Astana Calling #298

Also inthe News

Kazakhstan Hosts Iran Nuclear Talks

Almaty again chosen as venue for discussions

President Visits China for Talks and Boao Forum

First meeting with new Chinese Leader

Government Discusses

Agricultural Program for 2013Farmers gearing up for the

spring sowing season

Prime Minister Pays First Visit to Ukraine

Visit comes after successful meeting on economic cooperation

Callingastana

A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ

ISSUE No 298 / FRIDAY, 5 APRIL 2013

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Kazakhstan

Central Communications Servicefor the President of Kazakhstan

Back to Contents2ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 298 /

President Visits China for Talk and Boao Forum President Nazarbayev paid an official visit to China this week. The President was invited to take part in the 12th session of the Boao Forum for Asia and used the visit to hold his first meeting with the new President of the People’s Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping.

President Nazarbayev visited China on a number of occasions in the past, most recently during an official visit in June 2012, following a formal state visit in February 2011. Kazakhstan and China share a 1,700km common border and both countries attribute great importance to good neighbourly relations. Indeed, in 1996, Kazakhstan and China were two of the original signatories of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

This week’s visit was the first visit by President Nazarbayev since Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party last November and President of the People’s Republic of China in March this year. The discussions of the two Presidents focused on the strategic partnership between the two countries.

As stressed by Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to China, Nurlan Yermekbayev, in an interview to the Xinhua news agency in advance of the President’s visit, Kazakhstan attaches high importance to the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. The economic relationship between Kazakhstan and China is considered crucial by both partners. China has worked with Kazakhstan to exploit its oil and gas resources, most notably since the China Natural Petroleum Corporation bought Petrokazakhstan in 2005, the largest foreign purchase ever by a Chinese company. Among other joint economic projects, the two Presidents also discussed the “Western Europe-Western China” highway, which runs through Kazakhstan. Last week, the Minister of Transport and Communications of Kazakhstan, Askar Zhumagaliyev, announced that 806km of the highway will be opened to traffic this year.

The two Presidents also discussed important international issues, including the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. The two sides attribute considerable importance to international organizations, indeed their cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was an important theme of the talks.

President Xi briefed President Nazarbayev on what he has called “The China Dream”. President Xi indicated that he wishes to make China prosperous, powerful and proud, and he spoke of his travels round China in recent weeks to acquaint himself at first hand with the situation in the country.

President Nazarbayev went on from his meeting with President Xi to attend the Boao Forum for Asia, which took place on April 6-8. The topic of this, the 12th session of the Forum, was “Asia Seeking Development for all: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation”. Kazakhstan was one of the 28 signatories of the founding document of the Forum, which is aimed at improving economic integration and mutual development of the Asian states. President Nazarbayev gave a keynote address. In the past, President Nazarbayev put forward to the Forum a number of constructive proposals for economic integration and regional security, proposals which have become even more relevant in the present circumstances. Already during the Forum in 2009, President Nazarbayev stressed that the Asian continent was becoming a world financial center of the 21st century, a center that would define the post-crisis global financial system, and suggested the initiation of joint steps to develop the foundations, laws and procedures for introducing a single regional currency. In his interview to the Xinhua news agency, Ambassador Yermekbayev recalled that President Nazarbayev also stressed at the time the need to better use the potential of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia in order to take joint decisions on security, trade and economic cooperation in the region.

“I am confident that only stronger trust between Asian countries and their joint efforts will help transform currentand future challenges into new opportunities for ensuring sustainable development”

Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to China, Nurlan Yermekbayev

President Nursultan Nazarbayev and President Xi Jinping


Kazakhstan Hosts Iran Nuclear Talks For the second time in six weeks, Almaty has hosted the continuing talks on the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The very fact that this round of talks followed on so swiftly from the previous round, held in Almaty on February 26-27, is a positive sign. The first three rounds of talks, held between April and June 2012 in Istanbul, Baghdad and Moscow, ended in stalemate. It was regarded as a frustrating, and, indeed, worrying sign by the international community that it took eight months to get everyone round the table again.

Kazakhstan’s role in bringing everyone together again is not underestimated. It is not simply because Kazakhstan was able to offer Almaty as a convenient venue for the talks between the so-called “E3+3” group – Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the USA –and Iran. An important factor, too, is Kazakhstan’s unique position as a leading country in the nuclear disarmament movement, after voluntarily giving up the large nuclear arsenal which the country inherited from the Soviet Union.

After achieving its independence from the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan inherited the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal. Furthermore, even before independence, in August 1991, President Nazarbayev signed a decree to close the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site. Nuclear tests had been carried out at the site for 40 years, leaving a radiation-polluted area roughly the size of Germany. More than one and a half million people in Kazakhstan suffered as a result of those tests. By closing the site and giving up the country’s nuclear arsenal, the President and the people were making a clear statement that Kazakhstan was to be a nuclear-free country.

As a leading member of the nuclear non-proliferation movement, Kazakhstan is seen as an exemplary state in which to hold the talks on the future of Iran’s nuclear program. The country has the added advantage of being a neighbour of Iran across the Caspian Sea; the nuclear question in Iran cannot but have an effect on the wellbeing of Kazakhstan.

Writing ahead of the second round of talks in an article in the Washington Times newspaper, President Nazarbayev spoke out against the argument that possession of nuclear weapons is an absolute guarantee for security. The President stressed that a country can secure its territorial integrity precisely by foregoing the nuclear deterrent. He recalled that the same six countries that are currently negotiating with Iran are those that are guaranteeing Kazakhstan’s security and territorial integrity in exchange for Kazakhstan’s unilateral nuclear disarmament. The President agreed that each participating state of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has the right to use peaceful nuclear power, but only if such a state strictly observes all International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements. As a practical step in this direction, President Nazarbayev has proposed hosting in Kazakhstan a low enriched uranium fuel bank under IAEA auspices. There is a compelling logic in this proposal, as Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of uranium.

Speaking on her arrival in Almaty on April 5, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton said that at the February talks in Almaty, a clear and concise proposal for confidence-building measures had been put forward, to try to tackle concerns about the nature of the nuclear program of Iran. The second Almaty talks provided an opportunity to hear the response from Dr Saeed Jalili and the Iranian team, which she trusted would be a considered, balanced and well thought out one, to facilitate an agreement on how to move forward.

“Kazakhstan supports the creation of a universal Global Nuclear Security System to combine effective observance of nuclear weapons non-proliferation with clear international norms for the peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy. We

think that a solution to Iran’s nuclear program can be found in this context.”

President Nazarbayev

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary,

Saeed Jalili, at the latest round of talks in Almaty


Government Discusses Agricultural Program for 2013 Last week’s government meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, Serik Akhmetov, focused on one of the most crucial issues for the country at this time of year, the preparation of Kazakhstan’s annual agricultural program. It will soon be time for the spring sowing season, and the Agriculture Minister, Asylzhan Mamytbekov, reported on preparations for the season.

Mr Mamytbekov was optimistic about the prospects for this year’s grain crop. Favorable weather is expected, there are good planting conditions and there is an optimal volume of moisture in the soil. Ultimately, the Agriculture Minister explained, the size of the harvest will depend upon the amount of rainfall in the summer; but at this stage the prognosis is promising.

Kazakhstan’s farmers would have to be very unlucky to have another year like 2012. A combination of poor weather and fires which devastated thousands of acres meant that the grain harvest barely came to 13 million tons – just half of the record harvest for 2011 of 26 million tons. The area to be sown – 18.6 million hectares (nearly 40 million acres) – is actually 2% less than the area available in 2012.

The Prime Minister emphasized that bringing in a successful harvest will be secured through cooperation among a number of bodies. For this reason, the Agriculture Minister’s speech was followed by presentations by the Mayors of the South Kazakhstan and Kostanai Regions; the Head of “KazAgro”; the Director of the Barayev Research and Production Center; the Head of the “Ketebay” food complex; and the Chairman of the Rice Growers Association of Kyzylorda Region.

Having heard the presentations, Prime Minister Akhmetov remarked that on the whole the preparations which have been put in place for the spring sowing seem satisfactory. From the government’s side, he continued, all the necessary measures have been taken regarding financial and technical matters. Now it was up to the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the regional mayors to ensure the quality of the work and to oversee the provision of fuel and lubricants and equipment. It is the task of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, too, to do everything to make sure that diesel fuel is provided in sufficient quantities and on time to the regions that need it. This is all in line with the agreements and the timetable which has already been set out.

Sowing is due to begin on May 20. More than 80% of the territory to be sown will be for wheat. Kazakhstan is one of the world’s leading exporters of wheat.

“Now, the way in which the sowing campaign is organized and whether it is conducted according to the timetable depends on measures taken on the ground, together with the work of the mayors, the state bodies and the agricultural producers.”

Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov

Agriculture Minister, Asylzhan Mamytbekov


Prime Minister Pays First Visit to Ukraine On April 4-5, the Prime Minister, Serik Akhmetov, made his first official visit to Ukraine. He met with the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovich, and also with his Ukrainian opposite number, Nikolay Azarov. The main item on the agenda was the development of the trade and economic relationship between the two countries. This was enshrined in the document signed by both sides on the development of Kazakhstan-Ukraine relations in 2013-2014, known as the “Road Map-4”.

Much of the preparation for Mr Akhmetov’s visit was carried out on the eve of the visit, during the meeting in Kiev of the Kazakhstan-Ukraine Commission on Economic Cooperation. The Commission met for the eleventh time, under the joint chairmanship of the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and Minister for Regional Development, Bakytzhan Sagintayev, and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Sergey Arbuzov.

The meeting covered a wide range of topics for the future strengthening of relations between Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The main areas covered were energy, agriculture, mining, heavy industry, aircraft-building and the chemical industry. In each of these sectors significant improvement is under way: in the past five years bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Ukraine has increased from USD 2.6 billion dollars to USD 4.18 billion dollars in 2012 – in itself, an increase of 24% on the previous year.

Kazakhstan has become Ukraine’s third-largest trading partner within the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and its eighth-largest trading partner worldwide. Both sides agreed at the meeting to continue to work to improve both the trade relationship and the investment climate between them, within the framework of the “Road Map-4”, which they prepared jointly for the signing during the visit of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

The energy issue is particularly important between Kazakhstan and Ukraine in a number of aspects. Talks between experts on the Commission focused on cooperation in energy projects covering financing, project management, construction, extraction of resources and ownership. The specialists were supported in this by the joint chairmen of the Commission. They announced that measures would be put in place to support the initiative of both sides to create a Kazakhstan-Ukraine electrical industry consortium. This would help to carry out a program of modernizing the electricity-generating capacity of Kazakhstan, including construction of power lines and communications and the creation of a reliable safety system.

In other areas, the Commission agreed to speed up the work on an agreement between the two countries for cooperation in the aircraft-building industry; to continue cooperation on renewable energy resources; and to explore ways of cooperation in the space and military spheres; on early warning systems and ways of dealing with emergency situations; and developing cultural and educational ties.

“The document we have signed will encourage the future development and strengthening of mutually-beneficialcooperation between our countries in all of the key sectors of the economy.”

Bakytzhan Sagintayev, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and Minister for Regional Development

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Serik Akhmetov, is greeted by Prime Minister of Ukraine, Nikolay Azarov


Also in The News…

• A round table discussion was held in the Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry on April 1 to look into the question of attracting more foreigners to work in Kazakhstan, in diplomatic and trade missions and also in private businesses. The ambassadors of 26 countries took part in the discussion, which was led by the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Erlan Idrissov. Mr Idrissov stressed that the government is committed to supporting more highly qualified foreigners coming to work in Kazakhstan. Conditions for local people must be taken into consideration, including the differential in pay for foreigners and the local workforce. (mfa.gov.kz)

• An evening of professional boxing took place last week in Monaco. The WBA (World Boxing Association) Middleweight Champion from Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin knocked out the Japanese fighter, Nobuhiro Ishidu, in the third round of their bout. (sport.kz)

• The XX session of the Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan will be held on April 24 in Astana, under the guidance of the President of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the Assembly, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The theme for the session will be “The Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy: One People, One Country, One Fate”. Taking part will be representatives from each of the country’s regions; the chairmen of ethnic and cultural organizations; members of parliament; leaders of local government bodies, political parties, religious organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); foreign diplomats; academics; and the media. (inform.kz)

• The XXXIV Young Musicians of the Republic competition took place on April 3 in the Tchaikovsky Music College in Almaty. The competition, organized by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Education and Science, saw 172 students from 19 music colleges around the country, challenge for 45 prizes. The most successful college was the Tchaikovsky Music College in Almaty, which had 12 prize winners. (inform.kz)

• President Nazarbayev attended a celebration in Astana to mark 20 years of the Kazakhstan-American joint venture, “Tengizchevroil”. In his speech, the President noted that the joint venture had brought in USD 77billion dollars to the country’s economy, helping the economy to grow by a factor of 16 in the 20 years. The output of the Tengiz field in this period had increased 26 times. (akorda.kz)


• A round table took place in Astana on the program, “the People’s IPO”, looking at the first steps which have been taken under the program. The round table examined the development of the program along the path, “state-business-society”. IPO specialists spoke on different aspects of the process by which companies can list their shares on stock exchanges. (inform.kz)

• Kazakhstan’s women’s tennis star, Yaroslava Shvedova, reached the quarter-final of the doubles competition of the WTA Family Circle Cup 2013 in Charleston, USA. Partnering Julia Goerges of Germany, in a close first round match they beat the German-Slovakian pair of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Janette Husarova, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 12-10. In the singles event, Ms Shvedova lost in the first round to the American, Vania King, 6-4, 1-6. 4-6. The quarter-final doubles match, originally scheduled for April 4, was postponed due to heavy rain at the claycourt tournament in Charleston (inform.kz, sports.dntv.com)

• An adviser to the President of Kazakhstan, Yermukhamet Yertyssbayev, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Georgia. In his present post, Mr Yertyssbayev has been a political adviser to the President. Before that, from 2006-2008, he was Minister for Culture and Information. (zakon.kz, meta.kz)

• The first shop in Kazakhstan selling naturally and organically-produced bio-products is to open in Astana. Run by the “Biomarket” chain, the shop will contain a bakery; dairy section; vegetable, fish and meat departments; and will have a delicatessen, sausage products, a wide choice of pastries, fruit juices and mineral water; as well as organic cosmetics and cleaning materials for the home. (news.nur.kz, zakon.kz)

ASTANA CALLING A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ

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Astana Calling #298