Astana Calling#289

Astana Calling

ISSUE No 289 FRIDAY, 01 FEBRUARY 2013 WWW.MFA.KZ A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

Foreign Minister Visits Moscow, Brussels and Berlin Outlines agenda for further cooperation

New Russian Defense Minister Visits Kazakhstan Agreement signed on air defense

President Meets Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies

Astana’s Barys win away against Russia’s Ak Bars Excitement in Kazakhstan

Reform and future strategic role discussed

Also in the News

The Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan and Russia, Erlan Idrissov (L) and Sergey Lavrov (R) in Moscow last week

Foreign Minister Visits Moscow, Brussels and Berlin Over the past week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Idrissov has visited Moscow, Brussels and Berlin to discuss current and future cooperation as well as a wide range of issues on the international agenda.

In Moscow on January 24-25, Minister Idrissov met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Discussions spanned the political, economic, trade and cultural spheres, with a particular focus on measures to strengthen coordination between Kazakhstan and Russia on interregional and cross-border cooperation and within the energy and space sectors, and to implement the Joint Action Plan 2013-2015 approved by Presidents Nazarbayev and Putin at their meeting in December 2012.

The Ministers also exchanged views on international issues and discussed coordination between the two countries within international associations and organisations such as the UN, CIS, CICA, CSTO, EurAsEC and SCO. During the meeting, Minister Idrissov presented a draft text of the Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness and Alliance for the 21st Century, prepared by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry in accordance with the agreement between the Presidents in October 2012. Both Ministers signed a Cooperation Plan for 2013, which aims to deepen cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia in the area of foreign policy.

Speaking after the meeting, Minister Idrissov said that after two decades of close cooperation Kazakhstan and Russia had built the foundation of a strategic partnership that will last for many years to come. He stressed the need to continually improve the quality of the bilateral relationship, and said that the planned consultations under the Cooperation Plan for 2013 will enable closer coordination in all areas.

The Minister said that the draft Treaty reflects the need for Kazakhstan and Russia to work together on joint measures to address the new challenges posed by a changing political and economic global environment. The treaty, which is expected to be signed later this year, will consolidate existing agreements between the two countries and advance cooperation to a higher level, he said.

Minister Idrissov emphasized that there is a high degree of political confidence between the leaders of the two countries, mirrored at all levels of the two administrations, and said that the successful partnership between Kazakhstan and Russia will continue to bring great benefit to the people of both countries.

“Today’s meeting reaffirms the high level of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia and I am sure that it will give a new impulse to strengthening our friendship, good neighbourly relations and our strategic partnership” Erlan Idrissov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, in Moscow on January 25

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Erlan Idrissov (L) and José Manuel Barroso (R) in discussion this week in Brussels

On January 28 Minister Idrissov travelled to the Headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union.

During a two-day visit, the Foreign Minister met with the Head of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso and the Deputy Head of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas, who said their meeting covered a diverse range of topics, from collaboration on energy and the economy to the current situation in Central Asia. For his part, Minister Idrissov said that relations between Kazakhstan and the EU are developing very well and that the most important component of the relationship is the regular, open and honest dialogue.

The Minister also held talks with the Head of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Central Asia, Paolo Bartolozzi, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Patricia Flor, the Secretary General of the European Council, Thorbjorn Jagland and the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The main topics of discussion were ongoing cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU, both bilaterally and in international organisations such as the UN, OSCE and the European Council; the current state of affairs in the European Union; and cooperation between Kazakhstan and NATO. There were also exchanges of views on a variety of other issues, including cooperation on security, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the fight against international terrorism and crime, and the situation in Afghanistan and Iran.

On January 30 Minister Idrissov arrived in Berlin for a three-day visit during which he held bilateral meetings with the National Advisor on Foreign Policy and Security, Christoph Heusgen, Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Philipp Rösler, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and the Chairman of Germany’s Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Eckhard Cordes. The Minister also met with other representatives of German political and business circles.

The Minister’s discussions in Berlin centred on further strengthening of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Germany through finalizing an agreement of cooperation on strategic partnership and the practical implementation of intergovernmental agreements in the raw materials, industrial and technological areas. The issue of easing visa requirements for Kazakh citizens was also raised.

“Relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union are developing very well.

I think the most important part of our relationship is a continuous, open and transparent dialogue.”

Othmar Karas, Deputy Head of the European Parliament

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President Nazarbayev and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu

New Russian Defense Minister Visits Kazakhstan On January 30, President Nazarbayev received the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. During the meeting, President Nazarbayev highlighted the importance of strengthening Russian-Kazakh cooperation, including military and military-technical cooperation.

“Russia was and remains one of the most important strategic partners of our country and I think that this serves both parties’ interests. The armed forces of both countries should have close ties and should actively work together within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, in the military technical realm and in other important areas of cooperation. In the last meeting with the Russian President, we agreed that we would continue our work in these areas”, the President said.

Minister Shoigu said that during his visit they had considered many issues concerning the future activities of the CSTO, military technical cooperation as well as the future development of educational programs.

The President and the Minister also discussed increased border controls of the two countries and provision of regional and global security.

On 31 January 2013, the Russian Defense Minister met with the Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov. The parties signed an agreement on the creation of a joint regional air defence system which envisages the future creation of a joint missile defence system, Minister Shoigu announced at a later press conference. The agreement “will create the basis for guaranteeing the security of Kazakhstan’s airspace and the bordering territory of Russia”, Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry said in a press release.

“One of the most important steps is the completion of the significant work over six years leading to the signing of the agreement on the joint air missile defense system. We think this is a key step today and significant work lies ahead of us to create a single air defence space. We have been and will be strategic partners and neighbors. Our Presidents have set serious tasks for upgrading all defense and security systems of our countries. During our meeting with the Kazakh President, we received full support for our future cooperation plans,” the Russian Defense Minister said.

The two ministers also discussed bilateral military issues including Russia’s testing ranges in Kazakhstan and military education.

Some 600 Kazakhstan military personnel are currently studying in Russian military academies. As part of his visit, Minister Shoigu also visited a military school for orphans.

Russia and Kazakhstan have to date signed over 60 documents in several areas of military and military-technical cooperation.

Sergey Shoigu was appointed Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation on 6 November 2012. He served as Minister of Emergency Situations from 1991 to 2012 and was elected as the 3rd Governor of Moscow Region in April 2012. He holds the military rank of Army General and has a degree in civil engineering from Krasnoyarsk Polytechnic Institute.

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President Nazarbayev meets with heads of law enforcement agencies

President Meets Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies On January 31, President Nazarbayev met with heads of the law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan, to review progress on reform and outline priority measures for the implementation of the recently adopted national strategy, “Kazakhstan 2050”.

The President emphasized that stability and national security are prerequisites for the implementation of Kazakhstan 2050, making it all the more important to critically evaluate progress on the comprehensive reform of the law enforcement system. This will help to highlight any obstacles and identify new methods of improving and modernizing law enforcement, the President said.

The meeting was addressed by Prosecutor General Askhat Daulbayev, Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov, Chairman of the agency for fighting economic crime and corruption, Rashid Tusupbekov and the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Bektas Beknazarov. The heads of the state agencies submitted reports of work to date and presented plans for further reform within the context of Kazakhstan 2050.

The President noted that measures have been taken to optimize the functioning, structure and effectiveness of all law enforcement agencies. The re-certification of over 100,000 law enforcement officers is complete, after a stringent process which resulted in over one-third of senior managers across all law enforcement bodies being replaced. Salaries and social benefits attached to law enforcement roles have also been improved and clarified. All of these improvements, along with qualitative changes to the legal framework, have served to increase the level of legal awareness and trust in law enforcement systems among the general population, the President said.

Looking to the future, the President outlined the initial measures set out in Kazakhstan 2050 to continue essential reforms to the judical process for criminal offences. This year, four new codes will be drafted and taken to Parliament: a criminal procedure code, a criminal code, a penal code and a code of administrative offences.

The President said that given current regional and global instability, it is necessary to protect the external borders of Kazakhstan and that a comprehensive plan for the strengthening and reform of the Border Guard Service and equipping of State borders is being developed.

He also called on state bodies and political parties to join together in supporting a zero tolerance attitude to civil disorder offences.

Another priority area highlighted by the President was the operational effectiveness of customs agencies. Introducing electronic systems for imports/exports and an integrated customs tariff will facilitate a web portal and gateway for customs agencies and enable more efficient tracking and controlling of cargoes, he said.

Law enforcement agencies have a crucial role to play in strengthening measures to counter all manifestations of terrorism and extremism, the President said. He called for a systematic approach to be implemented over a five to six year period, with its effectiveness to be gauged by the absence of terrorist attacks.

The President emphasized that the most important element of the modernization of the law enforcement systems is the drive to eliminate corruption. He said that anti-corruption legislation is being enhanced, and systems put in place to root out the more dangerous forms of organized corruption, while decriminalizing some relatively minor financial and tax infringements.

It is essential to ensure consistency of anti-corruption measures across regions and sectors, the President said. Work is continuing on the development of public service centers providing a “one-stop” range of law enforcement services, which will improve transparency and increase cooperation with the public, while public councils for every law enforcement agency must also become fully operational.

To reinforce law enforcement reforms and the change wrought by re-certification of employees, a new personnel policy will apply scientific and innovative technologies to the management of human resources. International best practice standards will be applied to the selection, management and promotion of staff, as well as in determining the number of employees in each function, while a new division of law enforcement structures will focus on technical equipment and social protection measures.

The President instructed all law enforcement agencies to determine the scale of their task in each area outlined and, within a month, confirm detailed implementation plans.

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Astana’s Barys players were in celebratory mood this week after an impressive away win

Astana’s Barys win away against Russia’s Ak Bars Astana’s Barys ice hockey team scored a famous victory when it beat the Russian side Ak Bars 4:2 in an away league game in Kazan on January 28, causing considerable excitement in Kazakhstan.

There was nothing to separate the two sides during the first period with each side scoring a goal. The score did not stay at 1:1 for long. Barys scored the next goal, although that was quickly cancelled out. Ak Bars came close to taking the lead, putting Barys under relentless pressure, but were unable to score despite the high numbers of yellow cards awarded to Barys. Ilya Solarev went on to score his first goal of the season and Roman Starchenko delivered the final blow, much to the delight of Barys fans, just before the final whistle.

Vladimir Krikunov, Barys head coach said: “I think this game was more important for us since Ak Bars have a lot of points. So we were up for the game as we know their team pretty well. The boys went behind however they then took the lead and managed to see the game out. All’s well that ends well.”

Barys were founded in 1999 and played their first season in the Kazakhstan Championship where they remained until 2007. They were then admitted to the Russian Supreme League for the 2007-08 season before applying to join the Kontinental Hockey League (made up mostly of Russian teams but also sides from Belarus, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Ukraine). They began playing in the KHL in 2008-9 and were the first team from Kazakhstan to enter this league. Over the years the team has been made up predominantly of Kazakhstani players although they have attracted players from Eastern Europe and North America, most notably the Canadian defenseman Kevin Dallman, who became captain after only 15 matches.

The Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Championship was founded in 1992 and consists of ten teams. It was in that year that the Ice Hockey Federation of Kazakhstan became a full member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The first high point in the development of Kazakhstan’s national team was its participation in the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, where it was one of the top national sides and made it through to the quarter finals finally finishing in 5th place. More recently, the national side won all their matches at the World Cup in Vilnius in 2009, cementing its position as one of the best teams in international ice hockey.

Ice hockey is widely regarded as Kazakhstan’s second sport behind soccer and has been played in one form or another since the early 1950s. The sport is so popular that there are 218 ice rinks in Kazakhstan and the hockey academy at Ust-Kamenogorsk has produced a large number of world class players who have gone on to play internationally, including in the Russian leagues and the North American National Hockey League.

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Also in The News…

• President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared January 31 to be a day of national mourning following the plane crash in the Almaty Region. The president has ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the crash which resulted in the deaths of 21 people. (inform.kz) • President Nazarbayev has sent his condolences to the people of Brazil and a telegram to the country’s President following the fire in Santa Maria which resulted in over 200 fatalities. The fire broke out in a nightclub where about 1000 people, mainly students, had come to see a band.

• President Nazarbayev sent a telegram congratulating the new Czech President Miloš Zeman, following his election as the third President of the Czech Republic. The President expressed his confidence in the significant boost the new President’s experience will bring for the development and prosperity of the country. (akorda.kz) • A delegation of staffers from the US Congress visited the Majilis on January 29. They discussed areas of inter-parliamentary cooperation with representatives of the Foreign Affairs and Defence and Security Committees, with special attention being paid to regional security and Afghanistan. Both sides covered a wide range of areas concerning inter-governmental relations that could be expanded further. (inform.kz) • Leading figures from the Nazarbayev Center hosted a meeting with representatives of the Association of the Tatar and Bashkir Cultural Centers in Kazakhstan to discuss their participation in the ATOM project against nuclear weapons testing. The Center’s director, Kanat Saudabayev, said that the greater the support and enthusiasm shown by the public as a result of the project the greater the opportunities for attracting further efforts of NGOs, parliamentarians and NGOs. (kazpravda.kz) • Kazakh trade unions support stability, the basic element of socio-labour relations, the President said at a meeting of the General Council of the Federation of Trade Unions. During the meeting, Abelgazy Kussainov, former Governor of the Karaganda region, was elected as the new head of the Federation. The President expressed his gratitude for the Trade Unions’ contribution to the social development of the country. (inform.kz) • Dancers from Petropavlovsk with hearing impairments have won an international competition in Sochi. The pupils from the boarding school in the north of Kazakhstan took part in the 9th International Festival-Competition of Children and Young People in Sochi without disclosing their impairment. Despite the announcement of their triumph, the girls only knew they had won when their coach made a victory gesture. Petropavlovsk’s Mayor, Bulat Zhumabekov, said they were worthy of representing the country at international level. (inform.kz) • The highly renowned violinist, Yerzhan Kulibayev, says that Kazakh music played on the unique instruments of Italian masters is gaining acceptance and growing in popularity on the world stage. He recently played at a classical music concert in Astana, following a period of playing a Stradivarius violin in Berlin for a year. He plans to continue to try and make traditional Kazakh music more playable on the violin. (inform.kz) • Ramazhan Numashaev is the new world champion of sambo and judo in the 60-64 year old category for the third time, following his victory over the Lithuanian former world champion, Arimantas Pocevicius, in Morocco. More than 450 people from 22 countries took part in the event. The 61 year old retired Interior Ministry colonel has often in the past been crowned as the national champion of Kazakhstan. (kazpravda.kz) • The Deputy Chairman of the National Bank has said that Kazakhstan is ranked 32nd in the world in terms of national gold reserves after buying around 21 tonnes of gold over the past 18 months. (kaztag.kz)

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