Abai Region separated from East Kazakhstan Region
Abai Region (Kazakh: Абай облысы, romanized: Abai oblysy, [ɑbɑj ɔbɫəsɯ], Russian: Абайская область) is a region of Kazakhstan. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced on 16 March 2022 that the region would be created. The area split off from East Kazakhstan Region when Tokayev's bill came into force on 8 June 2022. The administrative center of the region is Semey. Its borders roughly correspond to the old Semipalatinsk Region which was liquidated in 1997 and merged with East Kazakhstan Region.