Kazakhstan repatriates 14 children from Iraq
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…
Almaty Airport may be sold to Turkish-French TAV Airports Holding
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…
Kazakh Tourism takes 22 tour companies on informational tour of the country
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…
Kazakh, Turkish businesses ink deals worth $1.5 billion
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…
Kazakhstan to conduct population census in October 2020
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.…
Kazakhstan to allocate more than $1 billion to support businesses through 2025
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…
Five trade deals reached during Kazakh-Dutch Business Council
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…
Shymkent to host ninth Central Asia Trade Forum
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…
Kazakhstan to introduce tax-free system, bed tax, among other measures to increase tourism
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…
QazTrade unifies support measures for Kazakh exporters
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 hosts UN urban tourism summit
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…
One million trees to be planted in Kazakhstan as part of nationwide campaign
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…
Kazakhstan ranks 55th in Global Competitiveness Index, moves up four spots
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…
US-based Valley Irrigation expands to Kazakhstan, seeks to introduce new irrigation technologies
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…
Kazakh airlines carry 5.6 million passengers in first eight months of 2019
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh airlines carried 5.6 million passengers in the first eight months of 2019, showing a 1.8 percent increase over 2018, said Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Beibit Atamkulov at an Oct. 7 government session, reported primeminister.kz. The growth is attributed to the launch of new routes and of the FlyArystan low-cost…
Hong Kong business delegation visits Shymkent, expresses interest in partnerships
NUR-SULTAN – A business delegation of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council visited Shymkent, Kazakhstan’s third largest city, Sept. 18-19 to set up partnerships and expand bilateral ties. The companies are leading producers of electronic goods, household appliances, interior design, cosmetics, health products, food and chemical goods. Hong Kong is ranked among the top three…
ADB celebrates 25 years of partnership with Kazakhstan, invests over $5 billion
NUR-SULTAN – As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) celebrates 25 years of its partnership with Kazakhstan, the bank has invested more than $5 billion in sovereign loans, non-sovereign loans and guarantees to support the country’s development since its independence. These include nearly 30 projects in sovereign loans, ten projects in the private sector and nearly…
More than 77,000 participate in Bastau Business, Zhas Kasipker programmes
NUR-SULTAN – More than 77,000 individuals have graduated from the Bastau Business (Start Business) and Zhas Kasipker (Young Entrepreneur) programmes since their launch in 2017, said Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Chair Ablai Myrzakhmetov at a Sept. 23 government meeting. The chamber runs the programmes, which provide one-month training to future entrepreneurs across different areas…
Nazarbayev urges Eurasian parliaments to be more active in policy decisions and international cooperation during parliamentarians meeting in Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s First President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, urged the national parliaments of Eurasia to be more involved in shaping their nations’ policies and in strengthening international cooperation during the opening session of the Sept. 23-24 Fourth Meeting of Speakers of the Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments. Parliamentary delegations from 65 countries, including 41 led by the speakers…
World Wrestling Championship finishes in Nur-Sultan, as Kazakhstan secures eight Olympic licenses
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh wrestlers secured eight Olympic licenses for the country’s team at the senior World Wrestling Championship that ended Sept. 22 in the capital. The competition, organised in the city for the first time, gathered approximately 1,000 athletes from 105 countries. The championship was an opportunity for the top six finishers – gold, silver,…
Fitch affirms Kazakhstan’s rating at BBB with stable outlook
NUR-SULTAN – The Fitch credit rating agency affirmed Kazakhstan’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) at BBB with a Stable Outlook, according to the Fitch ratings published Sept. 6. Fitch noted Kazakhstan’s outlook features strong public and external balance sheets supported by large government savings and a substantial net foreign asset position. The outlook,…
Kazakhstan’s Vinokurov wins Ironman 70.3 World Championship division in Nice
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Olympic cycling champion and Astana Pro Team General Manager Alexander Vinokurov won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in the 45-49-year division in Nice. The triathlon competition was held Sept. 7-8 on the French Riviera, bringing nearly 6,000 athletes from all corners of the globe. The athletes tackled the 1.9-kilometre swim in the…
Kazakh government to prepare by Sept. 7 plan to implement state-of-nation address
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government will prepare by Sept. 7 a plan to implement the initiatives presented by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his Sept. 2 state-of-the-nation address. It was Tokayev’s first state-of-the-nation address since being elected June 9. In his address, Tokayev pledged to improve public administration, better protect citizens rights, diversify the economy, support…
Banking sector reforms are critical to developing Kazakh economy, says EBRD President
NUR-SULTAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which has an extensive portfolio of 262 projects in Kazakhstan, has invested nearly $9.1 billion since the country’s independence in 1991. The bank now seeks to grow its assistance in banking sector reforms, said EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti in a recent interview with a…
Kazakhstan marks International Day against Nuclear Tests with non-proliferation award, international conference
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev presented Aug. 29 the Nazarbayev Prize for a Nuclear-Free-World and Global Security to the relatives of former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano, who passed away in July, and to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo in Nur-Sultan. Established in 2016,…
