Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA—Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies released the results of a telephone survey conducted by the Democracy Institute on Sept. 30. The survey gauged public readiness to participate in the upcoming referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, set for Oct. 6. The survey revealed that 62% of respondents demonstrate a civic position and…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev visited educational, cultural and sports facilities in the Turkistan Region during his Sept. 27 visit. The President’s working trip began with a visit to the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, according to the Akorda press service.  Tokayev honored the memory of the poet, thinker and spiritual teacher Khoja Ahmed Yasawi,…

ASTANA—Some 230 public associations of Kazakhstan will participate as observers in the national referendum on the construction of the nuclear power plant, scheduled for Oct. 6. International observers will also monitor the transparency of the voting, said Central Election Commission Chairman Nurlan Abdirov. According to the Khabar TV channel, Abdirov explained the novelties in the…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco Nasser Bourita signed the agreement on visa exemption for national passports holders during a Sept. 26 meeting on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has curated a selection of articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest includes topics such as the national referendum on the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant, the Middle Corridor, a Kazakh film at the 2025 Oscars and more. Why Kazakhstan is pursuing…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan underlined the need to strengthen global norms against the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons during a Sept. 26 ratification ceremony of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) held as part of the UN General Assembly High-level Week in New York. Kazakhstan, as the incoming Chair of the Third…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry hosted a forum on the rights of people with disabilities in emergencies and climate change in Astana on Sept. 25. The event, organized by the Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities, Foreign Ministry and the Eurasia Foundation under the financial support of USAID, brought together officials and experts from…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan rose from the 81st to the 78th spot among the 133 economies featured in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index-2024, entering the top three of Central and Southern Asian nations (behind Iran and India).  The ranking results were announced at the Sept. 26 ceremony in Geneva, reported the Akorda…

ASTANA – The One Water Summit will be held in the margins of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 16) in December in Riyadh, said President of France Emmanuel Macron on Sept. 25 at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s national futsal team defeated reigning world champions, Portugal, and reached the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 quarterfinals in Andijan, Uzbekistan on Sept. 26. Zicky scored the equalizer after Chingiz Yessenamanov’s first shot, and with a few seconds left, Dauren Tursagulov scored the game-winning goal, reported the National Olympic Committee’s press service. In…

ASTANA — Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu held several meetings with representatives of leading American companies on Sept. 23 in New York to discuss the development of long-term partnerships. The foreign ministry’s press service reported that during talks with PepsiCo’s leadership, the sides discussed developing the food industry and enhancing the…

ASTANA – Twelve Central Asian designers and creative professionals initiated the five-day Central Asia – European Creative Forum in Brussels to present their works and projects, as well as to promote cultural diplomacy.  The initiator of the forum, Elena Van Kharitonova, said it took her several months to organize the event, reported the Kazinform on…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan has the necessary technological capabilities and enough resources to build a nuclear power plant, said Gulmira Mursalova, deputy director of the atomic industry department at the Kazakh Energy Ministry. Notably, the country has sufficient uranium reserves and produces finished fuel in the form of fuel pellets. Today, Kazakhstan’s explored uranium reserves total…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu held talks with his foreign counterparts to deepen bilateral cooperation as part of the High-Level week of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Kazakh Foreign Minister’s press service reported that Nurtleu met with the foreign ministers of Spain…

ASTANA — The Azret Sultan State Historical and Cultural Reserve Museum in Turkistan, which includes the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum, a unique architectural monument that was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 2003, has been taken under state protection. The corresponding resolution was signed by Kazakh…

ASTANA—Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov discussed the country’s social and economic development, the harvesting campaign and preparations for the heating season during a Sept. 24 meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. According to Bektenov, economic growth in January-August was 3.7%. Construction (8.8%), transport and warehousing (7.9%), communications (7.4%), trade (5.5%), and manufacturing (4.9%) had the biggest…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Anti-Corruption Agency has ensured the return of property assets and funds worth 1.9 trillion tenge (US$3.9 billion) to the state and quasi-public sector entities since 2022, said Chair Askhat Zhumagali during a Sept. 24 meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Nearly 153.3 billion tenge (US$321.5 million) have been transferred to the education infrastructure…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National Academy of Sciences held the Garden Day dedicated to Almaty Aport (a type of apple) and discussed implemented measures to preserve the variety. The event was attended by Kazakh Deputy Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Taszhurekov, Deputy Akim (Mayor) of the Almaty Region Nurzhan Kudaibergenov, heads of research institutes, representatives of agribusiness,…

ASTANA – Two Amur tigers were transported to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve in the Almaty Region from the Netherlands on Sept. 22 to revive wild tiger species. The animals are now undergoing the acclimatization process in a small enclosure near the protected area of ​​the reserve. After several weeks of adaptation, they are planned…

ASTANA — The Kazakhstan women’s chess team won a silver medal at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, from Sept. 10 to 23. The team included Bibisara Assaubayeva, Meruyert Kamalidenova, Xeniya Balabayeva, Alua Nurman and Amina Kairbekova. According to the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, the women’s team beat the strongest rivals of the United…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has picked a selection of articles on Kazakhstan published in international media across the world. This week’s foreign media digest includes articles on the German-Central Asian cooperation, the Jackson-Vanik amendment, Dimash Qudaibergen’s interview and more. America’s self-inflicted wound in Central Asia Forbes published an article on Sept. 16 about the…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Tourism National Company organized a trip to the Bayanaul National Park in the Pavlodar Region for European ambassadors.  The envoys were acquainted with the region’s tourism potential, including its unique natural and cultural attractions, reported Kazakh Tourism on Sept. 18. A walking tour of the national park included a visit to…

ASTANA – The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) approved the work plan for the period of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in 2024-2026 during the Sept. 18 meeting of the IFAS board, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.   “IFAS has become a powerful collective tool of regional cooperation capable of influencing the socio-economic well-being in…

ASTANA— A foreign investor plans to build a logistics center in the North Kazakhstan Region to supply Kazakh products to China. As part of a two-day working visit to the North Kazakhstan Region, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin met with Chinese investor Jia Heyi, president of the Xian Aiju Corporation. The company built a…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) national railway operator transported more than 5.2 million tons of grain in eight months of 2024, including four million tons for export, reported the company’s press service.  “There has been a 17.4% increase in the volume of milled products transported by rail, reaching 2.3 million tons. Of this, 1.8…