New Direct Flights Launched Between Almaty and Tashkent
ASTANA — A new direct air route between Almaty and Tashkent has been launched on March 31 by Uzbek carrier Qanot Sharq, further strengthening regional connectivity, Kazinform reported. The inaugural flight was welcomed at Almaty International Airport with a ceremonial water arch, while arriving passengers were greeted with sweets at the gate, marking the launch…
Kazakhstan Approves New Cultural Heritage Plan to Boost UNESCO Presence
ASTANA — Kazakhstan has approved a comprehensive two-year plan to preserve and promote its cultural heritage under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Prime Minister’s press service reported on March 31. The resolution, signed by Prime Minister Olzhas…
Kazakh PM Bektenov Signals Water Cooperation Push
ASTANA — Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov met with members of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) on March 30 to discuss strengthening regional cooperation in water management and improving the fund’s effectiveness, the Prime Minister’s press service said. Bektenov underscored that the rehabilitation of the Aral Sea…
Partnership in Steppe: How Kazakh Families Shared Work of Survival
ASTANA — The image of the obedient Kazakh woman is often repeated in discussions of tradition. Yet historians and anthropologists say the reality of life on the steppe was far more complex. In a society shaped by nomadic life, women were not passive members of the household but key partners in family and economic survival. …
No Country Has Achieved Full Legal Equality for Women and Girls, UN Women Says
ASTANA — Justice systems meant to uphold rights and the rule of law are failing women and girls worldwide, according to a new report highlighted by UN Women. Women globally hold just 64% of the legal rights of men, exposing them to discrimination, violence and exclusion throughout their lives, according to a UN Women press…
Air Astana Suspends Middle East Flights as 2,111 Kazakh Citizens Return Home
ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s Air Astana has extended the suspension of several regular flights to the Middle East amid ongoing regional disruptions, the airline announced on March 5, as authorities continue efforts to bring citizens home. According to the Civil Aviation Committee, 2,111 Kazakh citizens have returned from the region since March 3. According to the…
Asian Investors Pour $68 Billion Into Central Asia as Energy Overtakes Extractives
ASTANA — Foreign direct investment (FDI) stock from Asian countries into Central Asian economies grew 2.3 times between 2016 and the first half of 2025, rising from $29.9 billion to $68 billion, according to data from the Eurasian Development Bank. According to the bank’s Monitoring of Mutual Investments report released in January, the expansion reflects…
Tokayev to Attend Inaugural Board of Peace Meeting in Washington This Week
ASTANA — Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will pay a working visit to the United States on Feb. 18–19 at the invitation of the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump, the Akorda press service announced. During the visit to Washington, D.C., President Tokayev will participate in the first formal meeting of the Board of Peace, a new international…
EDB: Multilateral Development Banks Need Each Other, Central Asia Shows Why
ASTANA — The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) report on Cooperation of Multilateral Development Banks in Developing Countries: New Opportunities lands squarely in the middle of a growing global contradiction: developing economies face an unprecedented demand for financing, yet multilateral development banks (MDBs) remain structurally constrained in how much and how effectively they can deliver on…
Kazakhstan and Germany Set Sights on Next Phase of Economic Ties
ASTANA — Kazakhstan is consistently focused on further strengthening its partnership with Germany across the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and views Germany as one of its key strategic partners in the European Union, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin said during a Jan. 28 meeting with Dominik Mutter,…
Hooligans’ Game but for Gentlemen: Kazakh Rugby Captain on Rugby, Class, and Character
ASTANA — For much of its history, rugby was never meant to be a vehicle for social mobility. Born in 19th-century England, it developed within the walls of elite private schools and universities, played by students for whom competition was not a path out of hardship but an extension of privilege. Discipline, restraint, and hierarchy…
Why Museums Became Climate Activists’ Chosen Battlegrounds?
When you attend Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, organized by Masdar, which I did this January, you expect discussions about clean energy, finance, technology, and the future of the planet. What you don’t necessarily expect is a sharp, intellectually uncomfortable conversation about soup, glue and the moral responsibility of museums. Yet that was exactly what unfolded…
Uzbekistan Secures Masdar’s Central Asia Expansion With $225 Million Solar Deal
ABU DHABI — Masdar, the United Arab Emirates’ clean energy champion, announced financial close on a $225 million package for the solar power plant and battery storage project in southern Uzbekistan on Jan. 15, on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Senior officials from both countries attended, underscoring the political weight behind Uzbekistan’s clean…
From Early Bet to Global Scale: Masdar Turns 20 as it Expands in Central Asia
ABU DHABI — Masdar, a clean energy champion of the UAE capital, is marking its 20th anniversary this year, having launched operations in 2006, long before renewable energy became a global buzzword. The Astana Times spoke with Masdar’s Chief Operating Officer Abdulaziz Alobaidli, on Jan. 12, on the eve of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW)…
IRENA: Systemic Innovation, Not Silver Bullets, Seen as Key to Energy Transition
ABU DHABI – Transforming global energy systems will require more than breakthrough technologies, according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), released on Jan. 12 during a ministerial dialogue on the role of artificial intelligence at IRENA’s Assembly. According to the report Innovation Landscape for Sustainable Development Powered by Renewables, progress…
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026 Opens with Focus on Systems-Level Solutions
ABU DHABI — The capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2026 (ADSW) on Jan. 13, positioning itself once again as a global platform for dialogue and practical action on sustainability, energy transition, and climate-related challenges. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE…
EDB’s Evgeny Vinokurov: Central Asia’s Future is Industry, Not Just Transit
ASTANA — Transport corridors and logistics hubs are transforming how Central Asia grows and competes. But how can the region truly benefit from this shift, and what does it mean for the economies of both Central Asia as a whole and Kazakhstan in particular? To unpack these questions, Chief Economist of the Eurasian Development Bank…
IRENA–ILO Report Finds China Drives Renewable Jobs, Warns of Uneven Global Growth
ABU DHABI — Despite renewable energy installations reaching a new peak, employment in the sector grew by just 2.3% year on year, totaling 16.6 million jobs in 2024, according to Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2025 by the International Renewable Energy Agency and the International Labour Organization. The report was released on Jan.…
IRENA Assembly Signals Why Renewables Now Define Power, Security, and Growth
ABU DHABI — The global energy system is shifting away from a centralized, fossil-fuel-based model toward a more decentralized system built on renewable energy, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Francesco La Camera said at the 16th IRENA Assembly on Jan. 11. Held under the theme Powering Humanity: Renewable Energy for Shared Prosperity,…
Astana Signs Memorandum to Develop Autonomous Taxi Service
ASTANA – The Kazakh capital plans to launch an autonomous taxi service. A memorandum of cooperation on the development of autonomous taxi services was signed in the Kazakh capital on Dec. 29 between the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, the Ministry of Transport, the Astana city administration, and Yandex Qazaqstan, the Ministry…
From Independence to Influence: Kazakhstan at 34
Kazakhstan turns 34 this December. Not a milestone that demands fireworks. For a country, this is still a restless, sometimes awkward age: old enough to carry scars, young enough to make mistakes, and confident enough to believe it can matter. If we count from December 16, 1991, Kazakhstan is an undeniably young state. If we…
From Fahrenheit 451 to AI: A Struggle to Keep Thinking
I grew up devouring Ray Bradbury. I don’t know why my childhood mind was so fascinated by the future. At the time, I never imagined that humans would one day be living a version of the future he wrote: not in the rocket ships or Mars missions he imagined, but in the quiet, insidious ways…
The Astana Times at 15: Telling Kazakhstan’s Story in Our Own Voice
Editor’s Note: To mark the 15th anniversary of The Astana Times, we are launching a special series of columns written by our newsroom. Over the days, members of our team reflect on their journeys, the stories that shaped them, and the evolution of The Astana Times. We began with a column by our editor-in-chief Zhanna…
Time for Washington to Recognize Central Asia’s Strategic Value, Experts Say
ASTANA — The Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center convened visiting policymakers and regional experts on Nov. 7, following the C5+1 Presidential Summit, to discuss the future of United States–Central Asia relations and practical steps to deepen engagement. Moderated by the Atlantic Council’s Associate Director of the Eurasia Center Andrew D’Anieri, the discussion emphasized that, on the…
Tokayev Meets Kazakh IT Startups in Washington Worth $1.4 Billion
ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the founders of Kazakh IT startups expanding into international markets during his visit to Washington, DC, on Nov. 6, expressing support for the startups, Akorda press service reported. “As President of the country, I support you. Your work is vital for the future of our nation. Digitalization and…
