Kazakhstan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan Advocates for Cadaveric Donation to Address Organ Transplantation Needs

As of today, more than 3,800 individuals in Kazakhstan are in urgent need of internal organ transplants, with 90 of them being children. Despite the pressing demand for transplantation, the current waiting list is moving slowly, leading the head of the Kazakhstan Khalkyna (To the People of Kazakhstan) foundation to propose changes to the country's laws. Specifically, the suggestion is to reinstate cadaveric donation, allowing the extraction of organs from deceased individuals without the need for explicit permission from their relatives. Bolat Zhamishev, the head of the foundation, expressed the urgency of amending transplantation and cadaveric donation laws during a conference conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. He emphasized the need to move both the government and the public to address the shortcomings, as Kazakhstan lags in organ donation rates. Zhamishev highlighted that many individuals awaiting transplants have to rely on organs from foreign countries, particularly those where permission from relatives is not a requisite. The financial constraints faced by those seeking organs from abroad have led individuals to seek assistance from Kazakhstan Khalkyna. However, due to the substantial costs associated with organ transplantation, the foundation's resources are insufficient to support all of those in need. Health Minister of Kazakhstan, Azhar Giniyat, acknowledged that the issue of transplantology is widespread globally, but emphasized that it extends beyond a medical problem, delving into moral and ethical realms. Giniyat stressed the importance of raising public awareness and readiness to consider organ donation after death. Giniyat disclosed her personal commitment to becoming a posthumous donor and shared that, to date, approximately 40,000 citizens have registered consent for their organs to be donated in the case of their death on an electronic government platform. Of this number, 15% have formally documented their consent. Over the past decade, Kazakhstan has conducted nearly 2,500 organ transplants. However, the country faced a setback last October when the authorities detained a group of individuals involved in illicit organ trading. The group, consisting of medical professionals and notaries, were engaged in the buying and selling of internal organs. A total of 22 people were detained, and eight instances of organ sales were identified, with transactions ranging from $13.200 to $22,000.

Central Asia Opinion Head Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Featurees

Visa-Free Travel from China Could Further Boost Kazakhstan’s Tourism Sector

When China lifted pandemic-era restrictions on travel to Vietnam in March 2023, the Vietnamese welcomed the news as it promised to increase tourism revenues and boost their economy. Prior to COVID restrictions, Vietnam had hosted 5.8 million tourists from China in 2019, and generated income in excess of $5 billion. Despite centuries of conflict, the Chinese and Vietnamese governments embraced the motto, “bury the past, open up the future,” and encouraged their people to be pragmatic and capitalize on the opportunities presented by bilateral economic cooperation. Kazakhstan can likewise build on furthering existing opportunities for economic cooperation with China, such as visa-free travel, which came into effect in November 2023. China, the second largest economy in the world, has a growing middle class that is in search of new travel destinations. Kazakhstan, in turn, possesses many attractive sites that have the potential to become profitable tourism spots. One aspect of this initiative could be the additional hiring and vocational training of tourism personnel, with specific attention given to Chinese tourists. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Kazakhstan has already been growing since the start of last year, and reached 85,000 YTD by November 2023. On average, each Chinese tourist spends $100 a day in Kazakhstan. According to People’s Daily, Chinese tourists are becoming more interested in traveling to countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and Kazakhstan is among them. Convenient visa-free travel, geographic proximity, picturesque sites, low travel expenditures, and the availability of flights all make Kazakhstan an attractive destination. Moreover, tourism companies in China now offer tours that include Kazakhstan. Possible fears among the hosting population that tourists could overstay their visas can be alleviated through the implementation of the relevant regulations in the above-mentioned agreement on visa-free travel, which limits tourists’ stay to 30 days, and allows for a 90-day cumulative stay within 180 days. As relationships develop between these two large nations in Asia, the people of Kazakhstan can adopt the pragmatic approach of the Vietnamese with respect to the opportunities arising from increased tourism with China. Aizada Nuriddenova is an Assistant Professor at the Social Sciences Department, SDU University, Kazakhstan and currently is a visiting scholar at the Central Asia Program, George Washington University.

Environment Central Asia Kazakhstan Environment Kazakhstan Features Kazakhstan Featurees

Akim of Mangystau Calls for Calm after Mass Swan Die-out

On January 18th, the Akim of Mangystau (head of the regional government), Nurlan Nogaev met with environmental activists from Mangystau and ornithologists from Almaty. The main topic of discussion was the pressing issue of the mass die-out of swans on Lake Karakol, as reported by the press service of the Akimat. According to the latest data, as of January 18th the number of dead swans in Mangystau has reached 1,018 birds, 41 of which were found on the seashore in the Karakiyan district, and the rest on the lake itself. According to the biological scientist and ornithologist, Victoria Kovshar, despite the fact that the peak of bird flu has already passed, this figure will only continue to grow. "Bird flu is a phenomenon widespread all over the world. Instances of this disease are regularly recorded on the Caspian Sea, as was the case two years ago when black-footed boobies and Caspian terns died en masse. At the time, it was assumed that the cause was related to oil emissions, but a government commission found that bird flu was to blame. “The virus usually targets certain species of birds, for example, in 2015 there was a bird flu that affected the dalmatian pelican without affecting the pink pelican, which nests with it in the same colonies and is directly related. It follows that the death of swans on Lake Karakol is not a unique case. We can see that mostly young individuals which were unprepared for the winter have died here. This is a natural process that is not subject to manual intervention. Saving swans now is comparable to if you were to confront an avalanche with your bare hands. It is important to prevent the infection of poultry such as ducks and geese, and it should be noted that the virus can remain active in the carcasses of dead birds for a prolonged period of time. However, given the extremely low temperatures on the lake currently, this would not be the case.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13639" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]According to the head of the regional territorial inspection of the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Temirbek Nurtazin, veterinary services are regularly monitoring the epizootic situation among poultry, and as of now no cases have been found among poultry in private farms. Speaking after his briefing, the head of the region, Nurlan Nogaev said he is concerned about the significant number of swan deaths, but urged against an overly emotional reaction. "I thank the experts, Victoria Kovshar and Fedor Karpov, for their active participation in the search for the real cause of swan deaths on Lake Karakol,” Nogaev said. “The situation around this issue is of public interest, and I also express my gratitude to the eco-activists involved in solving the problem. A team of scientists is expected to arrive in the coming months to study the biodiversity of this unique body of water. It is important that experts, including ornithologists, are involved in gathering information.”...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Business & Economy Features Kazakhstan Featurees

New International Terminal of Almaty Airport to Open in June

Construction of the new international terminal of Almaty Airport is now 87% complete and is scheduled to begin operations in June of this year, the President of the Istanbul-based TAV Airports Holding, Serkan Kaptan stated during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov. The area of the new terminal – initially scheduled to open in August 2024 - will be twice as large as the current building, and will cover 55,000 square meters. Smailov emphasized that the construction of the new international terminal in Almaty is of strategic importance. "We expect that its opening will significantly increase passenger traffic, expand the geography of flights, and provide residents and guests of the metropolis with quality services and a high level of comfort," the Prime Minister stated, as reported by his press service on January 18th. The existing terminal will only be used for domestic flights in the future. At the same time, the potential of both terminals will reach 14 million passengers per year, whilst the volume of cargo traffic passing through Almaty Airport planned to reach 100,000 tons. The Prime Minister added that Almaty Airport should be developed as a fully-fledged multi-modal transport and logistics hub with the inclusion of rail and road transportation, and the investor should take this into account in future plans. TAV Airports is now the beneficial owner of 85% of Almaty Airport and its associated fuel and catering businesses, with Kazakhstan Infrastructure Fund, managed by VPE Capital and backed by Kazyna Capital Management holding the remaining 15% stake. Kazakhstan’s main aviation gateway and the flagship carrier Air Astana’s base, Almaty Airport is an important junction on the modern Silk Road. TAV has said it is investing around US $200 million to increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers.

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan Exported Close to a Million Tons of Oil to Germany in 2023

KazTransOil JSC, the national oil pipeline operator and a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas, says it supplied 993,000 tons of oil to Germany in 2023. Oil from Kazakhstan is transported to Germany through the trunk oil pipeline system of the Russian state-controlled pipeline transport company, Transneft. In January 2024, KazTransOil plans to transport 100,000 tons of oil to Russia for further delivery to Germany. During 2024 as a whole, KazTransOil plans to ship up to 1.2 million tons of Kazakh oil to Germany via the trunk oil pipeline system of Transneft.

Business & Economy Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Russia Reopens Market for Kazakhstan’s Livestock Products

As of January 15th, the Russian Federation has lifted restrictions on the import of livestock products from Kazakhstan. The decision was made following negotiations last December between the Ministers of Agriculture of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, Aidarbek Saparov and Dmitry Patrushev, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan has reported. “This is an important step for the agricultural industries of Kazakhstan and Russia, which helps strengthen trade and economic ties between our countries,” Saparov stated. The import of Kazakh livestock products to Russia was suspended in January 2022 due to veterinary problems in several regions of Kazakhstan. After a two-year break, the Russian market has reopened to suppliers of livestock products from those regions of Kazakhstan where the vaccination of cattle has been confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health. In other regions, the vaccination campaign is still ongoing. Saparov pointed to the fact that trade turnover between the two countries is uneven, with imports to Kazakhstan from Russia far exceeding exports. Therefore, Saparov focused on the potential for increasing the supply of Kazakh products to the Russian market. In other news, as Russia is currently experiencing an acute shortage of chicken eggs, the Russian side has asked Kazakhstan to increase the supply of eggs. The issue was discussed on January 17th by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan and Russia, Serik Zhumangarin and Alexey Overchuk. Zhumangarin instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to urgently consider this issue and find ways of increasing the supply to border regions of the Russian Federation. In 2022, Kazakhstan produced more than five billion chicken eggs, 102% of the population’s needs. From January-November 2023, 4.9 billion eggs were produced. During that period, Kazakhstan exported 186.6 million eggs — 114 million to Afghanistan, 70 million to Kyrgyzstan, and 2.6 million to Russia.