Astana to open world-class tourism and hospitality university
ASTANA – The Kazakh government is planning to open an international tourism and hospitality university in the capital, the first institution of its kind in Central Asia. The university should become one of the main driving forces for Kazakh tourism growth, said Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly at a Sept. 24 Mazhilis (lower…
Tajikistan begins two-year CICA leadership term
NEW YORK – Tajikistan assumed the chair of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) during a Sept. 24 meeting of the organisation’s member states’ foreign ministers. The meeting was part of the 73rd session of the United Nation General Assembly. Tajikistan will chair CICA until 2020 and assumed the role…
Kazakh FM, German Minister of State discuss partnership in Astana
ASTANA – Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Abdrakhmanov and German Minister of State of the Federal Foreign Office Niels Annen discussed bilateral cooperation during their Sept. 17 meeting in Astana. According to the Kazakh foreign ministry, the officials discussed the Kazakh – German strategic partnership in trade, economics and politics with a particular focus on…
Kazakh diplomats participate in Astana Marathon 2018
The capital hosted the annual international Astana Marathon 2018 Sept. 16 with approximately 5,000 runners from nearly 20 countries, including Australia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Russia, Turkey, the U.K. and Uzbekistan. The host country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs team was represented by Aibek Amrin, Tursyngali Espanov, Murat Rustemov, Anuar Sarmantai, Aibek Smadiyarov,…
Kazakh delegation participates in OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw
WARSAW, Sept. 14 – The annual meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw on Sept. 10-21 focused on topical human rights issues such as the provision of basic human rights and freedoms, rule of law, independence of the judiciary, freedom of speech…
Novel by Saken Zhunusov for English readers presented
A novel by Kazakh prose writer Saken Zhunusov called “Amanai and Zamanai” has been translated into English and was recently presented in the framework of the Rukhani Zhangyru programme. That significant event associated with the name of the famous countryman, was attended by the members of the Akmola regional branch of the Union of Writers…
Kazakhstan supports settlement of intra-Syrian conflict by peaceful means
ASTANA – Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Kairat Umarov reiterated at the Sept. 11 United Nations Security Council meeting on Syrian conflict Kazakhstan’s endorsement of a peaceful settlement of intra-Syrian conflict. Umarov welcomed the joint declaration emanating from the Sept. 7 trilateral summit (Iran, Russia, Turkey), noting that it includes a common understanding…
Kazakh National Bank revokes Astana Bank licence, buys Tsesna Bank agriculture loans
ASTANA – Kazakh National Bank revoked Astana Bank’s licence Sept. 19. The bank suspended operations in May and National Bank has appointed temporary management. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev criticised Astana Bank April 19. Three days later, the financial institution imposed its first restrictions, forbidding clients from making monetary transfers greater than 200,000 tenge (US$600) and…
Influenza vaccination begins in October
ASTANA – Influenza vaccination will be conducted in Kazakhstan starting Oct. 1. Nearly 1.5 million doses were purchased for approximately one billion tenge (US$2.76 million), according to the Healthcare Ministry’s public health protection committee chairperson Zhandarbek Bekshin. The cost of a flu shot will vary from 1,600 tenge (US$4.42) to 3,500 tenge (US$9.67). “Anyone may…
Ban on non-lethal weapons use proves effective, says Kazakh minister
ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov clarified the decision-making process behind the country’s ban on non-lethal weapons during a recent Central Communications Service meeting. During the past ten years, 4,236 crimes involving the use of weapons were committed in the nation. Authorities purchased back and seized 60,000 pistols and one million cartridges…
Kazakh Foreign Ministry works to return citizens from refugee camp in Syria
ASTANA – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry is working to return 23 Kazakh citizens, seven women and 16 children, from a refugee camp in Syria. The individuals must be determined by Syrian and Iraqi authorities as to not be involved in terrorist activities before they can be returned. “I want to assure that the work is…
Kazakhstan expands social assistance while reducing overall national budget spending
ASTANA – The Kazakh government has significantly increased budget spending on social assistance and security this year while achieving an overall decrease in budget expenses compared to 2017. State budget expenditures totalled 6.2 trillion tenge (US$17.12 billion) from January-July. The figure is 18.8 percent less than the approximately 7.7 trillion tenge (US$21.26 billion) spent during…
Kazakh President notes challenges of relocating regional centre to Turkestan
ASTANA – Relocation of a regional centre from Shymkent to Turkestan is a difficult process in every respect, said Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during a meeting at the Akorda presidential residence focusing on Turkestan’s development. Nazarbayev declared the establishment of the Turkestan region June 19, when he changed the status of Shymkent city, previously centre…
Kazakh blind and visually impaired cyclists complete intercontinental bike ride in Paris
ASTANA – Sport Without Limits, the intercontinental Astana-Paris bike marathon for visually-impaired and blind cyclists, came to a memorable end Sept. 10 in the French capital near the Kazakh Embassy, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. Launched more than a month ago at the Kazakh Eli monument, the unique project helped 17 individuals, including cyclists and…
Kazakhstan to launch nationwide housing and municipal services reform
ASTANA – Amendments to the housing and municipal services bill stipulating the relationship between apartment owners and property managing companies will be proposed to the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) by the end of September. The “one house, one association, one account” approach will allow every resident to track an apartment building’s operational and maintenance…
Optimised ambulance work key to increasing life expectancy in Kazakhstan, says Ministry of Healthcare
ASTANA – Medical reforms adopted in July 2017 significantly enhanced the performance of emergency medical care in Kazakhstan, Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov told a Central Communications Service (CCS) press conference, citing a ministry report. The average arrival time of ambulance teams dropped by 28 percent to 18 minutes and the rate of successful resuscitation…
Kazakh MPs, citizens discuss Internal Affairs Ministry reform
ASTANA – Discussion platform PaperLab hosted a Sept. 5 talk, “Reform of the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs: How to shape citizen-oriented police?” with the support of the Soros Foundation-Kazakhstan. Invited speakers included operational leader of the European Union project Enhancing Criminal Justice in Kazakhstan Saule Mektepbayeva, representatives of the civil initiative For the Reform…
Weightlifter Ilya Ilyin wins first tournament after two-year doping ban
ASTANA – Kazakh weightlifter Ilya Ilyin recently won the Kazakhstan Championship in the 102-kilograms weight category. Ilyin showed a result of 380 (172+208) kilograms on the sum of two exercises at the competition in Taldykorgan. “Today is my first start. I am back. I will continue to work further, the next is the World Championship.…
China to increase gas supplies from Kazakhstan, Russia
ASTANA – China intends to increase natural gas supplies from Kazakhstan and Russia, reported the China News Service citing the Chinese representative of state administration for energy affairs. The country plans to encourage diversifying its natural gas imports. “China imported 94.6 billion cubic metres of natural gas in 2017, both through the Central Asian gas…
Young Kazakh families, public sector workers entitled to lower down payment through home loan programme
ASTANA – New options have been created by Baspana Mortgage to reduce the financial burden for young families and public sector workers, who can now provide a lower down payment when applying for a mortgage within the 7-20-25 home loan programme. The organisation will cooperate with local executive bodies who will subsidise half the down…
Kazakh President: let people build their own houses
ASTANA – Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited AlmatyGenplan Research Institute Sept. 5, where he was presented with a three-dimensional model of the city. He noted people moving to the urban area is a natural process, resulting in the need to help them build their own houses and develop the city’s infrastructure. The 3D-project shows the…
Kazakh companies expand in pharmaceutical market in Russia, edging Belarus
ASTANA – Kazakh pharmaceutical companies operating in Russia recently passed traditional market leader Belarus in market share, reported 24.kz. Belarus has been a recognised leader in pharmaceutical market in Russia for the last five years. “There is nothing to be surprised at. Quality is valued most in pharmacology. The matter in question is people’s health.…
Korean investors to build bus terminals in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – A plan for Korean companies to build a network of modern bus terminals in Kazakhstan was reviewed by representatives at a seminar in Seoul organised by the Kazakh embassy in Korea, Kazakh Invest and the Kazakh PPP (public-private partnership) centre. Korean partners were presented with a variety of investment projects, including the depots.…
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan solve border congestion issue
ASTANA – Representatives of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan reached an agreement to begin measures to stop border traffic congestion at the Konysbayev customs post during an Aug. 18 meeting in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region. The issue stemmed from 315 freight vehicles stalled Aug. 1-7 before entering the checkpoint. Truck drivers were forced to wait two-six days Aug.…
Kazakhstan, China to cooperate on coal methane exploration and production research
ASTANA – Delegations from Satbayev Kazakh National Research and Technical University and the ArcelorMittal Temirtau company recently visited the China Coal Technology & Engineering Group (CCTEG) in China, where they signed a trilateral cooperation agreement. The agreement will increase the commercial production of methane in Kazakhstan. Under the agreement, CCTEG and Satbayev University will conduct…
