President Addresses Environmental Issues, Tourism Potential, Defends the Indivisible Kazakhstan
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the main directions of the Atyrau Region’s development at a meeting with the public in Atyrau on Nov. 8. The address touched upon plans to transform the region into a petrochemical cluster, the principles of an indivisible Kazakhstan, challenges to the environment, among other things. Here are the…
Kazakh Internal Affairs Authorities Finish Pre-Trial Investigation into January Events
ASTANA – The Kazakh internal affairs authorities have finished pre-trial proceedings of 1,125 cases related to the January event’s participants within their competence, said Chief of Investigation Department Sanzhar Adilov at the Central Communications Service briefing on Nov. 7. “Police conducted about 45,000 investigative actions, interviewed more than 16,000 residents and reviewed more than 3,000…
Iran Introduces Visa-Free Regime for Kazakh Citizens
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s citizens will be able to visit Iran every six months without a visa starting from Nov. 11, said Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov during a Nov. 7 briefing, reported the ministry’s press service. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has implemented a visa-free regime for Kazakh citizens, allowing them…
National Security Committee’s Former Bosses Brought to Justice
ASTANA – The criminal cases against former head of the National Security Committee (NSC) Karim Massimov and his deputy Anuar Sadykulov have been presented for consideration to the city’s specialized inter-district criminal court, reported the Prosecutor General’s Office press service on Nov. 7. Massimov and his deputies were arrested on Jan. 6 on suspicion of…
Kazakhstan to Export Products to Asia-Pacific Region Through China’s Qingdao Port
ASTANA – China’s Qingdao international port is ready to export Kazakh products to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, said Xu Xiang, Director of the Administrative Department of Qingdao Port International Container Development, during а Nov. 4 meeting with the Kazakh Invest National Company in Astana, reported the Kazakh Invest press service. Located on the…
Idea of Justice Should Always Be Top Priority, Says Kazakh President Tokayev in Aktau
ASTANA – The idea of justice should always be a priority of Kazakhstan’s state policy, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a Nov. 7 meeting with the public of the Mangystau Region as part of his working visit to Aktau, reported the Akorda press service. According to Tokayev, the country’s economy should work for the well-being…
Air Astana Resumes Flights to Beijing in November
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana is set to resume regular flights to Beijing from Almaty on Airbus A321 LR once a week on Tuesdays from Nov. 22, reported the airline’s press service. Travelers should quarantine themselves for ten days upon arriving in Beijing. Passengers should also apply for a health code in a…
Six Organizations to Conduct Exit Polls on Election Day in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Six organizations submitted notifications to Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) to conduct public opinion polls on the upcoming presidential elections, reported the CEC press service. The Qogamdyq Pikir (public opinion) Research Institute will deal with data entry and processing and the output of one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional tables using the SPSS program. The…
Tokayev Addresses Diplomatic Missions in Astana, Reasserts Commitment to Economic Demonopolization and a Constructive Foreign Policy
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the nation’s reforms, the continued democratization process and the socioeconomic development of the country at a Nov. 4 meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Kazakhstan, reported the presidential press service. Tokayev noted that the country’s upcoming elections will lay down a “new…
Kazakh National Bank Releases Manshuk Mametova Collectible Coins
ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan released a new batch of collectible coins dedicated to World War II hero Manshuk Mametova, reported the National Bank’s press service on Nov. 4. The coin were released in honor of Mametova’s 100 birth anniversary. It is a 100-tenge coin made of high-quality melchior alloy. Overall, 15,000 coins…
Kazakhstan and Iran Ink Agreement to Increase Cargo Traffic
ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of trade, transport and logistics on Nov. 3, which included increasing cargo traffic with Iran from one to four million tons a year, reported Kazakhstan’s Central Communications Service. Zhumangarin paid an official visit…
Kazakhstan and UAE Seek to Build Up Effective Multilateral Partnership
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed their readiness to strengthen multilateral partnership during the visit of Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi to Abu Dhabi on Nov. 3, reported the Kazakh MFA press service. During his visit, Tileuberdi took part in the fifth round of political…
Qatar Airways to Increase Flights to Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Qatar Airways is set to increase the number of scheduled passenger flights between Almaty and Doha from four to seven flights per week starting Jan. 3, 2023, the Kazakh Civil Aviation Committee press service reported on Nov. 3. The airline also plans to launch flights between Astana and Doha in the spring-summer of…
Prosecutor General’s Office Returns $1.35 Billion of Illegally Obtained Assets
ASTANA – The Asset Recovery Commission has returned more than 630 billion tenge (US$1.35 billion) of illegally obtained assets to the state, including US$400 million from overseas, said Kazakh Prosecutor General Berik Asylov at a Nov. 2 meeting in Astana, reported the Prosecutor General’s Office press service. According to the prosecutor, the commission initiated the …
Istanbul International Conference Celebrates 150th Anniversary of Kazakh Scholar Akhmet Baitursynov With Book and Photo Exhibitions
ASTANA – Akhmet Baitursynov, a Kazakh academic, statesman, linguist, and poet, is a major figure for all Turkic peoples, said Kazakh Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Talgat Yeshenkulov at a Nov. 1 international conference dedicated at the Istanbul University, reported the Foreign Ministry’s press service. The conference featured book and photo exhibitions dedicated…
Kazakh National Bank, International Payment Systems Agree to Reduce Domestic Interchange Fees
ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan and Visa, MasterCard and the UnionPay international payment card systems signed an agreement to reduce the margin values of rates of interbank fees for non-cash payments using payment cards (affecting the interchange rates), reported the bank’s press service on Nov. 3. Interchange is included in the acquirer fees…
President Tokayev Signs Law on Amnesty For Participants in January Riots
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed on Nov. 2 the law providing amnesty to many of the participants of the January riots, reported the Akorda press service. “I have decided to conduct a one-time amnesty for participants in the January events. With humanism, we, as a nation, will learn from this tragedy and not…
No Littering in Nature Campaign Ends in Kazakhstan, After Involving Nearly 850,000 People
ASTANA – A nationwide nature clean-up campaign dubbed the No Littering in Nature ended on Oct. 29, involving more than 847,000 people after collecting and sorting more than 30,000 tons of waste, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources. Up to 5,500 tons of glass, 9,200 tons of plastic, 3,100 tons of…
Kazakh Prime Minister Calls on SCO Members to Ensure Food Security and Develop Transport Corridors
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov highlighted the significance of combining efforts to ensure food security and develop transport corridors at the 21 meeting of the Heads of Government Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states held online on Nov. 1, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. “Kazakhstan is ready to contribute…
Nearly 12 Million People in Kazakhstan Eligible to Vote in Presidential Elections
ASTANA – Nearly 12 million people are eligible to cast their votes in the Nov. 20 presidential elections, announced the Central Election Commission (CEC). “The total number of voters is 11,950,485. The number of ballots for the extraordinary elections of the President of Kazakhstan, scheduled for Nov. 20, including a reserve of 1 percent of…
French La Tribune Newspaper Publishes Article on Kazakhstan’s Crypto Market Prospects
ASTANA – The La Tribune French weekly financial newspaper, published an opinion article on Oct. 31 where Jean-Louis Guenego, former professor in physics at the University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée and developer of decentralized communication and data storage protocols, welcomes Kazakhstan’s efforts to become a new crypto hub in Central Asia. According to Guenego, owing to…
University of Calgary Among Four Foreign Universities Set to Open Branches in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – The University of Calgary, one of Canada’s top research institutions, plans to open a branch at Shakarim State University in Semei, said Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek at a Nov. 1 government meeting, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The University of Calgary is among four renowned foreign universities to…
Members of Kazakh, German Parliaments Seek to Strengthen Bilateral Ties
ASTANA – Kazakh and German parliaments should strengthen bilateral interaction, said Member of German Bundestag Andreas Larem at an Oct. 31 meeting with deputies of the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, reported the Mazhilis press service. The sides met as part of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s visit to the Kazakh capital.…
CEC Accredits 63 More International Observers Ahead of Upcoming Presidential Election
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) accredited another 63 observers from four international organizations and five countries for the presidential elections on Nov. 20, reported the CEC press service. This brings the total number of observers to 106, including 43 international observers that the CEC accredited on Oct. 17. Four international organizations nominated 54…
Film About Kazakh Poet Mukagali Mukatayev Wins Top Prize at META Film Fest in Dubai
ASTANA – The “Mukagali” feature film of Kazakh director Bulat Kalymbetov won the top prize at the META Film Fest, which took place on Oct. 27-29 in Dubai, reported the Kazakhfilm studio’s press service. The film, dedicated to the 90th birth anniversary of the famous Kazakh poet Mukagali Makatayev, depicts the story of his final…