Astana calling no. 311

Astana Calling

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Kazakhstan

Central Communications Service for the President of Kazakhstan

A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ ISSUE No 311 / FRIDAY, JULY 5 2013

PM Visit Boosts Kazakhstan-UK Relations First visit by UK Prime Minister to Kazakhstan

Foreign Ministry Marks Diplomatic Service Day Kazakhstan’s diplomats celebrate their holiday

Happy Birthday, Astana!

Capital celebrates its 15th anniversary

News from the Government in Brief

Also in the News

Things to Watch

Prime Minster David Cameron this week made a state visit to Kazakhstan, the first ever visit by a serving British Prime Minister

PM Visit Boosts Kazakhstan-UK Relations Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom signed an Agreement on Strategic Partnership during a visit this week to Kazakhstan by the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron. After a visit to Atyrau on June 30, Mr Cameron held talks the next day with President Nazarbayev on bilateral relations, including trade and educational links between the two countries. The two leaders also discussed wider international issues, most notably Afghanistan.

A large, high-level business delegation accompanied the Prime Minister on the trip. In Atyrau together with President Nazarbayev, Prime Minister Cameron opened the “Bolashak” oil refinery, a key facility for processing oil from the Kashagan development located close by. Mr Cameron also met representatives of British oil and gas companies which are active in Kazakhstan. He then travelled to Astana, where he held talks with President Nazarbayev in the Akorda, the presidential palace.

President Nazarbayev hailed the signing of the Agreement on Strategic Partnership as an important step forward in the already strong relationship between Kazakhstan and the UK. He described cooperation in the energy sector as “traditional”, adding that there are some 600 enterprises operating in Kazakhstan now with the help of British capital. These cover a wide range of sectors as well as energy, including transport, metals and mining, healthcare, education and banking. The UK is the third largest investor in Kazakhstan, after the US and the Netherlands.

Business was the dominant topic of the visit and was the reason for the Prime Minister starting his visit in Atyrau. A Kazakhstan-UK business forum was held in Astana, and a number of agreements on future business cooperation were signed. To help improve conditions for business, President Nazarbayev said that Kazakhstan was easing the visa regime for UK citizens travelling to Kazakhstan; in turn, Mr Cameron invited companies from Kazakhstan to invest in the UK, and said also that visa issues would be solved.

Both leaders stressed the important role which education plays in the bilateral relationship. They discussed the role which the British Council plays in Kazakhstan – in the teaching of the English language as well as wider cultural relations – and also the “Bolashak” educational program, which provides post-graduate students from President Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Kazakhstan with full grants to study abroad in return for working for at least five years Cameron at the Bolashak refinery in Atyrau in Kazakhstan after they finish their studies. Over 1,000 students are currently studying in the UK under this program, and the meaning of “Bolashak” – “Future” – was not lost on Mr Cameron. UK universities are playing an active role in the development of the new International University in Astana; as well as in the Kazakh-British Technical University in Almaty.

The Prime Minister was clear about why he had chosen to come to Kazakhstan: “Kazakhstan is one of the rising economic powers in the world. I think it’s very important that British business, British investment and British firms get a proper chance in Kazakhstan “Today we signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership. It reflects not only the potential for our cooperation but the political will of the two states for taking relations to a qualitatively new level. During our talks, I completely supported Mr Cameron in applying our best efforts to implement it in full, using all the necessary instruments and mechanisms of bilateral engagement.”

President Nazarbayev

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With the signing of a strategic partnership agreement, Kazakhstan’s relations with the UK have reached a qualitatively new level

The British Prime Minister is treated to some Kazakh folk culture

- they’re doing that, I want to help them to do that … Other European leaders have been and I think it’s high time a British prime minister went.”

Mr Cameron arrived in Kazakhstan after visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan, and questions of regional security and the future stability of Afghanistan were also high on the agenda for the two leaders. Not only could Kazakhstan play an important role in assisting with the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan which is due to be completed in 2014, but Kazakhstan is also keen that Britain continues to be concerned about the overall security of the region following the withdrawal.

The wider question of the development of Central Asia and the integration process of the post-Soviet states was also discussed, as were international matters such as Iran, the Middle East, and nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, a field which Kazakhstan actively promotes, having been the world’s first state to give up nuclear weapons. The two leaders also discussed the global financial situation.

Kazakhstan-UK Relations in Brief Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom established diplomatic relations on January 19 1992, only weeks after Kazakhstan became independent. Since then, President Nazarbayev has visited the UK on seven occasions (most recently in 2012), although David Cameron’s visit this week was the first time that a UK Prime Minister had been to Kazakhstan.

It was no coincidence that the principal reason for Prime Minister Cameron’s visit was to encourage trade. The United Kingdom is the third largest European trade partner of Kazakhstan by trade volume. Kazakh imports from the UK in 2011 were worth around $810m and Kazakh exports to the UK, $700m. Both imports and exports were up 124% year-on-year from 2010. Trade turnover rose again in 2012, reaching $2.29bn.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kazakhstan this week resulted in the signing of business deals with British companies worth $1.07bn.

UK direct investment to Kazakhstan totalled $120m in 2012.

Cumulative FDI from the UK from 1993 to 2012 exceeded $20.8bn. In November 2012 Mr Cameron named Kazakhstan among the priority countries in which the UK should intensify its commercial presence and also announced the appointment of Charles Hendry MP, a former Energy Minister, as the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Kazakhstan.

The London Stock Exchange is trading securities of 20 companies from Kazakhstan, nine of which are listed on the main market; the others joined the Alternative Capital Market (AIM).

Cultural and educational links between Kazakhstan and the UK are also strong. There are currently 4,000 students from Kazakhstan studying in the UK, a quarter of these on the “Bolashak” Program. And in Kazakhstan, the KazakhBritish Technical University is an educational institution which focuses on teaching Petroleum, Chemical and IT Engineering as well as Management & Economics.

Prime Minister David Cameron

“‘Bolashak’ means future, and I believe that is what our relationship is all about – a future based on closer cooperation right across the breadth of our relationship. Kazakhstan has an exciting future ahead of it, and Britain wants to be a major part of that future.”

Prime Minister David Cameron

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Foreign Ministry Marks Diplomatic Service Day

Foreign Minister Idrissov addressing diplomats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Astana on July 2, the Day of Diplomatic Service

From the time Kazakhstan gained its independence the country has pursued – and continues to pursue – three main objectives in framing and implementing its foreign policy: first, to ensure high international status for Kazakhstan in the world community; second, to secure favorable external conditions for the all-round development of Kazakhstan; third to promote and protect the interests of the state, legal entities and individuals of Kazakhstan abroad.

Kazakhstan has long land borders with both Russia and China, so establishing sound working relations with each of these two countries has been a high priority in Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. Trade figures indicate how successful this has been. Russia accounts for 8% of exports from Kazakhstan and 41% of imports; and China, 19% of exports and 14% of imports.

Kazakhstan’s foreign policy has not simply been determined by geography, though. There is strategic cooperation with the US; and an active political dialogue has been maintained with the European Union (EU), both through regular top-level visits by and to individual countries – the latest being the visit to Kazakhstan this week by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. Close constant contact has also been maintained with the EU itself in Brussels. Indeed, when taken as a whole, the EU is now Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner.

Almost 50% of Kazakhstan’s external trade is with EU countries, and more than half of all the foreign direct investment into Kazakhstan in the last decade has come from EU member states.

Politically, Kazakhstan has established itself as an internationally recognized leader in Central Asia. The international community acknowledges the role that Kazakhstan is already planning to try to ensure stability in Afghanistan. This role will increase after foreign troops leave Afghanistan in 2014. Kazakhstan has gained a global reputation as an active advocate of disarmament and of the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. During the Global

Celebrations took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and in the country’s embassies throughout the world on July 2 to mark Diplomatic Service Day. This is one of a number of special days for different professions created by order of the President. Foreign Minister Idrissov, addressed the Ministry’s central staff in Astana and congratulated them on Diplomatic Service Day. He spoke about the achievements of the diplomatic service since 1992 and the challenges ahead.

Summit on Nuclear Security held in Washington in April 2010, the US President, Barack Obama, described President Nazarbayev as, “the leader of the international non-proliferation process.”

Kazakhstan has played an important role, too, in international organizations. In 2010 Kazakhstan was the first country from the former Soviet Union to hold the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In 20102011, Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was hailed as a success. And Kazakhstan is recognized as a valuable partner in Central Asia by both NATO and the Council of Europe.

As Kazakhstan’s diplomats celebrated their holiday, they could look back with genuine satisfaction at the country’s record in foreign affairs since 1992. This experience has equipped them well to deal with the challenges ahead.

Several of Kazakhstan’s senior diplomats attended the ceremony to mark the Day of Diplomatic Service

“Kazakhstan has established diplomatic relations with 129 states… As a result of vigorous interactions with foreign states and international organizations the Republic of Kazakhstan has concluded over 3,000 state-to-state, intergovernmental and interdepartmental level agreements in different areas of cooperation.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan

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Celebration is in the air in Astana as the new capital city marks its 15th anniversary

Happy Birthday, Astana!

Astana is a young city in every sense. It is one of the youngest capital cities in the world, having taken over the role as the capital of Kazakhstan from Almaty just 15 years ago. And the average age of the population of the city is just 30 years. It is one of the most dynamically developing cities in the world, too, with new and exciting infrastructure and architectural projects constantly being unveiled. Only last month Astana opened a new Opera House, which rivals any of the great opera houses in the world for its acoustics and facilities.

The capital moved to Astana in December 1997. At that time the city was called Akmola. but in 1998 it was re-named Astana (meaning, “capital”), and it is from this moment that the anniversary is taken. The population of Astana has more than doubled since then, from some 300,000 to 778,200 at the beginning of 2013. In the first four months of this year the population increased by a further 10,000.

over Kazakhstan; Russia’s famous “Sovremennik” Theater will be performing; and there will also be foreign plays, such as “Cyrano de Bergerac”.

Grand plans are in place to celebrate Astana’s 15th anniversary.

These were explained this week to journalists by Zhanar Kolbasheva, the head of the media group for the celebration of the anniversary. From the outset it was considered crucial that Astana Day 2013 involved the ordinary people as much as possible; and that there would be large-scale events which would be affordable for everyone. The city authorities want to show off the capital as both a peaceful city with a safe environment and a major spiritual and cultural center.

But it is a culinary delight which has already captured the imagination of Astana’s residents, ever since it was announced in May that a cake – possibly the world’s largest – will be displayed, then cut up and distributed to the people in the “Khan Shatyr” Entertainment Center. The exact size and weight has been kept a closely-guarded secret. For those who cannot get into the Center, more huge cakes will be on display before being cut up in other shopping and entertainment centers around the city. The day will end with a grand, festive, firework display.

There will be art exhibitions; book festivals; sporting events; circus; and a folk music festival. There will also be culinary festivals and the chance for the locals to try a variety of exotic dishes.

Preparations began back in April. These involved landscaping and transforming some 300 open spaces, turning them into playgrounds, sports areas or simply providing benches, decorative fencing and better lighting. At the same time, the mayor’s office initiated a city-wide competition, “Astana’s Choice 2013”, where residents were asked to vote for the person from any walk of life whom they feel has best contributed to the life of the city.

Both on the anniversary and throughout the year concerts have been organized which reflect the culture of Kazakhstan and the ethnic diversity of the country and the city. 70 concerts will involve up to one million people. Theater will also play a big part in the celebrations. Theatre groups will be coming to the capital from all

A wide variety of cultural events are taking place this week in Astana as part of the anniversary celebrations, including a festival of nomadic civilization “1000 years around Astana”.

“When every resident understands the significance of their role and their individual responsibility; when they are dedicated and have high professional and ethical qualities – these are the basis for stability and prosperity of society and for the future of Astana. Teachers, public transport drivers, local police inspectors, doctors, power engineers, road-menders or builders; people who do the most ordinary jobs deserve trust, respect and love because of their everyday work.”

Zhanar Kolbasheva, Head of the Media Group for Preparation and Celebration of the 15th anniversary of Astana ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 311 / 5

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News from the Government in Brief Government Commission investigates rocket explosion Within hours of the explosion of the Russian Proton-M rocket after its take-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 2 a government commission was formed to examine the possible ecological consequences of the disaster. The Commission is headed by the Minister for the Environment, Nurlan Kapparov.

Ten seconds after the rocket took off from Baikonur the first stage rocket failed. The rocket began to tumble out of control and then exploded in mid-air. Because the accident happened right at the start of the flight, it was still carrying hundreds of tons of fuel and it was feared that this could contaminate a sizeable territory around the Cosmodrome. The Russians, who lease the Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan, swiftly established three chemical control points to monitor the ecological situation. (primeminister.kz)

Minister urges cut-back in state involvement in business The Minister of Economy and Budget Planning, Yerbolat Dossayev, has said that it is essential that the state alters its approach to business and reduces the number of state-owned enterprises and the share of public procurement. “There are two important questions we face today: where should the government feature in business and where shouldn’t it be? And what is the future of state enterprises? In a number of working groups we’ve made it clear that many of these should be privatized,” Mr Dossayev told the regular meeting of the government.

The Minister went on to say that starting this autumn the number of state orders from industry must be cut back. He described this as, “a decades-old practice” which in modern conditions of a market economy was no longer effective. “But,” he added, “We continue to go down this well-worn path which is very comfortable for the state organs. We’re talking here about money, about saving the state budget.” (primeminister.kz)

Increase in teaching of Kazakh language in 2012 In 2012 32,500 citizens of Kazakhstan studied the Kazakh language at language centres throughout the country, the Minister of Culture and Information, Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed, reported this week. Of these, 9,000 students were from poor families and had their studies paid for by the state. The process of granting accreditation to these language centers had also now started meaning that students would be able to choose reliable centres for their studies. These are strong signs that the state program for developing knowledge of the Kazakh language in the period 2011-2020 is on course.

The state program is focused in four directions: encouraging people to speak the state language; widening the areas in which the state language is spoken; raising the level of the linguistic culture of the population; and creating the ideal conditions for the development of linguistic capital. (prime minister.kz)

Construction of Astana-Temirtau highway begins On July 2, the Minister for Transport and Communications, Askar Zhumagaliev, announced the start of work on the construction of the latest major highway in Kazakhstan from Astana to Temirtau, in the Karaganda Region.. The 178km stretch of highway is due to be completed in 2016. It is then planned to continue the road to Almaty, with a forecast completion date of 2019.

The Prime Minister, Serik Akhmetov, described the transport sector as, “one of the locomotives driving economic growth,” which is why the sector is given such priority by the government. Government spending on the road and rail network, he went on, is increasing year on year. More than 2,000km of local roads have been repaired this year; the Astana-Kostanay-Chelyabinsk international highway has been completed; and work on the “mega-project” of the “Western Europe-Western China” highway is proceeding fast.

As well as the Astana-Temirtau highway, three other major road projects which will be started this year are Astana-Pavlodar, Astana-West (towards Atyrau) and Almaty-Kapshagay. (primeminister.kz)

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Also in The News…

• State appointments President Nazarbayev has appointed Sauat Mynbayev as head of the national oil company, KazMunaiGas. Mr Mynbayev was Minister for Oil and Gas, and has been replaced in that post by Uzakbay Karabalin. (akorda.kz) • President Nazarbayev launches President’s Sporting Club On July 4 President Nazarbayev took part in the official presentation of the new President’s Sporting Club, “Astana”. The professional club, which is modelled on the Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, has been created specifically to raise the image abroad of sport in Kazakhstan. It brings together nine world-class sports teams: the “Pro Team Astana” cycling team; the “Astana Arlans [Warriors]” boxing team; the “Astana-Dakar Team” motor rally team; the “Barys [Snow Leopard]” ice hockey team; the “Kazakhstan Barysy” wrestling team; and basketball, water polo, football and polo teams. (sports.kz) • Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues commemorative stamps The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a set of commemorative stamps dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and foreign states. The stamps were unveiled at a ceremony on July 2 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the participation of Foreign Minister Idrissov and the Chairman of Kazpochta, Arken Arystanov. The new stamps show the flags of states with which Kazakhstan has established diplomatic relations over the past 20 years.

• Foreign Ministry gets on its bike On July 3 Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Erlan Idrissov, and Akmaral Omarova from the Organizing Committee of EXPO-2017 opened the Foreign Ministry’s very own parking lot – for bicycles. The idea is for the staff of the Foreign Ministry to show their support for the green economy; a healthy lifestyle; and the aims of EXPO-2017, the subject of which is “Energy of the Future”. (mfa.kz) • State Bank issues memorial coins The National Bank of Kazakhstan has issued a new silver memorial coin to mark ten years since the first Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which was held in Astana in 2003. The coin has a face value of KZT 500, and the inscription written in Kazakh, Russian and English. (kazinform.kz)

Cyclists from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepare to ride around Astana as part of the 15th anniversary celebrations. Dedicated cycle parking facilities are now available outside the Ministry.

• Celebrating City Day on Horseback As part of the celebrations on the eve of Astana’s city holiday, more than 50 competitors and horses from seven countries will be competing in the traditional President’s Cup show-jumping competition. Riders from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan are taking part in the three-day event. (sports.kz)

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• First Kazakhstan sports channel goes on air Kazakhstan’s first ever TV channel devoted entirely to sport took to the air waves on July 1. There has been no shortage of events to show. Among them the Tour de France (cycling), the Summer Student Games; the Asian Boxing Championships; and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. The channel will broadcast international and domestic sporting events and will also feature sports news and sporting documentaries. (ortcom.kz) • Success for Kazakhstani tennis player Andrey Golubyev from Kazakhstan won the “Challenger” tennis tournament in Germany, beating the Argentinian player, Diego Sebastian Schwarzman in the final, 6:1, 6:3. Points gained in the “Challenger” series of events raise a player’s ATP standing which can lead to eligibility to play in the major tournaments. (headline.kz)

Things to Watch • Foreign Minister Idrissov will pay an official visit to the United States on July 8 - 10, 2013. While in Washington, DC, he will meet with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and participate in the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Commission that they co-chair. The Minister will also hold meetings with other high-ranking U.S. officials, including members of Congress to discuss a range of bilateral issues.

ASTANA CALLING A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ Please send comments and questions to pressa@mfa.kz

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