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Kyrgyzstan is set to select a new national anthem by April 2025. The country’s Ministry of Culture announced the contest on Feb. 7, and so far, 564 entries have been submitted, with 91 shortlisted. The author of the winning anthem will receive 1.5 million soms (nearly $17,500), according to the Kaktus.media news portal.

Applicants may submit multiple versions of the anthem. So far, 388 individuals have submitted a total of 564 entries. The Ministry of Culture noted that even foreigners have participated in the contest.

Musicians, poets and songwriters are encouraged to participate in the competition. The new anthem must...

An international center for industrial cooperation, called Central Asia, will be built at the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan near the Atameken border crossing in Kazakhstan and the Gulistan border crossing in Uzbekistan.

According to Alisher Satvaldiyev, a member of the Senate, the upper house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, approximately $53.8 million is needed to implement the project.

He also revealed that both countries will allocate 50 hectares of land each. The land will have the status of a regional industrial zone. The new enterprise will focus on integrating, processing and distributing regional cargo flows. In addition, it will oversee the...

In 2024, Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national airline, and its low-cost subsidiary FlyArystan generated $1.3 billion in revenue, a 12.4% increase year-on-year (YoY), according to the company’s statements posted on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) website. The growth was driven by passenger and cargo revenues, as well as an aircraft engine leaseback operation.

Passenger service revenue totaled $1.2 billion, up from $1.1 billion in 2023, while cargo revenue rose to $26.3 million from $22.5 million the previous year. The group also earned $25 million from its aircraft engine operations. According to financial statements for the first six months of 2024, Air...

Orano, a French nuclear fuel company, and Navoiyuran, Uzbekistan’s state-owned uranium mining enterprise, have signed an agreement to advance the industrial development of the South Djengeldi uranium deposit, Orano announced in a statement. Under the deal, uranium production is expected to ramp up to 700 tons per year within the next decade.

«Orano and Navoiyuran announce an agreement laying the foundations for the industrial development of the South Djengeldi uranium mining project of their joint venture Nurlikum Mining,» the company said in its statement.

Under the agreement, the South Djengeldi project will be integrated into...

Radio Azattyk, the Kazakhstani subsidiary of Radio Liberty, continues to operate despite the funding cut by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), according to Torokul Doorov, the media service’s director.

«Radio Azattyk has endured many difficulties and pressure from various totalitarian regimes throughout its mission to spread democratic values and honest information! It has become a lone beacon of truth for millions of people living in these countries. No one can say how this situation will affect us. However, our board has made its positions clear and we will continue our work,» he posted on...

Kazakhstan’s national women’s boxing team achieved historic success at the Women’s World Boxing Championship in Niš, Serbia, held on March 9-16, 2025. The competition featured top athletes from 51 countries, with significant prize money awarded: $100,000 for gold medalists, $50,000 for silver medalists, $25,000 for bronze medalists and $10,000 for quarterfinalists.

Kazakhstani boxers won three gold, two silver and one bronze medal in the following weight classes:

48 kg – Nazym Kyzaibay (gold).

50 kg – Alua Balkybekova (gold).

63 kg – Aida Abikeyeva (gold).

60 kg – Viktoriya Grafeyeva (silver).

+81 kg – Eldana Talipova (silver).

70 kg...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is convinced that local authorities and community activists do not pay enough attention to domestic violence prevention. He also added that the situation is worsened by religious radicals. The president made this statement during the National Kurultai, a large gathering of public figures and officials aimed at discussing social and economic initiatives in Kazakhstan. This time, the Kurultai was held in Burabay, North Kazakhstan, while the three previous gatherings took place in Ulytau, Turkestan and Atyrau, respectively.

«Unfortunately, local authorities and social activists remain idle when it comes to preventing domestic violence. Even...

Kazakhstan’s fintech giant Kaspi.kz plans to acquire the Turkish subsidiary of the Dutch Rabobank, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. As reported by the media company, the negotiation process is underway, and no final decision has been made. Any potential deal must be approved by Turkish regulators.

This transaction could become Kaspi.kz’s second purchase in Turkey over the past several years. In January, the company announced the acquisition of a 65.41% stake in Hepsiburada, Turkey’s largest marketplace, for $1.1 billion. Under the arrangement, Kaspi.kz paid $600 million in cash, while the remaining...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Defense reported on the achievements of the country’s peacekeepers currently deployed on a mission in the Golan Heights. Over the past year, the military prevented the seizure of the Fawar base and assisted in evacuating UN personnel.

In 2024, Kazakhstan’s national peacekeeping contingent was dispatched to Syria as part of the UN Disengagement Observer Force.

«This mission marks the first independent operation of peacekeepers under the flag of Kazakhstan. During their deployment at the Fawar base, the peacekeeping contingent completed 557 tasks, including monitoring compliance with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria...

Air travel between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has resumed. The two countries had no air connection since May 2021, when a bloody armed conflict erupted at the state border.

The first airline to resume regular flights between the two capitals was Tajikistan’s Somon Air, whose aircraft arrived at Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

«The regular frequency has been restored thanks to joint efforts and the personal support of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon,» emphasized Alena Khomenko, an official representative of Manas Airport.

The Somon Air aircraft is expected...

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament suggested that school students should graduate with a driver’s license as part of their education. The Ministry of Education immediately responded to the initiative and pledged to explore the proposal, as reported by the Kyrgyzstani media outlet Kaktus.media.

«During a meeting of the Mekenchil deputy group, MP Bekmurza Ergeshov noted that many high school students today want to obtain driver’s licenses. To achieve this goal, they attend private driving schools, but the quality of training they receive is uncertain,» the media outlet said.

Ergeshov proposed introducing driving training in high schools so that...

Galiaskar Sarybayev, a member of the Senate, the upper chamber of Kazakhstan’s parliament, warned the cabinet about risks to biological safety in the country. He urged executive authorities to enhance safety measures at old laboratories and testing grounds that still contain biological materials left from the Soviet biological program.

He claims that even though the country has already adopted necessary legislation, Kazakhstan’s biosafety system needs updating. The senator believes that from a technical point of view, Kazakhstani laboratories are outdated, while the training level of specialists in virology, microbiology and biotechnology does not meet modern standards.

Aksai, March 03, 2025 – Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO) and its shareholders are pleased to announce the achievement of another milestone in the maturation of the 4BCMA Karachaganak Gas Plant (KGP). The Consortium led by Hyundai Engineering Co. will commence Early Engineering work.

The KGP project is a strategic initiative that is important to Kazakhstan’s energy self-sufficiency and to the longevity of the KPO’s production operations. It reaffirms KPO shareholders commitment to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan energy sector, economic growth and sustainable benefits for all stakeholders.  

KPO and its shareholders remain dedicated to close cooperation...

Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s state-owned investment and development fund, reported a net profit of 1.795 trillion tenge (approximately $3.8 billion) in 2024, according to its CEO Nurlan Zhakupov. The fund projects a decline in net profit to nearly $2.8 billion in 2025. For comparison, in 2023, it reported a net profit of approximately $3.7 billion.

Samruk-Kazyna’s revenue totaled nearly $37 billion in 2024, up from approximately $34 billion in 2023. However, revenue for 2025 is expected to decrease to $33.6 billion. Meanwhile, the fund’s debt continues to rise, climbing from $17 billion in 2023 to $19 billion in 2024, with an estimated...

Kazakhstani MP Murat Abenov believes that videos on TikTok may have a destructive effect on children’s health, causing focus and memory issues along with depression. Therefore, he urged parents to limit their children’s access to social media.

Abenov’s comment followed a Facebook post by journalist Gulmira Abykai, who claimed that a seven-year-old girl no longer recognized her relatives after watching videos on TikTok. Moreover, according to the post, the girl’s personality changed.

«You feel admiration, fear, overexcitement, or sadness on TikTok every 15 seconds, which can lead to depression. Research on the issue has shown that...

Belarus might see its second nuclear power plant (NPP) as its President Alexander Lukashenko made such a plea to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

According to Kommersant.ru, during talks with Putin in Moscow, Lukashenko suggested that Rosatom — Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation — build another NPP in Belarus. However, no details, including construction costs and the timeline, have been disclosed.

The first NPP cost Belarus $5.36 billion. The first reactor was officially launched in 2020, with Lukashenko attending the ceremony in person. Russia’s Atomstroyexport was the key partner of the country in that project.

Kazakhstan also seeks to build...

Armenia has accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on the two previously unresolved articles of a peace agreement, according to DW.com.

On Thursday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced that negotiations with Armenia on the text of the peace deal have been completed.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed that both countries are now prepared to sign an agreement establishing peace and interstate relations.

Previously, Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on 15 of the 17 articles in the proposed treaty, with only two points left unresolved: renouncing mutual claims in international courts and prohibiting the deployment of third-party forces along the border.

Armenian Prime...

Marat Omarov, chairman of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition (APDC), has recently proposed selling shares in the Atyrau Oil Refinery and the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant, both owned by KazMunayGas (KMG), to private investors. He brought up this idea during a visit to the Shymkent Oil Refinery, another major plant co-owned by KMG and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

«There is a quality product, minimal required repairs and, most importantly, the future location of the project [i.e. the planned expansion of the Shymkent Oil Refinery’s capacity from 6 million to 12 million tons per...

Around 30 illegal migrants working at a city factory were identified by police during a special raid in Almaty called “Migrant.” Several of them, citizens of various African nations, also worked part-time as taxi drivers.

«Twenty-five people were employed at various construction sites in the city, while four others — citizens of African countries — worked as general laborers at a factory. Additionally, two foreign nationals were engaged in passenger transportation as taxi drivers,» said Yerkin Amantayev, head of the migration service at the Almaty police department.

He emphasized that all detainees have been held...

Japan expects to attract 28 million visitors to Expo 2025 in Osaka, as reported by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the fair’s organizer.

This is seven times more attendants than Astana received during Expo 2017. According to Egov.kz, Kazakhstan welcomed more than 3 million people, while Forbes Kazakhstan reported 4 million visitors.

The Expo 2025 world fair will take place on Yumeshima, an artificial island, from April 13 to Oct. 13. Over 160 nations are expected to participate, including Kazakhstan and Ukraine, while Russia is not on the list of participants.

The theme of the upcoming exposition is «Designing...

Presidents Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan have signed a landmark agreement on their state border, according to the 24.kg news agency. For more than 30 years, the two nations struggled to resolve a border dispute, leading to periodic violent clashes.

The two leaders signed the historic agreement in Bishkek, drawing applause from their respective delegations.

The agreement will now be submitted to both countries’ parliaments for review. Upon ratification, it will return to the heads of state for final approval.

Japarov and Rakhmon also authorized the reopening of the border, which had been closed since May...

The specialized interdistrict economic court of the West Kazakhstan region has ruled that Karachaganak Petroleum Operating (KPO) must pay $1.1 million to Kapitalneftegaz, a state-owned company under the Ministry of Energy, along with $33,125 in state duty. This ruling follows a legal dispute in which Kapitalneftegaz claimed damages of $3.1 million against KPO.

Documents revealed during the hearings indicate that in June 2005, Kapitalneftegaz transferred some of its property to KPO as collateral for liabilities under the final product sharing agreement for the Karachaganak field, signed on Nov. 18, 1997. Under this arrangement, all property at the Karachaganak field was...

Yerbolat Dossayev has made numerous adversaries as akim (mayor) of Almaty, largely due to his decision to impose a ban on construction in the city’s mountainous areas. He addressed the issue during a meeting with Almaty residents, emphasizing that some developers continue to exploit legal loopholes to move forward with their projects.

«It is impossible to impose a moratorium on apartment complex construction in a specific district by law. But we regulate these issues. You wouldn’t believe how many projects have been denied approval in recent years. I already have many enemies in the city because...

A severe sugar shortage struck the country in the summer of 2022 / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Dastan Shanay

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebayev stated that Kazakhstan is not expected to face a sugar crisis this year due to the government’s engagement with sugar beet farmers and cooperation with sugar refineries.

«We have drawn conclusions from past sugar scarcities in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Agriculture has provided necessary assistance to farmers involved in sugar beet cultivation. Authorities also support domestic sugar factories, which process the beet and utilize imported materials. The work...