In Bishkek, Saudabayev Calls for Public Order, Pledges OSCE Support
(OSCE Chairperson visits Kyrgyzstan to assess the situation, discuss future)
Kazakhstan Brings Aviation Legislation in Line with International Standards
(The Parliament of Kazakhstan adopted a bill on aviation in first reading)
Kazakhstan: Fighting Human Trafficking Is Top Priority
(The government seeks tougher measures to combat problem)
A Nomadic Land Offers Travel Opportunities for Diverse Tastes
(Kazakhstan’s tourist potential spans nature, history and culture)
“Amazing”, “Futuristic”, “Dynamic” City Spreads Wings on the Steppe
(In a few years, Astana turned from a provincial backwater into a modern capital)
In Bishkek, Saudabayev Calls for Public Order, Pledges OSCE Support
The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev visited Bishkek today to assess the situation and develop ways of overcoming the political crisis in Kyrgyzstan, as he reiterated the OSCE’s readiness to further support efforts to restore public order and the rule of law in the country.
“This was the goal of the consolidated effort by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, US President Barack Obama and Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev with active mediation by the OSCE and other international partners, aimed at securing the departure of Mr. Bakiyev from the country, which helped prevent further escalation of tensions and a civil war in Kyrgyzstan. Now the interim government has opportunities for taking effective measures to establish public order and resolve social and economic problems faced by the people of Kyrgyzstan,” Saudabayev said.
“The work of the Special Envoy of the Chairperson-in-Office and the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre in Kyrgyzstan, in close co-ordination with the special representatives of the UN and the EU, and my visit today demonstrate the importance our Organization attaches to stabilizing the political situation in the country and its further democratic development. The OSCE is committed to further working closely with all international stakeholders in these important processes.”
Prior to the visit, Saudabayev held consultations with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, Foreign Minister of Spain as the current EU Presidency Miguel Moratinos, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
“We are all united in understanding that first of all it is necessary to ensure stability, rule of law and improve the quality of life of the people, which is a prerequisite for further successful development of Kyrgyzstan,” the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office said.
“Our Organization has extensive experience and a unique set of instruments to contribute to dealing with a multitude of post-crisis challenges facing Kyrgyzstan, and is ready to use all of its potential to do so. The areas where the OSCE could provide assistance include public safety, legislative reform, electoral assistance, targeted economic and environmental activities,” he added.
It was noted during the meetings that monitoring the situation with human rights and fundamental freedoms in Kyrgyzstan is another important area which the OSCE could support, including through its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Office of the Representative for Freedom of the Media.
The Chairperson emphasized the importance of legitimizing the interim government as soon as possible, which would create a foundation for effective interaction with the international community.
Saudabayev met the Head of the interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, key members of the interim government, leaders of political parties, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, as well as heads of diplomatic missions of the OSCE participating States, the UN and the EU representations.
Kazakhstan Brings Aviation Legislation in Line with International Standards
The Majilis (the lower house of Kazakh Parliament) last week adopted a bill “On the use of airspace of the Republic of Kazakhstan and operation of aviation” in its first reading, which, once approved into the law, would strengthen state control over flight safety.
When introducing the bill to members of parliament, Minister of Transport and Communications Abelgazy Kusainov said that since Kazakhstan is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) the document primarily takes into account the requirements of this organization. The ICAO requirements state that the main aviation legislation of the country should be a “solid foundation” on which a system of civil aviation and government regulation should be based.
The main purpose of the bill is the improvement of operation of aviation, the delineation of authority between government bodies in regulating and controlling the use of airspace, strengthening measures of state control over safety, improvement of quality of service in air transportation, increasing the responsibility of air carriers, as well as the creation of an effective system of prevention and warning of the offenses on-board civilian aircraft.
The new bill also envisages the application of international standards to all subjects of civil aviation. The requirements for the establishment of airlines are stricter now. In accordance with the new airline rules only a legal entity carrying out commercial air transportation of passengers, baggage and cargo may be called an “air company”. All airlines operating scheduled flights are required to have a reserve airplane, and financial reserves to cover the cost of flights for a minimum of one month, excluding revenue from incoming traffic. All other owners of aircraft will be known as operators.
“Also, the bill proposes to tighten controls on charter flights of Kazakh aircraft outside the airspace of Kazakhstan. An international flight to transport weapons and military equipment and dual-use goods is not permitted without the consent of an authorized body. Moreover, mandatory requirements were established in case of leasing of an aircraft by foreign airlines,”Minister Kussainov stated.
The bill takes into account ICAO recommendations relating to safety control. To improve the safety, the bill introduces a certification of technical centers for aircraft maintenance and states that within the territory of an airport all other organizations can offer their services on a competitive basis.
“According to the new bill there is a ban on the use of components and parts that do not have a passport issued by their manufacturer during the maintenance or repair of an aircraft,” Abelgazy Kussainov added.
As for the passenger rights, in accordance with the ICAO requirements airlines should offer a list of free services in case of flight delays: providing a mother and child room at a passenger’s request, two telephone calls lasting no more than five minutes, refreshments, hot meals, and a hotel room.
In general, the adoption of the bill would make domestic aviation operate on the basis of European aviation requirements and ICAO standards which in its turn will increase in-flight safety and liability of the carrier for compliance with safety requirements.
Kazakhstan: Fighting Human Trafficking Is Top Priority
Human trafficking and related problems of organized crime have taken away the freedom of more than 27 million people all over the world. Today, this very complex problem has turned into a major calamity of the 21st century. People across the globe are suffering, forcibly taken from their families and sold as slaves or forced into prostitution.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Kazakhstan, have had to face the grim face of human trafficking.
Kazakhstan is a country of origin, transit and destination of trafficking in humans. These days, the government is making every effort to fight this problem.
In co-operation with other international and non-governmental organizations, Kazakhstan’s government has taken a set of preventive measures to combat human trafficking. State bodies and governmental agencies are implementing a specially developed State Plan for combating and preventing crimes related to human trafficking for 2009-2011. Lately, an interagency committee involving deputy heads of ministries and state departments, along with representatives of international organizations and NGOs began operating in Astana.
The Parliament has recently passed a law on protection of child rights, and the country continues to co-operate closely with other states worldwide in a bid to enhance their joint preventive measures.
These include a number of intergovernmental anti-human trafficking agreements signed with France and Italy. At the same time, Kazakhstan has developed 20 draft agreements on co-operation in combating organized crime, trafficking in illicit drugs and psychotropic substances, terrorism and human trafficking with Greece, Israel, Spain, Italy, Jordan, Norway, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Syria, France and Sweden.
The country has joined quite major international conventions and protocols stipulating consecutive steps on prevention of human trafficking and specifying amendments to the nation’s laws thus aiming to facilitate counter activity of the authorities. Kazakhstan has become a party to the United Nations Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, Protocol Amending the Slavery Convention, Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, to name but a few.
In 2010, the Kazakh government has allocated almost eight million tenge (KZT 147 = US$1) from its budget to establish a RehabilitationCenter for victims of trafficking in Astana. The Ministry of Internal Affairs allotted special units to combat human trafficking, working hard to identify, prevent and investigate crimes of the kind.
As a result of measures taken in 2009, Kazakh law enforcement agencies solved 271 human trafficking related criminal cases. The total number of identified human trafficking victims in 2009 amounted to 59 people, all of which received psychological and medical assistance.
Still, every year, that number increases, and more victims fall prey to traffickers. This act degrades the men, women and children, sometimes forcing them into slave-like conditions via force, threats, or deception. This year Kazakh authorities have already exposed 69 human trafficking cases.
Under the OSCE recommendations on law enforcement cooperation with NGOs in developing and implementing anti-human trafficking policy, an ongoing preventive operation STOP traffic has been launched in order to identify the facts of human trafficking, forced prostitution, abduction and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
Likewise, a series of campaigns, scientific conferences and workshops are constantly held throughout the country. The government also uses cultural sector in order to attract attention and raise public awareness of the existing problems. For instance, theatres often perform plays based on the real stories of victims of trafficking.
Particular attention is paid to the problems of victim identification and their following rehabilitation. There are three rehabilitation centers in Kazakhstan engaged in rendering legal, medical, psychological assistance and ensuring protection and support for the people who suffered from violence and human trafficking.
A Nomadic Land Offers Travel Opportunities for Diverse Tastes
On the mountain slopes near Almaty, ski runs are springing up in advance of the 2011 Asian Winter Games. The Games, to take place in Almaty and the country’s capital city of Astana, are seen as a turning point in Kazakhstan’s tourism potential, with the investment in new winter-sports facilities acting as a magnet for Kazakhstan’s Asian and Middle Eastern neighbours.
While the Tien ShanMountains provide a striking stage for hosting the Games, they represent only a small part of Kazakhstan’s natural tourist potential.
From the forests in the northeast and south of the country (home to wild walnut, apple and pine forests) to the steppe in the center (habitat of the native saiga antelope and a host of rare and unusual birds) to the mountains that ring the country to the south and east (hunting grounds for bears, lynx, wolves and the extremely rare snow leopard) and the desert that straddles the border with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the west, Kazakhstan’s physical geography is the jewel in its crown. Add to that its position at the heart of Eurasia, on some of the great migratory routes, and Kazakhstan is an obvious destination for anybody with an interest in nature, with stays in yurt camps and mountain cabins adding to the country’s exotic allure.
Geography, however, is not Kazakhstan’s only trump card. History has played its part here, too.
Tourists can marvel at the thousands of Bronze Age petroglyphs (rock drawings) at Tamgaly Tas, or visit the grave mounds of Scythian warriors at Issyk. Not far from the Uzbek border lies Otrar, a city destroyed and then abandoned by the vengeful Genghis Khan, its magnificence and its downfall tangible beneath your feet as you crunch over shards of ancient pottery and bleached fragments of human bone.
As a nomadic land, Kazakhstan is not well known for its monuments, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality.
The exquisite 14th-century Khodja Ahmed Yassavi Mausoleum at Turkestan, built by the Tatar Mongol warlord Timur in honor of an 11th-century Sufi saint, is a case in point. The brick and blue-tiled mausoleum, covered with geometric and Kufic inscriptions and crowned by two magnificent turquoise domes, rises majestically out of the steppe and even today it is an important place of pilgrimage for Kazakhstan’s Muslims.
Taraz, on the road from Almaty to Shymkent, also offers a handful of mausoleums from the 11th century onwards, including the famed Aisha Bibi mausoleum with its unique portal covered in carved terracotta.
Shymkent itself, a city founded in the 11th century AD, and the neighbouring town of Sairam, stand as living embodiments of the great trade routes of the past, offering visitors opportunities to enjoy the smells of history at its bazaars and caravan serays (guest houses).
In the far west of the country (and don’t forget that Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and four times the size of Texas), the Mangystau peninsula abutting the Caspian Sea is often overlooked. This neglect only adds to its charm. Two ancient underground mosques, a handful of petroglyph sites, some remarkable natural geological features and an old Czarist military post at FortShevchenko await the more adventurous tourist. Just to the north, Aktau is the place to go if you want to try sailing in this landlocked country.
History and geography collide in Kazakhstan’s two main cities. Almaty, the former capital, lies in the foothills of the Tien ShanMountains, while Astana, Kazakhstan’s 12 year old capital, rises like a mirage from the middle of the steppe.
Unexpectedly cosmopolitan, in these two cities you can eat sushi in chic new restaurants, access wi-fi at coffee shops, stay in five-star hotels and attend the opera and ballet on a night out. Bold new architectural developments, such as the vast Norman Foster-designed transparent dome of Khan Shatyry - an ambitious shopping and leisure complex, complete with its own year-round beach - are making a name for Kazakhstan among its peers.
As its cities modernize at breakneck speed, and the tourism infrastructure is enhanced. Kazakhstan is becoming an increasingly attractive destination, offering a blend of nature tourism and five-star luxury to suit all tastes and budgets. A growing network of flights from Kazakhstan’s national airline - the successful eight-year-old Air Astana, - and a network of flights by carriers as diverse as Lufthansa and Aseana, will help you find your way to Kazakhstan from across the world.
“Amazing”, “Futuristic”, “Dynamic” City Spreads Wings on the Steppe
As Astana prepares to celebrate its 12th anniversary as the new capital of Kazakhstan on July 6 this year, attention is increasingly focused on what these years have meant for the city.
As part of the permanent work on improving the city, the Architectural Board of the city of Astana under the chairmanship of President Nursultan Nazarbayev was held recently in the nation’s capital.
In his speech at the gathering, the President noted that in recent years Astana became a leading city in terms of the majority of socio-economic indicators nationwide.
“The most important thing is that Astana is becoming more comfortable for its residents and guests. The city provides a decent level of education. We are creating medical centers. We have unique objects, including the IndependencePalace, the Kazakh Eli (The Kazakh Nation) monument, indoor stadium Astana Arena with 30,000 seats,”
The President said much had been done to create conditions for adequate leisure of the citizens. There are many entertainment centers in the city, including Central Asia’s only oceanarium, loved by children and parents alike.
“It was only ten years ago that the citizens of Astana had nowhere to go to entertain themselves. There was only one cinema and a couple of good restaurants. We have already forgotten about those days,” Nazarbayev stressed.
Anyone who arrives today in Astana is astonished by a fascinating city, compared by some to a sudden mirage in the desert. The city owes a share of its splendour to a number of projects by famous architects Kisho Kurokawa and Lord Norman Foster, whose works are scattered throughout the world and set the trends in the global architecture focusing on ecological, technological considerations and the free use of space. Less known, but perhaps not less talented architects from Kazakhstan, Russia, Italy and other countries have contributed as well.
While developing a new vision of Astana, the city planners took into account both positive and negative experiences of other capital cities around the world.
The architects had a task to design a city adequate for the 21st century. The international competition was won by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, who was famous for his conceptual works. His concept of town planning can be formulated in two words: symbiosis and metabolism.
Contemporary Astana can be roughly divided into a few different areas. The older buildings from the pre-independence time are located at the right bank of the YessilRiver. Most of them are being gradually replaced by brand new structures created by the significant construction work throughout the city. At the same time, an absolutely new city was built from scratch on the left bank of the city’s main river, dominated by government buildings but also including many residential buildings.
The BayterekTower is one of the most famous places of interest in Astana and is considered to be its true landmark. The legend behind this tower as a symbol is that it represents a poplar tree, where the magic bird Samruk laid its egg, signifying rebirth and well-being.
The other, no less famous landmark, is the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. Shaped as a huge steel, glass and concrete pyramid, the impressive edifice has been conceived and designed by Lord Norman Foster and inaugurated in September 2006. Apart from its regular functions as a concert and exhibition hall, it hosts triennial congresses of world and traditional religions leaders, which work toward encouraging intercultural and inter-religious dialog and tolerance.
The latest project by the British architect’s company is an ambitious shopping and entertainment center called Khan Shatyr (the Grand Tent). Its hundred-meter transparent dome will concentrate everything than modern citizens require. The large area inside will accommodate a vast city park, shops, cinemas, cafes. One would even be able to find there several pools and a sandy beach. Its main feature is a constant 20 degrees Celsius (68 degree Fahrenheit) temperature inside the giant tent, which is quite useful in a city famous for its windy and cold winters.
The Khan Shatyr, KazMunaiGaz offices, the Bayterek, the Akorda presidential palace, the Palace of Peace and Accord, and the Kazakh Eli monument stand along one line and form the so-called Millennium Alley, which permeates the city from east to west and is similar to the National Mall in Washington DC.
Broad avenues, fountains, modern offices and residential buildings, a golden dome mosque, fantastic monuments of steel and glass that pierce the sky… in twelve years Kazakhstan has managed to build a modern city of the 21st century. As noted by the president, the task of constructing a new city of Astana has been largely accomplished. In his opinion, it now needs to become cleaner, greener and more hospitable, and this largely depends on Astana residents.
Also in the news:
Kazakhstan's GDP increased by 6.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Zhanar Aitzhanova stated at a Government meeting on Tuesday. According to the government’s latest projections,the country’s GDP will grow by 2 percent this year. Last year it increased by 1.2 percent.
OSCE Chairman, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev held telephone conversations with his counterparts Sergei Lavrov of Russia, Yang Jiechi of China, and Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain (his country holds the EU presidency until July 2010). Saudabayev and Lavrov noted that through joint efforts of presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, and Barack Obama of the USA, and with support from the OSCE, UN and EU, Kurmanbek Bakiyev left Kyrgyzstan in order to avoid a further split in the Kyrgyz society and prevent alooming civil war in the country. During a conversation with Yang Jiechi the sides stressed the importance of supporting the people and the Interim government in the Kyrgyz Republic for stabilizing the situation. Minister Moratinos on behalf of the EU presidency commended the leadership of President Nursultan Nazarbayev as the head of the state chairing the OSCE in resolving the situation in Kyrgyzstan. The EU expressed its readiness to increase cooperation with the OSCE on the matters of resolving political crisis in Kyrgyzstan.
In Kazakhstan, the tax payments of oil and gas companies in the period 2000-2008 increased 13 times and reached 2.6 trillion tenge (KZT 146 = 1 USD), the KazEnergy association reported on Monday. Over the past ten years, the gross product generated in the oil and gas industry, has grown more than 11 times, thus the share of oil and gas industry in Kazakhstan's GDP over the same period increased from 12 to 22 percent.
Airlines of the Republic of Kazakhstan will provide tickets free of charge for the country’s veterans of the Second World War, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kazakhstan reported. Air Astana and SCAT airlines will provide 100 percent discount for veterans and 50 percent discount for those accompanying them in the period from May 1 to 31. Airports of the country during this period will provide free services for veterans and persons accompanying them through the VIP and CIP terminals.
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Industry and New Technologies Asset Issekeshev met in Almaty with representatives of the European Business Association of Kazakhstan. The meeting was attended by managers from about 60 companies of the Association and 50 Turkish businessmen. Delegates discussed the role of direct foreign investments in the State Program of Accelerated Industrial and Innovative Development for 2010-2014. Minister Issekeshev assured the audience that the government will back all initiatives aimed at establishing high-tech enterprises within the country. “For these business initiatives, the government provides a number of support tools,” the vice-premier noted.
Within the next four years Kazakhstan will train about 400 specialists for the space industry, Chairman of the National Space Agency Talgat Mussabayev of Kazakhstan said at the seminar titled "Problems and tasks of training in space engineering and technology." According to Mussabayev, who is one of two Kazakh cosmonauts so far, the Agency develops a unique rocket-space complex "Baiterek" on the basis of a new environmentally friendly rocket Angara at the Baikonur spaceport. This is a joint Russian-Kazakh project. It will give greater competitive ability for Baikonur as the launch site.
Things to watch:
On April 21-23 President Nursultan Nazarbayev will pay a state visit to the Republic of Korea at the invitation from his Korean colleague Lee Myung-bak. Apart from holding bilateral talks with Korea’s leadership and overseeing signing of a number of Kazakh-Korean agreements and contracts, the Kazakh leader is expected to attend the ceremony of launching Kazakhstan’s Year in the Republic of Korea.
·On April 21-22, the 20th meeting of the Committee of the Eurasian cooperation of national metrological institutions will gather in Astana. Participants will discuss issues of improving the Committee's activities and joint projects. Members of the organization are the metrology institutions from 18 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, Cuba, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
·On April 21-23 Raphael Perl, head of the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit, will visit Kazakhstan. During his trip, he is expected to discuss a number of issues concerning joint anti-terrorism activities with his Kazakh colleagues.
·On April 22 the Kazakh-RussianUniversity hosts an international conference "Strategy of developing a competitive economy: theory and practice of implementation”. The conference will discuss such topics as strategic priorities for the economic development of Kazakhstan in the context of globalization, the industrial model of development of national economy, the place of Kazakhstan in the global economy, development of Kazakhstan's education system.
·From April 22 through 30 under the aegis of the Kazakh OSCE chairmanship Vienna, Rome, Paris and Moscow will host the Eurasian Student Symphony Orchestra performance led by renowned conductor Fuat Mansurov. The concerts will be held in Vienna’s Musikverein, Roma’s Santa Cecilia, Gaveau in Paris and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
·On April 23 and 24 a regular meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev of Kazakhstan will take place in Almaty. During the meeting the delegates will discuss the draft Convention of the CICA on privileges and immunities and that of a political Declaration of the CICA’s incoming 3rdSummit in Istanbul, which is due on June 8, 2010.
ASTANA CALLING is a bi-weekly online publication of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Please send your requests and questions to pressa@mid.kz
