Articles by Assel Satubaldina

Dariga Nazarbayeva has been dismissed from her post as Senate Speaker, the country’s second-highest post, by the decree of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.  Maulen Ashimbayev, first deputy chief of the presidential administration, was unanimously voted in to replace her May 4 by a secret ballot among the remaining Senate deputies. He was nominated by President Tokayev…

As the ongoing pandemic and the forced government lockdown, the world has seen a sharp rise in domestic violence. Kazakhstan has been no exception, where domestic violence cases surged by 50 percent in Nur-Sultan, the new capital. Before the lockdown, the police received on average 50 calls in a month while in April there were…

NUR-SULTAN – A group of ten Chinese doctors visited Nur-Sultan, Karaganda and Almaty and stayed for 15 days in an effort to assist Kazakhstan in its ongoing efforts to fight COVID-19. They visited local health care facilities, trained medical workers online and offline, while focusing on some of the most severe cases and ways to…

NUR-SULTAN – United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Nur-Sultan Feb. 1-2, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to strengthen the United States’ strategic partnership with Kazakhstan. The visit was part of Pompeo’s multi-country tour, which began Jan. 29 in London. He them visited Kyiv and Minsk before coming to the Kazakh capital. His tour will finish…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has cancelled mandatory registration for foreign tourists staying in the country up to 30 days, as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the law Dec. 30. Foreign citizens were previously required to register at the migration office within five days of crossing the border. Those staying more than 30 days will need temporary registration. …

NUR-SULTAN – The government hosted a press conference Dec. 25 to share the country’s plans for next year, including increasing support for entrepreneurs and the social sector, reported the prime minister’s press service. Deputy Prime Minister Berdibek Saparbayev, Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov and Minister of Labour and Social Protection Birzhan Nurymbetov were in attendance. …

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced a package of significant political reforms, including on sensitive topics like public assembly, during the second meeting of the National Council of Public Trust, held Dec. 20 in the capital. The 44-member council was established July 17 to tackle some of the country’s most acute issues. The first…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan celebrated Industrialisation Day and honoured the country’s best domestic producers Dec. 13 during the Altyn Sapa annual awards ceremony, reported the prime minister’s press service. The award was established in 2006 in an effort to encourage industrial development and increase the quality of goods and services produced in the country. More than…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh economy grew 4.4 percent in the first eleven months of 2019, driven primarily by the country’s processing industry, services sector and construction, said Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov at the Dec. 13 government meeting. The 3.8-percent increase in the processing industry was stimulated by growth in car manufacturing (19.2 percent)…

NUR-SULTAN – The latest round of the Syrian talks, hosted Dec. 10-11 in Nur-Sultan, focused on the recent escalation of violence in Idlib in north-western Syria, emphasised the need to increase humanitarian assistance and ensure safe return of refugees and internally displaced people to their original place of residence in Syria. The talks organised in…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan celebrated the Day of the First President Dec. 1 with concerts, thematic exhibitions and firework displays. The holiday, established in recognition of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s achievements, has been commemorated annually since 2012. The day marks the date in 1991 when he was elected by popular vote in the country’s first-ever presidential election. Twenty-eight…

BAGHDAD – Kazakhstan returned 14 children from Iraq Nov. 27 after a nearly nine-month-long effort by the Kazakh government with the support of Iraqi officials. The mission, which included representatives of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, doctors, social workers and the media, travelled to Baghdad to pick up the youngsters on a chartered flight. The children…

NUR-SULTAN – Istanbul-based TAV Airports Holding may purchase Almaty Airport, currently owned by private company Venus Airport Investment B.V, said Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Beibit Atamkulov. The airport, built in 1935, is the largest in Kazakhstan. It accounts for half of the country’s passenger and 68 percent of its cargo traffic.  The…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Tourism, which oversees the nation’s travel industry, has made another push to bolster domestic tourism. Its second information excursion ended Nov. 9, reported the company press service.  The tour, which started Oct. 30, was part of a cycle of similar trips conducted in an effort to stimulate and tap into the potential…

NUR-SULTAN – Istanbul hosted the Kazakh Turkish Business Forum Nov. 10, where companies from the two countries signed 18 documents worth $1.5 billion to develop infrastructure, industry, transport and logistics, healthcare, public and private partnerships and the financial market.  Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin, as part of his official visit to the nation, and Turkish…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will conduct a comprehensive population census in October 2020. The nationwide survey will be the third since the country’s independence in 1991, with the others conducted in 1999 and 2009. As of November, the population is 18,580,330, with the biggest increases recorded in the capital; Almaty, the country’s largest city, and Turkestan.…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government will commit 421 billion tenge (US$1.08 billion) to support businesses as part of Business Road Map 2025, said Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The new programme, regulating business development and state support measures in this area, will be adopted by the end of…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and the Netherlands concluded five trade deals in The Hague during the Oct. 30 Kazakh-Dutch Business Council meeting. Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and other officials attended the meeting. The Netherlands is Kazakhstan’s largest foreign investor, injecting more than $92 billion in Kazakhstan since 1991. Investments from…

NUR-SULTAN – Shymkent will host the ninth Central Asia Trade Forum Nov. 12-13. Kazakhstan’s third largest city will welcome more than 450 business executives, government officials, small and medium-sized enterprises, international organisations and civil society leaders to explore horticulture innovation and investment, make trade deals and forge new partnerships.  The two-day forum, organised by the…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports presented amendments to the law on tourism Oct. 10 at the plenary session of the Kazakh Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament). The bill includes 60 amendments, including the introduction of a tax-free system and bed tax for foreign tourists.  The introduction of a tax-free system is…

NUR-SULTAN – QazTrade, established in September under the recently created Ministry of Trade and Integration, seeks to unify all support measures for Kazakh exporters, said QazTrade Director Arman Abenov in an interview with The Astana Times. Formerly the Centre for Trade Policy Development, QazTrade, will tackle fragmented state support, one of the main challenges faced…

NUR-SULTAN – Nur-Sultan hosted Oct. 9-10 the United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Summit on Urban Tourism. More than 700 delegates from 30 countries gathered to explore the definition of smart cities and smart destinations and the role of tourism in the development of cities. The two-day event, which also included the adoption of the…

NUR-SULTAN – One million trees will be planted in Kazakhstan as part of the nationwide environment campaign #Birge #JasylQazaqstan (which means Together and GreenKazakhstan).  The campaign started Oct. 12 and was initiated by the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources and personally Minister Magzum Mirzagaliyev.  “We launch #Birge #JasylQazaqstan campaign. We organise a mass…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan moved up four spots to 55th out of 141 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index published Oct. 9 by the World Economic Forum. The report assesses drivers of productivity and long-term economic growth.  Kazakhstan, with a score of 63 points, is positioned between Uruguay and Brunei Darussalam.  The report, in its 40th…

NUR-SULTAN – Valley Irrigation, the U.S.-based world leader in irrigation technologies, is seeking to help Kazakhstan ensure the efficient use of water resources, share advanced technologies with local farmers and maximise yields for the country’s agricultural sector, said Valmont Industries Regional Head for Europe and Eurasia Ruediger Claas.  Valmont Industries, which owns Valley Irrigation, has…