Agriculture Industry Could Stabilize Post-Pandemic Economies of Central Asia, According to World Bank
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 Celebrates International Children’s Day
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…
Kazakhstan Lifts Police Checkpoints Between Regions, Reopens Gyms and Kindergartens
June 1st in Kazakhstan gave many a reason to celebrate not only because of the long-awaited arrival of summer but also because of the ease-up of the lockdown in the country, as Kazakhstan took down police checkpoints that restrained movement between the regions and allowed gyms and kindergartens to begin reopening at limited capacity. While…
Internet Providers Biggest Winners During Lockdown, Experience Huge Growth Since January
The mandatory lockdowns have forced people in Kazakhstan to spend more time online. Internet providers, as a result, have generated the huge sum of 102.7 billion tenge (US$247.9 million) among other telecom services between January and April in Kazakhstan, growing from 90.6 billion tenge (US$217.9 million) in the same period in 2019, according to FinProm…
Tokayev Stresses Need to Promote Vocational Training For Soldiers Serving in Armed Forces
The armed forces should be given more opportunities to pursue vocational training, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the third meeting of the National Council of Public Trust. “In addition to fulfilling one’s military duty, military service should instill a certain set of professional skills that can be used later on in life,” said Tokayev.…
Tokayev Chairs Third Meeting of National Council of Public Trust to Restructure Education System
On May 27, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed a major reshuffle of the nation’s education system as he chaired the third meeting of the National Council of Public Trust focusing on the development of human capital in Kazakhstan. The 44-member council was established in July 2019 to tackle some of the country’s most acute issues.…
Tokayev Warns Citizens To Stay Vigilant Amid Recent Daily COVID-19 Infection Spike
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev warned citizens to take all necessary precautions amid the pandemic and instructed the government to address the growing number of COVID-19 cases, as the country continues to ease lockdown restrictions. “Lockdown measures are not being followed in cities, which leads to an increasing number of coronavirus cases. The government, regional akims…
Kazakhstan Celebrates Eid al-Fitr In Lockdown
As the Holy Month of Ramadan came to an end, Muslims around the world, and in Kazakhstan, celebrated Eid al-Fitr, also known as Eid, on Sunday May 24. But while the world is still struggling to curb the pandemic, this year’s Ramadan, which started April 24 and ended May 23, and Eid, brought a very…
Tokayev, Nazarbayev Congratulate Citizens on the End of Ramadan
As the Holy Month of Ramadan came to an end, Muslims around the world, and in Kazakhstan, celebrated Eid al-Fitr, also known as Eid, on Sunday May 24. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated his fellow citizens on the occasion. “Oraza Ait (Eid al-Fitr in Kazakh) embodies kindness and blessing, a continuation of the Holy Month…
Chinese Fan Club Plants 2,780 Trees to Mark Pop Legend Dimash Kudaibergen’s 26 Birthday (Video)
The official fan club of popular Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen, or Dimash, as he is known to millions of his fans throughout the world, planted 2,780 trees in northwestern China to celebrate Dimash’s birthday on May 24 as part of China’s Million Forest effort. Dimash was trained in classical and contemporary music and has become…
Kazakhstan to Lift Export Restrictions On Agricultural Products By Beginning of June
Kazakhstan will lift agricultural export restrictions and quotas starting June 1, said Kazakh Agriculture Minister Saparkhan Omarov. Kazakhstan, the world’s top wheat producer, introduced wheat and flour export quotas in March at 200,000 tonnes and 70,000 tonnes respectively to ensure domestic supply amid the pandemic and banned export of buckwheat, white sugar, potatoes, onions, garlic,…
Kazakhstan Commits To New OPEC Agreement, Lower Oil Production
Kazakhstan is committed to cutting its oil production by 390,000 barrels a day as part of the newly-minted agreement between the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, which includes Kazakhstan. In April, OPEC and the OPEC+ nations agreed to a historic 10 million barrel per day production cut…
Tokayev, Guterres Discuss Plan to Fight Pandemic Over Teleconference
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted a teleconference to discuss practical measures taken by Kazakhstan and the United Nations to tackle the pandemic. Tokayev praised the UN Secretary-General’s active actions to ease the negative impact of the pandemic on national healthcare systems and stressed the central role of the…
Nine Renewable Energy Projects to Be Launched in Kazakhstan By December
Nineteen renewable energy projects worth $1.1 billion are now officially on the docket for Kazakhstan’s latest effort to go green and diversify its energy supply. Nine projects will be launched by December supported by Kazakh Invest, which is the main company responsible for overseeing the country’s investments and assisting investors who want to get involved…
President Tokayev Celebrates 67th Birthday in Lockdown Because of Coronavirus
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned 67 years old on May 17, and had to celebrate his birthday under lockdown. “Media representatives kept asking me to share details about how the President would celebrate his birthday. This year, May 17 falls on Sunday so Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will work from home. There will be no events. The…
Citizens Self-Mobilize to Bring Aid to Needy, Coordinate Relief in Kazakhstan
The global economy is reeling and countries are scrambling to deal with the consequences of the global lockdown that was implemented to deal with the pandemic. For the people forced to live through the lockdown, the future looks bleak as they prepare for more struggle. But not everything is doom and gloom. As coronavirus spread…
Kazakhstan to Reopen Religious Gathering Places and Cafes At Limited Capacity
After nearly two months in lockdown, life in Kazakhstan is slowly returning to normal, as Kazakhstan moves to reopen places of worship, hotels, small cafes, and summer terraces by May 18. Starting on May 13, domestic flights resumed between Shymkent, Aktau, Uralsk, Zhezkazgan, Balkhash, Urdzhar, and Zaisan. The interdepartmental commission chaired by Kazakh Deputy Prime…
Kyrgyz President Thanks Kazakhstan For Providing Humanitarian Aid Amid Pandemic
Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov sent a telegram to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressing deep gratitude to his neighbour country for the humanitarian aid and support provided by Kazakhstan in the fight against coronavirus that had a significant adverse impact on the Central Asian economies. “We appreciate the support of brotherly nations in difficult times as…
Wildlife Reclaims Almaty Lake Thanks to Lockdown Measures (Video)
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people in Kazakhstan to stay at home and follow social distancing rules, and while for many this has turned out to be a life-shattering experience thanks to the economy collapsing, for the wildlife near the Big Almaty Lake this has been a chance to reclaim natural areas, usually bustling with…
Oil Price Plunge May Bring Kazakh GDP Down 2.7 Percent
The Kazakh economy may lose 2.3 to 2.7 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) should oil prices remain at the same low levels, said FinReview in its recent report. Oil has been an economic boon for Kazakhstan, a country that has always relied on its windfall oil and gas revenues that make up 40…
Kazakhstan Foreign Trade Grew 2.7 Percent in First Quarter of 2020
Kazakhstan’s foreign trade turnover grew 2.7 percent in the first quarter of 2020 reaching $21 billion, said Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Bakhyt Sultanov at a selective government meeting on May 12 chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin. The first four months, however, showed a significant downturn in domestic trade. The volume index…
Citizen Hotline Offers $25,000 Reward For Reporting Corruption to Authorities
Kazakh citizens can now receive up to 10.6 million tenge (US$25,129) for their efforts reporting corruption, according to Kazakh Anti-Corruption Agency’s Partnership Department Head Rasul Medetov. This year, financial rewards for reporting corruption were increased. If earlier, the reward was approximately 250,000 tenge (US$593), today there is an opportunity to get a reward of up…
Almaty Airport Sold For $415 Million to Turkish TAV Airport Investment Company
A consortium of Istanbul-based TAV Airports Holding and VPE capital, a Russian investment fund, purchased the shares of Kazakhstan’s busiest Almaty Airport and the related jet fuel and catering businesses for $415 million. The negotiations were held with its former owner – Venus Airport Investment – which went public in 2019. TAV Airports will be…
President Tokayev Announces End of Emergency, Mulls Progressive Income Tax to Address Social Inequality
Kazakhstan ended the state of emergency on May 11, but decided to keep lockdown measures in place until the situation improves in each region, according to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a meeting with the government commission that will now become dedicated to leading the economic recovery effort. The state of emergency was first declared…
Kazakhstan Celebrates Victory Day Without Parade, Lockdown Orders Due to Coronavirus
Kazakhstan has marked the 75th anniversary of Victory Day on May 9, one of the country’s most important holidays. In any other year, squares across Kazakhstan would be filled with military parades, people marching to commemorate the memory of war veterans and various festivities, but this year was an exception, as the ongoing pandemic forced…
