Articles by Assel Satubaldina

Kazakh government approves 2025 Strategic Development Plan

ASTANA – The Kazakh government approved Nov. 28 a national 2025 Strategic Development Plan designed to ensure long-term growth at the level of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. The plan includes seven major reforms in human capital, technological modernisation and digitalisation, business competitiveness, rule of law, strong regions, urbanisation, modernisation of public…

We have very friendly ties and people love each other, says Georgian ambassador

ASTANA – Georgian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zurab Abashidze has praised the countries’ friendly ties and expressed a commitment to bringing the partnership to a new level. Abashidze arrived in the capital in March on his initial diplomatic mission as an ambassador, he recalled in a recent interview for this story. “It was the first time…

15,000 people recruited through electronic labour exchange since October

ASTANA – Fifteen thousand people have been employed through the electronic labour exchange platform that has been operating in Kazakhstan since October. The pilot project introducing the new mechanism for employment runs in Almaty, Astana, Shymkent and Pavlodar. Though the labour exchange will be put into operation nationwide starting Jan. 1, the system is already…

Saudi ambassador notes potential for increased Kazakh-Saudi cooperation

ASTANA – Celebrating the 23rd anniversary of Kazakh – Saudi Arabian relations, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Kazakhstan Dr. Dahir Mootish J. Alenaze discussed the state of cooperation and priorities for his term in a recent interview with The Astana Times. Alenaze called the bilateral ties “friendly and based on mutual trust,”…

Kazakhstan and Africa step up South-South development exchange

ASTANA – The capital is serving as the host Nov. 14-17 for the South-South Development Exchange on Economic Diversification and Industrialisation in Africa symposium in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The event gathered high-level participants from 43 African governments and research centres as well as representatives from Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan to…

Global Shapers Astana Hub empowers youth, provides channels for action

ASTANA – The Global Shapers community empowers youth and contributes to driving change and action to address salient local issues. Former capital hub curator Aiman Yedigeyeva and current curator Kuanysh Taishibekov spoke about the organisation’s history, goals and projects in a recent interview with The Astana Times. Established in 2011 by World Economic Forum founder…

Kazakh expo pavilion to reopen as showcase for green technologies

ASTANA – EXPO 2017 ended in September but Kazakhstan’s eight-floor, spherical national expo pavilion will remain open as the Museum of the Future, showcasing alternative energy technology. Beginning Nov. 11, the museum will present exhibitions related to solar, wind, biomass, kinetic, water energy and other forms of green energy. “The preparations are near the end.…

Kazakh government has launched 264 flood prevention, mitigation measures in 2017

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister for Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov and First Vice Minister for Agriculture Kairat Aituganov reported on flood prevention and mitigation measures undertaken by the government during the Nov. 7 government meeting. Different factors may cause floods; in Kazakhstan, however, they come primarily when snow starts to melt fast in late winter and…

Latest Syrian peace talks in Astana focus on humanitarian issues

ASTANA – The Oct. 29-30 latest round of Syrian peace talks in Astana, the seventh in what is known as the Astana Process meant to supplement UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva, focused on humanitarian issues and resulted in another joint statement by the three guarantor states of the process – Russia, Turkey and Iran. Participants…

Kazakhstan’s association of businesswomen presents gender budgeting project

ASTANA – The Association of Businesswomen of Kazakhstan presented a project to introduce gender budgeting in the nation at the Oct. 25 roundtable involving representatives of the Kazakh National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy, deputies, state bodies, international organisations and NGOs. Funded by the Civil Initiatives Support Centre and supported by the Kazakh…

OECD Eurasia Week in Almaty, first in region, focuses on openness and diversification

ASTANA – OECD Eurasia Week under the theme Openness for Shared Prosperity took place in Almaty Oct. 23-25 for the first time outside the organisation’s headquarters in Paris. The forum gathered high-level officials from OECD, its member states and partner countries in the Eurasian region, including OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria and Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan…

Central Asia a crucial partner in promoting nuclear safety, says leading expert

ASTANA – Eddie Maier, deputy head of unit at the European Commission Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development’s Instrument for Stability and Nuclear Safety, discussed nuclear safety and the regional projects and activities of the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) in Central Asia in a recent interview with The Astana Times. Representing the union…

Kazakh privatisation programme sells 291 entities worth $337.5 million

ASTANA – The national privatisation programme for 2016-2020 has seen the sale of 291 of 887 entities earlier slated for sale for 112.7 billion tenge (US$337.5 million) through Oct. 1, reported Kazakh Minister for Finance Bakhyt Sultanov during the Oct. 17 government session. He noted the sales include 23 state-owned entities for 8.3 billion tenge…

EU, Kazakhstan launch second dual use goods export control project

ASTANA – The European Union, the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) together with the Kazakh Ministry of Investments and Development launched Oct. 12 the second project on export control of dual use goods and technologies, marking another step in strengthening the long-term partnership and cooperation between the two sides. The EU-funded project seeks to…

Kazakh investor Kenges Rakishev developing blockchain smartphone

ASTANA – Sirin Labs company chaired by prominent Kazakh investor and businessman Kenges Rakishev is developing a smartphone and PC running on blockchain technology. Founded in 2014 by Rakishev together with Israeli entrepreneur and investor Moshe Hogeg and Tal Cohen, the company seeks to become the world’s leader in “secure open source consumer electronics for…

First pictures of light rail train system in Astana revealed

ASTANA – The construction of a new light rail transport (LRT) system in Astana is underway and LRT Construction company, a subsidiary of the Astana city administration running the project, presented Oct 3. the first pictures of the LRT design. The construction of the LRT is part of a comprehensive modernisation of the capital city’s…

Energy Minister explains recent petrol price hike in Kazakhstan, gets reprimanded

ASTANA – Over the recent weeks, people in Kazakhstan have been witnessing an increase in prices for petrol that resulted in heated public discussions. Kazakh Minister for Energy Kanat Bozumbayev explained the petrol shortage and the subsequent hike in prices during an Oct. 10 government meeting, citing declining import volumes of Russian petrol and launch…

Development Bank of Kazakhstan updates strategy, seeks expansion of private investment

ASTANA – The Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK) announced Sept. 29 immediate changes to its development strategy for 2014-2023 which establish expanding private business projects and private funding sources among its key priorities along with expansion of its lending activities and development of new financial instruments, according to the bank’s press service. Established in 2000…

S&P expects Kazakhstan’s GDP to grow 3 percent in 2017-2020

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s real GDP growth is projected to reach 3 percent in 2017-2020, according to the recent S&P Global Ratings report. The implementation of government infrastructure development programmes and expanding oil production at the Kashagan oilfield, one of the world’s largest fields discovered in the past 40 years, are cited as main drivers of…

First Astana Media Week takes place in capital

ASTANA – The first Astana Media Week kicked off in the capital city Oct. 4, bringing major media corporations and production companies together to set up partnerships and draw attention to salient issues in the nation’s media industry. Organised by the Ministry of Information and Communication, the three-day event incorporating talks, meetings and seminars is…

Inflation to remain in 6.9-7.5% targeted corridor in 2017, says Kazakh NB governor

ASTANA – Kazakh National Bank Governor Daniyar Akishev said during an Oct. 3 government meeting that inflation is projected to remain in the targeted corridor of 6.9 percent to 7.5 percent until the end of the year.   Akishev noted inflation reached 4.2 percent in the first nine months of 2017 and that Kazakhstan seeks…

Astana hosts national tourism meeting, addresses acute issues

ASTANA – The capital was the site for the national tourism meeting organised by the Ministry for Culture and Sports Sept. 27 that brought together representatives of the ministry, companies and NGOs working in the field to review the acute issues currently facing the industry. The session was part of the Astana Leisure 2017 exhibition…

Kazakhstan needs to establish Kazakh school of Islamic studies, says minister

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister for Religions and Civil Society Affairs Nurlan Yermekbayev spoke about the need to establish a Kazakh school of Islamic studies during a Sept. 18 Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) government hour. The ministry was established in September 2016 and he noted increasing religiosity among those in the population who have become…

More than 1,700 rural settlements to access broadband internet through Digital Kazakhstan

ASTANA – More than 1,700 rural settlements, home to approximately two million people, will gain access to broadband internet as part of the Digital Kazakhstan programme, said Minister of Information and Communication Dauren Abayev during a Sept. 26 government meeting. The government reviewed the progress of the programme that seeks to build an affordable digital…

Draft Latin-based Kazakh alphabet presented in Mazhilis, provokes heated public debate

ASTANA – Kazakh State Secretary Gulshara Adbykalikova, deputies, representatives of state bodies and the alphabet developers attended discussions in the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) Sept. 11 about the draft of the Latin alphabet scheduled to enter in force by 2025. The idea of switching from Cyrillic script to Latin script was first voiced by…