In Almaty, the antimonopoly authority summarized the results of its efforts to curb competition violations. Following investigations, primary measures were taken in response to nine cases of abuse of a dominant or monopolistic position. This was announced by Nurzhan Nurlanuly, Head of the Almaty Department of the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at a press conference of the Regional Communications Service.

According to him, the department's priority is *developing fair competition*, protecting the rights of *an indefinite circle* of consumers and entrepreneurs, and preventing practices that create unjustified costs for businesses and the public.

"We consistently respond to market signals and conduct investigations where there are signs of pressure on competition. Our goal is to ensure equal and transparent conditions for all participants. This directly impacts prices, service quality, and the city's investment climate," noted Nurzhan Nurlanuly.

One of the high-profile cases was the investigation into JSC Almaty Electric Stations in the wholesale electricity market.

It was established that the company obligated the energy supplier to purchase electricity with the additional service of transmission through the networks of an affiliated company, despite the technical impossibility of providing such a service within the Almaty Industrial Zone. This created an additional burden for residents of the zone, which is home to 118 enterprises with a total investment of over 400 billion tenge.

"Such conditions effectively negated government business support measures aimed at reducing energy costs. The court upheld the department's findings, and if the ruling is final, the rights of over 100 entrepreneurs will be protected," the speaker emphasized.

An investigation is also underway against Fly Arystan Airlines. The Department found that the carrier charged the same fee for excess carry-on baggage, regardless of the actual excess.

"We see a practice in the market of differentiated payment for actual excess baggage. Abandoning this approach, *in our opinion*, infringes on the rights of an unspecified group of consumers, which is why an investigation has been launched against the airline," said Nurzhan Nurlanuly.

Another example concerns INVIVO Business LLC, where the franchise agreements contained restrictions on cooperation with competitors for 24 months after the agreement was terminated.
Following the notification, the company eliminated the relevant regulations, which protected the rights of 143 laboratory services market participants in 16 cities across the country.

In the area of heat supply, the department discovered violations at Almaty Heating Networks LLC: a 10% profit was assumed for reconnections to heating power, whereas the regulations only provide for reimbursement of expenses. As a result, the cost of the service for Almaty residents was reduced by 10%.