Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – The Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan received more than 5,300 appeals in 2023. Yet, 39% of them are related to disagreement with court decisions, which is not under its jurisdiction, reported the court’s press service on Jan. 9. Citizens’ appeals were mainly related to housing and labor relations, social protection, the bankruptcy of individuals,…

ASTANA – The Digital Almaty 2024 International forum, dubbed Industry X: the Digital Evolution of the Future, will take place on Feb. 1-3 with an extensive business program, reported the forum’s press service.  The event will bring together government officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries, leading experts, and…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan witnesses a decline in the incidence of 39 infections, including Covid-19, rotavirus and acute intestinal infections, said Health Minister Azhar Giniyat at a Jan. 9 government meeting, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. At the end of 2023, the country registered more than 29,000 measles cases, 80% of which occurred in children…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to plant saxaul trees on an additional 275,000 hectares of the drained bottom of the Aral Sea this year to prevent dust storms in the region and cover 1.1 million hectares until 2025, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources on Jan. 8.  Planting saxaul trees has proved…

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev instructed to enhance preparation for the fifth World Nomad Games, which will take place in the Kazakh capital on Sept. 8 – 14, and improve training conditions for national athletes at a Jan. 8 expanded meeting, reported the ministry’s press service. Managers of the National…

ASTANA – Forty-two athletes will represent Kazakhstan at the upcoming 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, which will kick off on Jan. 19 and last until Feb. 1 in Gangwon, South Korea, reported the National Olympic Committee on Jan. 5. The opening ceremony is set to take place both at Gangneung Oval and PyeongChang Dome. The ceremony…

ASTANA – Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev wrapped up the outcomes of their work in 2023 in his Telegram post on Jan. 8. The Astana Hub organized 446 events attended by 19,457 guests last year.  Some 3,183 students received grants to study at IT schools in Kazakhstan under the Tech Orda program, and 2,217 more…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has picked a selection of articles on Kazakhstan published in international media worldwide. This week’s foreign media digest includes articles on the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s interview with a national newspaper, the Middle Corridor, the country’s efforts to boost tourism industry, and more. Tokayev for first time discusses power struggle…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev underscored the need to adopt laws aimed at implementing key measures for the country’s social and economic transformation during a Jan. 5 meeting with Yerlan Koshanov, chair of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the Parliament, reported the Akorda press service. According to Koshanov, since the beginning of the…

ASTANA – Shakhnaze Ilyassova, a 22-year-old kobyz player from the Karagandy Region, took first place in the Golden Time Talent international music contest, reported the region’s administration on Jan. 4. She was invited to represent Kazakhstan at the Golden Time Talent festival in the United Kingdom. Kobyz is a traditional stringed musical instrument. Ilyassova, who…

ASTANA – Wanderlust travel magazine added Kazakhstan to its Editors’ Hot List 2024, inviting tourists to visit the singing dunes and painted rocks of the Altyn-Emel National Park. “If you have ever longed to see someone firing an arrow using their feet while doing a handstand, the World Nomad Games might just be your Woodstock.…

ASTANA – The decision to build the nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan will be made by people, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his comprehensive interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper, published on Jan. 3. According to Tokayev, clean nuclear energy is vital for Kazakhstan. This is a fundamental question for the future of the national…

ASTANA – Constitutional rule on a single presidential tenure remains unchanged, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper released on Jan. 3, dismissing speculations on his presidential election bid in 2026. “This norm is as inviolable as the rules on independence, unitarity, territorial integrity and the form of rule…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev kicked off the new year with an extensive interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper on Jan. 3. During the interview, he discussed key achievements from the previous year, provided insights into both domestic and foreign policies, addressed social and economic development, and outlined plans for the year 2024. Tokayev reiterated…

ASTANA – State Counselor Erlan Karin wrapped up the results of the country’s reforms over the past two years and reflected on the coming tasks to raise public consciousness and form new social ethics in his Telegram post on Dec. 29. According to Karin, 2023 has become another year that changed Kazakhstan. “These were not…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has picked a selection of articles on Kazakhstan published in international media worldwide. This week’s foreign media digest includes articles on the country’s efforts to increase foreign trade, bolster energy infrastructure and more. Kazakhstan launches construction of new rail link to China Kazakhstan launched the construction of a new railway…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s airlines set a new record in 2023, transporting 12 million passengers, reported the Transport Ministry’s press service on Dec. 28. The airlines increased their aircraft fleet from 89 to 99 units and the seat capacity from 12,000 to 15,000. “Three new passenger terminals are being built at the expense of private investors…

ASTANA – The Strategy Social and Political Research Center conducted a survey of 2,400 respondents across the country in December, assessing the population’s approval of the activities of state bodies, reported the center’s press service on Dec. 19.  “Based on the survey results, 76.4% of respondents approve the work of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 14.1%…

ASTANA – Astana’s International Airport served 7.5 million passengers, setting a record on Dec. 25, reported the Kazakh Transport Ministry’s press service. “We visited relatives in Almaty and today returned home. We did not expect to be special passengers, welcomed personally by the airport management. (…) Thank you very much for such a warm welcome!”…

ASTANA – Samarkand hosts the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Dec. 26-30, reported the International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) press service on Dec. 25.  FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for hosting the event and emphasized FIDE’s objective to organize more global chess events, providing enthusiasts worldwide the chance to witness their…

ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov summed up the results of the ministry’s work in 2023, packed with major international events, high-level meetings, and new investment initiatives at a Dec. 25 press briefing. Smadiyarov reiterated the ministry’s key tasks, which are ensuring security and stability along the borders of the country, increasing the…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed technological cooperation, integrated information systems, and food security of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) at a Dec. 25 meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC) in St. Petersburg, reported the Akorda press service. The talks began with a narrow-format meeting that included Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan occupies a leading position in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) among the countries of Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), reported Finprom financial and business analytical service on Dec. 25, referring to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook released in October. According to IMF estimates, this…

ASTANA – The large Rozhkovskoye gas condensate field, operated by Ural Oil and Gas LLP, launched commercial production on Dec. 21 in Western Kazakhstan, according to the Prime Minister’s press service. The field is owned by KazMunayGas national oil and gas company (50%), Hungarian multinational oil and gas company MOL Group (27.5%), and Chinese Sinopec…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan started exporting its IT solutions in the e-government development to Tajikistan, owing to the partnership of the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, the National Information Technology (NIT), and the KazAID Kazakhstan Agency for International Development, reported the ministry’s press service on Dec. 22. Smart Bridge, a unified e-government…