Kazakhstan Approves Concept for Development of Hydrogen Energy Until 2030
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry has officially endorsed the concept for the development of hydrogen energy in Kazakhstan until 2030 on Sept. 27. This document will become a key guideline for the development of the hydrogen energy sector in the country and will make a significant contribution to solving environmental challenges. The concept includes such…
Kazakhstan is Armenia’s Friendly, Important & Reliable Partner, Says Vahagn Khachaturyan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is Armenia’s friendly, important and reliable partner, said President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, in an interview with Kazinform, focusing on the development of bilateral relations with Kazakhstan and promising opportunities for cooperation. Khachaturyan, who paid an official visit to Kazakhstan on Oct. 15-16, met with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, toured the…
Kazakhstan Eases Rules for Int’l Banks to Increase Competition
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to introduce amendments to law on financial market development and consumer protection in financial services to attract foreign financial institutions and increase competition in the banking sector, said Madina Abylkassymova, chairperson of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market during an Oct. 16 plenary session in the Mazhilis,…
Kazakh PM Addresses Prospects for Strengthening SCO Cooperation at Islamabad Meeting
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov outlined key areas for strengthening cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states during an Oct. 16 SCO Heads of Government Council meeting in Islamabad. According to the Prime Minister’s press service, the meeting participants discussed the implementation of the agreements reached at the SCO summit in…
CONNECTED-2024 to Spotlight Redesign of Global Education System in Astana
ASTANA – The CONNECTED-2024, an international conference about rethinking the image of the future through the prism of the worldview of cultures and philosophies, technologies and innovations, will bring together nearly 1,500 delegates from more than 20 countries in the Kazakh capital on Oct. 18-19 Participants will discuss such topics as generating intellectual capital for…
Telegram to Open Office in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Telegram, a cloud-based, cross-platform, social media and instant messaging service, is set to open an office in Kazakhstan, said Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev on Oct. 14, following a meeting with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and representatives of Meta and Apple. “We cooperate with Telegram to…
Kazakhstan, Armenia Advance Political, Economic & Cultural Partnership
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan discussed prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres during an Oct. 15 meeting. Welcoming Khachaturyan, Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan is interested in advancing the Kazakh-Armenian cooperation to a qualitatively new level, as reported by Akorda. …
Kazakhstan, EU Deepen Economic Ties, Expand Business Cooperation
ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu paid an official visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on Oct. 14 to attend the 21st meeting of the European Union-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council and enhance cooperation with EU companies. During the Cooperation Council, participants discussed the current state of relations between Kazakhstan and…
Central Asian States, South Korea Promote Parliamentary Cooperation
ASTANA – Central Asian states and South Korea held the second parliamentary meeting to promote cooperation and mutual trust on Oct. 14 in Ashgabat. During the Partnership for Peace, Prosperity and Mutual Trust plenary session, Chairman of Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament Yerlan Koshanov emphasized the relevance of the proposed topic against…
Kazakh Farmers Expect Record Harvest This Year
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to harvest a record-breaking 1.2 million tons of sugar beet this year, said Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov during an Oct. 14 meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The sides discussed the agricultural sector’s development results over the January-September period, reported Akorda. According to Saparov, 98% of the area has been harvested, and…
Kazakhstan’s Film Triumphs at Baku International Film Festival 2024
ASTANA – The Kazakh film “Bauryna Salu” (Adoption) by Askhat Kuchincherekov secured high award at the Baku International Film Festival 2024, which took place on Oct. 4-8. According to the Kazakh Culture and Information Ministry, head of the jury, laureate of the Golden Globe award Siddik Bayram highly assessed the Kazakh movie. He described “Bauryna…
Tokayev Highlights Magtymguly Pyragy’s Rich Spiritual Legacy at International Forum in Ashgabat
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev participated in the international forum, Interconnection of Times and Civilizations – the Basis of Peace and Development, on Oct. 11 in Ashgabat to mark the 300th birth anniversary of Turkmen poet Magtymguly Pyragy. In his speech, Tokayev highlighted Magtymguly’s role as the founder of Turkmen classical literature and a…
SCAT Airlines to Launch Direct Flights Between Kazakhstan & Austria in Spring 2025
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines plans to launch direct flights between Kazakhstan and Austria in the spring next year. The flights will be operated twice a week. This was announced during the ninth meeting of the Kazakhstan-Austria Business Council, reported the Kazakh Transport Ministry’s press service on Oct. 11. The meeting was attended by Kazakh…
News Digest: Foreign Media on Kazakh-Turkmen Cooperation, Nuclear Power Plant Referendum and More
ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers Kazakh-Turkmen cooperation, nuclear power plant referendum, European investments in Kazakhstan and more. Kazakhstan backs nuclear plant in referendum Bloomberg published an article on Oct. 7 reporting on the results of the nuclear power plant referendum,…
Qatar to Invest $20 Billion in Nine Projects in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Qatar will invest $20 billion to implement nine projects in Kazakhstan, according to the agreement on long-term strategic partnership, approved by the Senate, the upper house of the Kazakh Parliament, on Oct. 10. The document provides for the implementation of investment projects in Kazakhstan in telecommunications, energy, transport, petrochemicals, agriculture and finance. The…
National Bank of Kazakhstan Keeps Base Rate at 14.25%
ASTANA – The Monetary Policy Committee of the National Bank of Kazakhstan has decided to keep the base rate at 14.25% per annum with a corridor of +/- 1 percentage point, the bank’s press service reported on Oct. 11. Despite a decline to 8.3% in September, annual inflation still significantly exceeds the target. The inflation…
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan to Build Trans-Afghan Corridor
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan will build the trans-Afghan corridor, according to the documents signed during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Turkmenistan on Oct. 10. The route will run through the territory of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, then to Afghanistan with access to Pakistan, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, said Kazakh Transport Minister Marat Karabayev,…
Kazakhstan Intensifies Efforts to Preserve Northern Aral Sea, as Water Levels Rise
ASTANA – For the first time in five years, Kazakhstan has nearly fulfilled its water delivery target to the Aral Sea during the irrigation season, supplying 977 million cubic meters of water. In recent years, only 350-400 million cubic meters of water entered the sea. Since the beginning of the year, the volume has exceeded…
Kazakhstan, Hungary Strengthen Inter-Parliamentary, Cultural Ties
ASTANA — Yerlan Koshanov, Chairman of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament, made an official visit to Hungary on Oct. 6, where he met with the country’s leadership in a significant step toward deepening bilateral relations, according to the Mazhilis press service. In Budapest, Koshanov held discussions with the President of Hungary, Tamás…
Qatar’s Lesha Bank Finalizes Acquisition of Kazakhstan’s Bereke Bank
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Baiterek National Holding and Qatar’s Lesha Bank announced on Oct. 8 the completion of the transaction, transferring full ownership of Bereke Bank with the sale of 100% of its shares. “Bereke Bank is one of Kazakhstan’s largest banks and will continue to fulfill all its obligations to clients. The bank maintains the…
Kazakh, Foreign Airlines Operate 778 Weekly Flights in 32 Countries
ASTANA – Kazakh and foreign airlines operate 778 weekly flights to 132 destinations in 32 countries, reported the Transport Ministry’s press service on Oct. 8. Kazakhstan has direct flights to 32 countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, China, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. This year, new air routes were opened from Almaty…
Kazakhstan’s CodiPlay Becomes Central Asia’s First Ed-Tech Startup to Earn Prestigious Finnish Quality Certification
ASTANA—Kazakhstan’s ed-tech startup CodiPlay has become the first project in Central Asia to receive the Finnish Quality Certificate from Education Alliance Finland, a certifier of ed-tech solutions. This certificate will enable the project to become internationally competitive. Education Alliance Finland provides a product evaluation and certification service based on global quality standards for learning solutions.…
Kazakhstan to Host World Judo Championships in 2027
ASTANA – Kazakhstan will hold the World Judo Championships in 2027, according to an agreement reached between Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerbol Myrzabossynov and President of the International Judo Federation (IJF) Marius Vizer in Budapest. “This is not only a great honor for the country, but also a good opportunity for Kazakh athletes…
Kazakhstan Ranks Among Top Ten Nations With Highest Increase in Gold Reserves
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is placed seventh on the list of nations most actively expanding their gold reserves. A review of the 10-year period from 2013 to 2023 reveals that Kazakhstan boosted its gold reserves by 151 tons, placing it in seventh place worldwide, reported Kazinform on Oct. 9. Russia claimed the top spot with an…
Swiss Company Launches Major Reforestation Initiative Across 14,500 Hectares in Akmola Region
ASTANA – A Swiss company launched a pilot project in the Akmola Region, aiming to reforest an area of 14,500 hectares, said Kazakh Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev at an Oct. 8 government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. During the meeting, Nyssanbayev highlighted key measures to preserve and increase forest…
