they celebrate…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will provide 550 scholarships to foreign nationals, including 490 for bachelor’s degrees, 50 for master’s degrees, and ten for PhD, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Education and Science on March 31.  Applications are open from March 30 through June 30. The ministry’s National Center for the Development of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s imports of goods from the European Union (EU) grew by 89 percent to $1.5 billion in two months this year compared to the same period in 2022, reaching the highest figure in recent years, reported Kazakhstan’s Economic Research Institute on March 30. The growth was driven by a surge in imports of…

ASTANA – The senior officials of the governments of the United States, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan affirmed their common objectives and commitments to improving cooperation and enhancing opportunities for trade and investment as part of the council meeting of the U.S. – Central Asia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) held in…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Wimbledon Champion and World No. 7 Elena Rybakina, 23, made it to the finals at the Miami Open by beating World No. 3 Jessica Pegula of the United States 7:6 (3), 6:4 at Hard Rock Stadium on March 31. Rybakina became the first female player to achieve Serena Williams’ record serving more…

ASTANA – The Caspian seal population in Kazakhstan’s part of the Caspian Sea is now approximately 311,000, the press service of the country’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reported on March 29.  The declining population of the Caspian seal has long been a major concern for Kazakh ecologists. Last autumn, the seal population in…

ASTANA – A regional personnel reserve will be established in Kazakhstan this year by a presidential decree, said Ainur Sergaziyeva, deputy chairwoman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs, at a March 30 meeting with the Senate, the upper chamber of the Parliament, the agency’s press service reported. “This will serve as a social lift…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan needs to gain a foothold as a key regional investment hub, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a plenary session of the Mazhilis, lower chamber of the Parliament on March 30, the Akorda press service reported. Tokayev stressed the importance of consistently diversifying and strengthening market-based principles to change the economic development model…

ASTANA – The Turkic Investment Fund under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will have an authorized capital of $500 million, according to a draft bill published on Kazakhstan’s Open Normative Legal Acts website.  OTS heads of state signed an agreement to create the fund during the OTS Extraordinary Summit in Ankara on March 16.…

ASTANA – The Embassy of Italy in Kazakhstan presented the Together Towards 2050 website that includes an action plan built on three axes: cooperation, innovation, and education, reported the еmbassy’s press service on March 29. The plan’s thirty objectives aim to strengthen cooperation and elevate relations between the two countries to a new level. “Last…

ASTANA – Foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Germany held political consultations on March 28 in Berlin to strengthen bilateral ties and coordinate positions on priority issues on the bilateral, regional, and international agendas, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service. Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko and German Federal Foreign Ministry’s Director for Eastern Europe,…

ASTANA – The government announced plans to initiate the research program on identifying factors that impact the historical monument of the tomb of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, located in Turkistan during a March 28 meeting, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.  The Ministry of Culture and Sport will coordinate and carry out the program until the…

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set important priorities for the new Parliament, focusing on social justice and outlining state support measures for nearly all major social strata, State Counselor Erlan Karin said on his Telegram channel following the first session of the Kazakh Parliament of the eighth convocation on March 29.  According to Karin, the…

ASTANA – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have started an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission on March 28 to help prepare a comprehensive report on the country’s nuclear power infrastructure, reported the Kazakh Energy Ministry’s press service.  The mission, which goes through March 31, will assess the state of Kazakhstan’s nuclear energy infrastructure as…

ASTANA – Kazakh and Chinese business leaders agreed to bolster bilateral economic relations, signing 16 documents, including five commercial agreements worth $565.4 million in construction, energy, mining, agriculture, food industry, engineering, tourism, investment, and other sectors at a March 28 cross-border cooperation dialogue in Almaty, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The forum was held…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan increased its export supplies to nearly $84.4 billion in 2022, turning the global geopolitical crisis into an advantage, according to a March 27 review published on ranking.kz analytical website. Last year, Kazakhstan had a record-high foreign trade turnover of $134.4 billion. Exports, in monetary terms, increased by 40 percent for the first…

ASTANA – The Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan reaffirmed its intention to pursue an open and constructive dialogue with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), said CEC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov at a meeting with Eoghan Murphy, the head of the ODIHR election observation mission on…

ASTANA – A сommuniqué outlining further bilateral government measures to support the ethnic German diaspora in Kazakhstan was signed in Berlin during the 19th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on ethnic Germans living in Kazakhstan, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service on March 28.   The meeting of the commission, which aims to support 226,000…

ASTANA – Central Election Commission (CEC) registered newly elected deputies of the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, at a March 28 session, a day after it announced the final results of the March 19 election to the Mazhilis and maslikhats, local representative bodies. The CEC congratulated newly elected deputies, issuing identity cards…

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched a $150 million Kazakhstan Green Economy Financing Facility II (GEFF Kazakhstan II) on March 27 to help businesses and households adopt environmentally friendly practices, reported the EBRD’s press service. Financial institutions under the GEFF Kazakhstan II program will receive funds for on-lending to…