Articles by Assel Satubaldina

The fourth wave of financial assistance initiated by Biz Birgemiz (We are Together in Kazakh language) Fund will now reach 80,000 low-income families in the country’s rural areas.  The fund was created by Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in March. Nazarbayev made the purpose of the fund quite clear: the fund will be used “to…

“Til Kazyna” (Language is Treasure in Kazakh) Kazakh cultural center opened its doors in Brussels on June 19th with a mission to promote the diverse culture and rich history of Kazakhstan.  The center will offer Kazakh language and literature classes, organize seminars about the Kazakh history and culture as well as workshops in Kazakh craft…

NUR-SULTAN – Young and prominent Kazakh figure skater and world’s silver medalist Elizabet Tursynbaeva, 20, participated in the world’s biggest 24-hour online workout June 23 organized by the International Olympic Committee to mark Olympic Day – a holiday that commemorates the rebirth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894, and seeks to promote…

United States President Donald Trump sent a telegram to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulating him on his first year in the presidential office, reported Akorda.kz.  Tokayev was sworn into the office in June of 2019, after he won a landslide 71 percent of the votes in the elections, stressing his plans to continue the strategies…

Kazakh Energy Minister Nurlan Nogayev participated in the 19th Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) meeting which was held via videoconference, during which the world’s oil producers agreed to extend production cuts through July, based on their original agreement in April.   In April, the 23-member group and non-OPEC oil-producing nations,…

Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi addressed the high-level Belt and Road meeting titled “Belt and Road International Cooperation: Combating COVID-19 with Solidarity.” The online event was attended by foreign ministers and officials at the ministerial level from 25 countries as well as the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and United…

One hundred and forty-one passengers flew out of Almaty on June 20th en route to Antalya on the country’s first regular international flight since the lockdown began.  The flight was operated by Kazakhstan’s flagship airline Air Astana on its Airbus A321LR. The same day, Air Astana began operating its first international flight from the Kazakh…

In an interview with Kazakhstan’s InBusiness website, ABA (Advanced Bank of Asia) Bank Executive Director Madi Akmambet and CEO Askhat Azhikhanov shared their success story of turning a one-branch bank in Cambodia into a progressive and fast-growing commercial bank with more than 75 branches, 200 self-banking machines, 350 ATMs and 6,500 workers, who are almost…

The Kazakh government has announced the toughening of lockdown restrictions scheduled to take effect the upcoming weekend of June 20-21, as the nation witnessed a hike in coronavirus cases after it eased the restrictions in May.  As of today, the nation has reported 16,351 cases of which 10,195 have recovered. The death toll amounts to…

“Kieli Bi” (Sacred Dance in Kazakh) is a dance film produced by Dana Mussa and Alexander Murphy, which has made it into the official selection of the 48th annual Dance on Camera Festival in New York. The festival will take place online on July 17-20, while Mussa’s film is scheduled to be screened on July…

Kazakhstan’s digitization efforts have generated 800 billion tenge (US$1.97 billion) for the country’s economy in two years, said Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Development Askar Zhumagaliyev. It also created 120,000 jobs and attracted 32.8 billion tenge (US$80.7 million) of investment into the country. “Investments attracted to the innovative ecosystem and companies involved…

Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi participated in the June 12th Central Asia – European Union (EU) ministerial video conference attended by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell, as well as the Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.…

Starting from June 20, Kazakhstan will resume international flights to China, Georgia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey. This easing of restrictions is to be done in accordance with the decision of a governmental commission tasked with analyzing the risks and benefits of opening up Kazakhstan’s borders. The decisions are made taking into account the…

As cryptocurrencies continue to proliferate globally despite ongoing skepticism to their viability, Kazakhstan is making plans to attract 300 billion tenge (US$738.4 million) of investments in the next three years from cryptocurrencies and from investing in digital mining, said the Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Askar Zhumagaliyev as he addressed the…

A gradual recovery in the price of oil that plummeted to record low levels in March and reverberated throughout the global economy is still the main factor shoring up the value of the Kazakh national currency, said Deputy Chair of National Bank Aliya Moldabekova, as reported by Kapital.kz.  In March, the tenge weakened to a…

Kazakhstan’s gold and foreign exchange reserves reached a record high since 2017 amounting to $31.5 billion, said National Bank Deputy Chair Aliya Moldabekova. In May alone, the reserves grew by $950 million.  “The growth in our gold reserves is stimulated by an increase in foreign currency. Assets in free convertible currencies went up by more…

The European Union, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Kazakh government organized a webinar in early June to discuss measures to address the challenges posed by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that the Kazakh economy faces and the nation’s recovery plan, as well as to share the experience of the…

Similar to other global economies that suffered a serious slump worldwide as a direct consequence of the pandemic, economic growth in Kazakhstan fell by 1.7 percent since January compared to the same period in 2019, when the economy clocked in at a remarkable four percent growth, said Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin as he briefed…

The QazTrade trade policy development center recently launched an export accelerator program to help domestic exporters expand their export development opportunities with an intensive coaching seminar from experts and business consultants. The first stage of the program will focus on getting agriculture and food producers out onto the world markets, exporting their goods. The center…

Kazakhstan plans to bring the share of investments in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to 30 percent in the next five years, said Kazakh Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov.  “Investments are a basic condition of economic growth and they improve the welfare of the population. The pool of investment projects was formed for…

NUR-SULTAN – Whether it is the effect of the pandemic or the early arrival of warm weather, one can see more people cycling on the streets of Nur-Sultan and people flocking to bike stores to join in the new trend. One thing is clear – the rising popularity of sports culture is definitely a good…

Kazakhstan is considering the possibility of resuming international flights. On June 1, the governmental commission on the prevention of the spread of coronavirus allowed to explore the proposal to resume flights to South Korea, China, and Azerbaijan. “Why these three countries? First, the assessment was based on the COVID-19 epidemiological situation. There is an international…

In Kazakhstan, cities celebrated the Day of State Symbols on June 4. The symbols are tokens of nationhood and independence, conveying the meaning of the nation’s history, traditions, and ideals which unite the diverse population of Kazakhstan. You may not think of national symbols often, but whenever you hear the anthem or hold a flag,…

World Bank experts announced that the agricultural sector could help the five countries of Central Asia to stabilize their economies during and after the pandemic. Though the pandemic did not destabilize global food supply chains, its consequences can still undermine food security, agriculture, and trade in agriculture products in Central Asia, said World Bank’s Senior…

Kazakhstan celebrated June 1 as International Children’s Day with a range of festivities and online activities.  Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also congratulated his fellow citizens.  “This occasion reminds us of all adults’ responsibility for the well-being, health, and safety of the growing generation. Every child in our country deserves love, joy, and happy childhood!” wrote…