Deputy FM Sarybay Visit to South Africa Sets Stage for Presidential Visit in December
Pretoria hosted the third round of political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Kazakhstan and South Africa co-chaired by Kazakhstan Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Sarybay and Deputy Foreign Minister of South Africa Ibrahim Ibrahim on Oct. 10. The agenda of the meeting included preparation and organization of the first state visit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev…
Mazhilis Approves Tax and Budget Amendments on First Reading
ASTANA – At the plenary session of the Mazhilis (the lower chamber of Kazakhstan’s Parliament) on Oct. 9 chaired by Speaker of the Chamber Nurlan Nigmatulin, a package of new bills and tax and budget amendments were approved. The amendments include rules in pursuance to the orders given to the government as part of the…
Kazakhstan, Belarus Presidents Discuss Integration and Trade in Astana
ASTANA – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed bilateral cooperation in trade and the economic and industrial innovation sectors during an Oct. 3-4 visit by the Belarusian leader to Astana. The two leaders also discussed strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector and reviewed the development of integration processes in the post-Soviet…
Kyzylorda Governor Announces Area Progress
Kyzylorda region Akim (Governor) Krymbek Kusherbayev spoke about the state of agriculture in the region, as well as joint investment plans between the akimat (local administration) and national companies at a press briefing of the Central Communication Service (CCS) on Sept. 20. He also touched on regional social and financial issues. Kusherbayev noted that the…
12th Session of Secretariat of Religious Congress Commemorates 10th Anniversary, Discusses Expanded Cooperation
ASTANA, Sept. 27 – A discussion at the Sept. 25 12th session of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions focused on the role and prospects for development of the congress, as well as issues of education, cooperation and religious tolerance. The meeting also commemorated the 10th anniversary of the…
Central Asia, EU Agree to Work Together on Green Bridge Initiative
ASTANA – Central Asian and European countries signed a Charter on Cooperation during a Sept. 30 international conference on Kazakhstan’s Green Bridge Partnership Programme held in Astana. The new document will facilitate the collaborative efforts of Central Asian states and neighbouring countries to manage green economic growth in the region through cooperation, financial support, technologies…
Low-Enriched Uranium Bank Agreement Expected in 2014
ASTANA – Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Atomic Energy of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies Timur Zhantikin said Kazakhstan would sign an agreement on establishing a low-enriched uranium bank (BLEU) in 2014. The bank, to be set up under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will contain a reserve…
Khabar Presenter Lucked Into Lifetime Role
ASTANA – Khabar TV presenter Kymbat Khangeldina spoke with The Astana Times about her family and her career. Tell us about yourself and your family. I was born into a wonderful family where love, kindness, sincerity and understanding always prevailed. I had a very memorable childhood and bright adolescence and as a result, today I…
MAXAM Collection at Pyramid Exhibited Outside Spain for the First Time
ASTANA – The capital’s Kulanshi Contemporary Art Centre is currently hosting 82 works by one of the most famous Spanish artists of the 20th and 21st centuries as part of the MAXAM collection. This exhibition, which opened on Oct. 1, is the first time the collection has been shown outside of Spain. It will run…
Kazakhstan and Monaco Strengthen Cooperation
On Sept. 27 and 28, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Monaco where he attended the Monaco-Kazakhstan Business Forum and a presentation on the urban and financial development of the Principality of Monaco at the oceanographic museum in Monte Carlo. During the event, an impressive number of participants representing businesses and state organs of both countries…
Kazakhstan Rowers Victorious in Samarkand Championship
Kazakhstan was victorious in the Oct. 6 Canoeing Asian Championship held in Samarkand. The event was the first time that Samarkand, a city unique for its historical monuments, hosted the Asian Championship, where teams from 22 countries competed. From the very beginning, Kazakhstan teams were among the leaders. Both adult and youth teams fought for…
Astana Opera Chamber Hall to Open with Private Concert
ASTANA, Sept. 30 – The grand opening of the chamber hall of the Astana Opera will take place on Oct. 1, International Music Day. Mezzo-soprano Dariga Nazarbayeva, also a member of the Mazhilis of Kazakhstan’s parliament and chairperson of the Committee for Socio-Cultural Development, will perform, accompanied by pianist Timur Urmancheyev. At the gala concert…
Spanish Film About Space is a Universe of Possibilities
25-year-old Spanish filmmaker Nicolas Alcala has made a crowd-sourced film that he is returning to the crowd not as a finished product, but as an ongoing collaboration. The film’s license allows other people to copy, edit, remake, cut and reuse his film about memories, desires and lost cosmonauts as they see fit. Alcala spoke to…
Traffic Police, Patrol Guard Service Merger to Begin in November
Divisions of the traffic police and patrol guard service (PGS) will be merged as a part of the Universal Policeman project by November 2013. The merging of units of the…
CIS Internal Ministries Further Law Enforcement Cooperation
ASTANA – The Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs (CMIA) of the participating states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) met in Astana on Sep. 10 to discuss priorities for cooperation among CIS Ministries of Internal Affairs and the implementation of international programmes in combating crime. The ministers discussed a draft concept of cooperation…
Sapiyev Named First Goodwill Ambassador for Sport From Kazakhstan
ASTANA—Kazakhstan’s 2012 Olympic boxing champion Serik Sapiyev was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Sport on Aug. 24 at a ceremony held at the Kazmedia Centre in Astana. The Val Barker trophy winner was presented with his new title by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova. Kazakhstan officials and boxing champions as well as a number of…
UNICEF Representative Discusses Efforts to Relieve Nuclear Weapons Test Suffering
ASTANA – UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan Jun Kukita focused during his Aug. 28 briefing at Kazakhstan’s Central Communication Service (CCS) on the United Nations International Day Against Nuclear Tests and UN efforts to alleviate suffering in parts of Kazakhstan that experienced Soviet era nuclear testing. On behalf of UNICEF and others, Kukita, whose father witnessed…
Communications Briefing Focuses on Nuclear Weapons, Environmental Issues
ASTANA – The Aug. 28 briefing of the Central Communication Service (CCS) brought together prominent figures in environmental and nuclear issues for an interactive briefing on environmental safety, the rehabilitation of Kazakhstan’s economy, the importance of The ATOM Project and was dedicated to the annual United Nations International Day Against Nuclear Tests. Kairat Kadyrzhanov, advisor…
Nazarbayev Addresses G20 Summit, Meets with Global Leaders
ASTANA – Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his address to a session of the G20 summit held in St. Petersburg on Sept. 5-6 explored the causes of the ongoing global financial crisis, including the growth of bubbles, and stressed that the positions of most developing countries are not taken into account when taking the world’s…
President Lays out Priorities in Speech to New Session of Parliament
ASTANA – On Sept. 2, President Nursultan Nazarbayev delivered a statement at the opening of the third session of Kazakhstan’s Parliament’s fifth convocation laying out his priorities for the next year and asking for deputies’s cooperation. In the statement, he noted that the tree-party Mazhilis, elected following the Jan. 15, 2012 election, showed positive results,…
State Continues Commitment to Multi-Religious Society
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s constitution proclaims it a secular state: Article 1.1 reads “1. The Republic of Kazakhstan proclaims itself a democratic, secular, legal and social state whose highest values are an individual, his life, rights and freedoms.” Though the state respects religious freedom and does not espouse any particular faith, the majority of its population,…
Tons of Toxic Soviet Era Rocket Fuel Removed from Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Four hundred and ten tons of highly toxic rocket fuel used to propel missiles during the Soviet era and which had been stored for more than 20 years on Kazakh territory was removed June 29 for disposal in Russia. “On June 29, at Saryozek Station in the Almaty region,410 tons of the fuel…
EXPO 2017 Commissioner Promotes EXPO 2017 Abroad
On July 11-12, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and Commissioner for EXPO 2017 Rapil Zhoshybayev travelled to Munich to exchange experience with Deputy Commissioner of EXPO 2000 in Hanover and Director of Messe München GmbH Norbert Bargmann and to spread the word about opportunities for German businesses to participate in EXPO 2017. He also…
Astana Supports Helsinki+40 Initiative at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Istanbul
Speaker of the Senate of Kazakhstan’s Parliament Kairat Mami took part in the 22nd session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), held from June 29 to July 3, and has pledged his country’s full support for the Helsinki+40 Initiative to strengthen the organization. “Today in Istanbul, the…
Kazakhstan Team Helps Competitors Extinguish Fire at Silk Way Rally
ASTANA – Members of Kazakhstan’s Mobilex Racing Team Kanat Shagirov and Alexander Moroz helped extinguish a fire in one of their competitors’ cars at the Silk Way Rally, losing some time. During the first special section of the second stage of the race, the whole of which runs from Moscow to Astrakhan, car 130, belonging…
