{"id":"yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","canonicalSlug":"yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","url":"https://wellficent.com/en/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","language":"en","title":"Yuksel Guler on Astana: investment, people and the city’s distinct character","summary":"Yüksel Güler’s About Astana interview, with dated ENPRODE context, in the 10 August 2026 archive edition.","body":["This archive edition is dated 10 August 2026 at the publisher’s request. WEproject’s original Russian interview was published on 10 October 2014. The first-person passage below uses the supplied English translation; its views and references to time belong to the original interview, rather than a new interview conducted in 2026.","I have been visiting Astana periodically over the past two years. I see this country’s potential, and I want to explore investment opportunities in my field of work. That is why I am currently in Astana.","My first impression of Astana was cold weather, but warm people. The people are also well educated, particularly the younger generation, who are the backbone of the country. I have been to Dubai and many countries in the East. Many people think Astana resembles Dubai, but I disagree. In my opinion, this city has a distinct character of its own; it is one of the most promising cities in the world. When you see the modern buildings, you realize that the city and the people who live here have a new, distinctive way of thinking.","The left bank and the right bank, the new city and the old city—these are the names used here for the two parts of the city divided by the Ishim River. These two cities form a very harmonious whole: in the old city, you can discover its history and enjoy the buildings of the previous century, while in the new city, you can learn about the latest trends around the world and admire contemporary architecture.","I have lived in many countries and can easily adapt to any place. In every city I have visited, I have been able to find something beautiful and unusual; every place has its own charm.","The local cuisine is not quite for me, as I find it heavy. I prefer lighter food—green vegetables and seafood—whereas people here enjoy eating meat.","I find it easy to live here; I understand the Kazakh mindset and feel an affinity with it. Perhaps someone from Europe would find it harder to adapt to life in Kazakhstan, but I feel comfortable here.","Bureaucracy is a problem that all foreigners encounter in Kazakhstan. Fortunately, though, that is the biggest drawback for me here; overall, I feel at home in Astana. I have learned about the country, its people and its culture.","To be honest, I was surprised by what the city was like and by the impeccable condition it is in. The international scene here is very vibrant, and Astana has many hotels offering a high standard of service. Young people are very well educated: they speak foreign languages and understand the mindsets of people from other cultures.","I have visited cities around the country, including Almaty, Atyrau, Pavlodar and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Astana is, of course, the most modern, but you can only experience the true spirit of the Kazakh people by visiting the country’s smaller cities, where modernization has not yet touched every aspect of life.","Astana is a major business hub with enormous potential for economic development. I believe Astana can be among the world’s leading cities by every measure, and I hope it achieves this in the near future. The younger generation is the country’s future, and they should, of course, have confidence in what tomorrow will bring. Kazakhstan is a country that can give them that confidence."],"keyPoints":[],"sections":[{"heading":"Yüksel Güler and ENPRODE: dated corporate context","paragraphs":["In a separate announcement about a contract signed on 14 March 2019, ENPRODE identified Yuksel Güler as its CEO. That later corporate record provides the ENPRODE connection; the supplied About Astana passage itself does not name ENPRODE. His reflections on investment opportunities are personal views, not evidence of a concluded Kazakhstan investment or an EPC award. No current management role or project status is inferred from the historical records."]}],"text":"Yuksel Guler on Astana: investment, people and the city’s distinct character\n\nYüksel Güler’s About Astana interview, with dated ENPRODE context, in the 10 August 2026 archive edition.\n\nThis archive edition is dated 10 August 2026 at the publisher’s request. WEproject’s original Russian interview was published on 10 October 2014. The first-person passage below uses the supplied English translation; its views and references to time belong to the original interview, rather than a new interview conducted in 2026.\n\nI have been visiting Astana periodically over the past two years. I see this country’s potential, and I want to explore investment opportunities in my field of work. That is why I am currently in Astana.\n\nMy first impression of Astana was cold weather, but warm people. The people are also well educated, particularly the younger generation, who are the backbone of the country. I have been to Dubai and many countries in the East. Many people think Astana resembles Dubai, but I disagree. In my opinion, this city has a distinct character of its own; it is one of the most promising cities in the world. When you see the modern buildings, you realize that the city and the people who live here have a new, distinctive way of thinking.\n\nThe left bank and the right bank, the new city and the old city—these are the names used here for the two parts of the city divided by the Ishim River. These two cities form a very harmonious whole: in the old city, you can discover its history and enjoy the buildings of the previous century, while in the new city, you can learn about the latest trends around the world and admire contemporary architecture.\n\nI have lived in many countries and can easily adapt to any place. In every city I have visited, I have been able to find something beautiful and unusual; every place has its own charm.\n\nThe local cuisine is not quite for me, as I find it heavy. I prefer lighter food—green vegetables and seafood—whereas people here enjoy eating meat.\n\nI find it easy to live here; I understand the Kazakh mindset and feel an affinity with it. Perhaps someone from Europe would find it harder to adapt to life in Kazakhstan, but I feel comfortable here.\n\nBureaucracy is a problem that all foreigners encounter in Kazakhstan. Fortunately, though, that is the biggest drawback for me here; overall, I feel at home in Astana. I have learned about the country, its people and its culture.\n\nTo be honest, I was surprised by what the city was like and by the impeccable condition it is in. The international scene here is very vibrant, and Astana has many hotels offering a high standard of service. Young people are very well educated: they speak foreign languages and understand the mindsets of people from other cultures.\n\nI have visited cities around the country, including Almaty, Atyrau, Pavlodar and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Astana is, of course, the most modern, but you can only experience the true spirit of the Kazakh people by visiting the country’s smaller cities, where modernization has not yet touched every aspect of life.\n\nAstana is a major business hub with enormous potential for economic development. I believe Astana can be among the world’s leading cities by every measure, and I hope it achieves this in the near future. The younger generation is the country’s future, and they should, of course, have confidence in what tomorrow will bring. Kazakhstan is a country that can give them that confidence.\n\nYüksel Güler and ENPRODE: dated corporate context\n\nIn a separate announcement about a contract signed on 14 March 2019, ENPRODE identified Yuksel Güler as its CEO. That later corporate record provides the ENPRODE connection; the supplied About Astana passage itself does not name ENPRODE. His reflections on investment opportunities are personal views, not evidence of a concluded Kazakhstan investment or an EPC award. No current management role or project status is inferred from the historical records.","category":"business","region":"world","topics":[],"eventDate":"2014-10-10","eventDateBasis":"source-event-or-period","publishedAt":"2026-08-10","modifiedAt":"2026-10-03T11:56:14+03:00","publicationBasis":"editorial-archive-date","preparedAt":"2026-10-03T11:56:14+03:00","sourcePublishedAt":"2014-10-10","translatedAt":null,"sources":[{"name":"WEproject — Yuksel Guler (Юксел Гюлер), About Astana","url":"https://weproject.media/articles/detail/yuksel-guler-yuksel-gyuler-18/","checkedAt":"2026-10-03","publishedAt":"2014-10-10"},{"name":"ENPRODE — 14 March 2019 HISCO participation contract","url":"https://www.enprode.com/News/News-enprode-hisco","checkedAt":"2026-10-03"}],"translations":{"en":"https://wellficent.com/en/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","tr":"https://wellficent.com/tr/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","ar":"https://wellficent.com/ar/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","fr":"https://wellficent.com/fr/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","es":"https://wellficent.com/es/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","ru":"https://wellficent.com/ru/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview","pt":"https://wellficent.com/pt/news/yuksel-guler-about-astana-enprode-archive-interview"},"corrections":[],"locations":[{"id":"astana","type":"city","countryCode":"KZ","name":{"en":"Astana","tr":"Astana","ar":"أستانا","fr":"Astana","es":"Astana","ru":"Астана","pt":"Astana"},"context":{"en":"City discussed in the historical interview. The map uses a GeoNames representative city point, not an interview venue or an investment site.","tr":"Tarihsel röportajda anlatılan şehir. Harita, görüşme yeri veya yatırım sahası değil, GeoNames temsilî şehir noktasını kullanır.","ar":"المدينة التي تتناولها المقابلة التاريخية. تعرض الخريطة نقطة تمثيلية من GeoNames، لا مكان المقابلة أو موقع استثمار.","fr":"Ville évoquée dans l’entretien historique. La carte utilise un point représentatif GeoNames, pas le lieu de l’entretien ni un site d’investissement.","es":"Ciudad tratada en la entrevista histórica. El mapa usa un punto representativo de GeoNames, no el lugar de la entrevista ni un sitio de inversión.","ru":"Город, упомянутый в историческом интервью. На карте используется репрезентативная точка города из GeoNames, а не место интервью или инвестиционного проекта.","pt":"Cidade discutida na entrevista histórica. O mapa utiliza um ponto representativo da cidade do GeoNames, não o local da entrevista nem de um investimento."},"source":{"name":"WEproject — Yuksel Guler (Юксел Гюлер), About Astana","url":"https://weproject.media/articles/detail/yuksel-guler-yuksel-gyuler-18/","checkedAt":"2026-10-03","publishedAt":"2014-10-10"},"geo":{"latitude":51.1801,"longitude":71.44598,"precision":"representative-point","source":{"name":"GeoNames — Astana, geoname ID 1526273","url":"https://www.geonames.org/1526273/astana.html","checkedAt":"2026-10-03"}}}]}