Kazakhstan President

Nursultan Nazarbayev

officially commissioned the first stage of the

underground metro system in Almaty, the country’s largest city of 1.5 million people, on December 1.

“Today is an exciting historical day for our country, when Kazakhstan’s first metro facility has been put into operation.,” Nazarbayev said at the opening ceremony. “Even in times of crisis I never stopped funding needed for the construction of the facility. I especially want to thank our subway builders, all the people who participated in this important for the country project and for their excellent accomplishment. It is a great gift to Almaty citizens in the upcoming celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the country’s independence.”

Details:  http://portal.mfa.kz/portal/page/portal/mfa/en/content/news/nws2011