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A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ ISSUE NO. 382 / FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2014

Kazakh, Uzbek Presidents Reaffirm Broad Range of Cooperation

President Seeks Czech Involvement in Economic

Diversification

Also In The News

Officials Update UN on Country’s Zero Tolerance Torture Policy

Kazakh, Uzbek Presidents Reaffirm Broad Range of Cooperation

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The leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan confirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation in their shared Central Asian neighbourhood during President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov’s official visit to Astana on Nov. 25.

During talks in the Akorda presidential palace, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Karimov reviewed bilateral cooperation across the board, touching on key regional security questions. The stability and development of the region relies on their joint work, Nazarbayev said. The two also discussed important international issues, including the situations in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Nazarbayev noted Uzbekistan’s significance as Kazakhstan’s leading economic partner in Central Asia, and commented that despite falling prices and slowing global economic growth, trade turnover between the two countries was growing. Between 2005 and 2013, trade turnover between the countries quadrupled, to pass $2 billion, and in nine months of 2014 it exceeded $1.5 billion, an Akorda press release said.

“Such a dynamic is caused by sustainable economic growth in both countries, as well as strengthening cooperation throughout the region,” Nazarbayev said. He also gave credit to the Kazakh-Uzbek business council created at the behest of the two leaders for generating more ties.

Nazarbayev and Karimov also spoke of their intention to cooperate more fully to fight international terrorism and religious extremism and to coordinate their positions within international organisations. They called their exchange of views on Central Asian issues “detailed, open and trustful,” and Nazarbayev noted that their approaches to many issues, including water security, coincide.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan both depend on fresh water, especially for irrigation, from their upstream neighbours. The need for water and energy security is a major factor in regional cooperation in Central Asia.

“Cooperation in this vital sphere is possible only on the basis of mutual trust. It is also necessary to secure transparency and consider the interests of all countries of the region without any exception,” Nazarbayev said.

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov (left) with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev

Karimov said the two countries shared a “common stance” on the prospects of building new hydroelectric facilities on the upper streams of Central Asia’s two great rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya.

At a press briefing after the talks, Nazarbayev said he believed the meeting would strengthen their strategic partnership. He also expressed his hope that Uzbekistan would participate in EXPO 2017 in Astana and said Kazakhstan was prepared to offer all conditions necessary to facilitate that participation.

Karimov noted the closeness of the countries’ positions on regional cooperation and international issues. “The early stabilisation of the situation in Afghanistan and peace in that country have a decisive meaning for security and stability in Central Asia and beyond,” Karimov said.

Kazakhstan’s rapid economic growth and Uzbekistan’s similar economic development have created great possibilities for increasing bilateral trade and fostering sustainable growth, he said. Karimov said Uzbekistan appreciates Kazakhstan’s active foreign policy and its initiatives to strengthen regional and international security and called Kazakhstan a “sister nation.”

“I would like to express my great respect for the Kazakh people, who move confidently towards prosperity. We need to meet more often in order to ‘synchronise watches’ and jointly determine future prospects,” he concluded.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have Central Asia’s largest populations and economies and both are major exporters of hydrocarbons. Large diasporas of both nations live on both sides of their border, with up to 1 million ethnic Kazakhs in Uzbekistan and up to half a million ethnic Uzbeks in Kazakhstan.

“I would like to express my great respect for the Kazakh people, who move confidently towards prosperity. We need to meet more often in order to ‘synchronise watches’ and

jointly determine future prospects.” - President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov

President Seeks Czech Involvement in Economic Diversification

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President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan hopes the Czech Republic will be a partner in building an economy independent of natural resources in Kazakhstan, he said during a Nov. 24 meeting with visiting President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman.

Zeman, in Astana to meet with Nazarbayev and take part in the Kazakhstan-Czech Republic Business Forum, compared Kazakhstan’s economic development to “economic miracles” in post-war Germany, Japan and South Korea.

Nazarbayev invited Czech companies to join in Kazakhstan’s privatisation and development programmes. “At the moment, we are carrying out the second stage of privatisation and are currently inviting Czech companies to participate. I have already mentioned that the second phase of industrial and innovative development in Kazakhstan has begun. We want to build hundreds of completely new enterprises of different types that we need. Our country is rich in oil, metals, coal and so on. … We want to build a second economy that does not depend on natural resources, and Czech companies can help us,” he said. He also referenced Kazakhstan’s investment incentives, including new infrastructure and tax breaks.

International issues were also on the agenda, with Nazarbayev saying that terrorism and the Ukrainian crisis affected Kazakhstan. The Czech Republic could help facilitate the development of cooperation in Europe and Asia, including between the EU and Eurasian Economic Union, he said.

Nazarbayev noted that both parties hope for an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine, while also condemning sanctions that he said “bring positive results to neither Europe nor Russia.”

Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic have great potential, Nazarbayev continued, and their connections are growing, with more than 70 joint ventures currently operating in Kazakhstan.

Zeman also noted the importance of strengthening cooperation with the strategically important nation.

“Currently, we are working on the new Silk Road. We consider not only the level of development in your country, but its potential, taking into account its key location in Central Asia,” Zeman said. “Kazakhstan can be compared to countries which achieved economic

President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman (left) and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev

miracles in the past, such as Germany, Japan or South Korea,” Zeman said at a joint press conference with Nazarbayev in the Akorda on Nov. 24, commenting on the “unbelievable progress” of the country over the past decade. “I am confident that Kazakhstan, thanks to the hard work of its people, will become one of the important players in the global economy.”

The Kazakhstan-Czech Republic Business Forum held on the same day was attended by more than 60 Czech businesses. Opening the forum, Nazarbayev said that the two countries would sign agreements worth about $500 million in the defence industry, engineering, chemistry, construction and agricultural sectors, which “will open new horizons for investment in Kazakhstan.”

Nazarbayev also suggested the Czech Republic transfer its plants and assembly lines to Kazakhstan.

“Only here you will find a huge market comprised of Central Asian countries, Russia and Western China. The world’s biggest agricultural companies and automakers already have [production and] assembly lines here in Kazakhstan,” he said. The President also cited the potential of barrier-free Customs Union markets for Czech enterprises.

After the forum, Zeman announced plans to streamline visa procedures for citizens of Kazakhstan, including setting up processing points around the country. “We are ready to completely remove visa requirements for holders of special passports,” he said.

Cooperation between the two countries continues to grow, Nazarbayev said, noting that direct Czech investments in Kazakhstan’s economy have amounted to $200 million. Sales turnover volume between the countries rose from $206.6 million in 2009 to $1.022 billion in 2013, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry for Investments and Development.

Officials Update UN on Country’s Zero Tolerance Torture Policy

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A report on Kazakhstan’s implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane and Degrading Treatment or Punishment was presented by representatives of the government to the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva on Nov. 18.

Introducing the report, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Zhakupov noted that Kazakhstan’s constitution prohibited the use of torture or ill treatment and that the government had adopted measures to ensure a zero tolerance policy for torture.

Kazakhstan’s legal definition of torture is identical to that of the UN’s convention against torture, and as such includes language banning as torture the infliction of both physical and mental suffering.

Zhakupov also reported that Kazakhstan had adopted a strategy in 2010 to modernise its system of human rights protection, which had created an independent judiciary. Court authorisation has since been required for investigative actions, which has reduced overall arrests by a factor of three and juvenile arrests by a factor of seven.

The current criminal procedure code begins with the presumption of innocence and recognises human dignity as inviolable. It is intended to protect anyone involved in Kazakhstan’s justice system from cruel treatment. Evidence obtained through torture has been made unacceptable in courts of law.

Any allegations of torture must be investigated, Zhakupov said. Victims are entitled to free legal and medical assistance and laws on compensation are currently being drafted. The few complaints that have been registered have been investigated, he said, and the perpetrators held criminally liable.

Felice Gaer, an expert acting as Kazakhstan’s country rapporteur for the report, said that a gap remains between the expanded legal framework and the reality of its application on the ground. She did, however, note legal developments within the country to prohibit and guard against torture, including a national preventive mechanism and the zero tolerance policy for torture and similar crimes.

The medical treatment available to prison inmates was also reviewed. Medical services for people in legal custody are to be transferred to the Ministry of Health and Social Development, and a process to register detainees with primary healthcare services to provide access

Kazakhstan recently reported to the UN on the country’s zero tolerance policy against torture

to preventive care has been launched. The country also allocated $250 million to fight tuberculosis this year. Kazakhstan has a very comprehensive electronic tuberculosis registration system and over the last five years has seen tuberculosis mortality rates drop by 65 percent and morbidity rates by more than one third.

Kazakhstan’s delegation included representatives from the country’s Commission on Human Rights Under the President, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Social Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Centre for Human Rights, the Union of Crisis Centres of Kazakhstan and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN Office in Geneva.

Concluding the session, Committee Chairman Claudio Grossman thanked participants for the discussion and reiterated that the goal of the convention against torture is zero tolerance.

The current criminal procedure code begins with

the presumption of innocence and recognises human dignity as inviolable. It is intended to

protect anyone involved in Kazakhstan’s justice system

from cruel treatment. Evidence obtained through torture has been made unacceptable in

courts of law.

Also In The News... • KazakhstanestablishesdiplomaticrelationswithSaoTomeand

PrincipeandSierraLeonePermanent representatives of Kazakhstan and Sao Tome and Principe to the United Nations Kairat Abdrakhmanov and Carlos Agostinho Filomeno das Nieves signed a joint communiqué establishing diplomatic relations between their countries on Nov. 20, the same day diplomatic relations were established between Kazakhstan and Sierra Leone. Sao Tome and Principe is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea. The country is one of the world’s largest exporters of cocoa. Sierra Leone, in West Africa, is one of the largest producers of titanium and bauxite, a major producer of gold and has one of the world’s largest deposits of rutile. The representative of Sao Tome and Principe expressed interest in sending the country’s students to study in Kazakhstan. The question of fighting the Ebola virus epidemic in Africa was also raised; Sierra Leone is one of the most affected countries. Kazakhstan has provided financial assistance to combat the disease. (inform.kz)

• Kazakhstan,SouthKoreatojoinforcesinrailwayinfrastructuredevelopmentDirector of the Asia-Pacific Research Centre of Hanyang University Eom Gu Ho expressed South Korea’s intention to develop cooperation in railway infrastructure development at the roundtable “Nurly Zhol: New strategic horizons for Kazakhstan” in Astana on Nov. 24. South Korea can participate in developing north-south railway lines, he said. Eom also noted that the Ministry of Transport of South Korea and the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kazakhstan had concluded an agreement establishing friendly ties in the railway sector. A Kazakhstan-Korea business forum is expected to examine prospects of cooperation in transport next week. (inform.kz)

• GreenQuarterconstructionstartsinAstanaConstruction on a residential quarter based on green technologies has begun in Astana, announced Chairman of the Board of the Samruk Kazyna Real Estate Fund Bolat Palymbetov at a press conference on Nov. 18. The concept for the residential and office complex was developed by British company Aedas, one of the world’s largest architectural firms, he said, and will be built with an eye to reducing water and energy consumption. All buildings will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.Construction will continue to 2017, with the first buildings commissioned in 2015. Preliminary estimates put the project’s cost at 44 billion tenge (US$240 million). (astanatimes.com)

• KazakhstanhostsEnergyCharterConferenceSecretary General of the Energy Charter Urban Rusnak opened the first day of the 25th session of the Conference of the Energy Charter in Astana on Nov. 26 by commenting that energy efficiency is a major component of energy security. Kazakhstan raised a number of policy proposals to improve the Energy Charter process during its presidency, including introducing a voluntary dispute resolution mechanism to help avoid energy sector conflicts at the national level. Kazakhstan also advocates creating an ombudsman under the Secretary General of the Energy Charter to protect energy sector investments, which would facilitate the timely resolution of disputes between Energy Charter countries. As the presiding country, Kazakhstan initiated dialogue on security issues in energy transit and transparency in all segments of the international energy markets. (inform.kz)

• NewAstana–BangkokflightannouncedinBangkokBangkok hosted a ceremony marking the coming launch of regular flights between Astana and that city. On Dec. 15, regular flights will commence between the two capitals, in addition to daily flights between Bangkok and Almaty. The event was organised by Kazakhstan’s embassy in Thailand and its national airline, Air Astana. The ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, its Tourism Agency, representatives of the Bangkok city administration, heads of more than 50 major Thai tourism companies and local air agencies. Addressing the gathering, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Thailand Marat Yessenbayev highlighted new investment and tourism opportunities for Thais amid preparations for EXPO 2017 in Astana and the ongoing implementation of the State Programme of Accelerated Industrial Innovative Development. (mfa.gov.kz)

• Kazakh-languagemobilemessengerserviceunveiledinAstanaA mobile messenger service unique to Kazakhstan, iTys, was presented by the Foundation for Development of the State Language at a Nov. 19 briefing at the Central Communications Service (CCS). The free messenger programme aims to incorporate Kazakh into the world of global data exchange, head of the project Daut Shaikhislamov said, and even has Kazakh-influenced emoticons. It is available on Android platforms already and will become available on Apple’s IOS platform in December, in honour of Kazakhstan’s national day, he said. The name of the new app is a play on the word aitys, a Kazakh word for contests among bards. (astanatimes.com)

• “Aida”premièresatAstanaOpera“Aida,” the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, has premièred at the Astana Opera. Preparations for the show took over a month, as the opera requires multiple effects and complex sets. The number of technical staff behind the scenes was almost equal to the number of performing artists. The cast included American soprano Christine Lewis and Zhupar Gabdullina as Aida; Walter Frakkaro and Gustavo Porta as Radames; Yekaterina Gubanova, Dina Khamzina and Marina Prudenskaya as Amneris and Luka Salsi and Alberto Ghazal as Amonasro. (astanatimes.com)

• ArmanOspanovofKazakhstanwinsSamboWorldCupArman Ospanov has become the combat sambo world champion in the 68 kilogramme and under weight class. In the World Cup, held in Japan, Ospanov defeated Niyazmurat Shakhmuradov of Turkmenistan by a score of 6:0. This is the second year the fighter from Kazakhstan has won the World Championship. Kazakhstan’s team took third place in the overall medal standings. (inform.kz)

• StreetWorkoutWorldChampionshipstobeheldinAstanaKazakhstan’s weightlifter Ilya Ilyin became a four-time world champion when he won gold at the Nov. 8-16 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Almaty. Ilyin lifted 190 kilogrammes in the snatch and 242kg in the clean and jerk, setting a new world record. Kazakhstan finished third overall in the championship, securing five medals: three gold and two silver. The country’s women took two medals: London Olympic champion Zulfiya Chinshanlo won gold in the 53 kg category and young weightlifter Zhazira Zhapparkul won silver medal the 69 kg category. Among the men, Zhassulan Kydyrbayev clinched gold and Vladimir Sedov silver in the 94 kg category. China came in first overall followed by North Korea. (inform.kz, astanatimes.com)

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