Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – The Italian-Kazakh Cultural Center for Creative Industry will be opened in Kazakhstan this year, said Ambassador of Italy to Kazakhstan Marco Alberti during a Jan. 10 meeting with Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva, reported the ministry’s press service. Balayeva emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the development of cooperation…

ASTANA – Scientists from the Umai International Laboratory for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage at the Margulan Institute of Archaeology took part in the reconstruction of a historical clothing found in the ruins of the mausoleum on the Talmas-Ata necropolis in the Karagandy Region dating back to the Golden Horde era, reported the…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government has introduced a package of tax reliefs for 40 types of business activities in the creative industry, reported the Ministry of Culture and Information on Jan. 10. Entrepreneurs will be exempt from paying corporate income tax, personal income tax, and value added tax. Instead, a single tax worth 2% to…

ASTANA – The Investment Promotion Council (Investment Headquarters) discussed the implementation of the National Digital Investment Platform, aimed at improving the country’s investment attractiveness during a Jan. 11 meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. User-friendly investment platform is supposed to both simplify processes, including government services, and…

ASTANA – The crime rate in Kazakhstan has decreased by 11% from 157,473 to 140,272 cases, reported Kazakh Prosecutor General’s Office on Jan. 10. Violent crimes declined by 14.9% from 44,106 to 37,548 cases. Crimes of moderate severity also saw a decrease of 12.6%, with cases falling from 67,340 to 58,874. The less significant decrease,…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Romania expressed readiness to promote cooperation in the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or Middle Corridor, during talks between Kazakh Deputy Transport Minister Talgat Lastayev and Romanian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mădălina Lupu, reported the ministry’s press service on Jan. 10. The sides addressed cooperation in transport, logistics and…

ASTANA – The Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan received more than 5,300 appeals in 2023. Yet, 39% of them are related to disagreement with court decisions, which is not under its jurisdiction, reported the court’s press service on Jan. 9. Citizens’ appeals were mainly related to housing and labor relations, social protection, the bankruptcy of individuals,…

ASTANA – The Digital Almaty 2024 International forum, dubbed Industry X: the Digital Evolution of the Future, will take place on Feb. 1-3 with an extensive business program, reported the forum’s press service.  The event will bring together government officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries, leading experts, and…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan witnesses a decline in the incidence of 39 infections, including Covid-19, rotavirus and acute intestinal infections, said Health Minister Azhar Giniyat at a Jan. 9 government meeting, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. At the end of 2023, the country registered more than 29,000 measles cases, 80% of which occurred in children…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to plant saxaul trees on an additional 275,000 hectares of the drained bottom of the Aral Sea this year to prevent dust storms in the region and cover 1.1 million hectares until 2025, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources on Jan. 8.  Planting saxaul trees has proved…

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev instructed to enhance preparation for the fifth World Nomad Games, which will take place in the Kazakh capital on Sept. 8 – 14, and improve training conditions for national athletes at a Jan. 8 expanded meeting, reported the ministry’s press service. Managers of the National…

ASTANA – Forty-two athletes will represent Kazakhstan at the upcoming 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, which will kick off on Jan. 19 and last until Feb. 1 in Gangwon, South Korea, reported the National Olympic Committee on Jan. 5. The opening ceremony is set to take place both at Gangneung Oval and PyeongChang Dome. The ceremony…

ASTANA – Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev wrapped up the outcomes of their work in 2023 in his Telegram post on Jan. 8. The Astana Hub organized 446 events attended by 19,457 guests last year.  Some 3,183 students received grants to study at IT schools in Kazakhstan under the Tech Orda program, and 2,217 more…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has picked a selection of articles on Kazakhstan published in international media worldwide. This week’s foreign media digest includes articles on the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s interview with a national newspaper, the Middle Corridor, the country’s efforts to boost tourism industry, and more. Tokayev for first time discusses power struggle…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev underscored the need to adopt laws aimed at implementing key measures for the country’s social and economic transformation during a Jan. 5 meeting with Yerlan Koshanov, chair of the Mazhilis, the lower house of the Parliament, reported the Akorda press service. According to Koshanov, since the beginning of the…

ASTANA – Shakhnaze Ilyassova, a 22-year-old kobyz player from the Karagandy Region, took first place in the Golden Time Talent international music contest, reported the region’s administration on Jan. 4. She was invited to represent Kazakhstan at the Golden Time Talent festival in the United Kingdom. Kobyz is a traditional stringed musical instrument. Ilyassova, who…

ASTANA – Wanderlust travel magazine added Kazakhstan to its Editors’ Hot List 2024, inviting tourists to visit the singing dunes and painted rocks of the Altyn-Emel National Park. “If you have ever longed to see someone firing an arrow using their feet while doing a handstand, the World Nomad Games might just be your Woodstock.…

ASTANA – The decision to build the nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan will be made by people, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his comprehensive interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper, published on Jan. 3. According to Tokayev, clean nuclear energy is vital for Kazakhstan. This is a fundamental question for the future of the national…

ASTANA – Constitutional rule on a single presidential tenure remains unchanged, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper released on Jan. 3, dismissing speculations on his presidential election bid in 2026. “This norm is as inviolable as the rules on independence, unitarity, territorial integrity and the form of rule…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev kicked off the new year with an extensive interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper on Jan. 3. During the interview, he discussed key achievements from the previous year, provided insights into both domestic and foreign policies, addressed social and economic development, and outlined plans for the year 2024. Tokayev reiterated…

ASTANA – State Counselor Erlan Karin wrapped up the results of the country’s reforms over the past two years and reflected on the coming tasks to raise public consciousness and form new social ethics in his Telegram post on Dec. 29. According to Karin, 2023 has become another year that changed Kazakhstan. “These were not…

ASTANA – The Astana Times has picked a selection of articles on Kazakhstan published in international media worldwide. This week’s foreign media digest includes articles on the country’s efforts to increase foreign trade, bolster energy infrastructure and more. Kazakhstan launches construction of new rail link to China Kazakhstan launched the construction of a new railway…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s airlines set a new record in 2023, transporting 12 million passengers, reported the Transport Ministry’s press service on Dec. 28. The airlines increased their aircraft fleet from 89 to 99 units and the seat capacity from 12,000 to 15,000. “Three new passenger terminals are being built at the expense of private investors…

ASTANA – The Strategy Social and Political Research Center conducted a survey of 2,400 respondents across the country in December, assessing the population’s approval of the activities of state bodies, reported the center’s press service on Dec. 19.  “Based on the survey results, 76.4% of respondents approve the work of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 14.1%…

ASTANA – Astana’s International Airport served 7.5 million passengers, setting a record on Dec. 25, reported the Kazakh Transport Ministry’s press service. “We visited relatives in Almaty and today returned home. We did not expect to be special passengers, welcomed personally by the airport management. (…) Thank you very much for such a warm welcome!”…