Kazakhstan renames capital city Astana to Nursultan in honor of Nazarbayev

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Kazakhstan’s lawmakers have adopted Constitutional amendments whereby the capital city of Astana will be renamed to Nursultan, in honor of First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who resigned yesterday after 30 years in office.

“A historic decision has been adopted,” Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Nurlan Nigmatulin said, according to RIA Novosti.

Speaker of the Upper House, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was sworn in as the new president after Nazarbayev’s resignation. He was the one who proposed renaming the capital city.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan