Articles by Yerbolat Uatkhanov

ASTANA – Serbian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Vladan Matic in an exclusive interview with The Astana Times highlighted that Kazakhstan and Serbia are both hub-counties where various cultures overlap. This enables citizens of both states to be sensitive to and have understanding of various other cultures, more so than those who live in defined mono-cultural societies,…

ASTANA – Khorgos, a visa free and duty-free zone, was established as a unique project by the Kazakh and Chinese governments. Located on the border, the countries plan to turn it into a huge centre of business cooperation with a well-developed infrastructure for business, trade, sports and entertainment and an opportunity to get to know…

ASTANA – The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection revised its approaches to migration and the issuance of permits for foreign labour. The new policy lightens repatriation of ethnic Kazakhs and makes getting work permits easier for highly skilled foreign specialists. “It is proposed to use three types of work permits for foreign immigrants,” said…

ASTANA – Asian civil servants and political figures together with representatives of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) secretariat discussed innovative solutions and shared best practices in administrative reforms at the Asian Leadership Forum, held at the 2017 EROPA (Eastern Regional Organisation for Public Administration) General Assembly annual conference in Seoul. Alikhan Baimenov, chairperson…

ASTANA – When you think of grain farming, you might think of dusty tractors, rough hands running over golden fields, the sounds of threshers working. But Kazakhstan’s newest agricultural tool is more data field than wheat field. Wexport.com was officially launched in the end of 2016 by WESSAR, and since then the internet source has…

ASTANA – Kazakh TV is an image-building, nation’s leading educational channel about the dynamically developing Kazakhstan, its investment and tourist potential, global initiatives and cultural and historic heritage. The network recently launched the fall season with 15 new shows demonstrating the unique local flavour of national cuisine and the history of ancient Kypchaks, Turks and…

ASTANA – Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev reviewed the nation’s harvesting progress Sept. 12, noting the quantity of Kazakh grain has increased this year. The gross grain harvest is expected to exceed 19.5 million tonnes, which will raise the country’s export potential to eight million tonnes. Harvesting operations are currently underway in all regions, said First…

ASTANA – For more than 200 years, La Scala, the prestigious Italian theatre, has brought its musical pleasures to various corners of the world, delighting fans at every stop. The first Kazakh tour of the famous Milanese orchestra and chorus, held Sept. 1-9 at the Astana Opera, was dedicated to EXPO 2017. The capital’s premiere…

ASTANA – Curling has never been popular in Kazakhstan, but interest in the sport has developed dynamically since the Winter World Universiade 2017. The country now has a national team, which is holding friendly matches in preparation for the World Cup. Competitions between mixed teams and juniors are organised at the Almaty Arena ice palace,…

ASTANA – The U.S. Defence Institute for Medical Operations (DIMO) organised a three-day training for 35 Kazakh soldiers from the country’s United Nations peacekeeping battalion. The training, held at the Kazakh Ministry of Defence Centre for Military Medicine, was supported by the defence departments of both nations. U.S. experts noted the Kazakh military members met…

ASTANA – Chairperson of the Kazakhstan Television and Radio Company Yerlan Karin recently announced that Chinese actor and star of American cinema Jackie Chan plans to make a movie in Kazakhstan. “After his trip to Astana, Jackie became even more fired up by the idea of ​​filming one of his films in Kazakhstan. He even…

ASTANA – A conference called Drivers of Transport Development was held in the capital Aug. 28 in conjunction with the Eurasian Week international forum. The agenda focused on digital transformation in the transport industry and the Eurasian Economic Commission’s (EAEC) cooperation with the Silk Road Economic Belt, including a report by Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ)…

ASTANA – Young artists of the Astana Opera presented Aug. 26 at the Astana Opera chamber Hall “Our Song Is for You, Kazakhstan!,” a festive concert in honour of Constitution Day. “Our concert is dedicated to one of the most important holidays of our country – Constitution Day. On this day, I have sung Dudar-ai…

ASTANA – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supported by the Kazakh government opened Aug. 29 its first-ever Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank in Kazakhstan. The $150 million facility will help ensure a steady supply of low enriched uranium for countries’ nuclear power programmes. Speaking at the bank’s elaborate launch ceremony in Astana’s newly opened…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan recently became the first country in the Commonwealth of Independent states to complete the first phase of demolition in a pilot project concerning dilapidated housing. The Moscow city administration has decided to use Astana’s experience for its dilapidated housing project. The project in Astana was called Affordable Housing 2020 and it started…

ASTANA – The Kazakh government approved Aug. 15 a national investment strategy for 2018-2022 which seeks to increase foreign investments 26 percent in five years and create a more favourable investment climate. Twenty-seven countries were identified as the most important for attracting investments. Minister for Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek highlighted that the investment strategy…

ASTANA – EXPO 2017 has had a significant economic and promotional impact, including increased product sales, restaurant visits and thousands of social media and news organisation mentions. So far, EXPO 2017 cafés and restaurants have served approximately 558,700 people and 84,495 licensed products have been sold worth 131.8 million tenge (US$396,300). The total amount of…

ASTANA – Kazakh TV’s new show, “Invite Me,” unveils Kazakhstan through the eyes of foreigners as Robert Boyd of Australia visits the country’s most interesting destinations at the invitation of families around the country. “When people live in another country they often tell how much more interesting it is than just being a tourist, because…

ASTANA – An exhibition dedicated to the Hero of the Soviet Union, Kazakh national hero and great military leader Bauyrzhan Momyshuly recently opened in Almaty. His personal belongings are presented for the first time. The exhibition also presents dozens of photographs about Momyshuly’s life. Zhas Otan Chairman Madi Akhmetov organised the exhibition. He graduated from…

ASTANA – Astana Zhastary Youth Centre takes an active role and provides real assistance to capital youth ages 14-29. Established Feb. 3, 2014, the centre is completely supported by the city administration. “The centre has four major departments. The first one is the employment and career guidance department. It aims at the employment of young…

ASTANA – The new Almaty general plan includes constructing a second airport while preserving the city centre. The design was developed to make the urban area comfortable for people, not cars, using the best practices of the most up-to-date and environmentally friendly cities. The general plan was approved 15 years ago and the new one…

ASTANA – The COSsummer Almaty Cosplay Festival, held for the 10th time, was an extra special event. The festival attracted a record high number of participants and visitors and gained international status. “Cosplay is quite popular in Almaty. On average, approximately 400-500 people per day visit the event and about 100-120 people take part in…

ASTANA – The new “Astana, City of the Future” film about the architectural wonders of Astana will debut Aug. 8 at EXPO 2017 in Astana. The film is a new episode of National Geographic’s iconic TV series Megastructures, which shows high-tech innovations used in the construction of some of the world’s most impressive buildings. The…

ASTANA – The Sarbaz historical medieval battle became the highlight of the Khan Koryk international youth festival, which attracted thousands of spectators to Bayanaul National Park. Knights with historically accurate 30-40-kilogram armour and arms came from the capital, Almaty, Pavlodar, Kostanai and Bishkek to determine the strongest among them. With mountains, fresh air, a refreshing…

ASTANA – In cooperation with Community International magazine, the capital administration will implement City of Occupations, a large-scale career project. The publication has been successfully executing the concept in Ukraine for four years and the programme will be controlled by the capital mayor. “I really wanted that everyone who chooses his or her own way…