Articles by Assel Satubaldina

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, sharing not only the border, but culture, history and spiritual values, have enjoyed a dynamic partnership over the years, with the bilateral ties withstanding the test of time, said Uzbek ambassador to Kazakhstan Saidikram Niyazkhojaev in an interview with The Astana Times. The nations established diplomatic relations in 1992. A…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited businesses, public service facilities and met with local administration officials during a Sept. 28-29 visit to Shymkent city in southern Kazakhstan. In June, Nazarbayev declared Shymkent the country’s third city of national significance alongside Almaty and Astana. The declaration is part of an effort to make Astana, Almaty,…

ASTANA – Azret Sultan, the state historical and cultural reserve museum, and Khoja Ahmed Yassawi mausoleum, both located in Turkestan, will undergo major renovations, said Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly. He presented the plan Sept. 26 to President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The efforts are meant to boost Turkestan’s tourism potential, which acquired new status…

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly reported the details of a new inbound and outbound tourism development strategy at a Sept. 24 Majilis (lower house of the Parliament) meeting. They include developing a tourism map, establishing a tourism and hospitality university and enhancing access to tourist sites, among other measures. The…

ASTANA – The Ghost Expedition, organised by the European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan, Swiss Embassy and TSE Gallery, is the final exhibit in a series of similar events as part of the Astana Art Show. The display will run through Oct. 26. It follows the recently-ended European Residence Project, which displayed the works of six…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan allocated 194.3 billion tenge (US$547.96 million) to its regions development programme in 2018, reported Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov at a Sept. 25 government meeting. The programme, which received national level status at the meeting, was first adopted in 2014 to centralise different programmes meant to develop each region’s potential. The…

ASTANA – Astana hosted the Social Good Summit Sept. 21, joining countries around the world to explore the role of technology in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The summit is a worldwide event organised during the United Nations General Assembly Week in New York and uniting a global and diverse community of…

ASTANA – Parents in Astana now have more educational options for their kids, as the first Montessori school in Kazakhstan opened in the capital welcoming first ten students aged 6-9. The child-centred educational approach developed by Maria Montessori in 1897 is one of the world’s most popular educational methods and it has gained increasing popularity in…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed Sept. 19 Alikhan Smailov new Minister of Finance and Gabit Baizhanov the Assistant to the President – Secretary of the Security Council. Smailov had served as the Aide to the President for economic affairs since December 2015. He replaced Bakhyt Sultanov in the position. Baizhanov became the Security…

ASTANA – Astana hosted The Spirit of Dance festival, part of the Spirit of Tengri project, Sept. 14 at the Kazakhstan concert hall, the city’s largest. The event gathered dance groups from 14 countries, including Azerbaijan, Canada, Georgia, Latvia, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan,and Uzbekistan. Established in 2012 by Kazakhstan’s Tengri FM radio station, the Spirit of…

ASTANA – The number of young people in Kazakhstan who are neither employed nor in the education system, known as NEETs, has decreased to 7.7 percent of Kazakh youth, reported social development and education officials at a Sept. 18 government meeting. The meeting also adopted a roadmap to help young people find jobs. “Comparing to…

ASTANA – Nurzhan Altayev, Kazakh deputy minister of labour and social protection and previous deputy minister of agriculture and deputy chair of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, is among the nation’s 100 New Faces. In addition to his professional success, Altayev is known for his nationwide campaign that seeks to promote a culture of…

ASTANA – Balkhash, Kazakhstan’s largest lake, is among many popular destinations for vacation within the country. With its blue and crystal-clear waters, the lake is located amidst diverse landscapes bordering the Almaty, Zhambyl and Karaganda regions. The Chu-Ili Mountains stretch to the south and Betpak Dala Desert stretches across 75,000 square kilometres to the west.…

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Education and Science Yerlan Sagadiyev, Minister of Labour and Social Protection Madina Abylkassymova, Ministry of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov and First Vice Minister of Agriculture Arman Yevniyev reported on progress in digital literacy training among the country’s population during a Sept. 11 government meeting. The ministries are responsible for training professionals…

ASTANA – Since Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016 after the death of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan, the most populous country in Central Asia, has been witnessing significant changes both in domestic and foreign policy. The former Soviet republic has progressed significantly in the last two years following the 27 years of Karimov’s rule, affecting…

ASTANA – Kazakh Director Emir Baigazin won Best Director Orizzonti Award for his “Ozen” (River) at the Aug. 29-Sept. 8 75th Venice Film Festival in Venice Lido. The Orrizonti section runs parallel to the festival’s main competition programme and this year featured 19 feature films and 12 short films in the competition. “Ozen,” the final film…

ASTANA – More than nine million people visited primary healthcare organisations in six months, reported Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov during a Sept. 4 government meeting. Approximately five million sought consultations from surgeons, ophthalmologists, neurologists, otolaryngologists and gynaecologists. Kazakhstan currently has 524 medical organisations providing primary healthcare services, 29 percent of which are private.…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is making strides towards digital transformation in many areas. One of the significant moves is the Astana Hub, an international technopark of start-ups that provides multilevel support to entrepreneurs, primarily in IT. Astana Hub head Magzhan Madiyev spoke about the centre’s objectives and current projects in a recent interview with The Astana…

ASTANA – Astana Opera House will host “Astana Is My Beautiful Dream,” a Sept. 8 concert featuring the performance of prominent Kazakh opera singer and Astana Opera leading soloist Maira Mukhamedkyzy. The concert is devoted to the capital’s 20th anniversary. The audience will have the chance to enjoy a beautiful evening of folk songs and…

ASTANA – Approximately 1.385 million Kazakh citizens have updated their employment status since the beginning of 2018, when the figure was 2.7 million, said Minister of Labour and Social Protection Madina Abylkassymova during an Aug. 28 government meeting. Updating the status of self-employed and informally employed citizens and bringing the unemployed into a formal labour…

ASTANA – Despite rainy weather, the open-air Ethno Fest opened its doors Aug. 25-26 in Astana, welcoming people to get closer to their national culture and traditions. Head of the Central Kazakhstan Association for Tourism, Restaurant and Hotel Business Maya Agadilova said the goal is to popularise Kazakh national traditions that have been forgotten. “For the…

ASTANA – The city, abound in beautiful parks and squares including many which appeared this year to mark the capital’s 20th anniversary, will get a new square honouring Polish poet Gustaw Zielinski. The square will be located at the intersection of Kenessary Avenue and Yanushkevich Street on the right bank of the Yessil River, a…

ASTANA – Starting in 2019, Kazakh citizens will be able to complete insurance contracts online, Kazakh National Bank press service reported recently. The changes in the country’s legislation adopted July 2 allow online insurance and legitimisation of insurance policies in electronic format, including in relation to both compulsory and volunteer insurance. With online insurance coming…

ASTANA – Turkestan, an ancient city in southern Kazakhstan near the Syr Darya River, boasts more than 1,500 years of rich history and numerous cultural and sacred sites preserved to this day. Located approximately 862 kilometres from Almaty and 168 kilometres from Shymkent, Turkestan is a great destination to immerse in the authentic and vibrant…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government updated the country’s business development road map devised to ensure sustainable and balanced growth in regional entrepreneurship, support existing businesses and create jobs. Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov reported the strategic changes needed to become a national programme during the Aug. 14 government meeting. The road map works across…