Articles by Assel Satubaldina

NUR-SULTAN – Cairo gathered businesses and government officials from Kazakhstan and Egypt Feb. 5-7 for the second Kazakh-Egyptian trade and investment forum, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service reported. Nearly 300 people attended the event.  The Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Almas Aidarov was represented by more than 60 companies from…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Odile Renaud-Basso discussed major infrastructure projects in road construction, renewable energy and hydro energy during their recent virtual meeting, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev said the EBRD, which invested $925 million in Kazakhstan in 2020 to support the country’s…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has reached an important milestone on its 30th independence anniversary. It is a time for concrete steps forward, and all measures and events should be focused on the younger generation, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the first meeting of the commission that oversees preparations to celebrate the 30th year of independence,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin encouraged the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting to strengthen the work of the Eurasian Economic Union as Kazakhstan assumed the role of the presidency in the union this year, the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service reported.  Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, Mamin said the commission adopted…

NUR-SULTAN – The number of coronavirus cases in Kazakhstan grew 1.4 fold since December, and the regions took stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. Over the past day, Kazakhstan registered 1,186 new cases. As of Feb. 5, Kazakhstan reported 192,825 cases since the pandemic began and 2,540 people died from it.…

NUR-SULTAN – Global economies continue reeling from the coronavirus outbreak and since last year many have been forced to endure a continued economic slowdown. For Kazakhstan, it was not time to put economic targets on hold, but to push forward to implement them, especially in the field of investments. In 2020, the Kazakh Invest national…

NUR-SULTAN – At the recent expanded government meeting on Jan. 26, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave instructions to the government meeting. A week later, the government gathered to report on how they are going to implement the tasks set by the head of the state, reported the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service. Speaking first, Kazakh…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will increase flights to Russia and Turkey, due to the January 28 decision of the government commission on the prevention of the spread of coronavirus infection, reported the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee press service.  The number of flights to Russia will increase from one to three per week for both sides between…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan introduced legislative changes to support investors. Starting this year, investors can conclude an investment agreement with the government without parliamentary ratification, said the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in a statement. The amendments were made to Kazakhstan’s business and tax code.  The investment agreement encompasses large projects with a volume of investments of at…

NUR-SULTAN  – Kazakhstan kicked off its mass vaccination Feb. 1 with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, reported Kazakh Healthcare Ministry press service. “We use global experience in fighting the epidemic, and the vaccine is the only reliable tool to fight the pandemic. All expenses to vaccinate the citizens are incurred by the state,” wrote Kazakh President…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired the third meeting of the Supreme Council for Reforms that focused on the implementation of the National Development Plan through 2025, a new state planning system, development of the public administration through 2030, among others projects, reported the Akorda press service. The meeting was attended by Kazakh Prime…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan reaffirmed its plans to transition to a Latin-based Kazakh alphabet, as the national commission that gathered Jan. 28 presented a new version of the Kazakh alphabet.  While the country plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its independence this year, the announcement comes as a step forward in its broader plan to…

NUR-SULTAN – Working hours for cafes, restaurants, and trade malls were restricted in Almaty, based on the Jan. 28 decree of Almaty’s chief sanitary doctor Zhandaberk Bekshin, among other restrictions. The new decree restricts the operating hours of trade malls from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and closes them for weekends.  Cafes and…

NUR-SULTAN – Plans for 2021 have been set for the Kazakh government, as Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined priorities and gave instruction to the cabinet, the Akorda press service reported.  Business and investment Supporting an economy that suffered from the coronavirus pandemic is the first priority.  “Businesses were hit by the pandemic and quarantine restrictions…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has entered the red zone, as it continues to witness rising coronavirus cases, said Kazakh Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoy during an expanded government meeting on Jan. 26 chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to the daily assessment of the epidemiological situation conducted by the ministry, there are eight regions in the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan welcomes the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that came into effect Jan. 22, said the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in a statement.  “The Treaty, adopted on July 7, 2017, with the support of 122 United Nations Member States, is an important step towards the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan took…

NUR-SULTAN  – The expanded government meeting chaired by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokaeyv identified seven priority areas for the year ahead, the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service reported.  This is the first expanded meeting for the new government following the January 10 parliamentary elections, as required by the constitution.  The government identified seven priority areas. These…

NUR-SULTAN – Starting January 23, Kazakh citizens are able to withdraw part of their pension savings to improve their housing conditions on an online platform run by the Otbasy Housing Construction and Saving Bank, a subsidiary of the Baiterek national holding.  The savings can be used to pay back a mortgage loan, buy new housing,…

NUR-SULTAN – A large green urban area will be built in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan that will include seven city parks, the city’s press service reported. It is part of the effort to make the capital more pedestrian friendly and people-oriented. The new urban space will have bike lanes and pedestrian walkways, a skatepark,…

NUR-SULTAN – The Turkestan Region in southern Kazakhstan attracted 703.3 billion tenge of investments (US$1.68 billion) in fixed capital, a 60 percent growth compared to 2019, the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service revealed. The region is among the country’s leaders in terms of investment growth rate and growth of gross regional product. The region’s social…

NUR-SULTAN – All foreign nationals whose legal permitting documents have expired or will expire until June 5, 2021, will be able to leave the country without an administrative fine, according to the recent decision of the interdepartmental commission on the prevention of coronavirus spread, said Sabyrzhan Seitzhanov, deputy chair of the migration committee at the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s fiscal deficit is expected to narrow to 2.1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product from the current 6.4 percent, said Fitch Rating analysts in their latest report devoted to the recent parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan.  The forecast along with a balanced budget, they explained, is due to the “tapering down of…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh feature film “The Crying Steppe” directed by Marina Kunarova has been included in the long list as Kazakhstan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards scheduled for April 25 this year.  The film tells the story behind real events that happened in Kazakhstan in 1931-33, when…

NUR-SULTAN – The year 2020 was harsh for many economies worldwide with capital cities everywhere going into lockdowns. For the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan, however, the last year has become a record one, as it attracted 1.1 trillion tenge (US$2.6 billion) of investments in 2020, according to the city’s press service.  It is 20 percent…

NUR-SULTAN – World famous Kazakh pop singer Dimash Kudaibergen has once again stunned the world. Kudaibergen’s online concert, his first during the pandemic, has gathered viewers from 100 countries worldwide.  The concert was streamed live Jan. 16 on the Tixr American streaming platform that previously hosted virtual large-scale concerts with millions of people for celebrities…