Anti-Doping Conference Highlights Almaty’s Olympics Hosting Bid
ASTANA – The 12th annual Asia/Oceania Region Intergovernmental Ministerial Meeting on Anti-Doping in Sport, organised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), was held June 20-21 in Almaty. According to Kazakhstan’s National Anti-Doping Centre, 60 participants from 26 countries attended to present their progress reports, share experiences and discuss alternative ways of effective anti-doping. The exchanges…
Air Astana Named Best Airline in Central Asia, India
ASTANA – Air Astana is celebrating success, as the company was named Best Airline in Central Asia/India for the fourth successive year and Best Airline Staff Service in Central Asia/India for the third year at the 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards. The honour follows the Air Transport World Market Leader Award received in February. The…
Second Stage of Steppe Eagle 2015 Drills Launch near Almaty
ASTANA – The second phase of the Steppe Eagle 2015 peacekeeping exercises began June 15 at the Ili training area near Almaty, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defence press service. A feature of the second phase of exercise Steppe Eagle 2015 is the preparation of the headquarters of peacekeeping units in the form of command…
PM Massimov Leads Presentation of Almaty’s 2022 Olympic Bid
ASTANA – Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov led a high-level Kazakh delegation at the technical presentation of Almaty’s bid to host Winter Olympic Games 2022 on June 9 in Lausanne, Switzerland. After an encouraging Evaluation Report of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on June 1, which noted the relevance of the bid’s slogan, “Keeping…
Almaty, Astana Mark Int’l Olympic Day as Bid Preparations Intensify
ASTANA – Tens of thousands of residents of Almaty, Astana, Oral and other cities enthusiastically took part in bike rides and other events May 23 to celebrate International Olympic Day and demonstrate support for Kazakhstan’s largest city’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Starting from the Sunkar international ski jump complex, Almaty participants finished…
FIC to Be Held June 4-5 as Country Ponders Expanding Visa-Free Regime to 35 More Countries
ASTANA – On June 4-5, Astana will host the 28th plenary meeting of the Foreign Investors Council under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FIC) devoted to the development of agribusiness in Kazakhstan. The event is expected to involve the heads of companies and organisations, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,…
Almaty, Astana Mark International Olympic Day as Bid Preparations Intensify
ASTANA – Tens of thousands of residents of Almaty, Astana, Oral and other cities enthusiastically took part in bike rides and other events May 23 to celebrate International Olympic Day and demonstrate support for Kazakhstan’s largest city’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Starting from the Sunkar international ski jump complex, Almaty participants finished…
World Bank Updated Forecast Predicts 2016-17 Kazakh Economic Growth Recovery
ASTANA –The spring 2015 edition of the biannual Kazakhstan Economic Update of the World Bank titled “Kazakhstan – Low Oil Prices; an Opportunity to Reform” forecasts a positive economic scenario for the country in coming years, despite external shocks and lowered demand domestically. Kazakhstan’s GDP growth slowed from 6 percent per year in 2013 to…
Almaty 2022 Olympic Hosting Bid Includes Thousands Ready to Volunteer
“Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games are something that belongs to everybody,” Scott Hamilton, American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist, is quoted to have said. Eric Schwartz, a senior lecturer of sports management at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, reports in a recent article in Sports Features on an important factor in successful organisation of…
Annual Marathon Becoming Major Sport, Charitable Event for Almaty
The International Almaty Marathon was held on April 26, the same day as the country’s presidential election. The fourth charity marathon, “The Courage to be First,” attracted more than 15,000 participants from 40 countries. The marathon has seen its numbers increase every year, from 3,000 when it was launched to 10,000 last year. “Every year…
Advisory Body Addresses Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion in Kazakhstan, Accepts Recommendations from Civil Society
ASTANA – The right to non-discrimination was the theme of the regular meeting of the Platform for Dialogue on the Human Dimension, a consultative advisory body, held on April 29 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chaired by ambassador-at-large Usen Suleimen. According to a Foreign Ministry press release, meeting participants discussed protecting the human…
Kazakh Delegation Urges More Progress at NPT Review Conference
Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev addressed the plenary session of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)review conference April 27 in New York. The senior diplomat saidAstana remained convinced that the NPT is the “foundation of the non-proliferation regime and global security,” which “should be fully strengthened.” According to the foreign ministry’s…
First Stage Completed in Steppe Eagle 2015 Peacekeeping Exercise
ASTANA – The first phase of the Steppe Eagle 2015 peacekeeping exercises was completed April 6-17 at Iliskiy training area near Almaty, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Defence press service. “The main purpose of the event is to improve the practical skills of the staff of Kazakhstan’s peacekeeping brigade and the peacekeeping battalion in the…
Floods in Karaganda Draw Unprecedented Outpouring of Popular Support, Civil Activism
ASTANA – Man is often powerless in combating natural disasters. Theseevents oftenoccur without warning, which sometimes means big losses, endangered lives and property destruction. Last week’s floods in the Karaganda and Akmola regions were triggered by abundant rainfall and melting snow. They affected highways of national significance and wide areas of Central and Northern Kazakhstan.…
Cultural, Economic Cooperation with UNESCO, OECD Discussed during Top Level Visit to Paris
ASTANA – Gulshara Abdykalikova, Kazakhstan’s secretary of state, discussed potential avenues for expanding the country’s economic and cultural cooperation with international organisations during her visit to Paris on April 15–16. Abdykalikova, who is the highest ranked woman in modern Kazakhstan’s history, visited the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), where…
State Archive to Present Book Chronicling 20th Century History of Kazakhstan’s Jewish Community
ASTANA– Apresentation of the book “History, Memory,People,” which depicts the losses of Kazakhstan’s Jewish community in the 20th century, will be hosted by the Central State Archive April 28 in Almaty. The Mitsva Associationof Jewish organisations announcedthe authors and publishers wanted the book to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Assembly of the People of…
Air Astana Begins Direct Flights to Paris
ASTANA – Paris has long been one of the most-favourable travel destinations and the increasing number of tourists from Kazakhstan highlights its desirability. Convenient opportunities for travelers, such as a direct flight between Astana and the City of Lights, could further help to encourage the tourist trade. Kazakh and French transport authorities signed a protocol…
Farming to Play Key Role in Kazakhstan’s Economic Anti-Crisis Programme
The economies of Europe and Eurasia are facing significant challenges today, given the fallout from ongoing geopolitical tensions around the conflict-hit Ukraine, and as a result are undergoing significant macroeconomic and structural adjustment. Falling crude oil prices are intertwined with a structural slowdown. Consequently, low oil prices will put significant pressure on the budget, limiting…
