Kazakhstan Returns $1.7 Billion of Illegally Withdrawn Assets
ASTANA – Kazakhstan returned over 760 billion tenge ($1.7 billion) in illegally withdrawn assets, including $575 million from foreign jurisdictions, according to the May 12 statement of the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office. The Supreme Court upheld 24 appeals of the Prosecutor General against decisions previously unreasonably made in favor of oligopolies. The courts also satisfied…
Challenges Facing Central Asian Region in Spotlight of Major Investors’ Forum in Almaty
ASTANA – Lack of access to the sea is a major disadvantage for Central Asian countries, as they miss out on 20% of their development potential, Chairman of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Management Board Nikolai Podguzov said at the 46th annual meeting of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific…
Kazakh Team Receives Hero’s Welcome After Outstanding Result at IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships
ASTANA – Kazakhstan national team, which finished second at the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Uzbekistan, received an overwhelming reception from their home country. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated the Kazakh boxers on Twitter on May 14. “I watched with interest the final fights of the World Boxing Championships. I wholeheartedly congratulate Sanzhar…
Number of Employed in Kazakhstan Approaches Nine Million in 2022
ASTANA – The number of employed people in Kazakhstan approached nine million in the fourth quarter of 2022, a 1.7% increase from the previous year, finprom.kz reported on May 11. The city of Almaty, as well as the Turkistan and Almaty regions registered the highest number of employed people. Lowest employment is in the Ulytau,…
Kazakhstan Plans to Increase Grain Export to China to One Million Tons
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to bring grain exports to China to one million tons per year and increase the number of companies supplying meat, Kazakh Agriculture Minister Yerbol Karashukeyev said at the meetings with China’s leading agricultural companies in Beijing, the ministry’s press service reported on May 11. Karashukeyev outlined broad prospects for growth…
Kazakh IT Specialists Make First Animated Blockbuster
ASTANA – IT professionals from Shymkent are making an animated film on the centuries-old struggle of Kazakh people for freedom and independence, a local Otyrar TV channel reported on May 4. The plot is based on the Kazakh people’s fight for freedom and independence against the Dzungar people and their numerous invasions. According to the…
Kazakh President Outlines Defense Sector Priorities
ASTANA – The Armed Forces of Kazakhstan must protect the fundamental values of peace and tranquility amid conflicts, President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a May 5 expanded meeting on the development of the army, the Akorda press service reported. The role of the army has increased, the President stressed, noting that providing…
Cash Withdrawals Continue to Decrease, Reaching Around 15%
ASTANA – The number of cash withdrawals in Kazakhstan made up 14.8% of the country’s total transactions in January-February, continuing to decrease yearly since 2020, when Kazakhstan witnessed the most significant drop in cash withdrawals due to the pandemic, Ranking.kz monitoring agency reported on May 4, citing data from the National Bank. The value of…
Kazakhstan Begins Preparations for Fifth World Nomad Games
ASTANA – It is time to start preparing for the Fifth World Nomad Games scheduled for Sept. 8-15 next year in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister Altai Kulginov said at a May 4 meeting, echoing the President’s instruction to host the games at the highest level, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set…
Kazakhstan and France Expand Bilateral Cooperation
ASTANA – France is one of the key trade, economic and strategic partners of Kazakhstan in the European region, and one of the top five major investors, Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Marat Karabayev said at the 15th session of the Kazakh-French Intergovernmental Commission. Karabayev co-chaired the event with Olivier Becht, Minister-Delegate for…
Kazakh Foreign Ministry: Visa-Free Regime Between Kazakhstan and China Applies Only to Tourist and Business Purposes
ASTANA – The visa-free regime between Kazakhstan and China will only apply to tourist and business trips and will not cover work purposes, spokesperson of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry Aibek Smadiyarov announced at a May 2 press briefing. Smadiyarov noted that the mutual visa-free regime between the two countries would let Kazakh citizens stay in…
FIFA to Assist Kazakhstan in Football Development
ASTANA – The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is ready to share international experience and help Kazakh football develop, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino at a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on May 3, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev congratulated Infantino on his recent re-election as FIFA President and thanked him for his…
Kazakhstan and Tajikistan Sign Agreements Worth $1.8 Billion
ASTANA – Kazakh and Tajik entrepreneurs signed 39 commercial contracts and agreements worth over $ 1.8 billion at Kazakhstan-Tajik Business Forum on May 3, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration. According to the Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin, the business forum, which was held in Astana on…
Foreign Investors to Launch Two Agro-Processing Plants in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Chinese and Turkish companies will invest in two agro-processing projects in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Agriculture announced on May 2 following a meeting between Minister Yerbol Karashukeyev and foreign investors. China’s Wanlin Group Limited is set to build a plant for producing dehydrated onions in the Zhambyl Region in three phases within five…
President Tokayev Praises Kazakh-French Relations
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev lauded the Kazakh-French relations during a meeting with Olivier Becht, the co-chairman of the Kazakh-French Intergovernmental Commission, stating that Becht’s first visit to Kazakhstan will strengthen their strategic partnership in all areas, the Akorda press service reported on May 2. Tokayev and Becht discussed the implementation of trade, economic, and…
Eurasian Creative Guild, British Hertfordshire Press Publish Works of Five Kazakh Artists
ASTANA – Five artists from Kazakhstan had their works published in The Great Steppe Treasury, a long-awaited art catalog launched by the Eurasian Creative Guild (ECG) and the British publishing house Hertfordshire Press, the ECG press service reported on April 19. The Great Steppe Treasury is a vibrant collection of visual artworks of the Eurasian…
Kazakhstan Continues to Evacuate Citizens from Sudan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has continued to evacuate its citizens from Sudan amid fierce fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces that started on April 15, the Kazakh Embassy in Ethiopia informed on April 26. A 72-hour ceasefire that was in place for the Muslim holiday of Eid on April 21 crumbled…
Interethnic Harmony is Key to Building Nation, Says Kazakh State Counselor
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s address at the 32nd Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (APK) session demonstrated the fundamental importance of interethnic harmony and unity for building a nation, wrote State Counselor Erlan Karin on his Telegram channel following the April 27 plenary session of the APK. Karin noted the key message of Tokayev’s address…
Kazakhstan Prioritizes Strategic Partnership with China
ASTANA – The strategic partnership with China remains one of the priorities of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu said during talks with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang during the fourth Central Asia – China foreign ministers’ meeting on April 27 in Xi’an. According to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press…
Kazakhstan Sees Booming Trade and Investment Relations with Italy
ASTANA – Kazakh-Italian business forum titled Kazakhstan – the Country of Great Opportunities took place on April 26 in Milan, focusing on trade and investment relations between the two countries, the Kazakh Embassy in Italy reported. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Italy Yerbolat Sembayev said Italy is the leading trading partner of Kazakhstan in Europe and…
Kazatomprom Set to Build Sulfuric Acid Plant in Turkistan Region
ASTANA – Kazatomprom national atomic company has received a certificate of state registration for a new enterprise Taiqonyr Qyshqyl Zauyty to build a sulfuric acid plant in the Sozak district of the Turkistan Region, the company’s press service announced on April 24. Located near mines, the plant will allow Kazatomprom to have an additional reliable…
Kazakhstan, South Korea Sign Trilateral Memorandum to Boost Tourism
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana, Kazakh Tourism national company and the Korea Tourism Organization signed a trilateral memorandum to expand cooperation in the tourism sector, Air Astana’s press service reported on April 24. The participants committed to expanding Kazakh-Korean cooperation in tourism and increasing the tourist flow to both countries. The key conditions…
Former Security Chief Massimov Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison
ASTANA – A specialized inter-district court for criminal cases in Astana has sentenced former National Security Committee Chair Karim Massimov to 18 years in prison on April 24 on charges of high treason, abuse of power, and actions aimed at violently seizing power, reported the court’s press service. Massimov, 57, was dismissed by President Kassym-Jomart…
CICA Inches Closer to Becoming Full-Fledged International Organization
ASTANA – The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is in the midst of the process of transforming from an intergovernmental forum to a full-fledged international organization. The draft roadmap outlining practical steps towards this goal was at the focus of an April 19 meeting of the CICA Senior Officials Committee, reported…
Air China Resumes Direct Flights to Kazakhstan
ASTANA – China’s flagship carrier Air China has resumed direct flights along the Beijing-Xi’an-Astana route on April 21, the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee reported after a deal with Chinese aviation authorities. Flights will be operated by the Airbus A320 aircraft three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Starting in June, Kazakhstan’s national carrier…
