60 percent of privatisation programme completed, says Samruk Kazyna chair
ASTANA – The privatisation of 60 percent of companies sought for Kazakhstan’s national privatisation programme within the Samruk Kazyna National Welfare Fund has been completed. Samruk Kazyna Chairperson Umirzak Shukeev reported Aug. 23 on the fund’s activities to Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, highlighting the progress in its transformation and privatisation programmes. Established in 2008, the…
Prime Minister praises EXPO 2017 in Eurasian Week opening remarks
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev praised EXPO 2017’s contribution to economic growth and regional integration in his opening remarks to the Eurasian Week forum on Aug. 24. “It is very symbolic that the Eurasian Week forum is held within the international EXPO exhibition, the achievements of which will contribute to a harmonious transition…
Almaty Appeals Court upholds conviction of fugitive ex-banker in Kazakhstan’s biggest fraud case
The Almaty City Court Appeals Board upheld the decision of the Almaty City Specialised Criminal Court against BTA Bank’s former board of directors’ chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov, who in June 2017 was found guilty of organising and leading a criminal group and embezzling more than one trillion tenge (more than US$7.5 billion) from the bank. The…
Astana hosts swimming race for children with disabilities
ASTANA – A swimming competition involving children with disabilities took place Aug. 17 in Astana. The Kazakh association of parents of children with disabilities organised the event with the support of Asyl Bala national association to demonstrate children’s boundless capabilities. Children that participated in the race have different diagnoses, including cerebral palsy, spina bifida and…
Kazakh oil export revenues have increased 53 percent in 2017
ASTANA – Almost 80 percent of all oil produced in the country is exported. The revenues of the Kazakh budget from the export of crude oil increased 53 percent this year. Oil export increased 46 percent, according to Energyprom. In the last six months, the prices for crude oil increased 27.2 percent in comparison with…
Chinese entrepreneurs to build solar power plant in South Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Chinese entrepreneurs plan to build a 200 MW solar power plant in the Otyrar district of the South Kazakhstan region, according to Chinese company Qingdao Beihai representative Ming Ie. Local authorities plan to allocate 300 hectares and provide infrastructure. Also, in accordance with a bilateral agreement, the station will be called Kunnery. “In…
EXPO 2017 will not be extended beyond Sept. 10 closing date
Despite urging from Astana area businesses, EXPO 2017 will not be extended past its scheduled Sept. 10 closing date, Astana EXPO 2017 national company director of public relations Sergei Kuyanov announced during an Aug. 16 press conference. “The EXPO works according to the regulations of the Bureau International des Expositions, according to which specialised exhibitions…
Nazarbayev stresses need to create agricultural science centre
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed to Rector of the Kazakh National Agrarian University (KazNAU) Tlektes Yesspolov the need to create a national science centre in the field of agriculture. “It is necessary to increase the effectiveness of the introduction of research results and training of specialists. In addition, the production of competitive, export-oriented agricultural products…
Pierre Cardin to present his new collection in Astana
ASTANA – World-famous designer Pierre Cardin will arrive in Astana Sept. 1 to present his new collection designed specifically for Kazakhstan. The show will last three days and feature 120 outfits with more than 300 accessories. Kazakh fashion lovers have a chance to enjoy a fashion show, but there is more to it than that.…
Almaty 2017 Winter Universiade recognised as best in competition’s history
ASTANA – The Expert Council of International University Sports Federation (FISU) has recognised the Winter Universiade in Almaty as the best in the history of international student competitions, according to an organisation press release. Almaty’s Grand Hyatt Hotel hosted a meeting of the FISU Executive Committee. The key event of this session was the council’s final report,…
Turkey proposes visa-free regime with Kazakhstan for migrant workers
ASTANA – Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci proposed during the recent Kazakh-Turkish business forum a visa-free regime for migrant workers between Turkey and Kazakhstan, Astana TV channel reports. He said both countries have been cooperating for a long time. And over the years of joint work, Turkey has invested about $2 billion in Kazakhstan…
New rules seek to improve emergency medical response
ASTANA – New rules for emergency medical care will provide high-quality emergency medical assistance, according to Vice Minister of Healthcare Lyazzat Aktayeva. “Now there are four categories for emergency calls, three of them have potential and immediate threats to life and health, ambulances will immediately go out for such calls. The fourth category is calls…
Best Capital Employee voting begins in Astana
ASTANA – An online vote called Yenbek Zholy, to determine the best employee of the capital, will be held among the employees of various enterprises from Aug. 1 to 31, the media centre of the Astana akimat (city administration) reported. Twenty-three applications were submitted for participation in the contest between May 20 and July 20.…
Russian companies to cooperate with Kazakh space industry
ASTANA – Due to the Russian National Day at EXPO 2017, a delegation from Chelyabinsk region led by its Governor Boris Dubrovskiy visited Kazakhstan National Space Centre. This meeting gave the parties new opportunities to identify new areas of cooperation. The delegation included members of the regional authorities and representatives of the region’s business community.…
Kazakhstan gets sea access using Chinese logistics centres
ASTANA – Chinese logistics centres become more accessible to Kazakhstan within the One Belt, One Road project. An initiative announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, One Belt, One Road is aimed at reviving and boosting cooperation between countries that once laid along the Silk Way route linking Asia and Europe. Part of the…
Social health insurance fund accumulates $2.4 million in July
ASTANA – The Social Health Insurance Fund received 800 million tenge (US$2.4 million) in payments in July, according to Fund Chairperson Yelena Bakhmutova. “According to the preliminary data, the total volume of contributions exceeded 800 million tenge (US$2.4 million), so this means that the number of people that got insured went above 384,000. We expect…
64-year-old volunteer enjoys her EXPO 2017 experience
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 visitors learn not only about future energy opportunities, but also about the inexhaustible human energy. Native of Kokshetau Batima Kussainova, 64, volunteered to participate in the large-scale event. “When I came to the expo organising committee in February, I was accepted with great pleasure out of the competition and awarded the…
Kazakh alphabet in Latin script to be developed by end of 2017
ASTANA – The Kazakh alphabet in the Latin script will be developed by the end of the year, said Minister of Education and Science Yerlan Sagadiyev during a recent press conference. According to him, this is the country’s most important project and it must be done right. “It is important to be cautious here. This…
Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture to launch more than 30 small dairies
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture has revealed plans to create 31 dairies within the development of small-scale agricultural processing enterprises, said Vice Minister of Agriculture Gulmira Issayeva. “The ministry pays special attention to the development of small processing enterprises; there are plans to create 31 mini-centres for milk processing, so-called cheese-making centres. Also,…
Chinese businessperson plans to export Almaty apples to China
ASTANA – Chinese businessperson Jin Xiau Ming intends to supply Almaty Aport apples to China. Although he has never seen Almaty apples, he has repeatedly heard of this famous variety of the fruit. “I heard that Almaty is known as a city of apples. I was told that an apple here could weigh up to…
Kazakhstan establishes national tourism development company
ASTANA – The Kazakh government recently launched the Kazakh Tourism National Company to develop the sector and attract investment. “The first task for the company is to promote the tourism potential of Kazakhstan abroad and attract investment. We want to attract investors to the tourism industry. I am sure that many investors are interested in…
Kazakh exports increase almost 40 percent, as economy grows 4.2 percent in first half of 2017
ASTANA – Kazakh exports increased 37.6 percent in the first half of 2017, Kazakh Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov announced at a recent government meeting. “In January-May of this year, the country’s foreign trade turnover grew 29.2 percent to $29.9 billion as a result of renewed demand and growth in prices. The export rose…
Government employment, training policies show positive results
ASTANA – One-hundred-seventy-four individuals started their own businesses and 384 loans were granted in the first half of this year as part of the second direction of the Productive Employment and Mass Entrepreneurship Development programme, announced Birzhan Nurymbetov, Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection at a July 11 press briefing. “It is planned to…
State programme helps employ more than 80,000 people
ASTANA – More than 82,000 people were employed in the first half of 2017 under the third direction of the Productive Employment and Mass Entrepreneurship Development Programme. As part of the employment assistance, more than 82,000 Kazakh citizens were employed in social workplaces, youth practice and public works in the first half of the year,…
Most popular vocational specialties in Kazakhstan include cook, seamstress, accountant
ASTANA – Cook, seamstress, accountant, hairdresser, electrician and welder are among Kazakhstan’s most popular vocational specialties, according to Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection Birzhan Nurymbetov. He presented the list at a briefing on the progress in the implement ion of the 2017-2021 productive employment and mass entrepreneurship development programme for the first half…
