Parliamentarians, experts reflect on Nazarbayev’s role in Central Asian cooperation
ASTANA – The international conference, Astana – A Centre of Global Integration, Security and Peace, gathered representatives of the Kazakh Parliament, international organisations and think tanks Nov. 26 to discuss Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s global initiatives to promote peace and strengthen interstate cooperation. The conference was organised by the Kazakh Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament),…
Renewable energy potential attracts greater investment to Kazakhstan, says scholar
ASTANA – Central Asia’s renewable energy transformation is gaining momentum and market leaders are taking note, with increased investments flowing in from the East and West. Natalie Koch, an associate professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs studying resource-rich states in Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, recently authored “The geopolitics…
Nurly Zhol systematically developing infrastructure in key areas, say ministers
ASTANA – The Nov. 19 government meeting included a review of the ways Nurly Zhol, the state infrastructure development programme, has been and continues to be implemented from 2015-2019. The programme has been allocated 792 billion tenge (US$2.16 billion), of which 411 billion tenge (US$1.12 billion) or 52 percent has been utilised by November, said…
Comprehensive infrastructure development to strengthen Central Asian economies, says scholar
ASTANA – Central Asian governments must consolidate their legal, regulatory, fiscal and physical infrastructures to enjoy greater economic development, said a prominent American scholar while on a recent visit to Astana. Ariel Cohen, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow, International Tax and Investment Centre (ITIC) Energy, Growth and Security Programme Director and International Market Analysis boutique risk…
FC Kairat reaches UEFA Futsal Champions League final for ninth time
ASTANA – Almaty Football Club (FC) Kairat recently defeated Czech FC Chrudim to reach the final four of the 2018-2019 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Futsal Champions League’s four-team finals, reports UEFA. Kairat beat Chrudim in an elite round match with a 4:2 score. They dominated the game’s first half, striking the opponent’s goal…
Karakalpaks’ unique culture worth celebrating and preserving in Kazakhstan, says community leader
ASTANA – The Karakalpak ethno-cultural centre Zhaikhun has consolidated the Karakalpak community’s cultural development in the capital since 2016, said the community’s leader Tazabike Saliyeva. The Karakalpaks, an ethnic group native to Karakalpakstan in northwestern Uzbekistan, number approximately 620,000 worldwide, 56,000 of which reside in Kazakhstan. The group settled on the Amu Darya river in…
EBRD, EU and China commit to investment cooperation and connectivity in Central Asia
ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) committed to closer cooperation with China and the European Union (EU) to attract greater investment in Central Asia at Beijing’s Nov. 14 Central Asia Investment Forum (CAIF). Hosted by the EBRD and the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and sponsored by the Industrial and Commercial…
Investment into Kazakh geology and subsoil use industry to be heavily incentivised, says minister
ASTANA – The geology and subsoil use industry is a significant contributor to Kazakhstan’s economy, accounting for approximately 50 percent of investment inflow, and is undergoing major reform, said Kazakh Minister for Investments and Development Zhenis Kassymbek at a Nov. 13 government meeting. The recently adopted and implemented code on subsoil and subsoil use…
Kazakh government approves draft roadmap to ensure domestic food supply to Astana
ASTANA – Government officials approved Nov. 6 a 2018-2021 roadmap draft to ensure a domestic food supply for the nation’s capital. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev directed the Ministry of Agriculture to develop the stable supply of domestic food products to Astana, for which a two-year road map was initially drawn out. The 2017-2018 road map…
Astana Employment Centre to provide grants to create jobs for persons with physical challenges
ASTANA – The city of Astana plans to distribute state-funded grants to employers who create jobs for and employ persons with physical challenges, reports the city akimat (administration). These persons include individuals with persistent health impairments of body functions resulting from diseases, defects or trauma and its consequences. The Astana Employment Centre will provide 280,000…
Kazakh economy ministry to build on business environment progress
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has entered the top 30 countries in the world in ease of doing business and will continue fostering a dynamic environment, said Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov at a Nov. 6 government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev. Kazakhstan jumped from 36th place last year to 28th in the 2019…
Paramount Group’s Kazakh defence industry venture pioneers to export globally
ASTANA – Paramount Group, a South Africa-based global defence and aerospace company, operates in countries in the Middle East, South America and Africa. Its joint venture Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) produces advanced armoured wheeled vehicles, such as the Arlan 4×4, Nomad 4×4, Barys 6×6 and Barys 8×8, in the country. Paramount founder and executive chairperson…
Urbanism activists preserve architectural heritage through research and dialogue
ASTANA – Archcode Almaty, a research project to conserve the former capital’s architectural identity, seeks to preserve what “we will pass on to those who will live in the city after us,” said co-founders Adil Azhiyev and Anel Moldakhmetova in an interview with The Astana Times. Azhiyev is an architect and researcher specialising on the…
Kazakh vulnerable groups to be supported in seeking state-guaranteed legal aid, say legal experts
ASTANA – The effective provision of legal aid, guaranteed by the state and afforded by its budget, is vital to ensuring access to justice, said Kazakh International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law director Evgeniy Zhovtis at the Nov. 2 conference “Protecting the rights of vulnerable groups in Kazakhstan: in search of a…
More than 700,000 Astana residents have contacted city’s nonemergency call centre in 2018
ASTANA – Astana’s city utility services response centre iKomek has received more than 703,000 inquiries in 2018, of which 99.7 percent were processed, reports the city administration’s press service. The number of inquiries increased by more than 300,000 over 2017. The centre also marked a 20 percent decrease in the number of official requests to…
Global trade integration is key to Central Asian economic growth, says Moody’s
ASTANA – Central Asia’s economic growth potential is limited by its low degree of integration into global trade, according to a recent Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) report. According to Moody’s, the economies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan should capitalise on their close proximity to the vast, high-growth markets of China and India with…
Treaty ratification, signature remain global priority, say CTBTO Youth Group members
ASTANA – The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) Youth Group (CYG) recently emphasised signing and ratifying the CTBT remains a key global objective 20 years after its introduction. “I want all of the younger participants to know that I am grateful for your interest and for the energy you bring to our common…
Kazakh anti-nuclear activist receives 2018 Nuclear-Free Future Award
ASTANA – The ATOM Project Honorary Ambassador Karipbek Kuyukov received the Nuclear-Free Future Award at the Oct. 24 awarding ceremony in Salzburg, Austria. Since 1998, the Nuclear-Free Future Award honours those who contribute to building a world without nuclear weapons, nuclear energy and uranium ammunition. This year marks its 20th anniversary. The recognition of Kuyukov…
World Press Photo exhibition tours four Kazakh cities
ASTANA – The 2018 World Press Photo exhibition, displaying the most important events of the past year through photojournalists’ lenses, is touring four Kazakh cities Oct. 24-Jan. 2. “The World Press Photo Foundation, founded in 1955, began with an international photo contest,” said World Press Photo exhibitions manager and curator Jerzy Brinkhof. “It has grown…
Kazakh pension recipients to make single application for pension fund services
ASTANA – Receiving pension savings from the Unified Accumulation Pension Fund (UAPF) will be conducted via a single application, reported the fund’s press service. According to the one-window approach, those who have reached retirement age or seek pension payments from obligatory pension contributions or obligatory professional pension contributions may submit a single application exclusively to…
Kazakh youth are key to enhancing national competitiveness, note Mazhilis members
ASTANA – Investing in youth is crucial for fostering an economically dynamic, peaceful, inclusive and sustainable society for the future, concluded the Kazakh Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) members at the Oct. 19-20 conference “Investing in Youth: Leaving No One Behind” held in the capital. The conference was organised by the Mazhilis, Ministry for Social…
Historical knowledge is key for civic solidarity and responsibility, emphasises Azerbaijani community leader
ASTANA – The Azerbaijani diaspora in Kazakhstan is a proud one, with a compelling history which ought to be shared, said its community leader Vidadi Salakhov. Approximately 100,000 Azerbaijanis live in Kazakhstan. The ethnic group also resides in the Russian Federation, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Among Azerbaijanis residing in Kazakhstan, many are descendants…
EU photo exhibition in Astana celebrates cultural heritage, highlights children’s creativity
ASTANA – The European Union (EU) Delegation to Kazakhstan’s photo exhibition “EU4Kids: Discover Europe with Kids” opened Oct. 12 in Astana to celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage and 25 years of diplomatic relations between the EU and Kazakhstan in the capital’s Kazmedia Centre, reports the centre’s press service. At the exhibition, Kazakh photographer…
Central Asian start-up offers designs inspired by nomadic history
ASTANA – ASHKA, a London-based start-up, promotes Central Asia through modern design and storytelling, whilst giving back to the community from which it draws inspiration. The online store offers unique creations of British and Central Asian designers inspired by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan’s rich history. “ASHKA is an online stall for those who…
In Astana, world religious leaders say religion must be a beacon in complex global security context
ASTANA – World religious leaders gathered to identify global security threats and solutions at a panel session on Oct. 11, the second day of the sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana. Their recommendations are to be promoted at a research centre and communications platform established by the congress. The panel…
