Articles by Dana Omirgazy 

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have officially commenced the active phase of a telecommunications project to lay the first-ever underwater fiber optic cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. The initiative will link the Kazakh port city of Aktau with the Azerbaijani city of Sumqayit via an underwater cable system, enhancing digital connectivity between…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for enhanced international partnerships, regional connectivity, and inclusive development to overcome the challenges faced by landlocked nations during his address at the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries on Aug. 5 in Awaza, Turkmenistan. Tokayev thanked the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the initiative to convene…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has reported positive trends in maternal and child health in 2024, with maternal mortality decreasing by 12% and infant mortality by 11%. In January-June, maternal mortality dropped by 10% and infant mortality by 26%, said Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova during an Aug. 5 government meeting. To improve access and quality of care…

ASTANA –  Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG) has exported its first oil batch worth 85,000 tons to a Hungarian refinery as part of the strategic expansion of cooperation between KMG and Hungary’s MOL Group. The shipment was transported by sea from the Russian port of Novorossiysk to the Croatian port of Omišalj…

ASTANA — The New York Film Academy (NYFA) Kazakhstan campus is offering 100% and 50% grants for programs in 3D Animation and Visual Effects and Game Design.  The competition, launched by Dala.edge Creative Technologies Park at Energo University, is open to young creatives across Kazakhstan, reported Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education on July…

ASTANA — Kazakh scientists from the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) at Nazarbayev University have presented five innovative artificial intelligence systems that function without an internet connection. These technologies are designed to support the Kazakh language and national context. Among the new developments is Oylan 2.5, a multilingual smart assistant that works…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest covers President Donald Trump’s tariff on Kazakhstan, water management, the country’s natural beauty and more. The mystery of Trump’s 25% tariff threat on Kazakhstan The New York Times published an article on July 11 discussing the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has seen a sharp rise in digital banking and non-cash transactions, with the number of online users surpassing the population and monthly cashless turnover exceeding average incomes, wrote economist Ruslan Sultanov on his Tengenomika Telegram channel on July 12. As of June 1, the National Bank of Kazakhstan reported 81.2 million registered…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has launched the construction of two new airports from the ground up in the East Kazakhstan Region – in the Katon-Karagay and Zaisan districts. According to the Ministry of Transport, the projects are aimed at enhancing territorial connectivity, promoting regional economic development and fostering sustainable tourism, reported Kazinform on July 13. The…

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent a response letter to U.S. President Donald Trump on July 10 regarding the introduction of duties on imports of Kazakh goods. Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan, as a long-standing trade and investment partner of the U.S., is committed to developing fair, predictable, mutually beneficial trade relations. He confirmed the…

ASTANA – The first freight train from Shanxi Province to Azerbaijan via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, known as the Middle Corridor, departed from China’s Jinzhong city on July 9, marking a significant milestone in the region’s international logistics development. According to Huayuan International Land Port, the train, operated by Zhongding Logistics Center, is loaded…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s new national supercomputer can perform in just one second as many calculations as the entire world’s population – all 8 billion people – could do in over four days if each person solved one equation every second, said Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev in an interview with…

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the official launch of Kazakhstan’s new national supercomputer on July 9.  The new supercomputing cluster is powered by NVIDIA H200  graphics processors and delivers a performance capacity of up to two exaflops using FP8 precision. This makes it the most powerful computing system in Central Asia.  The…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira on July 5 in Rio de Janeiro as part of his visit to attend the BRICS Summit. The officials reviewed bilateral cooperation across political, economic, investment, energy, cultural and humanitarian areas, and discussed engagement within international organizations.…

ASTANA – A photo taken at the festival in Aktau has been featured in The Guardian’s July 2 Photos of the Day section, showcasing a model presenting traditional Turkish clothing during the eighth Women and Fashion Festival of Handicrafts of the Turkic World, held on June 28–29. The photo was taken by Turkish photographer Ilkin…

ASTANA – The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its growing strategic interest in the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, a vital multimodal trade route connecting Asia to Europe via Kazakhstan, the South Caucasus, and Türkiye. Amid shifting global trade dynamics and mounting geopolitical uncertainties, the Middle Corridor is…

ASTANA — The first international passenger flight in six years departed from Petropavl International Airport on July 2. Operated by SCAT Airlines, the charter flight connected Petropavl with Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Flights on this route will operate every ten days using Boeing 737 aircraft. The resumption of international flights from Kazakhstan’s northernmost airport marks a…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with his Moldovan counterpart, Mihai Popșoi, on July 1. The two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties based on the principles of friendship and mutual benefit. The talks coincided with the official opening of the Embassy of Moldova in Kazakhstan, marking…

ASTANA — Six Kazakhstan’s athletes are set to compete at Wimbledon 2025, one of the most prestigious tournaments in world tennis, which kicks off on June 30 in London and will run through July 13. Alexander Shevchenko, Beibit Zhukayev, and Alexander Bublik will compete in the men’s singles draw, while Yulia Putintseva and Elena Rybakina…

ASTANA – Kazakh opera singer Aigerim Altynbek performed with Andrea Bocelli on June 27-28 at a concert of the legendary tenor in the amphitheater in Pompeii. The concerts were held as part of the Andrea Bocelli Live in Concert tour. Traditionally, world-famous artists take part in Bocelli’s concerts. A special moment of the program was…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to accelerate economic growth through structural reforms, industrial diversification, and 17 large-scale investment projects, the Ministry of National Economy told Kazinform on June 25. Under the new National Development Plan until 2029, Kazakhstan aims to ensure sustainable GDP growth of 6–7% and expand its economy to $450 billion. The government…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is closely watching developments in the Iran-Israel conflict, with hopes that a peaceful resolution can be reached, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin during a June 23 briefing at the Senate, the upper house of Parliament. According to Zhumangarin, it is too early to make firm predictions,…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest features coverage of the China–Central Asia summit, Kazakhstan’s nuclear power plant, AI development and more. China’s Xi Jinping meets Central Asian leaders: Why their summit matters Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on Monday to…

ASTANA — Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has announced the temporary suspension of flights between Astana and Abu Dhabi due to the current political situation in the Middle East, on June 19. According to the Astana International Airport’s press service, the last flight from Astana to Abu Dhabi took place on June 19. “For passengers planning…

ASTANA — Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov met with Li ChunRong, CEO of Malaysian automaker Proton Holdings Berhad, on June 19, to discuss potential collaboration in the automotive industry, including plans to establish a production facility in Kazakhstan. Proton Holdings, a leader in Malaysia’s mechanical engineering sector, exports both internal combustion engine models and…