Articles by Staff report

ASTANA – Embamunaigas, a 100% subsidiary of KazMunayGas (KMG) national oil and gas company, has begun drilling the first exploratory well at the Taisoigan site in the Atyrau Region, KMG’s press service reported on Jan. 8. The site, located within the Caspian sedimentary basin, consists of Mesozoic suprasalt structures. Eight structures at depths ranging from…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ratified Kazakhstan’s law on the framework agreement for comprehensive economic cooperation and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and its member states, and Singapore, on Jan. 9, reported Akorda. The law, now published in print, envisages that upon the agreement’s entry into force, Singapore will…

ASTANA – Members of the accident investigation commission are expected to arrive in Astana in the coming days with decoded data from the flight recorders (black boxes) of the AZAL passenger plane that crashed near Aktau, the Kazakh Ministry of Transport reported on Jan. 7. The experts will begin analyzing the data immediately upon their…

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens now have visa-free access to 46 countries, according to the Global Passport Power Rank, which placed Kazakhstan 51st with a mobility score of 95. Kazakhstan ranked 54th last year. In addition to the visa-free destinations, citizens can obtain visas on arrival in 50 countries, while pre-arranged visas are required for the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan issued 1,488,308 passports in 2024, the highest number in the past 30 years, reported the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This surge was partly due to the halved tariff for issuing passports to children. The youngest recipient of a passport was just ten days old, while the oldest was 109 years old. In…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan exported 3.7 million tons of new harvest grain between September and Dec. 25, 2024, a 54% increase compared to the 2.4 million tons exported during the same period in 2023, reported the Ministry of Agriculture. Exports to Uzbekistan grew 44% to 1.4 million tons, Tajikistan – 53% to 589,000 tons, Afghanistan –…

ASTANA – Azerbaijani Minister of Emergency Situations, Colonel General Kamaladdin Heydarov, awarded several employees of Kazakhstan’s Emergency Ministry for their assistance in the emergency rescue operations following the AZAL plane crash near Aktau, the Azerbaijani ministry reported on Jan. 5. The crash, which occurred on Dec. 25, resulted in 38 fatalities out of 67 people…

ASTANA – Brazilian Air Force investigators are working with colleagues from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia to analyze the black box data from the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Aktau on Dec. 25, claiming the lives of 38 people. According to Euronews, Brazil’s air force said in a statement that nine foreign investigators have gathered…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the plans for the country’s development and priorities for 2025 in a traditional interview with the Ana Tili national newspaper on Jan. 3. The topics included the results of the socio-economic reforms, the lessons of Qantar events, the importance of law and order principles, and the construction of…

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital will celebrate New Year’s Eve with fireworks displays at the Botanical Garden and the area near the Atyrau Bridge at midnight on Dec. 31, reported the city administration’s press service. Each site will feature approximately 2,500 fireworks, organized with sponsorship funds. Besides that, residents and visitors can enjoy a lineup…

ASTANA—This year, 21 Kazakh universities were included in the QS World University Rankings list of the world’s top universities. Four Kazakh universities were also included in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024. Kazakh universities are implementing approximately 245 joint educational and dual-degree programs, reported Kazinform on Dec. 30. The Kazakh government annually allocates…

ASTANA — According to a Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) survey, this year was “generally good” for half of Kazakh citizens, or 52.3%, Kazinform reported on Dec. 25. The survey analyzed opinions on two scales: individual and national. At the personal level, 25.1% of respondents described 2024 as “very successful,” while 13.4% found it…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s exports to Uzbekistan reached $2.5 billion with $1.3 billion worth of imports in January-November 2024, according to the Uzbek Statistics Agency’s report, published on Dec. 20. This year, Uzbekistan’s foreign trade increased by 3.6% from the same period in 2023 to $59.4 billion. China recorded the highest foreign trade turnover (19%), followed…

ASTANA—The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has announced its operational results for 2024. This year, the total volume of investments attracted through the AIFC platform reached $3.1 billion, including $2.1 billion in portfolio investments on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) and $1 billion from AIFC participants. Since its inception, the AIFC has facilitated $14 billion…

ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko and European Union Ambassador to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić agreed to deepen cooperation in promising areas such as transport and logistics, critical raw materials, climate and green energy next year during a Dec. 23 meeting. During the talks, the officials noted the high dynamics of bilateral cooperation in…

ASTANA – The trade volume between Kazakhstan and the United States reached $3.3 billion in January-September, a record figure for the last four years. This was stated at the round table held in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the participation of heads of U.S. companies and U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Council (USKZBC) members on the results…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has become one of the trending destinations for astro-tourism in the latest Euronews Travel Trend Report 2025 edition. “Famous for its sweeping steppes and jaw dropping lakes, Kazakhstan is also setting its sights on becoming a top choice for stargazing, amid the growing appetite for celestial experiences amongst travelers,” reads the report.…

ASTANA – Kazakh companies plan to supply rails and other materials for future railways in Afghanistan, Vice Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov announced at the Transport and Logistics Market international conference and Global Avia Day forum on Dec. 18 in Astana, reported Kazinform. “This is a continuation of the North-South international transport corridor. We consider…

ASTANA — Kazakhstan placed third overall at the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Weightlifting Championships, held from Dec. 6 to 15 in Manama, Bahrain  trailing behind North Korea (DPRK) and China. Kazakh athletes won one silver (Alexey Churkin) and two gold medals (Nurgissa Adiletuly, Artyom Antropov). The National Olympic Committee stated that Artyom Antropov…

ASTANA – The British think tank the Henry Jackson Society presented a research report titled Understanding Kazakhstan’s Strategic Importance: A Middle Power Partner for the UK in Central Asia, in the United Kingdom Parliament on Dec. 10 in London. Presenting the report, the Henry Jackson Society’s associate research fellow and author of the report, Darren…

ASTANA – The Astana Hub, Kazakhstan’s international technology park, has become a cornerstone of the country’s IT growth. Housing over 1,500 participants, including 1,102 Kazakh and 437 foreign companies, the park has seen its total revenue soar to 1.2 trillion tenge (US$2.3 billion), a 31-fold increase over the past five years. This year, overall export…

ASTANA – After two years of dedicated work, Dimash Qudaibergen’s Polish fan club published the country’s first Polish-Kazakh phrasebook to strengthen cultural ties and promote the Kazakh language and culture. The idea for the phrasebook originated from Kazakh language courses conducted on Radio Dimash. Listeners learned essential words and phrases useful for trips to Kazakhstan.…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund and China’s SANY Renewable Energy (RE) laid the foundation for the construction of a $114 million plant to produce wind turbine components on Nov. 29 in the Zhambyl Region, reported SANY’s press service. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, the plant will produce gondolas, hubs,…

ASTANA – Relations between Kazakhstan and Russia are based on a very solid foundation of strategic partnership and alliance, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a narrow-format meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Kazakhstan on a state visit on Nov. 27, reported Kazinform. Tokayev remarked that he had thoroughly read Putin’s article published…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has approved an agreement on exemption from short-term visa requirements with Saint Kitts and Nevis, following a government resolution on Nov. 20, reported Online.zakon.kz. The resolution comes into effect from the day of its signing. Under the agreement, holders of valid travel documents are exempt from visa requirements for single or multiple…