Monthly Archive

When the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe finally decided to designate Kazakhstan as the chair of the group in 2010, the general hope in Vienna was that the responsibility would enc... read more..

A series of novels written by an ethnic Kazakh man imprisoned in China that was secretly brought to Kazakhstan was presented in Almaty on November 24, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.     Cal... read more..

Kazakhstan's banking sector has been shored up by government cash, but this isn't sustainable in the long run. Until new sources of funding can be tapped, the sector is in for a period of stagnation, ... read more..

The presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus reached a deal Friday to create a customs union among their three ex-Soviet states from July 1 next year.       "This is a very significant and l... read more..

On October 29, 2001, while the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan was under assault, the regime's ambassador in Islamabad gave a chaotic press conference in front of several dozen reporters sitting on th... read more..

When Kazakhstan loosing opportunities in oil sector, then it's a matter of corruption; if talking space, then the problem is in incompetence. In addition to all this, there is no system of responsibil... read more..

As reported, Kazakhstan was ranked 84th in 1999, 66th in 2000, 71stin 2001, 100th in 2003, 122nd in 2004, 102nd in 2005, 111th in 2006,150th in 2007 and 145the in 2008.     Transparency Inter... read more..

The presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will sign a deal on a Customs Union between the three ex-Soviet republics in Minsk on November 27, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesd... read more..

The survey of 2,307 respondents in 16 cities conducted by the Kazakhstan Institute of Politician Decisions showed that 34% of residents, city dwellers, had been unaware of the merger of the National S... read more..

Russia and Kazakhstan have concluded agreements on oil transit and the parallel operation of the two countries' power grids, according to media reports. The deals were signed November 20 by Russian En... read more..

The erstwhile flagship of Kazakhstan's banking sector, BTA Bank, is wrapping up a turbulent year: embattled by the credit crunch, dogged by allegations of massive fraud, nationalized under duress and ... read more..

The information disseminated by some media outlets that the investigation team probing into the case of Kazatomprom ex president Mukhtar Djakishev has been allegedly placed under house arrest, is not ... read more..

New management wants to cover inability to work by blaming on mistakes of old management     BTA Bank, the largest Kazakh lender to default this year, has asked borrowers to repay billions ... read more..

Temirbank, Kazakhstan's tenth largest bank, has defaulted on its debt and became the fourth Kazakh lender to seek restructuring this year, the bank said in a statement on Monday.     Temirb... read more..

Defections from regiona distribution network may destroy Soviet-era effort to ensure equitable sharing of electricity.     Kazakstan's decision to withdraw from the Central Asia-wide electric... read more..

Uzbekistan has closed its border with Central Asian neighbor Kazakhstan to all but citizens of each nation returning home, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said today, as swine flu spreads in both countrie... read more..

Kazakhstan approved on Thursday a bill introducing tougher punishment for invasion of privacy in a move condemned by the opposition as an attack on press freedom.       Democracy, media fr... read more..

Less than two months before Kazakhstan takes over the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Kazakh NGO's are warning the international community about the rap... read more..

Kazakhstan bank asset quality is improving as the economic outlook picks up and non-performing loans level off, UBS AG said. Shares in the country's two largest banks climbed, helping the benchmark st... read more..

The imprisoned director of the Kazakh Bureau for Human Rights, Yevgeny Zhovtis, has been denied access to his lawyer, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.     Zhovtis's lawyer, Vitaly Voronov, ... read more..

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has begun a third round of discussions in Almaty about upcoming counterterrorism exercises, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.  (photo: An SCO meeting last mo... read more..

The United States urged Turkmenistan on Tuesday to allow its companies to invest in onshore Turkmen gas deposits including South Iolotan, a giant field seen as a key future source of Caspian energy. ... read more..

Nazarbayev has understanding of human weaknesses and can forgive those who repent      Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev says he is not a man to bear grudges and can forgive if asked to... read more..

Kazakhstan's banking sector reached the bottom this fall and is now on its way to recovery, according to a research report authored by Russian investment bank VTB Capital.     The bank attr... read more..

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources approved Canada-based Uranium One's acquisition of a 50-percent interest in the Karatau uranium venture from Russia's Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ). ... read more..

As Kazakhstan gears up to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010, Astana is facing criticism over its recent democratization record. Helping to highlight the country's i... read more..

London's High Court ruled today (12 November) to maintain a freezing order restricting the assets of BTA Bank's ex-chairman, Mukhtar Ablyazov, and other former managers. Court sessions held on the mat... read more..

Kazakhstan will not allow foreign investors to take control over key Kazakh banks, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said in a televised question and answer session on Friday.     "We know that ... read more..

The fundamentals for the Kazakh tenge to appreciate are in place, central bank chairman Grigoriy Marchenko said on Wednesday, citing rising oil prices and improving current account.     Ear... read more..

Tolerance — major vitality resource of Kazakhstan has become a subject of testing. The specificity of our country is the high level of tolerance; it's impossible to speak of any normal country develop... read more..