EBRD Loans $1.8 Million to West Kazakhstan Fuel Distributor
ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will loan $1.8 million to the privately owned West Kazakhstan motor fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distributor Niet, the bank announced in a press release on Sept. 3. The loan represents the EBRD’s continued support for Kazakhstan’s small and medium-sized business sector, the bank…
Construction Launched on UAE-Funded School in Astana
ASTANA – Construction on a new school in Astana funded by the United Arab Emirates launched on Aug. 27 with a ground-breaking ceremony. The school, which is to accommodate 1,200 primary and secondary students and was the result of agreements between the presidents of Kazakhstan and the UAE, is to be named after President of…
President Suggests New National Brand: ‘Land of the Great Steppe’
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev reiterated his suggestion that Kazakhstan brand itself “Land of the Great Steppe” during the Aug. 28 conference “Constitution: unity, stability and prosperity,” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s constitution. “I believe that we should be called the ‘Land of the Great Steppe,’” the President said, according to…
Air Astana Relaunches Astana-Dubai Route
ASTANA – Air Astana will relaunch direct flights between Astana and Dubai on Oct. 25, the airline announced on Aug. 24. Flights will be operated four times a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, according to Air Astana’s website. Flights had been suspended since October 2010, after the United Arab Emirates imposed restrictions on…
Kazakhstan, IAEA Sign Milestone Agreements for Kazakhstan to Host LEU Bank
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed three agreements on Aug. 27 in Astana that are expected to advance the international effort to place a low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel bank in the country. The Kazakh government and the IAEA signed an agreement on placing the bank in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh…
Kazakhstan, Pakistan Sign Investment, Defence and Diplomatic Training Agreements during Sharif’s Visit
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Pakistan signed memoranda of understanding on trade and investment, defence and strategic studies and foreign services training during the two-day, Aug. 25-26 official visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, the Dawn news agency reports. “I am impressed by the scale of the socio-economic progress of Kazakhstan … We wish…
Nazarbayev University Launches Country’s First US-Style Medical School
ASTANA – Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan’s flagship English-language university, launched its school of medicine on Aug. 17 with an inaugural class of 20 taking the Hippocratic oath and beginning the four-year programme. “The School of Medicine is a very important step on a way toward a strategic objective – the creation of an integrated academic health…
ATOM Project Calls for Global Moment of Silence on International Day against Nuclear Tests
ASTANA – The ATOM Project (“Abolish Testing: Our Mission”) is again calling for a worldwide moment of silence to honour the victims of nuclear weapons testing on Aug. 29, the United Nations International Day Against Nuclear Tests. “We are calling for people around the world to observe 11:05 a.m. their local time as a moment…
Kazakh Government Switches to Inflation Targeting as Tenge Drops 26 Percent Against Dollar
ASTANA – Kazakhstan transitioned ahead of schedule to a free-floating exchange rate on Aug. 20 after the currency fell 5 percent against the dollar in commercial exchanges the day before. The move was announced in a two-hour press conference attended by the nation’s top finance and government officials, including Prime Minister Karim Massimov, First Deputy…
European Renewables Consultancy Wind Prospect to Work on Yereimentau Wind Farm
ASTANA – The European renewable energy consultancy group Wind Prospect will provide consulting services to the 3E energy company that is building the 50-megawatt Yereimentau Wind Farm in central Kazakhstan’s Akmola oblast, the firm announced on Aug. 17. 3E is an energy, ecology and engineering company working for Samruk-Energo, a subsidiary of the Samruk Kazyna…
Tenge Falls Against Dollar in Commercial Bank Trading
ASTANA – The dollar rose sharply against the tenge on the morning of Aug. 19, likely the result of the the actions of a major investor on the Kazakh stock exchange (KASE) wanting to fix their position at 197 tenge to the dollar, according to Tengrinews.kz “Most likely, on the [KASE], a major investor wanted…
Astana Leads Eurasian Cities in International Activity
ASTANA – A joint Eurasia Local Governments Congress and Eurasian branch of United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) project has shown Astana has the most international activity of any Eurasian city, according to the city’s website. Astana was the overall leader in the ratings, which assessed 50 small, medium and large cities, and one of…
230,000 Square-Metre Transport, Logistics Hub to Be Built in Shymkent
ASTANA – The Kazakh government plans to build a 230,000-square-metre transport and logistics centre on 92 hectares in Shymkent to help coordinate transit between Shymkent International Airport, the Western Europe-Western China highway and the Trans-Asian Railway, Kazinform reported. The centre will include Class A and Class B warehouses, dry warehouses, freezers and other equipment to…
ISIS Violence not a Serious Threat to Central Asia, Region not in Midst of New Great Game, Says Expert
ASTANA – Violence being conducted under the names of ISIS or the Islamic State now being referred to as Daesh, is a concern, but not a serious threat to Central Asia, and current tensions between the three major powers are merely blips in long-term “family” relationships, Richard E. Hoagland, former U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan (2008–2011)…
National Bank Issues New Commemorative, Anniversary Coins
ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan issued seven new coins on Aug. 7, the bank announced in a press release. Four commemorative coins mark places: “Taikazan” is a new addition to the Treasures of the Steppe series, “Buran” joins the Space series and “Kyzylorda” and “Oral” join the Cities of Kazakhstan series. Two anniversary…
Karaganda Professor Makes Pilgrimage to Grave of Chronicler of Kazakh Khanate
ASTANA – Teacher of Kazakh history Olga Kovtun’s favourite era to help students discover is the birth of the Kazakh state in the mid-15th century. But she also knows that the printed page is sometimes not enough to kindle a flame of interest – so instead, she took a trip in January to see and…
Technology Centre Announces Three More Commercial Successes
ASTANA – Three more projects funded by the Technology Commercialisation Centre (TCC) in Astana have found commercial success in Kazakhstan and beyond in agricultural, cosmetics and mining, the TCC announced. The three projects include a microbe cocktail created by scientists at the National Centre for Microorganisms to eliminate fatty waste from dairy and meat production,…
Round-the-World Cyclist Arrives in Kazakhstan, Hopes to Raise Money for Elder Charity
ASTANA – Shayl Majithia is one of the most recent in a long line of travellers to pass from Europe to Asia via Kazakhstan’s great landmass. Like his earliest predecessors, Majithia’s journey is self-propelled; unlike them, he comes not for trade or other gain, but for charity. Plus, he’s got a sweet bike. “I am…
Kazakhstan Joins OECD Schools of Government, Plans Improvements to Government Officials’ Training
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Academy of Public Administration has joined the Global Network of Schools of Government of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and a delegation from the academy took part in its annual meeting in Paris on July 6 before going on a study tour of other European countries. The July 6–11…
UAE Falcons Released into Their Natural Kazakh Habitat
ASTANA – This May saw another release of falcons from the United Arab Emirates into their natural habitat in western Kazakhstan, thanks to the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and the Kazakh government. This year, 55 falcons were released: eight female saker falcons, 41 female peregrines and six male…
Carbon Monoxide, Lack of Oxygen Cause of Sleeping Sickness, Official Announces
ASTANA – The main cause of the mysterious “sleeping sickness” that has been plaguing the Krasnogorsk and Kalachi villages in the country’s Akmola region is the combined impact of carbon monoxide and other hydrocarbon gasses reducing the levels of oxygen in the air in the area, Deputy Prime Minister Berdybek Saparbayev announced on July 10…
Bolashak’s Next Five-Year Mission Supports Domestic Development Plans
ASTANA – The end of the Bolashak Presidential Scholarship’s five-year plan has coincided with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s election campaign call for a development push based on his proposed five institutional reforms, giving the scholarship programme the chance to create a plan based on the new needs of the developing nation. “What is good about…
Traditional Performances, Modern Design Mark Astana’s 17th Anniversary Celebration
ASTANA – Astana Day, the annual combined celebration of the birthday of Kazakhstan’s capital city and the President who has shaped its modern form, was marked this year by a weekend of traditional and contemporary performances. The celebrations around July 6 mark the 17th birthday of Kazakhstan’s young capital. It was on this day in…
DHL, KTZ Express to Provide Increased Connectivity Between China, CIS, Europe
ASTANA – DHL Global Forwarding and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) Express have signed a memorandum of understanding to provide greater rail connectivity between China, Kazakhstan and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Europe, the Post and Parcel website reported on July 1. “KTZ Express is looking to establish the most advanced…
EBRD to Loan $60 Million to Local Vegetable Oils Producer
ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide Aktobe-based vegetable oils producer Savola Foods with a tenge loan equivalent to $60 million, the bank announced on July 3. The loan is part of an expansion of EBRD activities into Kazakhstan’s agribusiness sector. The loan will be used to increase Savola’s oil…
