A bi-weekly online publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan www.mfa.kz Issue # 59 Tuesday,11 May 2010 [PDF]

Kazakhstan Celebrates 65^th V-Day, Honours Its Veterans

(Mass celebrations nationwide, President attends ceremonies in Astana, Moscow)

Kazakhstan Celebrates 65^th V-Day, Honours Its Veterans

President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan participated in celebrations of the 65^th anniversary of Victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War on May 9, 2010.

Nursultan Nazarbayev joined President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, as well as leaders from over 20 countries, including CIS countries, China, Germany and others, at the Red Square to watch the grand parade that was the centerpiece of the weekend celebrations. The Kazakh leader was the first among other CIS heads to confirm his participation in Russia’s main event held with unprecedented amplitude this year.

A grandiose parade on Red Square in Moscow involved a procession of military personnel from all branches of the Russian Armed Forces, guest units from nine CIS countries, including Kazakhstan, along with the United States, Great Britain, France and Poland, and a large military orchestra, followed by displays of military hardware and a flyover by combat aircraft.

More than 10,500 servicemen and more than 150 pieces of land-based military equipment were taking part in the Moscow parade. A total of 165 combat aircraft flew over Red Square, with some of them grouping to form the number 65.

About 3,000 veterans of the Second World War and other guests from Russia, post-Soviet and other countries attended the celebrations. The parade, which was accompanied by over 50 Russian and foreign military orchestras, was divided into the military personnel’s march, the parade of military armaments on the ground and in the sky.

A detachment of 70 soldiers of Kazakhstan’s Army in their festive uniform sewn specially for the parade, marched past the Kremlin wall carrying assault rifles and bringing the State Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan to what was the USSR’s main square during and after the Second World War. Colonel Kaidar Karakulov commanded the Honor Guard of the Kazakh Defense Ministry.

Nearly one and a half million of Kazakh citizens took part in the Second World War, which accounts for 70% of the nation’s male population of that time of ages from 18 to 50. Twelve rifle divisions, seven rifle brigades, nearly fifty regiments and battalions of different forces were formed in Kazakhstan during the war. Five hundred Kazakhstan’s citizens became the Heroes of the Soviet Union, the main military decoration of the time, and four were awarded this rank twice. Nearly half of all those who went to war never made it back.

“Our unified formation is evidence of our common willingness to defend the peace,” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said addressing the officers and soldiers from various nations who gathered on Red Square. “Only together can we confront today’s threats, only on the basis of good neighbourliness can we solve the problems of global security.”

After the Victory Parade, President Nursultan Nazarbayev among other guests laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden near the Kremlin. The guests paid tribute to the war victims observing a minute of silence.

A day earlier the Kazakh President participated in the CIS informal summit in Moscow opened by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, where modernization of national economies, scientific and humanitarian cooperation became the priority of the agenda on interaction between the CIS member states. The presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan took part in the summit as well.

“Our countries are set the task on modernization of the economies. The CIS platform is a convenient means for cooperation,” President Nazarbayev said. He also noted the humanitarian cooperation between CIS states is of paramount significance these days. The summit participants discussed a wide spectrum of topical issues on the prospects of partnership within the frameworks of the Commonwealth.

Before leaving for the grand parade in Moscow, Nursultan Nazarbayev presented state awards and highest military ranks to a group of Kazakh veterans and servicemen working in the law-enforcement agencies of the country. The same day President Nazarbayev laid flowers to the monument “Otan Korgaushylar” (Defender of the Motherland) in Astana, following which he addressed the audience at the official ceremony held at the Palace of Independence.

Congratulating the veterans, Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed the Victory of 1945 destined the life of the mankind for the hundreds of years ahead. In his words, that very same victory gave hope for the future, outlined new understanding of such basic human values, as freedom, justice, dignity, peace and happiness, and ensured the irreversible progress of these values.

Kazakhstan, just as the entire world that day, celebrated the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War with a variety of activities across the country.

In Astana, war veterans and local community representatives marched along the Independence Street from the Monument of Kazak Eli (The Land of the Kazakhs) to the Defender of the Motherland, and laid flowers at the eternal flame in memory of the Kazakh soldiers who died resisting Nazi aggression in 1941-1945. Meanwhile, performances by military bands were staged in Astana Youth Palace, Bayterek Tower and the Capital Park. Cannon salutes and firework show were also held later in the day in the city.

In Almaty, Akim Akhmetzhan Yesimov, who joined a wreath-laying ceremony in the Park of 28 Panfilov Division heroes with a group of veterans, hailed the dedication of countless martyrs who sacrificed their lives in exchange of future years of peaceful life for the people of Kazakhstan and entire world. He said their names would be forever shining in the country's history. Some 10,000 Almaty residents also paid tribute to war victims by laying flowers to the monuments in the park.

Kazakh Parliamentarians to Host Colleagues at 2010 Trans-Asian Forum

This week Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, will see a major influx of members of parliaments from OSCE member states and the organization’s partner states as they wopuld gather for a Second Trans-Asian Parliamentary Forum. The agenda will focus on such issues as Afghanistan and terrorism, trade and environment, the interethnic and interreligious tolerance and developing democratic institutions. The deputies will also focus on the latest political crisis in Kyrgyzstan and its effect on the future of parliamentary democracy in Eurasia.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan are holding the Forum on May 14-16, 2010, the first major event to take place in Kazakhstan within the country’s chairmanship in the OSCE. 

Prior to the event, the head of the organizing committee of the forum, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev gave an extensive interview to the "Interfax" news agency.

Talking about this year’s forum Tokayev first mentioned the success of the event’s previous session, which took place in May 2003, also in Almaty. The theme of that Forum was “Trans-Asian Dimension of OSCE: Indivisible Link of Security” which discussed the struggle against terrorism and extremism, problems of poverty, economic development and environmental deterioration as well as development of democratic institutions.

Speaking of the upcoming forum, Tokayev noticed that the idea of holding it in a Central Asian country demonstrates OSCE’s growing interest in this region, in the way it meets the challenges of the day. “Even in 2003 it was clear that the Central Asian region has acquired great significance in ensuring global security,” he added. The theme of the current forum “The OSCE’s Eurasian Dimension”, according to Tokayev, reflects the programme of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OSCE.

The agenda of the forum includes topical issues embracing all three dimensions of OSCE work: international security (including Afghanistan, terrorism and disarmament), economic concerns (trade, resource management, environmental issues), and the human dimension (interethnic and interreligious tolerance, democratic institutions, freedom of the media, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings and gender equality).

There will also be a discussion of the latest political crisis in Kyrgyzstan and its implications for the concept of parliamentary democracy in Eurasia. In respect of the Kyrgyz issues, Tokayev said: “The Almaty conference of parliamentarians should play an important role in ensuring conflict-free development of the situation in this country as it would extend its support to the international efforts in establishing a civilized government there. Therefore, I think the decision taken in consultation with the President of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Joao Soares to devote a special session to Kyrgyzstan issue was correct, all our colleagues in the Parliamentary Assembly support it, too”.

Tokayev also mentioned that owing to the efforts of the President Nazarbayev an escalation of tensions between the northern and the southern parts of Kyrgyzstan was averted, the consequences of which could have been catastrophic.

This forum’s list of invitees is impressive, and reveals increased interest of parliamentarians from OSCE participating States, Mediterranean and Asian partner countries, as well as parliamentarians from China and Pakistan.

“We expect over 250 delegates to participate, representing the parliaments of more than 30 OSCE member countries, which are also the members of the European Parliament, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Moreover, representatives of major international organizations, think tanks, and the diplomatic corps accepted an invitation to participate as well,” Tokayev said.

In accordance with the main topic of the forum, members of the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE, leaders of authoritative organizations such as the OSCE, SCO, EurAsEC, CSTO, as well as the CICA will be the keynote speakers.

“I think the speech of former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and Deputy of the lower house of Afghanistan National Assembly Mirwaiss Yasseni will cause considerable interest. The OSCE chairperson-in-office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State - Minister of Foreign Affairs Kanat Saudabayev, a person who has done much recently to enhance the activities of the OSCE, is expected to speak at the forum as well,” Tokayev added.

New Coast Guard Ship Made in Kazakhstan Goes Into Service on Caspian

The Kazakh Coast Guard launched its newest vessel, built by a Zenith shipbuilding plant, into active service during a ceremony last week in Oral, a regional center in West Kazakhstan.

The new ship to patrol the borders of the Caspian Sea is called Zhenis (“Victory” in Kazakh) and is dedicated to the 65^th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War. The vessel is designed to improve operational readiness along the country’s Caspian coastline with higher sustained speed capabilities as well as greater endurance and range.

Opening an official ceremony, Director General of the Zenith plant Vyacheslav Valiyev shared a little bit of history of the plant. It was evacuated from Saint Petersburg (Leningrad at the time), Russia, in September 1941 and within a month sent its first firearms to the front. Since then, the plant has continuously increased the manufacturing of military production including missiles, explosives, land mines and torpedoes. According to some reports, the mines produced in Oral became an obstacle for nearly 200 hostile ships during that war, more than half of which were the combat vessels.

Zenith is the only shipbuilding plant in Kazakhstan awarded with the 1^st class Order of the Great Patriotic War. Several of Oral’s other military plants have been converted into civilian manufacturing facilities after years of post-Soviet industrial collapse. Only Zenith still continues its defense-related activity, producing vessels and ships for protecting the borders of the young independent nation.

Addressing the plant employees, Akim (governor) of West Kazakhstan Bakhtykozha Izmukhambetov noted there is another reason for congratulating the Oral manufactures with a jubilee, for the Zhenis ship is the fifteenth vessel of its kind produced by the plant. The earlier projects of Zenith were the Sunkar and Burkit barges of 50 tons displacement.

Since the first days of its functioning, the Oral manufacturing plant improved the quality of constructed ships, making every new vessel more superior than the previous one. According to Bakhtykozha Izmukhambetov, the launch of a new coast guard ship has played significant role not only for the region, but for the country as well. The higher level of performance required a substantial rearrangement of the plant’s production facilities and processing lines, which was carried out with a view of further increasing the number of processed orders.

As stated by Border Guard Service Director of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee Major-General Bulat Kirgizbayev, President Nursutlan Nazarbayev pays special attention to equipping the Border Guards with ships and vessels of high quality standards. The Zenith plant satisfies all hopes of the ordering companies. The Committee has been successfully cooperating with Oral manufacturers for almost fifteen years.

The Kazakh Border Guard Service, however, has ambitious plans for the future as well. In Bulat Kirgizbayev’s words, two vessels of the same class as Zhenis are to be launched before 2015, and another coast guard vessel of 400 tons displacement will be built in Oral.

Zenith manufacturers are ready for the challenge of this sort, as more sophisticated projects provide for the stable progress and positive evolvement. An innovation project called “Sea shipbuilding development” foresees the design, construction, rearrangement, modernization and repair of ships, equipment and corps structures. The plant’s production capacity is suitable for constructing cargo and passenger ships, tow-boats and piers, along with ships and vessels for security and emergency services.

Another ambitious project for the future is the construction of a Bulan multifunctional vessel, designed for equipping the ships, barges and nearshore base. The vessel will be used to put out a fire, conduct repairs, work as a towing vehicle and tunnel way through the snow and ice. The potential of Zenith is to be demonstrated at the KADEX international arms exhibition in Astana due in late May 2010.

Kazakhstan to Expand Presence in Brazil

Kazakhstan’s integration in global markets and international relations demands the nation to develop contacts with countries not seen previously as probable partners due to geographic distances. As an example of this, Kazakhstan in recent years have seen strengthening bilateral ties with Brazil, one of the world’s emerging giants and a leader in Latin America.

Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil are the first presidents in Central Asia and Latin America to have exchanged reciprocal official visits, respectively in 2007 and 2009, thus having set conditions for expanding intraregional ties as well. Astana is the only Central Asian capital to host an Embassy of Brazil. The Kazakhs are preparing to open their diplomatic mission in Brasilia as well.

This was confirmed as Erlan Idrissov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States concurrently accredited to Brazil, presented his credentials to President Lula da Silva on May 5, in a ceremony that took place in the “Itamarati” palace, one of the historic buildings of the Brazilian capital. The Kazakh diplomat was honoured to be the first among his colleagues from a number of other nations to convey to the Brazilian leader documents signed by the Kazakh President that officially authorize him to represent Kazakhstan in the largest country of Latin America.

At the dinner in honour of new ambassadors, President Lula da Silva has shown a keen interest in sharing views on Kazakh-Brazilian cooperation with the representative of Kazakhstan. Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim attended this event as well.

They exchanged views on international issues, on many of which Kazakhstan and Brazil have the same position and advocate similar approaches to their solution. As pointed out by Lula da Silva, Kazakhstan and Brazil, as leaders in their respective regions, can together make a significant contribution to maintaining favourable geopolitical situation in the world.

During his stay in Brasilia, Erlan Idrissov also met Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade of Brazil Miguel Jorge and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Jaguaribe responsible for the development of cooperation with Eurasian countries. They discussed in detail many aspects of bilateral interaction and noted the importance of establishing Intergovernmental Kazakhstan-Brazil committee on trade and economic cooperation. The two sides emphasized the considerable potential for increasing cooperation, a solid foundation for which was laid by the exchange of visits at the highest level.

In 2007, Nursultan Nazarbayev paid the first state visit to Brazil. The talks were very fruitful and opened new opportunities for expanding the cooperation of two countries on bilateral and multilateral levels.

While speaking during an official breakfast at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry President Lula da Silva said that he regards the Kazakh leader’s first visit to Brazil as a landmark in the history of bilateral relations. “Kazakhstan is a regional power, a heart of Central Asia, and in recognition of this fact Brazil opened its first regional Embassy in Kazakhstan,” President Lula da Silva added.

Two years later, President Lula da Silva made a return visit to Kazakhstan which was the first visit by a Brazilian leader to Central Asia and demonstrated the growing interest in fostering comprehensive relations with Astana. During the talks the leaders discussed prospects of bilateral relations as well as opportunities for the participation of Brazilian businesses in projects, contributing to further diversification of Kazakhstan economy.

Relations between Kazakhstan and Brazil are developing dynamically. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were established in 1993. In January 2006, President Lula da Silva signed a decree to open a Brazilian embassy in Kazakhstan. On October 23, the same year Saloman Frederico Duque Estrada Meyer presented his credentials to President Nazarbayev.

The two states have many similarities. In terms of territory and economy they are the largest ones in their regions, with both countries having significant natural resources and active positions on the international arena. Both nations have been active in maintaining nuclear-weapons-free zones in their respective regions, and conducting a peaceful policy, which prefers to resolve any issues relating to international relations by negotiation. Kazakhstan backs Brazil’s bid to become a permanent member to the United Nations Security Council. Both countries feature populations with no less than a hundred of ethnic heritages that co-exist peacefully.

As for the economic cooperation, bilateral trade turnover have expanded in the previous decade and amounted to US$ 280 million in 2008. Kazakhstan is interested in establishing joint ventures, particularly for producing bio-ethanol and other agriculture-related products, but also in oil processing, mechanical engineering, IT and space industry.

Will Kazakhstan catch the Caspian wave?

From a situation that was extremely stretched in early 2009, Kazakhstan’s overall economy bottomed out, with recoveries uneven depending on the sector. We view 2010 as a transition year, and we believe that the country will be in a good position to benefit largely from a big ‘‘Caspian wave,’’ as oil production is expected to ramp up substantially beginning in 2013.

Within a decade, the Kazakh economy could experience a resource-driven Golden Age, provided that significant investments are made in infrastructure and various regulations are simplified.

Contrary to market expectations a year ago, the Kazakh banking sector has been saved and is now convalescing. The total foreign debt of the sector fell from $45 billion at the end of 2007 to $30 billion at the end of 2009. After the restructurings of BTA and Alliance, it should not exceed $20 billion, or about 20 percent of the country’s total foreign debt.

While not all the banks have fully recovered from the crisis, we estimate that at least four of them now have an excess of liquidity. Also, sector loan-to-deposits ratios have fallen dramatically, from 228 percent in 2007 to 161 percent at the end of 2009. Finally, stronger banks can now obtain funding on the local market with decent conditions, as shown when ATF Bank raised 15 billion tenge ($100 million) via the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange.

New lending, however, remains depressed. We estimate that new monthly domestic loans granted by commercial banks represent only about $1.3 billion per month, back to the level of the first quarter of 2004, and far from the peak of nearly $10 billion per month (including short-term loans) reached in the second quarter of 2007. From being overconfident, the banks seem to have become overcautious, with the most common reason given for not lending being a “lack of quality borrowers.” Since overdue amounts are still deteriorating, we expect the improvement of lending conditions to be modest and gradual, an only from the second half of 2010.

The National Bank is in a strong position. The country’s total reserves had reached $52.7billion as of February 2010, a record high. Also, the coverage of money supply by reserves is maintained near 100 percent, which is very strong. Growing inflow into the National Welfare Fund Samruk-Kazyna from tax supported by rising commodity prices, as well as strong foreign direct investment ($9 billion expected in 2010), are helping to put the National Bank on solid ground, despite a moderate budget deficit ($4.8 billion after transfers from the National Fund, i.e., 4.1 percent of 2010 gross domestic product).

The tenge has started to appreciate. Despite a significant appreciation of the U.S. dollar vs. most of the world’s currencies since December 2009, the dollar-to-tenge exchange rate experienced an inflection point from the fourth quarter last year, with the tenge actually gaining against the dollar in the same period.

Our various models suggest that the tenge remains slightly undervalued. We also note that sentiment about the national currency has improved significantly. We therefore expect the tenge to continue its gradual appreciation, with the National Bank continuing to build its reserves. Tenge appreciation is also positive for the stabilization of loan quality in the banking system, which has significant assets and liabilities in foreign currencies. Conversely, tenge appreciation is negative for the mining sector (since salaries are in tenge but sales in dollars), but this effect is more than offset by high commodities prices (with the exception of uranium).

More infrastructure is needed, with many projects already underway. Kazakhstan is the largest country in the world with no direct access to the ocean. In other words, transportation costs are a serious issue. What we like with infrastructure projects in a vast country like Kazakhstan is that they enable lower exportation costs (a couple of dollars saved per ton of any mineral or per barrel of oil can rapidly translate into billions of dollars for the country) while also making imports more affordable.

The authorities have been well aware of this situation, taking action during the crisis, which also helped stabilize the economy. Samruk-Kazyna has initiated plans to invest in 30 industrial projects for a total of $23 billion by 2015. It also acknowledges, however, that foreign investment of about $50 billion is required to modernize the economy by 2015 - this is still challenging in the current market environment.

Kazakhstan is often considered to be a purely oil-based economy. Indeed, Kazakhstan has around 40 billion barrels of proven reserves - 3.2 percent of the world’s global reserves including Kashagan, one of the largest fields discovered over the past 30 years. Moreover, its reasonable tax regime compared with Russia’s, which has recently become tougher, has allowed the country to attract international players with both the resources and the technology to extract oil more efficiently, even in difficult conditions. The future of the oil industry in Kazakhstan is promising. But there are plenty of other resources in Kazakhstan. Contrary to other promising countries (such as Mongolia), Kazakhstan’s resource economy is already thriving, with infrastructure having already reached an acceptable level. More remarkably, the high quality of uranium, copper, iron, chrome ore, etc., as well as the proximity of huge coal reserves (i.e., cheap electricity) and the early adoption of advanced mining technology combine to allow large producers to be among the most - if not the most  - competitive in the world. Finally, since last year, Kazakhstan has been the largest uranium producer in the world, with a production of 14,000 tons.

With an increasingly commodity-hungry world, huge and various reserves underground, significant foreign direct investment on large-scale projects, a growing population, a 100 percent literacy rate, a strong agriculture potential and a stable political regime, Kazakhstan is well situated for catching the Caspian wave.

Its choice is between relying on commodities only or developing value-added activities, such as transformation industries (fertilizers, advanced processing of commodities, manufacturing industries, food processing) and less expected sectors (such as tourism). The future depends on present-day choices. Some of them will not be easy. At Visor Capital, we remain confident and optimistic.

This article first appeared in the “Kazakhstan” supplement to the International Herald Tribune issue on April 27.

Targeting the Young: Early Education in Kazakhstan

Apart from training skilled experts, Kazakhstan has a number of foreign organizations working on its territory with the aim of updating and upgrading basic education for the country’s youngest. Among them are the Kazakhstan International School (KIS) — owned by Gateway Ventures CA Ltd., which has its head office in Texas — and a branch of the independent school Haileybury in Hertford, England. Both institutions maintain a high grade of basic education, and both have become in vogue among well-to-do families in Kazakhstan, more and more of whom are entrusting their children to them.

“KIS reflects a truly international community, with students from more than 24 different nationalities — no more than 30 percent of the student population coming from local families,” says Wendy Moore, spokesperson on behalf of the school. “With a vision for contributing to the development and globalization of Kazakhstan, KIS intends to accommodate a 50 percent local student population at some point, while striving to maintain that truly multicultural blend that makes KIS unique.”

Haileybury follows a similar formula in its Almaty school, a joint venture with Capital Partners. The main difference between the two is that whereas KIS mainly harbors expatriates’ children, Haileybury focuses on Kazakh youth - 79 percent of its pupils are Kazakh and the remaining 21 percent are children of expatriates.

Teaching at Haileybury Almaty is in English and follows the English national curriculum, with international examinations for children of at least 16 years (the International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and for 18-and-ups (the International Baccalaureate). Haileybury is also an accredited examination center for the University of Cambridge.

Haileybury is bringing English basic education to Kazakhstan, says Andrew Auster, the head of the institute. “Haileybury Almaty will eventually become a school for almost 600 pupils, ages five to 18 years,” he says. “Following the British curriculum up to the age of 14, the intention is to become an International Baccalaureate school to offer the IB Diploma Program in the sixth form. In September 2008, the school opened for pupils aged five to14 years. Teaching is in English, but the school will strive to be renowned as a center of excellence for the teaching of the Kazakh language. Education is a process not of filling up an empty vessel, but lighting a fire in the heart and minds of the young with whom we are privileged to work.”

Private education gives extra value to schools’ responsibility and performance, according to their representatives.

“Private funding adds an important element that pushes educational standards toward a more globally assessed and accepted standard,” Moore says. “Private funding brings with it outside insights and points of view that confront the status quo and drive Kazakhstan to develop educational systems that prepare students for the challenges of globalization and an international market place.”

The Kazakhstan International School is a founding member of the Association of International Universities and Schools in Kazakhstan (AIUSK), an officially registered organization in Kazakhstan whose vision is to promote international and intercultural understanding.

“AIUSK espouses a number of values – peace, freedom, equality, tolerance and the celebration of both diversity and similarity - which express for the association the essential meaning and purpose of multiculturalism and international-mindedness,” Moore says. “The association believes that young people should face the challenges arising from the acceptance of these values and is supportive of all organizations that share its conviction about internationalism, international mindedness and international education in all its forms and wherever it may be found.”

Both Moore of KIS and Auster of Haileybury strongly believe in basic education as a tool to make Kazakhstan a better place for investors now and in the future. For this, abroad view of the world combined with a high level of self-awareness while maintaining high ethical standards is elementary.

“The school, while respecting all faiths, maintains a secular environment,” Auster says. “Haileybury Almaty will strive to be a beacon of academic excellence, but most importantly, our pupils will learn the lessons of greatest worth: self-discipline, integrity of character, care for others and a true sense of values.”

Moore says: “International influences on education in Kazakhstan give young people a window into what’s going on globally, and it challenges the generally accepted values, demanding the level reach worldwide standards, in order to contribute and compete in a global marketplace.”

Moore adds that “feeling Kazakh” is an indispensable element in the context of global awareness.

“Students involved in the middle school years at KIS are required to participate in community outreach as part of the curriculum and learning experience,” Moore points out. “One objective in this is to help the more upwardly mobile students who attend private international schools bridge the economic divide, not only experiencing firsthand how the less fortunate in society live but also understanding how they may contribute to helping provide opportunities for growth and development for these less fortunate segments of society.”

This article authored by Charles van der Leeuw first appeared in “Kazakhstan” supplement to International Herald Tribune on April 27.

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