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Kazakhstan Welcomes Prospect of French Cuisine in Almaty

The Almaty City Tourism Department has reported that the famous French culinary school, Ecole Lenôtre, is considering establishing joint programs with the city's universities and restaurants. During his visit to Almaty, Jean Pierre Alba, Development Director of Ecole Lenôtre, familiarized himself with educational institutions and restaurants with a view to setting up partnerships and introducing training in French cuisine to Kazakhstan's educational curriculum. “Almaty is a unique city in its geographical location and the diversity of its cuisine. I have noticed that local pastry chefs are inspired by culinary experience and international cooking while honouring and preserving national gastronomic traditions. This combination can help launch joint educational programs and business collaborations. We are eager to share our knowledge with the city's restaurant professionals and learn the secrets of national cooking,” announced Jean Pierre Alba. Established in Paris in 1971, Ecole Lenôtre is a professional training school for chefs and pastry chefs. Its founder, chef, and pastry chef, Gaston Lenôtre, is renowned worldwide as an outstanding innovator in the culinary field. Every year, over 3,000 pastry chefs are trained at the French culinary school, and many of its graduates are Michelin-starred. Looking to the future, the Almaty Tourism Department commented, “Gastronomic tourism in Almaty is rapidly gaining popularity due to its rich cultural heritage and variety of culinary delights. The visit to Ecole Lenôtre is a significant event for our city."

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Mark Cavendish, British Cyclist from Astana Qazaqstan Team, Takes Record Stage Win

British cyclist Mark Cavendish made history at this year’s Tour de France, which he was said was probably his last race. Cavendish, currently riding for the Astana Qazaqstan Team, set the record for winning the most career stages (35) at cycling’s biggest event. The tour ended Sunday with Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates as the overall winner. But Cavendish’s record-breaking performance was one of the main story lines of the 2024 Tour de France, which broke with tradition and ended in Nice because the usual finishing area, in or near Paris, is preparing for the Olympics (July 26-Aug. 11). In 2021, Cavendish drew level with Belgian Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France, but another win eluded him in the following years. He signed up with Astana Qazaqstan for 2023, but dropped out of that year’s Tour de France after a fall. On the verge of retirement, he stayed with Astana Qazaqstan for another try at breaking the record. On July 3, it happened when he won the fifth stage of the Tour de France. “It’s hard to fully grasp this success, but we worked towards it, and as a team, we did everything possible to make it happen,” 39-year-old Cavendish said. “Few believed that we would succeed, that Mark’s arrival in Astana Qazaqstan Team would change history, but we believed and did everything to make today’s victory happen,” said Alexandr Vinokurov, general manager of the team. “We were close to this last year, but fate had other plans. I believe that real champions should not end their careers after a fall and injury, and I am happy that Mark decided to do another season in the end.” Cavendish won his first Tour de France stage in 2008. Merckx, a five-time winner of the Tour de France, retired from racing in 1978. This month, Chinese company XDS, one of the world’s biggest bicycle makers, said it will invest in the Astana Qazaqstan Team for at least five years, according to a team statement.

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Saudi Islamic Development Bank Increasing Its Presence in Central Asia

The Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has been particularly active in Central Asia so far in 2024. The growing IDB role is part of Central Asian region’s foreign policy shift toward the Arab world as financial backers to replace Russia, which is devoting huge attention and resources to its war in Ukraine, and China, which is increasingly reluctant to spend large sums of money in Central Asia after pouring in tens of billions of dollars there during the last 25 years. Some of the Central Asian governments owe China substantial amounts of money that they are unlikely to be able to pay for possibly decades. The Central Asian states have been members of the IDB for many years. Kyrgyzstan was first, joining in 1993, followed by Turkmenistan in 1994, Kazakhstan in 1995, Tajikistan in 1996, and Uzbekistan in 2003. One of the IDB’s three regional offices is in Almaty, Kazakhstan (the other two are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Rabat, Morocco). The IDB has been dealing individually with the five Central Asian countries on a wide range of projects and programs in recent months. Energy Resources In February, Tajik Minister of Economic Development and Trade Zavqi Zavqizoda announced a deal was reached for the IDB to provide $250 million to Tajikistan. Zavqizoda said $150 million of that would go toward construction of the Rogun hydropower plant (HPP). The Rogun HPP was a Soviet-era project. Construction started in 1976 but was discontinued shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed. Tajikistan restarted work on the HPP in 2008. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has repeatedly said that building the HPP with a planned 3600 MW capacity will make the country energy independent and even allow Tajikistan to bring in extra revenue exporting electricity to neighboring countries. In its 28 years as an IDB member, Tajikistan had received some $620 million from the IDB, so the $250 million announced in February 2024 represents a significant jump in IDB financial help. Not surprisingly, when IDB President Muhammad Al-Jasser visited Kyrgyzstan in June, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov sought IDB investment in the Kambar-Ata-1 HPP, another decades-old project with a multi-billion-dollar price tag that has barely made any progress in being realized during the 33 years Kyrgyzstan has been independent. Al-Jasser did not commit to IDB financing for the Kyrgyz HPP. However, less than a week after Al-Jasser was in Kyrgyzstan, the IDB was one of several international financial organizations that signed on at a conference in Vienna to be a members of a coordination donors’ committee for the Kambar-Ata-1 projects. At a meeting in Istanbul in February, the IDB reaffirmed its support for the Central Asia-South Asia-1000 (CASA-1000) project that aims to export electricity from HPPs in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Kyrgyz Energy Minister Taalaybek Ibrayev met with Al-Jasser in June during the latter’s visit to Kyrgyzstan to discuss funding for Kyrgyzstan’s section of CASA-1000. Not Only Energy In June, the IDB pledged up to $2 billion in funding for improvements to water management...

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Kazakhstan Weighs Down on Human Trafficking

In response to data issued by international experts citing the current level of human trafficking in Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has just signed a law to address the situation. First and foremost, the new law aims to protect and provide social support for victims, the majority of whom are migrant workers, people with disabilities, solitary pensioners, young women and children. Referencing statistics, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhaev announced that 19 criminal cases were opened in Kazakhstan for child trafficking in 2023, with an additional six already logged this year. He explained that most of the children are sold within the country to meet the demand of people unable to have their own. Such cases involve staff from perinatal centers and orphanages, as well as people with unwanted pregnancies. Child trafficking is a lucrative business which continues apace despite the threat of a jail sentence of up to 18 years. According to the police, there were cases this year of parents asking for between KZT100,000 to KZT2 million, equivalent to 208 -4,168 US$, for their new-borns. Young mothers often look for potential buyers online, even while pregnant. Under the recent law, the Criminal Code has been amended to include “crimes related to trafficking in persons”, covering kidnapping, unlawful confinement, human trafficking (including trafficking minors), prostitution, etc. Amendments have also been made to the Administrative Code aimed at preventing the sale of children, including new-borns, through the introduction of the clause: “Failure of officials to report incidents of abandonment of new-borns, admission and delivery of orphans and children without parental care.” Incidents of human trafficking are invariably tragic. In most cases, the victims usually poor or homeless, are taken by force or deception to remote corners of the country, where forced to work on peasant farms, they are subjected to backbreaking labor, beatings, and a lack of medical care for months or years. The situation becomes more complicated if the victim is a migrant from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Turkmenistan. Such workers often without the documentation to work legally, are attracted by promises of decent pay and then literally put in chains. Another illegal business is begging. Not long ago, on a street in Almaty, volunteers rescued a lone, elderly person who had been forced through beatings and starvation to beg for several months. As a result of the beggar's testimony, a gang of slave traders was arrested the following day. Enforced prostitution is also common, particularly amongst low-income families and orphans. International experts have repeatedly warned Kazakh authorities of the need to increase its legal levers to tackle human trafficking. In 2020, the US placed Kazakhstan on its watch list which as Kazakhstan’s commissioner for human rights Elvira Azimova, said at the time, was a direct response to the country's number of victims. “The official numbers of identified cases of human trafficking and criminal prosecution in Kazakhstan are significantly lower than in neighbouring countries - including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbkistan - for whose population Kazakhstan is a destination. This may...

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Danish Actor Mads Mikkelsen to Headline Comic Con in Kazakhstan

Mads Mikkelsen has confirmed he will attend Comic Con Astana on July 27-28. “I’ll be there to chat, sign some autographs, share some stories,” the Danish actor said on Instagram. Mikkelsen was a prominent actor in Denmark before achieving international success as a villain in the James Bond film “Casino Royale” (2006). He has received many accolades, including a 2012 best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the Danish psychological drama “The Hunt.” He won acclaim for his performance as Hannibal Lecter in the series “Hannibal” (2013-2015) and also had roles in “Doctor Strange” (2016) and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (2022). Comic Con Astana, which runs from July 25 to 28, is a magnet for enthusiasts of fantasy, video games, anime, cinema and other forms of popular entertainment. It will be held at the International Exhibition Center in Kazakhstan’s capital. Kazakh graphic novelists are among those expected to present their work. Participants in a cosplay contest will compete for prize money worth 12 million tenge ($25,000).

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Teacher Alua Zhanatova Outlines the Growing Popularity of the Kazakh Language Amongst Young People

Despite the country gaining independence from the Soviet Union back on 16 December 1991, the predominant language in Kazakhstan has long remained Russian. To address the issue, the government set a somewhat ambitious target that by 2020, 95% of the population would be fluent in Kazakh, and more recently, in late 2023, mooted a “Concept for the Development of Language Policy for 2023-2029". Meanwhile, there are encouraging signs of an increasing interest in the Kazakh language among young people in Kazakhstan. TCA talked to Alua Zhanatova, a teacher and bachelor of TARGU University, about the rejuvenation of the country’s native tongue and its importance for society. TCA: What are your thoughts on the current popularity of studying the Kazakh language? In recent years I have observed significant changes in our young people's attitude towards their native language. For a long time, the Kazakh language was generally perceived as formal and cumbersome but nowadays, young people are becoming more interested in learning and using it in everyday life. TCA: What factors have contributed to the revival of interest in the language? There are several key factors. First, is the noticeable, growth in cultural patriotism, which has led to young people embracing their roots, culture and ancestral language. Second, is the significant impact of contemporary media and social networks on popularizing the Kazakh language. The emergence of bloggers using the Kazakh language, the creation of Kazakh content platforms and active discussion in Kazakh in social networks all contribute to making the language more accessible and appealing. TCA: What role do educational institutions and teachers play in this process? I think educational institutions play a major role. It is important that schools and universities provide good tuition in both the Kazakh language and culture. Many educational institutions have started to develop new curricula that make learning the language more exciting and practical, and the expansion of classes taught in Kazakh in schools and universities is facilitating and spurring students’ desire to learn in their mother tongue. TCA: What is the reaction among young people to new initiatives regarding the use of the Kazakh language? Reactions are mostly positive. Young people who previously dismissed Kazakh, are now showing an interest in learning the language, encouraged by the availability of better resources and new teaching methods. I receive a lot of feedback on how useful and enjoyable it is to learn the language through more engaging activities such as games, quests or even social activities. TCA: How do you see the further development of the Kazakh language among young people? I am optimistic about prospective developments. If existing initiatives continue to develop and new forms and methods of teaching emerge, I am confident that the Kazakh language will become not only an important part of cultural identity, but also an active element of modern life. It is important that efforts continue to keep the Kazakh language alive and engaging for young people. In addition to Alua, TCA also talked to young people from different...

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