Articles by Staff Report

Kazakhstan’s Inflation Rate for First Half of 2016 was 4.6 Percent

ASTANA – The inflation rate in Kazakhstan for the first six months of 2016 was 4.6 percent, according to the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy. Food prices increased 5 percent, non-food items 4.7 percent and paid services 4.1 percent. Since the beginning of the year, prices have increased for potatoes by…

Kazakhtelecom Announces New Major Shareholder Ahead of Possible IPO

ASTANA – Sobrio Limited has bought a 24.47 percent stake in national telecom operator Kazakhtelecom, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) reported. “Sobrio Limited became a new major shareholder of Kazakhtelecom as a result of the transaction made within the same group and acquired a stake from its affiliates – companies including Bodam B.V. and Deran…

Air Astana Introduces New Flight to Tehran

The Air Astana national carrier introduced a new direct flight from Almaty to Tehran on June 30, reported the press service of the company. The flights will be available three times per week: on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and will use Embraer 190 aircraft. The plane offers 88 seats in economy class and nine seats…

Astana Hosts Concert Featuring Argentine Pianist Luis Ascot

ASTANA – Argentine pianist and Geneva Conservatory of Music honourary professor Luis Ascot presented a concert at the Astana Opera Chamber Hall June 16 featuring works by Chopin and Liszt and the Argentine tango. Performing on the main stages of the U.S., Europe, India and China, the musician always includes works by Liszt and Alberto…

Kazakhstan to Expand Visa-Free List of Countries

This solution to grant more countries visa-free regime will increase the inflow of foreign tourists during the major international event EXPO 2017. This statement was made during the reporting of the delegation of Astana EXPO 2017, headed by Chairman AkhmetzhanYessimov at the 159th session of the General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) in…

Belgian VanHool Buses to be Produced in Kyzylorda

Kazakhstan plans to start production of VanHool buses based on the technology of  the Belgian company which annually manufactures approximately 1,400 buses and coaches and as many as 4,000 commercial vehicles. Representatives recently held several meetings in Astana, Almaty and Kyzylorda. The total value of the agreement on bus construction, which will be based in…

New Shymkent District under Construction

ASTANA – Construction of a new district in Shymkent aims to develop the city as the third major city of the state under the order of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Construction of so called “Shymkent City,” a new administrative and residential area started recently. “Today is a fateful moment, when we start to build our…

Batyr Arular Competition Announces Best Servicewomen of 2016

The names of winners of the Batyr Arular Second National Contest of Female Soldiers were recently announced. Eighty participants competed for the right to be called the best servicewoman of 2016. After the open voting, which was held on the website of the Ministry of Defence from the beginning of April to the end of…

EU, Kazakh General Prosecutor’s Office Conduct Seminar on Strategic Planning, Project Management

ASTANA – The General Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan with the support of the European Union project “Enhancing Criminal Justice in Kazakhstan” organised a workshop May 26-28 for representatives of law enforcement and judicial authorities on the basics of strategic planning and project management in Zerenda in the Akmola region. “The EU project ‘Enhancing Criminal Justice…

International Archaeologists Examine Ancient Mounds of East Kazakhstan

An international team of historians and archaeologists has started large-scale excavations of five ancient monuments in East Kazakhstan, reported the InfoCentre of the region. The archaeological expeditions are being conducted in the Berel mounds in the Katon-Karagai district, the Shiliktinsk Valley in the Zaisan district, Ablaikit fortress-monastery in the Ulan district, Kyrykungir monuments in the…

Ethnographic Camp Allows Visitors to Live as Ancient Nomads

The Nomads of the Great Steppe ethnographic camp will open its doors June 10. The three-day festival will be organised on the Ili River in the Almaty region and held under the motto: “Living in the present, thinking about the future, without forgetting the past!” According to the organisers of the event, the ethnographic recreation…

Internet Platform Provides Information for Entrepreneurs, Investors in Kazakhstan

The Atameken Centre for Monitoring and Market Expertise recently launched a Business Register, an online business platform listing local entrepreneurs and foreign investors. According to the head of Atameken, Nariman Tulegenov, the website – located at www.businessreestr.kz – is designed to work in the business-to-business format and contains information about all entrepreneurs who legally operate…

National Geographic Magazine Photo Exhibit Opens in Astana

The exhibition of the Fifty Best Photos of National Geographic magazine opened May 27 in the National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana, as part of the official presentation of the National Geographic Kazakhstan publication, reported the press service of the museum. The exhibition features some of the most amazing pictures that have been created during…

Small Kurultai of Kazakhs Held in Europe

ASTANA – A traditional small kurultai (assembly) of Kazakhs in Europe was held May 14-15 in Cologne, Germany, and gathered about 2,000 representatives of ethnic diasporas from Germany, the U.K., France, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Turkey and the U.S. At the opening ceremony, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Germany Bolat Nussupov read…

State Bodies Prepare to Transfer Functions to Competitive Environment

ASTANA – First Deputy Minister of National Economy Marat Kussainov talked about implementing the 97th step of the Plan of the Nation that expands opportunities for citizens to participate in decision-making process through the development of self-regulation and local government during the meeting of the lower house of Parliament on May 17. Kussainov also discussed…

Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sport, Russian Union Agree to Cooperate

ASTANA – A press conference dedicated to the premiere of the Russian movie “Tak slozhilis zvezdy” (That’s the Way the Stars Aligned) was held in Moscow on May 17. During the press conference, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan and the Union of Cinematographers of Russia signed a memorandum on cooperation in the…

Finnish Secretary of State Praises Kazakh Peace Initiatives

The meeting of the Secretary of State at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Peter Stenlund and Kazakh Ambassador to Finland Murat Nurtleyov took place on May 9, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The officials discussed further perspectives of bilateral cooperation between the states in political and economic…

Police to Patrol Yessil on Domestically Assembled Boat

ASTANA – A Kazak-produced Kazboat-47 police patrol boat is out to patrol in the water area of the Yessil River in Astana, reported the press service of the capital’s department of internal affairs. The police boat features a signalling loudspeaker with a flashing light, portable radio station, life vests, fire extinguishers and first aid medical…

Moldova Expresses Interest in Buying Kazakh Railroad Products

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) President Askar Mamin and the head of the Railroad of Moldova Yuryi Topal held a meeting in Astana on April 25. The Moldovan representative expressed the high interest of his company in purchasing Kazakh railroad products, reported the press service of KZT. During the meeting, the sides discussed issues of bilateral…

Astana Commemorates Kazakhs Who Helped Clean up after Chernobyl

Astana recently held a ceremony honouring the more than 30,000 Kazakhs who helped clean up and mitigate the consequences of the April 26, 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. The ceremony started with a minute of silence followed by the laying of wreaths at a monument. The people who helped clean up the accident and…

New Centre for Children with Disabilities Opens in Taraz

The new modern Centre for Psychological and Pedagogical Correction for Children with Disabilities was opened in Taraz on April 20, reported the press service of Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund. This is the fifth centre to be opened in Kazakhstan as part of the Dara Charitable Fund programme supported by Samruk Kazyna. Specialists will work…

Kazakh Residents’ Currency Preferences are Changing, Say Experts

ASTANA – Raising rates on deposits in tenge has affected Kazakh residents’ currency preferences, according to analysts at Ranking.kz. Deposits in the national currency showed record growth in February, with the volume increasing by 8 percent to 1.53 trillion tenge (US$4.54 billion) compared to the previous month, reported Kazpravda.kz. At the same time, currency deposits…

More Kazakh Products to be Exported to Tajikistan

Kazakh and Tajik businesses recently signed agreements to export from Kazakhstan to Tajikistan grains from the Akmola region, flour and pasta from Aktobe, Kyzylorda rice, Kostanay sweets and cement from Taraz, according to the Foreign Trade Chamber of Kazakhstan. The agreements were signed as a result of meetings of Kazakh businesspersons with Tajik colleagues. “Tajik…

Air Astana Boeing 767 Passengers Will Soon be Able to Surf the Web

ASTANA – Air Astana will install the Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) high-speed broadband Internet system in Boeing 767 planes, starting September 2016. The airline will become one of the first around the world to implement the GX system for its passengers, according to a recently signed contract with air transport IT provider Rockwell Collins. “As…

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Reduces CO2 Emissions

The press service of the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company (KTZ) recently announced that the volume of the company’s carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere has been reduced by 1.5 percent during 2014-2015. According to the press statement, the negative impact on environment was downgraded thanks to the implementation of prescribed measures of environmental legislation.…