Articles by ASSEL SATUBALDINA

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and Switzerland are committed to strengthening trade relations and investment cooperation, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his meeting with Swiss business people.  “Relations between our countries are based on friendship and mutual trust. I see today’s meeting as a constructive continuation of recent talks with Swiss President Guy Bernard Parmelin,” said Tokayev,…

NUR-SULTAN – The two chambers of the Kazakh Parliament held a joint session on June 30 summarising the results of their work before they took a summer break, reports the Parliament’s press service.  Majilis (lower chamber) Chair Nurlan Nigmatullin emphasized the increasing role and responsibility of the Parliament that provides legislative support for the initiatives…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh capital officials issued a ban on mass festivities for the upcoming Capital Day on July 6 amid the worsening epidemiological situation, reports the city’s press service.  Most years, Capital Day is one of the most festive events attracting citizens from different parts of the country to the city. But the pandemic is…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan will host the 16th round of talks on Syria next week on July 7-8, known as the Astana Process, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry press service.  Delegations of the guarantor states – Iran, Russia, and Turkey, the Syrian government, and the Syrian armed opposition groups are expected to attend. High…

NUR-SULTAN – The vaccine rollout in Kazakhstan has increased 1.6 times over the past week, from 254,000 to 405,000 people, said Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoy at a government meeting on Tuesday. “Vaccination of population is ongoing, around 5.2 million doses of vaccine have been administered. 3,246,795 people or 32.8 percent of the entitled population…

NUR-SULTAN — Central Asia received additional financing of $19 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to enhance capacity building and knowledge sharing in addressing climate change as part of the Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for the Aral Sea funded by the World Bank, reports the bank’s press service. The program, which was launched…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan returned to a high-risk red zone, as the epidemiological situation worsened after a more contagious Delta variant reached the nation’s capital.  During last week’s government meeting, Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoi said the number of infections grew 40 percent over the past seven days.  “According to the results of the PCR screening…

NUR-SULTAN – Half a million of citizens were involved in various volunteering activities in 2020, said Kazakh Minister of Information and Social Development Aida Balayeva at the government meeting on Tuesday that focused on the implementation of the government roadmap for the development of volunteering in 2021-2023. Volunteering is becoming an important form of civic…

NUR-SULTAN – Hungary became the first country in the European Union to recognize Kazakhstan’s vaccine passports, said Deputy State Secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade András Baranyi during his meeting with the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Hungary Zhanibek Abdrashov in Budapest on June 22, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry press service.…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin reported about the country’s economic development and the measures the government has taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020 through today at the joint session of the Kazakh Parliament on June 21, reports the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, in…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed the decree approving the National Security Strategy for 2021-2025, reports the Akorda press service. The National Security Strategy that was previously approved at a meeting of the Security Council chaired by First President Nursultan Nazarbayev contains updated approaches to protecting the country’s national interests. The strategy is…

NUR-SULTAN – When millions of people were forced into lockdown last year, healthcare workers were on the frontline to combat the pandemic. Stuck in hospitals for days and weeks they were saving lives when little was known about the virus. June 20 marked Healthcare Worker Day in Kazakhstan, another reminder of the tremendous contribution healthcare…

NUR-SULTAN – Australia and Kazakhstan have a lot more opportunities that remained untapped and though COVID-19 might have disrupted some of the plans, the will to develop cooperation is still there, said Ian Biggs, Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan & Regional Branch at Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in an interview with The Astana…

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated Kazakhstan’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 and called for greater efforts to ensure the country’s electricity is generated from more environmentally friendly sources at the meeting that reviewed the country’s gas industry, reports Akorda press service. Achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, however, will require structural, industrial, and…

NUR-SULTAN – Over 30 years, the United States has invested US$53.7 billion into the Kazakh economy. The two countries hosted a virtual business forum June 14-15 that marked 30 years of diplomatic relations, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.  The two-day event, which brought together more than 500 participants and was co-hosted by the Kazakh Ministry…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Alexey Tsoy urged the country’s officials to accelerate vaccine rollout at a June 15 government meeting. Kazakhstan administered nearly four million doses of vaccine. As of June 16, 2,587,884 people in Kazakhstan received at least one dose of vaccine against COVID-19, which accounts for nearly 26 percent of the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Commissioner for Human Rights Elvira Azimova briefed the diplomatic missions in Kazakhstan on the nation’s ongoing reforms in human rights and the rule of law, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. She spoke about the work she has been doing as the nation’s Ombudsperson and the draft law on the Ombudsperson developed by…

NUR-SULTAN – Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin noted the high level of strategic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates during the visit of Emirati Minister of State for Food and Water Security Mariam Almheiri to the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, according to the Prime Minister’s press service.   Some of the leading Emirati companies…

NUR-SULTAN – Astana Opera House opens a summer season with a series of open air concerts in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, reports the theatre’s press service. The concerts will be held in front of the Affari business center on Mambetova Street and at the Central City Park amphitheater. Masterpieces of the Vocal Music concert will…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the need for greater economic diversification and greener solutions in the economy at the 33rd session of the Foreign Investors’ Council hosted June 10 by the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, reported the Akorda press service. The session was attended by senior Kazakh officials, heads of large multinational companies,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has been elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations for 2022-2024 at the 73rd plenary session of the UN General Assembly, reports the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.  Kazakhstan’s candidacy to the council was supported by 180 UN Member States. This is the second time the Central…

NUR-SULTAN – Though the coronavirus infection does not seem to be going anywhere, there are some signs of improvement in Kazakhstan. Only the Kazakh capital city of Nur-Sultan is left in the high-risk red zone, said Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Alexey Tsoy at a Junе 10 government meeting.  Six regions –  Almaty city, Atyrau, Pavlodar,…

NUR-SULTAN – The National Bank of Kazakhstan updated its forecast for the country’s economic growth to 3.6-3.9 percent in 2021 and at 4.0-4.3 percent for 2022, reports the National Bank press service.  “The main factors behind the revised forecast were the higher oil price and expansion of positive fiscal impulse on the background of upward…

NUR-SULTAN – People violating the self-isolation regime will face an administrative fine starting June 10, said the country’s Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control in a statement.  People diagnosed with coronavirus and people who have been in contact with infected patients are required to self-isolate. Failure to do so will entail an administrative fine of…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and UN Secretary-General António Guterres discussed priority areas of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United Nations during their June 4 virtual meeting, reports the Akorda press service. The sides focused on joint efforts to address the pandemic, tackle climate change, and ensure regional security and stability. Tokayev and Guterres…