Astana Calling#292

Astana Calling

Issue No 292 FRIDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2013 www.mfa.kz A weekly online publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan to Host Iran Nuclear Talks Diplomatic solution needed

Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

President Nazarbayev meets with Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims

Kazakhstan’s constant advocacy

New Chief Mufti appointed

Developing Kazakhstan’s Healthcare System Still room for improvement

Also in the News

President Nazarbayev and US President Barack Obama at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit

Kazakhstan to Host Iran Nuclear Talks On February 26 Astana will host the next round of negotiations between Iran and the E3/+3 group on Iran’s nuclear program. The E3/+3 group comprises three EU members France, Germany and the UK, along with China, Russia and the United States.

The talks follow three sessions held during 2012 in Istanbul, Bagdad and Moscow. Kazakhstan has been a vocal advocate of the need to reach a diplomatic solution to the issues arising from Iran’s nuclear program and President Nazarbayev offered to host this latest round of talks with the aim of reducing regional tensions and averting a nuclear crisis.

Kazakhstan has a strong international reputation in the area of nuclear non-proliferation and security.

Since independence, Kazakhstan has made a significant contribution to the cause of global disarmament and nuclear security and has won international recognition for its efforts. Kazakhstan made history in the 1990s by voluntarily renouncing its nuclear weapons capability inherited from the USSR and going on to promote the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in Central Asia. When Kazakhstan became independent in 1991 it was the world’s fourth-largest nuclear power.

President Nazarbayev has defined nuclear safety as consisting of three integral components: the protection of humanity from nuclear weapons, counteracting potential nuclear terrorism and ensuring the safety of nuclear energy. This is why Kazakhstan actively supports disarmament measures and views nuclear proliferation as a threat to global security.

Kazakhstan recognizes that as long as one country has nuclear weapons, others may feel the need to follow suit, and that it can be difficult for countries to renounce nuclear arsenals or the ability to develop nuclear weapons. This is why Kazakhstan sees nuclear proliferation as such a serious threat to global security and as a path that leads to the illegal and dangerous trade in weapons and material.

Kazakhstan has repeatedly stressed the advantages that it has itself gained from voluntarily renouncing nuclear weapons and has urged other countries to follow its example. It has been consistent in its efforts to strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

President Nazarbayev has said that in renouncing nuclear weapons, Kazakhstan chose the building of peaceful alliances and prosperity over fear and suspicion.

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reviews the Kurchatov facility for safely storing spent nuclear fuel in 2010

Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Kazakhstan’s policy on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is based on a commitment to strengthening international security, promoting cooperation among nations and enhancing the role of international organizations in settling global problems and conflicts.

In the first official act of his Presidency in 1991, President Nazarbayev signed a decree permanently closing the infamous Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site, location of the first Soviet nuclear detonation in 1949 - and some 450 more in the following decades.

Since then, Kazakhstan’s unwavering commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and opposition to nuclear arms proliferation and its work in promoting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have consolidated its international reputation as a leading advocate of global disarmament and non-proliferation. August 29, the anniversary of the closing of Semipalatinsk, is now the UN International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

The need to counter new challenges to security and take more energetic measures to fight international terrorism has led Kazakhstan to intensify its efforts to strengthen international non-proliferation safeguards and mechanisms. Ongoing initiatives by Kazakhstan include the proposal by President Nazarbayev for the UN to adopt a Universal Declaration of a Nuclear Weapons-Free World as a major step towards the adoption of a Nuclear Weapons Convention.

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Kazakhstan 1991 – 2013 A Constant Advocate for Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

Aug 29, 1991

Kazakhstan shuts down the world’s largest nuclear testing site at

Dec 16, 1991

Kazakhstan declares independence.

Semipalatinsk.

Almaty Declaration: Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine agree joint 1991

control over nuclear arsenal of former USSR and reaffirm commitment to reduce strategic offensive arms.

Kazakhstan begins implementation of the Cooperative Threat Reduction

1992

Program (Nunn-Lugar program): to destroy and decontaminate nuclear, chemical and biological arms facilities, dismantle strategic offensive weapons, put in place a system of export control, improve nuclear materials management and control and convert the defense industry to peaceful uses.

1992

Lisbon Protocol: Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and United States agree on implementation of Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on territories of the Central Asian states and formalize commitments.

1993

Kazakhstan signs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: the only multilateral nuclear weapons control treaty that obliges the participating states to take measures towards nuclear disarmament.

1994

Kazakhstan joins the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Budapest OSCE Summit: Russia, the US and UK agree security guarantees to

1994

Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine in relation to their accession to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as non-nuclear states; China and France later granted similar guarantees.

1996

At the 51st UN General Assembly Kazakhstan signs the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Kazakhstan joins the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,

1999

Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction; a national authority ensures compliance with the Convention and Kazakhstan participates in sessions and annual meetings of the Conference.

Kazakhstan joins the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which aims to step up efforts in

2002

the fight against terrorism, counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction and tighten control over the use and movement of nuclear materials and dualpurpose products.

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2005

Kazakhstan adopts the Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (The Hague Code).

2005

Kazakhstan joins the Proliferation Security Initiative (the “Cracow Initiative”) which encourages all countries to intercept suspicious aircraft, sea vessels and land vehicles carrying WMD-related materials.

2006

The Central Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty is signed in Semipalatinsk

by Kazakhstan and neighbors.

2007

Kazakhstan forms the International Centre for Uranium Enrichment (ICUE),

2007

Third meeting of the deputy ministers of foreign affairs of member states in the

2007

Kazakhstan joins the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,

2008

with the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism took place in Astana.

Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons.

Kazakhstan accedes to the Zangger Committee, also known as the Nuclear Exporters Committee, which works to implement the export control provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

2009

At the initiative of Kazakhstan, the United Nations General Assembly declares 29 August – the day when the Semipalatinsk test site was shut down – as the International Day of Actions against Nuclear Tests.

Astana hosts a conference of the Group Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear

2010

Terrorism (GICNT) with a focus on countering the financing of terrorism, and the first meeting of the Implementation and Assessment Group Global in June 2007.

2010

Kazakhstan in close cooperation with the US, Russia and IAEA completes the shipping of spent nuclear fuel from the BN-350 reactor in Aktau to a longterm SNF storage site in the National Nuclear Center in Kurchatov (East Kazakhstan), under IAEA safeguards.

2012

Kazakhstan joins the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

2012

President Nazarbayev attends the Second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.

2012

International conference on the theme: “From a Nuclear Test Ban to a NuclearWeapons-Free World” is held in Astana, Kurchatov and Semey.

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Gulnar Iksanova (left), Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee for Social and Cultural Development with Deputy Chairman of the Mazhilis, Sergey Dyachenko

Developing Kazakhstan’s Healthcare System On February 18, the secretary of the Kazakh parliament’s Committee for Social and Cultural Development, Gulnar Iksanova, spoke during a Government Question Time session devoted to “The development of the health care system: Results of 2012 and outlook for 2013”.

Ms Iksanova noted that funding for Kazakhstan’s health care system had increased by 15 times since 1999. President Nazarbayev’s address to the nation had set the clear priority of providing quality medical services that are accessible as well as the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of illnesses, preventative medicine and the introduction of new ways for guaranteeing children’s health.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health, parliament and Governors’ Offices continued to receive complaints about the standard of medical services, Ms Iksanova said.

The main reason was the lack of specialist training for General Practitioners. Only 40 percent of university teachers teaching medical students to be General Practitioners had received sufficient training themselves, Ms Iksanova said.

Alongside the issues linked to the poor quality of General Practitioners in the country is the lack of genuine specialists. Ms Iksanova said that there was a shortage of the following specialists in Kazakhstan; ophthalmologists, endocrinologists, neonatologists, neurosurgeons and trauma surgeons. She also added that there were not enough effective managers in the Kazakh health service.

Then there is the salary issue. This, according to Ms Iksanova, is so low that specialists have to work extra hours in different places.

This impacts the quality of service.

Ms Iksanova then turned to the issue of under-funding for local health clinics. She said that there was such a serious shortage of staff that people had to visit clinics where they were not registered to receive treatment. They often had to then pay for the care out of their own pocket.

The system at present does not know how many patients it needs to potentially treat. Ms Iksanova recommended running regular information campaigns to encourage people to register with their local clinics. People living in the countryside are in the most difficult situation and sometimes have to travel hundreds of kilometres to receive qualified care.

Beyond this, the ambulance service also needed improving. Ambulances in Kazakhstan often arrive late, their crews are poorly trained and do not have sufficient medicines. GPS navigation systems are being introduced slowly and there are no ambulances in rural areas.

The question of proper equipment is serious. Ms Iksanova said that many hospitals had expensive equipment that required maintenance by qualified engineers. It often stood idle since the necessary maintenance was not carried out. A state registry for medical equipment should be established quickly, she said.

A health information strategy, devised a few years ago, has been poorly implemented. It needs to be re-considered, Ms Iksanova said. She highlighted her point by saying that less than 30 percent of the population knew that the Ministry of Health had a website.

Ms Iksanova specifically said that she thought more information on the screening of children was needed.

To sum up, Ms Iksanova touched on the issue of out-patient care. This could be improved, especially in remote rural areas.

She said that clear targets needed to be the basis for budget planning and that these needed to be monitored to achieve more accurate allocation of funding.

“There is no doubt that huge progress has been made in Kazakhstan’s healthcare system. The possibilities of medicine today are significantly different from those in the 1990s. Every year resources allocated to healthcare are increasing.”

Gulnar Iksanova, Secretary of the Majilis Committee for Social and Cultural Development.

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President Nazarbayev meeting with representatives of the Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims

President Nazarbayev meets with Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims On February 19, President Nazarbayev met with representatives of the Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims. The meeting was also attended by Secretary of State, Marat Tazhin, Head of the Presidential Administration, Karim Masimov, and his Deputy, Baglan Mailybayev, the President of the Office for Religious Affairs, Kairat Lama Sharif, the new Chief Mufti of Kazakhstan, Yerzhan Mayamerov, and imams from the regions.

The President noted that the meeting coincided with a significant event for Kazakhstan’s Muslims – the appointment of a new Chief Mufti.

Yerzhan Mayamerov had been elected unanimously as the new Supreme Mufti of Kazakhstan earlier in the day. Mayamerov was born in 1972. Following military service, he entered the Al-Azhar Islamic University in Egypt and graduated in 2006. From 2006 to 2008, he worked at the Egyptian Muslim Spiritual Authority. In 2011, he was appointed imam of Semey Region.

Absattar hajji Derbissali, the previous Chief Mufti, had announced his resignation saying that he would return to academia and devote himself to scientific and educational work.

President Nazarbayev emphasized that Islam had been a spiritual value of the Kazakh people for many centuries.

“At the time of independence the country again turned to the religion of its ancestors”, he said. “The Administration unites 2,228 mosques and has become the center of cohesion for Muslims. Conditions were created for our people to be united around spiritual values and aims. Today people, in particular the young generation, are turning to religion. It is important to make it clear that a commitment to Islam should not be simply a fashion statement”, the President said.

President Nazarbayev commented on some of the tasks facing the Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims, saying that cooperation between spiritual leaders and state bodies on educational and social issues related to religion should be strengthened.

He noted that The Office for Religious Affairs has been created which helps different religions to solve critical problems together with the state. The Office monitors the religious situation but the state cannot interfere with the activities of religious associations.

He underlined the importance of explaining to the population, particularly young people, the difference between traditional Islam and destructive religious tendencies.

The only accepted form of traditional Islam in our country is that of the Spiritual Administration, the President said. A law was passed recently which aims to regulate religious affairs. This law accepts the Hanafi school in the spiritual life of Kazakhstan’s people. “This is absolutely right. Kazakhstan is a secular state and therefore our policy concerning religious affairs is to strengthen peace among the different confessions and tolerance. Religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution”, the President stressed.

He asked the leaders of the Administration to strengthen understanding and religious tolerance among the different religions.

Yerzhan Mayamerov and representatives of the Administration stressed in their speeches the importance of inter-ethnic and inter-faith peace and emphasised the need to continue to work towards spiritual unity and harmony in the country.

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Also in The News…

• Foreign Minister Idrissov had a telephone conversation with the new US Secretary of State, John Kerry on February 19.

The Foreign Minister congratulated the Secretary of State on his appointment and expressed confidence that it will further enhance bilateral cooperation. The Secretary of State thanked Kazakhstan for hosting the next round of international talks on Iran’s nuclear program. (mfa.gov.kz) • On February 20, Minister of the Economy and Budgetary Planning, Yerbolat Dossayev, reported to the President on the results of the Ministry of the Economy’s work for 2012 and the key areas of work for the current year. The President noted that issues concerning budgetary policy have been transferred to the Ministry. (inform.kz) • On February 19, representatives of the National Company “Astana EXPO 2017” and senior officials from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with Secretary General of the Bureau of International Expositions, Vicente Loscertales in Paris to discuss preparations for the exhibition. Mr Loscertales noted the exemplary way in which Kazakhstan had conducted its campaign to host the event. (amb-kazakhstan.fr) • On February 19, Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov met in Astana with Italy’s Defense Minister during an official visit. They discussed several issues related to bilateral relations and focused on regional security and the situation in and around Afghanistan. (mfa.kz) • Kazakhstan’s Embassy in Poland organized a conference in Warsaw with the participation of business people from both countries. The result was an agreement to promote and establish a favourable environment for the transfer of technology for Polish companies investing in Kazakhstan. The conference was part of the Kazkah-Polish Council on Cooperation and Development that was established in Warsaw in 2012. (mfa.gov.kz) • The eighth meeting of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is taking place in Moscow (February 21-24). The agenda includes issues such as the protection of consumer rights and strengthening cooperation between judicial authorities on drug related crime and the combating of corruption in the judicial system. (mfa.gov.kz)

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• The Mayor of Almaty has said that unemployment in the city is currently at 5.7%, which is four times lower than anywhere else in the country. (bnews.kz) • The Ministry of Industry and New Technologies has said that 34 ‘green’ power plants, using wind, hydro and solar power, will be in operation in Kazakhstan by 2020. (tengrinews.kz) • Maternity and childhood costs account for KZT264 billion (93%) out of a total of KZT285 billion of payments from the Social Insurance Fund since its creation in 2005. The number of Kazakhstanis receiving social assistance on account of being unable to work increased from 1300 people in 2005 to over 52,000 in 2012. (primeminister.kz) • The Nazarbayev Center has launched a new project in Kazakhstan’s regions aimed at showing Kazakhstan’s achievements through the prism of individual Kazakh citizens. The Center will hold annual regional forums entitled “My Country’s Destiny is My Destiny”. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate success stories of people who have made a worthy contribution to the creation and ongoing development of the region and of independent Kazakhstan as a whole. (nazarbayevcenter.kz) • Kazakh director, Emir Baygazin’s film, “Harmony Lessons”, has been awarded a Silver Bear prize for outstanding artistic contribution at the 63rd International Film Festival held in Berlin. The film focuses on bullying in a school in rural Kazakhstan, and makes the most of its spare landscapes and the faces of its intense young performers. (Los Angeles Times) • During an excavation near Taraz, archaeologists discovered over 40 pieces of gold jewellery dating back to the Saka period.

During the excavation, remains of game birds were also found, which indicates it was the burial site of Saka nobility. What made the find even more extraordinary was the fact that the site had already been robbed eight times through the ages. (forbes.kz/afisha.kz) • February 21 saw the opening in Astana of the Ministry of Emergency Situations’ fifth winter sports competition, aimed at raising physical fitness levels of the Ministry’s employees and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Among the sports in the program were skiing, ski racing, table tennis, chess, volleyball and fire rescue competitions. (inform.kz)

ASTANA CALLING is a weekly online publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Please send your requests and questions to pressa@mfa.kz

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