Kazakhstan Builds School in Earthquake-hit Türkiye’s Nurdağı District
ASTANA – A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Dec. 19 in Türkiye’s Nurdağı municipality in Gaziantep Province to construct a school, initiated by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Gaziantep Province was among the worst-damaged areas by the devastating earthquake that occurred on Feb. 6 last year. The Kazakhstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) has been designated…
Kazakhstan Maintains Diplomatic Relations With 186 States
ASTANA — Kazakhstan currently maintains diplomatic relations with 186 countries. Members of the Senate and the upper house of the Kazakh Parliament approved amendments to some legislative acts regarding diplomatic service, international treaties and official development assistance. According to Galiaskar Sarybayev, a member of the Senate, the geography of Kazakhstan’s diplomatic relations includes 109 foreign…
Presidents of Kazakhstan, Guinea-Bissau Visit Astana International Financial Centre
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, visited the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) on Dec. 19. According to the Akorda, AIFC Governor Renat Bekturov discussed the AIFC structure and its main areas of activity. He suggested that major areas…
Kazakhstan, Guinea-Bissau Forge Strategic Partnership for Beneficial Cooperation
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who arrived in Kazakhstan on an official visit on Dec. 18, to discuss priority areas for cooperation and outline plans for the coming period. During the narrow-format talks, Tokayev stressed that Guinea-Bissau is Kazakhstan’s important partner on the African continent,…
Kazakhstan Sees Growth in Business Activity Index
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s business activity index, based on surveys conducted by the National Bank, rose to 51.6 points by the end of November, according to National Bank Chair Timur Suleimenov, who spoke at a government meeting on Dec. 17. Suleimenov noted that the index has remained positive for nine consecutive months. The services sector index…
Kazakh Chess Players Secure 10 Medals at FIDE Youth Championship in Slovenia
ASTANA – Kazakh young chess players won 10 medals, including two gold at the FIDE World Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship 2024, which took place on Dec. 14-16 in Terme Čatež, Slovenia. Yelnaz Kaliakhmet and Daniyal Sapenov became the champions, reported the Committee on Sports and Physical Culture of the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and…
Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Breaks New Records This Year
ASTANA – In January-November, the gross agricultural output increased by 13.4% with an annual plan of 11.6% and reached 7.8 trillion tenge (US$14.9 billion), said Kazakh Deputy Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov at a Dec. 17 government meeting. He noted that this growth was achieved due to an increase in production volumes in crop production…
Kazakhstan Enhances Efforts to Restore, Preserve Endangered Animal Species
ASTANA — Kazakh Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev discussed the restoration of the snow leopard and Przewalski’s horse populations and the preservation of rare and endangered animal species in Kazakhstan during a Dec. 17 government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. The Prime Minister’s press service reported that the meeting highlighted…
Kazakhstan’s Main New Year Tree to Light Up Today
ASTANA – More than 30 New Year’s trees will be lit simultaneously in six districts of Astana at 8 p.m. local time on Dec. 18. According to Astana’s Akimat (administration), all sites will include various entertainment options, including ice rinks, slides, hardscape components, photo zones, and more. The 25-meter main New Year’s tree will be…
Kazakhstan Surpasses the US, Japan, and Singapore in Anti-Money Laundering Index Ranking
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has significantly improved its standing in the independent Basel AML (anti-money laundering) Index, ranking 111th with 4.65 points and surpassing 110 nations. The ranking, developed by the International Center for Asset Recovery (ICAR) at the Basel Institute on Governance based in Switzerland, assessed 164 countries. The Basel AML Index measures the risk…
Kazakhstan’s Strongman Tsyrulnikov Dazzles Audience at Opening Ceremony of 2024 World Weightlifting Championships
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s strongman Sergey Tsyrulnikov became the first Kazakh citizen invited to the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships opening ceremony, which took place on Dec. 6-15 in Manama, Bahrain. Tsyrulnikov’s involvement drew special attention to the event, which brought together approximately 500 competitors from 92 nations. His performance at this tournament highlighted Kazakhstan’s rich sports…
Azerbaijan Assumes CICA Chairmanship From Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan officially handed over the chairmanship in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) for 2024-2026 term to Azerbaijan at the seventh meeting of the Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers on Dec. 17. During the meeting, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu outlined Kazakhstan’s four-year CICA…
Kazakh Capital to Host First Fight Nights Boxing Tournament This Month
ASTANA – The first Fight Nights Boxing tournament will be held on Dec. 20 in Astana featuring Kazakh and foreign boxing stars. The main event of the evening will be the title fight between Marlon Aguas from Ecuador and Daulet Daukenov from Kazakhstan, reported Kazinform on Dec. 9. The co-main fight of the evening will…
Kazakh Ecology Ministry Develops Interactive Map of Natural Resources
ASTANA – An interactive map of natural resources is available on the Tabigat.gov.kz website, Kazakh Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Nurlan Kurmalayev said at a Dec. 10 briefing in the Central Communications Service (CCS). “This is a geographic information platform that provides information on the environmental situation and natural resources of our country,…
Kazakh Association of Financiers Forecast GDP Growth at 4.4%
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to reach 4.4%, the inflation rate to be 9.5%, and an exchange rate in the range of 545.2 tenge per U.S. dollar, according to the survey released by the Kazakh Association of Financiers’ analytical center on Dec. 10. The survey included experts from banks, insurance…
Four Kazakh Boxers Win Gold at Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Thailand
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s four male boxers won gold medals at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Dec. 11. They are Aibek Oralbay in the 92-kilogram weight category, Sagyndyk Togambay (up to 92 kilograms), Makhmud Sabyrkhan (up to 54 kilograms) and Bekzad Nurdauletov (up to 86 kilograms), reported the National Olympic…
Kazakh Government Allocates Returned Assets to Construct New School in Ulytau Region
ASTANA – The Kazakh government allocated over 1.2 billion tenge (US$2.3 million) from recovered illegally acquired assets to construct a new school for 80 students at the Manadyr station in the Zhanaarka district of the Ulytau Region. The present school is the only educational institution in the region. It was constructed in 1981, and an…
President Tokayev Presents Key Steps for Kazakhstan’s Digital Transformation
ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Astana Hub innovation ecosystem on Dec. 11 to learn more about the concept of the Alem.AI Artificial Intelligence Center, which will be located in the Nur Alem sphere (an iconic architectural landmark, originally built as the centerpiece of Expo 2017), and discuss priority tasks for the country’s…
Kazakh President Holds Talks With Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Chair
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Chair of Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard to promote the open and accountable management of oil, gas and mineral resources, Helen Clark, on Dec. 11. During the meeting, Tokayev emphasized that since joining this organization in 2007, Kazakhstan has been committed to complying with EITI…
French University of Lorraine Opens Branch at Almaty-Based Abai University
ASTANA – France’s University of Lorraine opened its branch at Almaty-based Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University in May. The branch trains specialists in seven areas, including public administration, international relations and international law. The university focuses on training French language teachers. French specialists make up around 30% of the teaching personnel. The branch also served…
Five Kazakh Female Boxers Win Gold at Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Thailand
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s five female boxers won gold medals at the ASBC Asian Elite Women Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They are Yeldana Talipova in the 81-kilogram weight category, Viktoriya Grafeyeva (up to 60 kilograms), Aida Abikeyeva (up to 63 kilograms), Natalya Bogdanova (up to 70 kilograms) and Gulsaya Yerzhan (up to 81 kilograms),…
Kazakh President Visits Industrial Enterprises During Working Visit to Aktobe Region
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited industrial enterprises during a Dec. 10 working visit to the Aktobe Region. Tokayev visited the Bolashak mine, which has a design capacity of 7.5 million tons of chrome ore annually. The plant, which will employ 1,800 people, will get almost one trillion tenge (US$1.96 billion) in investment, reported…
President Tokayev Tours Social Facilities in Aktobe Region
ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev toured social facilities in the Aktobe Region during his Dec. 10 working visit. Tokayev visited the Khromtau mining and technical college, which was founded in 1979. Now, the college trains 1,157 future miners, tunnelers, enrichment workers, fitters, mining electricians, electricians, and representatives of other specialties. Tokayev also learned about…
Astana to Host GCIP Kazakhstan 2024 National Forum This Week
ASTANA – Global Cleantech Innovation Program (GCIP) 2024 national forum is set to bring together leaders in ecology, sustainability and innovation on Dec. 12 in the Kazakh capital at the final of the GCIP Kazakhstan 2024 acceleration program. The best green startups of Kazakhstan will present their innovative projects after several months of intensive training…
National Bank Predicts Oil Prices to Fall to $70 Per Barrel
ASTANA – The Kazakh National Bank’s November monetary policy report predicts that oil prices would decrease to $70 per barrel in the medium term owing to a global oil market imbalance. “The situation in the oil market has worsened: demand from China is decreasing, and supply is expected to increase. As a result, estimates for…
