Articles by Meruyert Abugaliyeva

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s ruling Nur Otan political party has developed more than 20 projects to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), improve the educational system and execute the Digital Kazakhstan and Rukhani Janghyru (Modernisation of Kazakhstan’s Identity) national programmes. The key priority, however, is to update the party and increase public trust. “Nur Otan must…

ASTANA – Second wind, the physiological phenomenon when an out-of-breath marathoner suddenly finds the strength to push harder, will be the topic of the June 10 TEDxAstana. “Second wind is a gift and second chance allowing an athlete to complete the marathon with even higher performance indicators and finish running, swimming or riding a bicycle.…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will start issuing electronic visas July 1 as part of the Digital Kazakhstan programme. Visitors will be able to apply online through an electronic portal. “We have identified several countries and this year plan to implement pilot projects for them. This will require the modernisation of Berkut, the unified system of monitoring…

ASTANA – Indian citizens flying thorough Kazakhstan with local airlines can enjoy a 72-hour visa-free stopover in Astana and Almaty from April 23 until Dec. 31, according to a government decree signed April 10. Air Astana offers daily flights from Almaty – Delhi and flights three times per week from Astana – Delhi on Airbus…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry for Investment and Development will organise the 25th World Mining Congress, a large-scale event dedicated to mining and metal sector, June 19-21 in Astana. More than 2,000 delegates from 50 countries and 220 companies will participate. First held in 1958 in Poland, the World Mining Congress takes place every two-three…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan, which has always promoted peace and dialogue between different nations and religions, is preparing for the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in October. The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) plays an important role in interfaith dialogue, promotes unity and addresses the challenge of extremism, says SAMK Deputy…

ASTANA – The Ministry of Information and Communication has developed a plan to increase Kazakhstan’s digital literacy rate to 83 percent by 2022. The goal to better equip the Kazakh public to use information technologies in daily life and work is a central aspect of the national Digital Kazakhstan programme. “We have identified two approaches:…

ASTANA – Garik Bernetsyan, one of the nation’s 100 New Faces, is the director of a construction company in the North Kazakhstan region. Apart from business projects, he builds kindergartens in Petropavlovsk under private-public partnerships (PPP) and helps the elderly, orphans and people with disabilities. Born in Armenia, Bernetsyan studied in university in Russia and…

ASTANA – The national privatisation programme for 2016-2020 involving 877 entities is 76 percent complete, as 397 organisations worth 199 billion tenge (US$619 million) have been sold and 274 are set for reorganisation and liquidation, reported Kazakh Minister of Finance Bakhyt Sultanov during the April 10 government meeting. “This year, the plans are to sell…

ASTANA – A team of nine undergraduate students from Nazarbayev University (NU) designed, constructed and drove a car on electric battery at Shell Eco-marathon Asia, held March 8-11 in Singapore. The team placed 13th of 26 in the electric car prototype category. Shell Eco-marathon is a student competition of energy-efficient cars held annually in Asia,…

ASTANA – Electronic health passports and medical information systems have been implemented in Kazakhstan this year to make medical service provisions more efficient for both patients and doctors. Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov briefed the government on the roadmap developed to digitise healthcare. “Healthcare digitisation, which entails unification of information systems, mobile application use,…

ASTANA – Tamilya Anchutkina, a mother of two children, entrepreneur and founder of UrbanMama Space, has launched Digital Mama, a programme designed to provide women on maternity leave with training and employment in social media marketing (SMM), graphic design and website construction. Participants will learn professional skills such as creating mobile applications, marketing and programming,…

ASTANA – Twenty-five projects in the Zhambyl region in sports, agriculture, education, social protection, logistics, public order and security will be financed in 2018 through private-public partnerships (PPP). A three-year project to provide training for 350 children in boxing, taekwondo, heavy athletics, wrestling and judo is underway in the Tarlan sports complex in Shu. The…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National Bank has launched Invest Online, a system allowing Kazakhs to borrow funds by buying and selling short-term notes and securities recently issued by the bank. The safe and riskless investments can be completed at any time using the mobile app. “The system operates round-the-clock and all the transactions are free of…

ASTANA – Many of Astana’s restaurants and cafés now offer home delivery. Here is a sampling of the restaurants that let you eat out while eating in. Damdes Given the number of nationalities residing in Astana, Damdes does not focus on a particular cuisine but seeks to provide “local taste” of the food because local…

ASTANA – British Council congratulated three winners of the Study UK Alumni Awards 2018 during a March 14 ceremony in Astana for their extraordinary achievements in professional career, entrepreneurship and social impact. The award, organised by the British Council since 2014, reflects the value of the UK higher education system and celebrates the success of…

ASTANA – Capital residents should get ready to have some fun. Meruyert Theme Park, planned for 180 hectares near Korgalzhyn Highway, will be constructed by 2025. Financed by local and European private investors, the project will include numerous entertainment facilities, hotels, restaurants and a ski resort. “We understand that a single local company will be…

ASTANA – The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Steel Committee approved March 16 Kazakhstan’s committee membership, allowing the country to interact with other major industry participants. “After the presentation of Kazakhstan’s steel industry policy preliminary review Sep. 28-29, 2017, the Steel Committee Secretariat decided to recommend the OECD Council invite Kazakhstan as an…

ASTANA – Author Helene Satushkina established the Life Is Here project in the capital in 2015, including a diary and community for active and ambitious people, to remind individuals of the importance of living a conscious life. The diary is not an ordinary notebook – it is a Book of Life. “I chose ‘Life Is…

ASTANA – World famous Kazakh violinist Erzhan Kulibaev was featured March 21 in the Astana Opera Chamber Orchestra’s “Masterpieces of violin music” concert under the direction of Abzal Mukhitdinov. The programme included works by eminent German composers Max Bruch and Ludwig van Beethoven. “Almost 20 years have passed since I first performed a concert by…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government approved the Five Social Initiatives roadmap March 13 previously announced by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The measures, cutting across affordable housing, lower tax burden, accessibility of higher education, business loans and gas provisions, are meant to enhance the well-being of the Kazakh people. The roadmap, developed by the National Bank and…

ASTANA – Genetically modified living organisms might sound like fiction today, but in the not-too-distant future, genome modification will be used to edit DNA and treat human diseases like cancer and HIV, Kazakh biotechnologist Galymzhan Tleboldinov says. The new method for such gene editing, CRISPR, helped Tleboldinov win the national stage of Famelab 2018, a…

ASTANA – Nauryz, an ancient holiday symbolising spring revival, is always celebrated by Kazakh people with grandeur. The festivities in the capital, including concerts and exhibitions, will take place next week ending with large-scale outdoor celebrations on March 21-22. The holiday, commonly referred to as “Ulystyn uly kuni” (“Great day of the nation” in Kazakh,)…

ASTANA – The Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK), a subsidiary of Baiterek National Holding, plans to invest 405 billion tenge (US$1.3 billion) into projects in 2018 related to the manufacturing industry and industry infrastructure, according to a March 5 press conference dedicated to the bank’s past year performance. “This year, we expect that 11 projects…

ASTANA – The March 4 Zhaina International Women’s Forum in Astana attracted more than 600 participants from Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Malaysia and the U.S. to discuss female entrepreneurship and empowerment. “There is a global trend of women leadership and development, such as [the one noted in hashtags] #timeisnow, #timesup and #womenempowerment. In Kazakhstan, we…