Articles by Assel Satubaldina

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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,…

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…