Articles by Saniya Sakenova

North Kazakhstan Region Launches New Telemedicine Complexes

ASTANA – Kazakh Health Minister Azhar Giniyat took part in the launch of new telemedicine complexes in the North Kazakhstan Region on Jan. 29 during her working trip to the region, reported the Kazakh Health Ministry’s press service.  French Ambassador to Kazakhstan Didier Canesse also attended the launch. The French government allocated a 650,000 euro…

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Featured in New Book of American Photographer

ASTANA – Martin Gray, a photographer from the United States, included the mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan in his recently published book “Secret Sacred Sites,” placing it among the 12 spots he chose to share, Spanish daily newspaper El País reported on Jan. 19. Gray described the mausoleum as an “unfinished building,” whose…

Kazakhstan Set to Boost Exports to Tajikistan by Nearly $190 Million

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is ready to increase exports to Tajikistan by approximately $190 million, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu said at a Jan. 25 meeting with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Mukhriddin during his official visit to Dushanbe, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service. This initiative includes commitments to supply railway…

Kazakhstan, UAE Foster Cooperation in Crime Prevention

ASTANA – The Kazakh Prosecutor General’s Office signed a Cooperation Program with the Ministry of Justice of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Jan. 25 to reinforce international collaboration in crime combating, reported the office’s press service. Kazakh Prosecutor General Berik Asylov signed the document at a meeting with UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah bin…

Kazakhstan to Launch 180 Manufacturing Industry Projects Worth $3.3 Billion in 2024

ASTANA – This year, Kazakhstan plans to implement 180 new projects valued at 1.5 trillion tenge ($3.3 billion), generating over 18,000 jobs, as was announced at a Jan. 26 meeting of the Council of Domestic Entrepreneurs, chaired by Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. These projects include a ferroalloy plant and…

Kazakhstan Plans to Build Over 7,000 5G Base Stations by 2025

ASTANA – Kazakhtelecom has developed a plan for the construction of over 7,000 base stations in response to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s instructions to accelerate the rollout of the 5G network by the end of 2025, Kazakhtelecom Chair Kuanyshbek Yessekeyev said at a Jan. 25 meeting with the President during his visit to Almaty, reported the…

Hyundai Plants in Kazakhstan Produce Nearly 49,000 Cars in 2023

ASTANA – Last year, Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan and Hyundai Trans Almaty plants produced 48,857 passenger cars and 981 units of commercial vehicles, Astana Motors Founder Nurlan Smagulov said at a Jan. 25 meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his working visit to Almaty, reported the Akorda press service. Smagulov highlighted the financial contributions of Astana…

Kazakhstan’s Asset Return Commission Expands Scope: New Individuals Under Consideration

ASTANA – A Jan. 26 meeting of the Commission on the return of illegally acquired assets, chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, convened to discuss the potential inclusion of new individuals in the registry, initiating verification procedures for them, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The commission spoke about the plans to enter into…

Oxford University Embarks on Teaching Kazakh Language

ASTANA – The University of Oxford is set to launch Kazakh language courses following an agreement signed between the university and the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education on Jan. 25, reported the ministry’s press service. The Kazakh delegation, led by Minister Sayasat Nurbek and featuring heads of Kazakhstan’s leading universities, took a tour…

EDB Report: Kazakhstan Leads Regional Investment Activity in Eurasia

ASTANA – In a recent report released by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), Kazakhstan has emerged as a powerhouse in regional investment activity, reported EDB’s telegram channel on Jan. 24. According to Anton Malakhov, head of projects in EDB Research, the monitoring focuses on three key aspects related to the cumulative mutual foreign direct investment…

OTS Establishes Turkic States Competition Council

ASTANA – The Turkic States Competition Council was established in İstanbul on  Jan. 23 under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) at the initiative of the Turkish Competition Authority, reported Kazinform. At the council’s inaugural meeting, participants agreed on the fundamental principles of the council’s activities and a roadmap. Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat highlighted that…

Kazakhstan’s Exports of IT Services Increase 12 Times Since 2020

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s exports of IT services have increased 12-fold since 2020, Yersultan Yermanov, Head of the IT Industry Development Department of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, said at a Jan. 19 briefing in the Central Communications Service (CCS), reported the CCS’s press office. Kazakhstan ranks 28th in the United Nations…

President Tokayev Meets Kazakh Statesman Ikram Adyrbekov

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Ikram Adyrbekov, a Kazakh statesman, diplomat, and member of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Jan. 23, reported the Akorda press service. They discussed the implementation of the main directions of the “TURKTIME!” program, which Kazakhstan, as chair, presented at the tenth OTS…

Chevron Direct Investment Fund Allocates $41 Million to Two Kazakh Companies

ASTANA – In 2023, Chevron Direct Investment Fund (CDIF) made direct equity investments worth $41 million into the managed service marketplace for businesses Top Cleaning Kazakhstan and Orhun Med healthcare company, Chevron’s press service reported on Jan. 18. Set to expand their businesses using CDIF’s investments, the companies plan to create jobs across Kazakhstan and…

Kazakhstan Gears Up for Spectacular World Nomad Games, Welcoming 107 Nations in Astana

ASTANA – The directorate for preparation and hosting of the World Nomad Games has approved all protocols for the competition’s fifth edition, scheduled from Sept. 8 to 15 in Astana, said Directorate Deputy Head Abylai Kondybayev at a Jan. 23 briefing in the Central Communications Service (CCS), reported the CCS’s press office. Presently, Kazakhstan is…

Kazakhstan Presents Top Five Tourist Destinations of 2023

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports offered the list of the top five tourist destinations in 2023, revealing the most popular places travelers chose in Kazakhstan. The Almaty mountain cluster recorded the biggest number, with 1,728,000 people visiting local resort areas from January to September last year. The cluster includes the Forest…

Kazakhstan Attracts $4.1 Billion in FDI in First Half of 2023

ASTANA – In the first half of 2023, Kazakhstan surged $4.1 billion in net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI), 86% more than in the previous year, Acting Chairman of the Kazakh Invest National Company Zhandos Temirgali said in an interview with Forbes, published on Dec. 28, 2023, reported the Kazakh Invest’s press service. The…

Kazakhstan Publishes Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Manuscript Copy Discovered in US

ASTANA – The National Center for Manuscripts and Rare Books published a copy of the manuscript of the great philosopher and scientist, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, found in the United States, the Kazakh Culture and Information Ministry’s press service reported on Jan. 23. The three-chapter original book “Risala Mirat al-Qulub,” written in the 12th century in…

Kazakh Officials Confirm No Casualties in Almaty Earthquake

ASTANA – Almaty city witnessed an earthquake on Jan. 23 at 12.09 a.m. Astana time, causing no fatalities or severe damage, said Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, according to the Prime Minister’s press service. With an epicenter 264 kilometers southeast of Almaty on the border of the Kyrgyz Republic and China, the seismic activity continued…

Caspian Pipeline Consortium Transports Record 63.5 Million Tons of Oil in 2023

ASTANA – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) set a historic record by transporting 63.5 million tons of oil in 2023, CPC General Director Nikolay Gorban announced at a press briefing on Jan. 16, reported the CPC’s press office. Of these, 56 million tons came from Kazakh shippers, Gorban added, emphasizing that CPC’s Kazakh segment (CPC-K)…

Tokayev Meets with President Mattarella as Part of Visit to Italy

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with President of Italy Sergio Mattarella during his official visit to Rome on Jan. 18, his first visit to Italy in the capacity of the President, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev noted the long-term relations with Italy, which is a reliable partner of Kazakhstan in the European Union…

Kazakhstan Achieves 99.5% Purity in Selenium Production

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has made a groundbreaking advancement by elevating its selenium enrichment to 99.5% within a year, Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, announced on his Instagram page on Jan. 13. On Aug. 28, 2023, at the production facilities of Kazakhmys Progress in Balkhash, Kazakhstan’s first-ever workshop was opened for the production…

Tourist Information Booth Opens at Astana Airport

ASTANA – A new modernized tourist information booth opened in the arrivals area at the Nursultan Nazarbayev international airport on Jan. 18, reported the Astana Development Center’s press service. As a key element to enhance visitors’ comfort, the booth provides information about Astana’s tourist products, sightseeing routes, attractions, events, transport, shopping, and entertainment in Kazakh,…

Astana Moves 25 Spots Up in StartupBlink’s Global Ecosystem Index

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital climbed 25 positions in the Global Ecosystem Index, securing 318th place among 1,000 cities listed in the latest 2023 report of the StartupBlink global startup ecosystem map and research center. StartupBlink works to uncover insights about trends affecting the global startup ecosystem and offers elaborated startup ecosystem dashboards for over…

New International Terminal at Almaty Airport to Open in June

ASTANA – A new international terminal at the Almaty airport will open this June, TAV Airports CEO Serkan Kaptan said during a Jan. 18 meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. As stated by Kaptan, the construction progress has reached an 87% completion to date.  Smailov noted the strategic…