Articles by ASSEL SATUBALDINA

ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov paid an official visit to Tehran on April 26, meeting with senior Iranian officials to enhance bilateral ties. Export contracts worth $60 million, bilateral documents in tourism, sport, youth work, customs training, and an agreement to develop transportation between the ports of Kuryk and Amirabad are among the…

ASTANA – Bike for Peace, a global nuclear disarmament movement from Norway, is eager to foster cooperation with Kazakhstan, said Bike for Peace President Tore Naerland in an interview with The Astana Times.  Naerland and the delegation from Norway were on a week-long visit to Kazakhstan April 13-22, meeting with senior officials and young people…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan, a vast and resource-rich country in Central Asia, is home to some of the world’s largest natural gas reserves. With such an abundance, the country’s gas industry plays a vital role in fueling economic development and energy security, both domestically and internationally. Yet, some critical challenges remain, including meeting domestic demand, export…

ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired a meeting in Astana on April 19, focusing on the nation’s socio-economic development. He once again exhorted the government to work more efficiently to address the country’s urgent problems as it tries to navigate the challenging times externally and internally.  The meeting, which took place less than a month…

ASTANA – The Astana Qazaqstan Team, a professional road cycling racing team based in Kazakhstan, aims to enter the world’s top 18 teams, said Alexander Vinokurov, former professional road cyclist and the team’s general manager, in an exclusive interview with The Astana Times. Astana Qazaqstan Team was founded in 2006 and has since then competed…

ASTANA – During a visit to Kazakhstan on April 10, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, with the two leaders showing a solid commitment to strengthening bilateral relations. Key outcomes included the decision to establish a Supreme Interstate Council and six memorandums of cooperation to foster partnership in the development…

ASTANA – Assisting the countries in Central Asia to promote efficient water and energy management is one of the key missions of the new Team Europe Initiative on Water, Energy and Climate Change for Central Asia presented by the European Union in 2021. Johannes Baur, Head of Сooperation at the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, spoke…

ASTANA – The first game of the 2023 World Chess Championship on April 9 between two chess titans, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, ended in a draw in what was a highly anticipated face-off in the championship hosted in Kazakh capital Astana until May 1.  The championship organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) will…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to change the focus of its economic policy, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his address to the first session of the Kazakh Parliament on March 29, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev outlined the key steps to tackle the challenges facing the nation following the March 19 election to the…

ASTANA –  The government of Kazakhstan has resigned today, March 29, before the beginning of the new session of the Parliament of the eighth convocation, reads the presidential decree published on the Akorda website.  Following the election to the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, on March 19, “the government shall resign its…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Belgium share a parallel destiny and common values of peace, reflected in the diverse traditions of the two countries, said Henri Vantieghem, Ambassador of Belgium to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, in an exclusive interview with The Astana Times. From trade and investment to cultural exchange and political cooperation, Kazakhstan…

As the latest parliamentary election in Kazakhstan came to a close, the nation is abuzz with anticipation for what the future holds. With the votes tallied and the final results announced, it became clear that the election had produced a mix of familiar faces and newcomers. With the last year’s constitutional changes, Mazhilis, a lower…

ASTANA – A total 54.19 percent of eligible voters have cast their ballots in the parliamentary election in Kazakhstan as of 10 p.m. Astana time, as polling stations closed at 8 p.m. nationwide, announced Central Election Commission (CEC) Deputy Chairman Konstantin Petrov during a press briefing today.  Voting ended at 9 p.m. local Astana time…

ASTANA – Voter turnout in today’s parliamentary election has reached 14.21 percent as of 10 a.m. local Astana time, Central Election Commission (CEC) member Shavkat Otemisov announced at a press briefing on March 19. Kazakhstan is holding elections to the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, and maslikhats, local representative bodies, today.  As of 10…

ASTANA – Kazakh activist and director of the Astana-based Center for International Security and Policy Alimzhan Akhmetov called for support for victims of nuclear tests as he took part in the ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) Act On It Forum in Oslo on March 9-10.   ICAN, headquartered in Geneva, is a global civil…

ASTANA – As Kazakhstan gears up for the upcoming Mazhilis election on March 19, eyes are on the country’s changing political landscape, although some of these changes are not new to Kazakhstan. The Astana Times looks back at all the previous parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan since the country’s independence in 1991 to see how the…

ASTANA – In the run-up to the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan on March 19, the country’s seven political parties are engaging in a series of pre-election debates to showcase their policies and ideas to the public, with the latest airing on KTK TV channel on March 10. All seven political parties in Kazakhstan eyeing seats…

ASTANA – In the heart of Astana, there is an animal shelter that has been working tirelessly for the past four years to save and care for stray animals. Founded by Yelizaveta Lipisey, the shelter, called I am Alive, has become a safe haven for animals who have nowhere else to go.  A Sunday afternoon…

ASTANA – The Strategy Center for Social and Political Studies expects a voter turnout of 59 percent in the upcoming parliamentary election on March 19, based on a survey the organization conducted in February.  The center, accredited by the Central Election Commission (CEC) to conduct public opinion polls, surveyed 1,600 respondents in all regions and…

ASTANA – Whether commuting to the office or university or walking around the city, one might get lost between colorful posters and billboards in Kazakh cities broadcasting political messages, two weeks into electoral campaigning. While it is the responsibility of each citizen to make an informed decision about their votes, The Astana Times presents a…

ASTANA – One month before the parliamentary election in Kazakhstan, political engagement has reached an unprecedented level, the result of changes the nation has implemented over the past year and a half.  The past two years have been increasingly eventful for Kazakhstan’s political life, with constitutional changes and elections following one after another. The nation…

ASTANA – Two hundred and eighty-one candidates from party lists and 435 candidates from single-mandate districts will run in the March 19 elections to the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, as the country’s Central Election Commission (CEC) closed the registration of candidates on Feb. 18. Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis consists of 98 deputies, with…

ASTANA – Bilateral ties between Kazakhstan and Spain are growing as they crossed a 30-year milestone last year. The ambition that Kazakhstan and Spain demonstrate, the dynamism of Spanish companies, and the reforms undertaken by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev give high hopes the next 30 years are going to be just as fruitful as the previous…

ASTANA – Twenty-seven agencies, 380 staff members, and a firm commitment to ensure every woman, man, girl, and boy are not left behind on a developmental journey. That is how one can describe the work of the United Nations (UN) office in Kazakhstan, which celebrates 30 years on Feb. 16. Michaela Friberg-Storey, UN Resident Coordinator…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will send 50 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, which has been reeling from the consequences of a devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Türkiye on Feb. 6, announced the Kazakh government on Feb. 10.  Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar chaired a meeting of the Commission on International Humanitarian Aid…