Articles by Assel Satubaldina

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…

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 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…

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…

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’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…

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…

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…

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 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…

The fifteen nations of the former Soviet Union that lost 26 million people in the Great Patriotic War together celebrated Victory Day on May 9 by singing one of the most popular war songs “Victory Day” online.  More than 1.2 million people from 60 countries took part in the project, part of the celebrations of…

Cities worldwide face an uncertain post-pandemic future, with many hard decisions ahead. The Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan is starting to slowly open back up, with the government easing some restrictions on businesses and ordinary citizens. The road back to normalcy will be long and hard with no one quite sure what post-pandemic life will look…

The Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) is supporting more than 20 investment projects in education that will create nearly 25,000 new spots in schools for students and 4,500 places in kindergarten for children in an effort to address the problem of overcrowded schools in Nur-Sultan, which is home to more than 1.2 million people. One of…

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) expects the economic growth in Central Asia to drop to 2.8 percent in 2020, citing COVID-19, lower petroleum prices, and stagnation in production among its list of reasons in its recent Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020. But the regional economies are expected to pick back up with growth returning to…

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…