Photo by Joel Heard on Unsplash As the Vice Minister of Justice of Kazakhstan, I am proud to reaffirm our nation’s commitment to advancing human rights and adhering to international standards, writes Botagoz Zhakselekova. One of the key mechanisms through which we pursue these goals is the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a process under…
Photo by Johanne Pold Jacobsen on Unsplash The global expansion of luxury brands outside of the US, UK and EU is being fuelled by the opening of new markets, particularly in emerging economies in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. China has emerged as a critical player in the luxury goods market, with other countries like India, Malaysia,…
Photo by Carl Raw on Unsplash The betting industry has suddenly found itself in the international spotlight – and not just in the European Union. Moves are afoot in Europe to raise standards in a sector – betting – that rarely finds itself on the political agenda. But it is not just in the EU that such reform…
Photo by Cleyton Ewerton on Unsplash Laws regulating the Kazakh gambling and betting market are being hit with big changes. It is argued that the new amendments and laws will prohibit a large circle of people from participating in gambling and betting. Such concerns are particularly timely as they come at a time with efforts being made in…
Photo by Dmitriy Altynnikov on Unsplash The international community, including the EU, has been urged to throw its weight behind closer integration between Central Asian countries. Specifically, the West is asked to support the creation of a Central Asian Union to foster closer relations between the various countries, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in the region. The demand…
Photo by Travel With on Unsplash The end of each year serves as a poignant reminder of the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991. Over the past three decades, many post-Soviet countries have shed their Soviet legacies to emerge as modern and progressive states. A case in point is Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest nation. As the country prepares to…
Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash Experts warn of the possibility of a new environmental disaster in the Caspian Sea in recent years, similar to the drying up of the Aral Sea, writes Professor Dr. Abdulvahap Kara. One of the important reasons for this is that the water in the Ural River is decreasing from year to year….
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash Kazakhstan is totally committed to the goals and objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. This was stressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov at the Summit of World Leaders of the Global Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt last November. Smailov has highlighted that Kazakhstan has set…
Currently, representatives of 130 ethnic groups and 18 religious denominations live in Kazakhstan, including Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Buddhists. There are many mosques and temples operating and being built all over the country, which are actively visited by believers. Religious freedoms in Kazakhstan are guaranteed by article 14 of the country’s Constitution, which…
Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan have been urged to forge “ever closer” relations in order to see off the potential threat from “belligerent” neighbours. This was one of the messages from foreign policy expert John C. Hulsman who was speaking at a Brussels conference on Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Hulsman, a Board Member of the…
