Articles by Assel Satubaldina

We Seek to Promote a Human Rights Based Approach to Disability, Says Shyrak Association Leader Lyazzat Kaltayeva

NUR-SULTAN  – The Shyrak Association, an NGO supporting the rights of people with disabilities, in particular women, seeks to promote a human rights-based approach to disability issues, said Shyrak Association head Lyazzat Kaltayeva in an interview with The Astana Times.  The association was established in 2001 and now unites nearly 3,000 women with disabilities of…

Kazakh Central Election Commission Encourages Kazakh Citizens to Go Vote

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) released a statement encouraging Kazakh citizens to go vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for Jan. 10 next year, the Kazinform news agency reported.  “If you are a citizen of Kazakhstan who has reached the age of 18 on the day of voting and has a right…

Imanbek Zeikenov’s Remix Nominated for 2021 Grammy Awards (Video)

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s rising star Imanbek Zeikenov has been nominated for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards for his remix of Saint Jhn’s “Roses,” as nominations for Grammy Awards were announced Tuesday.   Zeikenov will compete with RAC, Morgan Page, Louie Vega and Haywyre in the Best Remixed Recording category. The full list of nominees in 83…

Coronavirus Cases Growing in Kazakhstan, Officials Remain Cautious But Optimistic

NUR-SULTAN – Coronavirus cases continue increasing in Kazakhstan, Kazakh government officials said during a Nov. 23 meeting of the commission focused to fight the coronavirus infection, the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service reported. Over the past day, the daily increase in coronavirus cases reached 678 bringing the number of COVID-19 cases to 126,860. As of…

Kazakh, Uzbek Prime Ministers Open Textile Factory in Turkestan

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin and Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov participated in the opening of a new textile factory in Turkestan in southern Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service reported. The new Kazakh-Uzbek joint venture, which is located on a two-hectare territory in the Turkistan industrial zone, is expected to create…

Australian Mining Companies See Big Economic Opportunities in Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has huge potential in its mining industry sector and Australian companies are eager to help unlock it, said Austmine Director for International Business Robert Trzebski in an interview to The Astana Times.  “We work with mining companies around the world and our mission is to connect our member companies with opportunities around…

International Turkic Academy and Kazakh Government Sign Cooperation Agreement

NUR-SULTAN – The International Turkic Academy and the Kazakh government signed an agreement on the terms and procedures for the status of the Turkic Academy, reported Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service. Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi and President of the Turkic Academy Darkhan Kydyrali participated in the signing ceremony Nov. 16.  The agreement…

EU and Central Asian Ministers Agree to Forge Closer Relations

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi participated in the 16th EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting held Nov. 17, where European Union and Central Asian countries reaffirmed their commitment to forging closer ties. The virtual meeting also gathered the foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, first deputy foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan, the EU…

Tokayev Addresses Foreign Investors’ Council, Focuses on IT, Pharmaceutical Industry, Oil and Gas

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the meeting of the Foreign Investors’ Council that this year sought solutions to restoring economic and investment activity in Kazakhstan amid the coronavirus pandemic, and developing and boosting the investment attractiveness of the country’s oil and gas sector. The Foreign Investors Council was established in 1998 to ensure…

Epidemiological Situation in Kazakhstan Follows Optimistic Scenario, Says Kazakh Healthcare Minister

NUR-SULTAN – The epidemiological situation in Kazakhstan is currently developing based on the optimistic scenario, said Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoy at the meeting on the country’s fight against coronavirus infection. The meeting was also attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. “A comparison between the forecast as of Sept. 7 and as of Nov. 10…

Tokayev Warns Officials to Halt Spread of COVID-19, But Avoid Nationwide Quarantine

NUR-SULTAN – As coronavirus cases rise globally, Kazakhstan has to come up with a plan to curb the spread of coronavirus infection, but without repeating the national lockdown imposed during the first wave in March. This is what Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the government officials at the Nov. 17 meeting that focused on the…

First English Language Collection of Abai’s Works Presented in London

NUR-SULTAN – Cambridge University Press in partnership with Kazakhstan’s National Bureau of Translations (NBT) presented ABAI, the first English-language volume of works by a prominent Kazakh poet, philosopher, and enlightener Abai Kunanbayev, the Kazakh Embassy in the United Kingdom reported. The book represents the first complete collection of Abai’s works translated directly from Kazakh into…

Kazakh Capital Hosts Special Discussion On Expanding Opportunities for People with Special Needs

NUR-SULTAN – Government officials, non government organizations, think tanks and international organizations gathered Nov. 13 to explore ways to better facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in political and social life, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.  The event was organized by the Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities with the support of…

Kazakh Capital Reaches Yellow COVID-19 Danger Area, Sees Surge in COVID-19 Cases

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan has entered the yellow COVID-19 danger zone, as the city witnessed a surge in coronavirus cases. Nur-Sultan Akim (Mayor) Altai Kulginov warned citizens to follow the quarantine restrictions and to take measures to protect themselves and others, including social distancing and wearing masks.  The rising number of coronavirus cases…

Kazakh Food Producers Present Products in Shanghai

NUR-SULTAN – Thirty-five Kazakh food producers participated in the third annual China International Import Exposition (CIIE) in Shanghai Nov. 5-10 signing several agreements, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration.  More than 1,000 representatives of Chinese companies visited the Kazakh pavilion that opened Nov. 6. Chinese companies expressed readiness to sign cooperation agreements with…

Kazakhstan Fulfills OPEC+ Obligations in October by 99 Percent

NUR-SULTAN  – Kazakhstan produced 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in October, achieving a 99 percent conformity under the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreement, reported the Kazakh Energy Ministry press service.  Under the agreement, Kazakhstan committed to cutting its oil production by 390,000 barrels per day.  This comes a few months after…

SCO Leaders Sign Moscow Declaration, Consolidate Efforts to Overcome COVID-19 Consequences

NUR-SULTAN – The Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states have signed a Moscow declaration and a package of documents at the SCO Heads of State Council held via video conference Nov. 10. The package is meant to expand member states’ cooperation across different areas and assist in a more coordinated approach to…

Tokayev Addresses SCO Heads of States Council

NUR-SULTAN – The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has evolved into one of the most successful international organizations and become an efficient tool to strengthen cooperation and trust between countries, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressing the video conference of the SCO Heads of State Council Nov. 10, reported Akorda press service. The meeting of the council,…

European Film Festival Kicks Off Virtually, Brings European Films to Wider Kazakh Audience

NUR-SULTAN – The European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan unveiled the fifth European online film festival Nov. 9, reported the delegation’s press service.  The festival, which brings 18 films from EU countries to a Kazakh audience, will run through Nov. 29. Its goal, according to the organizers, is to present the European film industry, boost people’s…

Kazakh Parties to Nominate Candidates For Parliamentary Elections

NUR-SULTAN – The upcoming week will be busy for Kazakh political parties, as the nomination of candidates kicked off Nov. 10 for the upcoming Majilis elections scheduled for Jan. 10 next year.  The Majilis is the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament consisting of 107 deputies, who are elected for a five-year term. Nine deputies…

President Tokayev Congratulates Joe Biden on His Victory

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 United States presidential elections after he passed the 270 electoral college threshold on Sunday, Nov. 7, needed to claim a victory in the presidential elections.  “My sincere congratulations to Mr. Joe Biden on his election as President of the…

Six Parties to Compete in Parliamentary Elections in January 2021

NUR-SULTAN – Six political parties will participate in the upcoming elections to the Majilis scheduled for Jan. 10, 2021, Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Thursday. The Majilis is the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament consisting of 107 deputies, who are elected for a five-year term. “As of November 2020, six political parties…

Flights to Turkestan from Nur-Sultan, Almaty to Launch in December

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s low-cost carrier Fly Arystan will launch flights to Turkestan from the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan and Almaty, the Civil Aviation Committee reported.  The airline will operate its first flight to Turkestan from Almaty Dec. 5 and from Nur-Sultan Dec. 1. It will fly twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from Nur-Sultan, and…

Kyrgyzstan A Strategic Partner, Brotherly State to Kazakhstan, Says Tokayev

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affairs Ruslan Kazakbayev in Nur-Sultan Oct. 30, reported the Akorda press service.  Tokayev commended the level of cooperation between the two neighboring countries.  “Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are the countries most close to one another. We are not divided by anything. On the contrary,…

President Tokayev Sends Condolences to Turkey Over Izmir Earthquake

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev extended his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a powerful earthquake that hit Turkey’s Aegean coast Oct. 30, reported the Akorda press service. At least 91 people were killed in a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, and the Aegean Sea. Rescue efforts to…