(OSCE Chair Shares Views Ahead of Informal Ministerial)
OSCE Foreign Ministers to Discuss European Security,
Support for Kyrgyzstan at Almaty Informal Meeting
Disabled Kazakhs Active in Attracting Public Attention to Their Problems
(Efforts by disabled people’s associations supported by government, civil sector)
Major International Oil Company Buys Unique Crane from Pavlodar Plant
(Crane is capable of working in freezing temperatures of sub-polar areas of Russia)
New Challenges Call for New Solutions
Kanat Saudabayev, Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE,Secretary of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, has written an opinion, New Challenges Call for New Solutions, for the European Meridian magazine.
The issue of the magazine titled “OSCE at the crossroads: where next?”, published on the eve of the informal meeting of the OSCE foreign ministers in Almaty, features expert opinions and reviews from European, American and Kazakh experts and politicians, as well as an interview with the OSCE Secretary General Marc Perren de Brichambaut. The entire magazine can be read online at www.pressaru.eu. Below is the opinion of Mr. Saudabayev.
On January 1, 2010 Kazakhstan became the first post-Soviet, predominantly Muslim country to lead one of the most prestigious and largest security organizations in the world, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Such a decision was an objective recognition and appreciation of the success in social, economic and political development of the young state in the short period of its independence.
During these 18 years our country, not one of the better fragments of the Soviet Union, has turned into an economically strong and democratically developed country, a reliable and respected partner of the international community. Moreover, Kazakhstan, due to the strategic vision and a balanced foreign policy of peace of its first president Nursultan Nazarbayev, has made a significant contribution to ensuring regional and global security. The preservation of peace and harmony in a country with representatives of 130 ethnic groups and 46 religions, consistent integration efforts in Central Asia, the voluntary renunciation of the world’s fourth largest nuclear and missile arsenal and the closure of the largest nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk, and the creation of a nuclear-weapons free zone in Central Asia, these truly historic steps have not only helped Kazakhstan avoid being stranded in the periphery of international affairs, but also to demonstrate its leadership.
The entry in January 1992 into the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the principles and objectives of which coincided with our aspirations, was a natural and logical step for our young state.
By joining the OSCE, Kazakhstan has assumed the respective obligations and responsibilities, signing all the fundamental documents of OSCE, first of all, the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and the Paris Charter for a New Europe. Moreover, since the first days of our participation in the OSCE, Kazakhstan has actively advocated and continues to advocate the strengthening of comprehensive and indivisible security in the organization’s zone of responsibility. Our country believes there is a need to ensure genuine and lasting security in the region of a greater Central Asia, which is especially relevant against the backdrop of recent events in Kyrgyzstan and the continuing tension in Afghanistan.
As is known, the main aim of the OSCE is to prevent conflicts and consolidate peace through the identification and neutralization of the main causes of tension, promoting socio-economic progress, the development of democratic institutions and respect for human rights.
Having assumed the OSCE chairmanship last January, Kazakhstan has from the first day focused on preventing the emergence of new dividing lines in the OSCE, the development of an atmosphere of confidence in the interests of all as well as expanding and strengthening the consensus on the fundamental issues of development of the organization.
Over the past six months, in close cooperation with all member states and the OSCE institutions, we have covered a great deal of work, including within the “Corfu Process”, a new, comprehensive OSCE-anchored dialogue on the future of Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security. And we intend to further strengthen this dialogue.
At the same time we strive to balance all three OSCE dimensions – military-political, economic-environmental and humanitarian fields.
That is why we pay attention on the resolution of protracted conflicts, the stabilization of Afghanistan, a partner of the OSCE, and the modernization of 1999 OSCE Vienna Document on confidence-building measures and security, as well as on the promotion of the Eurasian economic integration, improving the transport infrastructure in the OSCE area and developing a new document that defines the post- crisis and economic relations in the area of responsibility of the Organization, the so-called “Maastricht Plus”. And that is why we are working to advance democratic reforms and strengthen human rights, placing the priority on tolerance and non-discrimination, especially given the unique experience of a country as multi-religious and multiethnic as Kazakhstan.
Of course, the crisis in our neighbouring Kyrgyzstan has become a serious challenge for Kazakhstan and our entire organization. I would like to emphasize that Kazakhstan, as the OSCE chairman, is making every effort to use the Organization’s capacity to assist this country. In addition, on a bilateral basis, Kazakhstan will continue to render every possible assistance. We also consider it important to mobilize the political will of the 56 OSCE member-states so that Kyrgyzstan receives the degree of support from the Organization which it so desperately needs today.
But our main priority is to strengthen the Organization in order to increase its relevance in addressing the most pressing problems of today. And this is exactly why, and given the context of such a broad range of problems that have accumulated in the OSCE area, it is difficult to overestimate the relevance and the importance of the initiative of President Nazarbayev to hold an OSCE Summit this year. The call of the leader of Kazakhstan is a historic opportunity for participating states of the Organization to find adequate answers to new challenges and threats in the huge zone of responsibility of the OSCE, to adapt the Organization to today’s realities.
Today, we are in the final stretch of preparations for the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of OSCE participating States in Almaty on 16-17 July, one of the major events of our chairmanship. During the discussions in Almaty, we plan to discuss outstanding issues in the overall agenda of the OSCE within the context of the Kazakh President’s proposal to convene a summit in late 2010 with a view to develop an updated strategic vision of the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security.
In this landmark year, marked by the 35th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act and of the 20th anniversary of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, we believe the scale of new threats and challenges facing the OSCE participating States require direct political involvement at the highest level. Building a free community with indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian regions requires not only a re-assertion of all OSCE principles and commitments, but also a new, forward-looking agenda.
Taking into account the issues that divide the participating States (e.g. conflicts and arms control), as well as the challenges that unite them (e.g. transnational threats), our overall goal should be to strengthen the foundations of the OSCE family in order to develop more effective common responses to persistent and emerging challenges.
We are consistently working hard with our OSCE partners to develop the most optimal agenda of the Summit. Among its main options we see confirmation at the highest level of all prior commitments within the OSCE; the future of Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security; strategic objectives in the field of arms control and military confidence-building measures; the fight against new threats and challenges; the problem of Afghanistan; the situation in Central Asia, in particular, in Kyrgyzstan; the adapting strategies for the second basket of the OSCE, including the development of a “Maastricht Plus”; and the issues of tolerance.
I hope that at the upcoming informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Almaty on July 16-17 we will be able to review progress and take a consensus decision on the timing and venue of the summit.
I believe the OSCE Summit will be a real “reload” by the leaders of our countries of geopolitical relations in a vast area of responsibility of the Organization, thus effectively complementing similar “reload” processes which we observe in relations between states, of which Russia and the United States provide a striking example, and within global and regional multilateral political and economic processes. Here I mean, first of all, the G20, the European Union, NATO and the Customs Union of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.
In addition, in order to devise ways of synergy of efforts of international security institutions, we intend to hold an informal meeting of the heads and high representatives of eight regional and global organizations, the OSCE, NATO, EU, CIS, CSTO, UN, CICA and the Council of Europe. This event will also be held on the fringes of the informal OSCE ministerial meeting in Almaty.
Today, people in the OSCE area are increasingly aware of the need to give a new impetus to our common Organization, to strengthen the organization itself and the general security and cooperation in the area stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok. And the summit will undoubtedly help respond to these expectations of the peoples of the OSCE participating countries.
OSCE Foreign Ministers to Discuss European Security,Support for Kyrgyzstan at Almaty Informal Meeting
(Following is an OSCE press release)
ASTANA, 14 July 2010 - The future of European security, support for Kyrgyzstan, engagement with Afghanistan, and possible topics for an OSCE Summit top the agenda of informal meeting of Foreign Ministers in Almaty on 16-17 July.
Quick facts
Foreign ministers and high-level representatives from the 56 OSCE participating States will attend the informal meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The ministers will discuss the future of European security, support for Kyrgyzstan, engagement with Afghanistan, and possible topics for an OSCE Summit.
The Almaty Informal provides the foreign ministers of the OSCE - the world's biggest regional security organization which includes the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian areas - the opportunity to engage in frank dialogue about the region's most pressing security challenges in an informal setting.
The Almaty event follows on the first informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers on the Greek island of Corfu in June 2009.
The “Corfu Process” was launched at that meeting with the aim of restoring confidence and taking forward dialogue on wider European security.
Kazakhstan's 2010 OSCE Chairmanship has proposed holding a summit this year. The last summit took place in Istanbul in 1999.
A decision on holding a summit and an agenda must be taken by consensus by the 56 participating States.
Quotes
President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev: “As Chair of the OSCE in 2010, Kazakhstan has invited OSCE foreign ministers to Almaty to discuss substantive issues such as transnational threats, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, and questions of tolerance and non-discrimination, that could form the basis for a decision on an OSCE Summit later this year.”
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev: “Our discussions will build on the Corfu Process launched last year to reinvigorate dialogue on security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian region. The recent events in Kyrgyzstan, where the OSCE under Kazakhstan's chairmanship has played an important role in responding to the political crisis, show how urgent and relevant this is.”
OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut: “This meeting gives ministers from the OSCE - the world’s biggest regional security organization which includes the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian areas - the opportunity to exchange views frankly and openly in order to agree on concrete steps for action on the common threats that we are facing in our region.”
Live web streaming of the opening session on 17 July at 06:00 (Vienna time)/ 10:00 (Almaty time) and final press conference at 17:30 (Almaty time) / 13:30 (Vienna time)
Live satellitetransmission of the open parts of the meeting will be available via Turksat3A. Contact: Raushan Akpenova, TV and radio company Kazakhstan (host broadcaster), mobile: +7 701 710 76 97 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting
Videos of the opening session and press briefings will be posted on the OSCE’s YouTube channel
Follow the informal ministerial on the OSCE’s Twitter feed or with the hashtag #osceim
Photos and audio will be uploaded to the conference webpage and can be used by the media free of charge, crediting the OSCE.
Virginie Coulloudon, OSCE Spokesperson: +43 664 859 0899; begin_of_the_skype_highlightingRoman Y. Vassilenko, Chairman, International Information Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan: +7 701 503 04 90 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting
Disabled Kazakhs Active in Attracting Public Attention to Their Problems
A nation-wide rally for people with disabilities titled “Movement is Life!” took place in Kazakhstan from June 29 to July 5, capturing the attention of the mass media, public and state authorities. Twenty six drivers with the deceases of musculoskeletal system traveled across the country on cars with manual control to declare, despite their physical illnesses, that the disabled people remain an active part of Kazakhstan’s society.
The rally, held regularly over the last five years, this year followed the Kostanay – Astana - Qaraghandy – Almaty – Taldykorgan – Taraz – Kostanay route.The primary goal of the project was targeted not at the government officials but at the physically challenged people themselves who have consciously estranged themselves from society.
“Our objective was to promote active lifestyle among the disabled themselves. Thus we wanted to demonstrate all people with disabilities, especially the younger ones, that their life is not limited to television and houses. Physically handicapped can live a full life and be useful for the society, their families and our state,” Deputy Chairwoman of the Kazakh Confederation of Persons with Disabilities Aruna Zhaksagulova said.
In addition, on July 1, a photo contest with the motto “Equal access – equal opportunities” took place. The major idea of the competition was to demonstrate how hard it is for a person in the wheelchair to move around the world with so many steps and curbs, and so few specially designated staircases and ramps.
“We believe the pictures and the photo art are a perfect way to attract public attention to problems of the physically handicapped people. We also hope the participants have thought on the issue and discovered something new in the process of work over the photographs,” Togzhan Ibrayeva, representative of the project, said.
“During the contest we received more than 500 various pictures reflecting the reality faced by the disabled persons in Kazakhstan. In addition, we received photos from around the world, including India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Netherlands, the USA, Lithuania, Uzbekistan and Russia,” she added.
The total number of the disabled in Kazakhstan reaches 475,000 people, which constitutes a little more than three persons of the country’s population. It is no secret that the majority of the physically impaired people face a great number of challenges in their everyday life, as infrastructure in cities around Kazakhstan is not fully adopted for their needs. Very often the latter creates discrimination and prejudice against persons with disabilities.
“Unfortunately, the disabled have virtually no access to the public. You can hardly meet people in wheelchairs in the cities, because they have no appropriate facilities to move freely,” Chairman of the Public Association of Invalids Roza Akzharkenova said.
Meanwhile, the Kazakh government and state agencies, along with non-governmental organizations of the country have turned to hard work in providing better conditions for people with disabilities and overcoming existing drawbacks. These include implementing special programs and new initiatives, initiating conferences to attract attention to the problem, adoption of international conventions and a range of other measures.
The state policy on disabled persons’ protection is based on the Constitution of Kazakhstan and other legislative norms. It guarantees social, economic, and legal conditions providing equal opportunities for life and integration to the society for the disabled persons. The state carries out measures aimed to protect rights and freedoms, to prevent accidents leading to disabilities and to establish equal conditions for disabled people in the society.
In addition, Kazakhstan supports the International Convention on Disabilities which provides guidelines and collective measures for policy makers to pursue policies and plans, and diminishes gap between the plans and actions, bringing together the approaches of developing nations with the developed countries. Kazakhstan supports the goals of the Convention, which is to ensure persons with disabilities enjoy all human rights.
At the same time, the legislation in Kazakhstan provides protection of rights, freedoms and legal interests of the disabled, the participation of non-governmental organizations and citizens in the activities on problems of the handicapped people. The legislation in the field of social protection of the disabled pays special attention to issues of proper conditions for free access to social infrastructure; preventive measures, medical and professional rehabilitation of the disabled; education and professional training; labour rights, which includes and social protection for the disabled. One has to acknowledge there is still a lot to be done, but it seems there is better awareness in the government and the public about the importance of the issue.
Major International Oil Company Buys Unique Crane from Pavlodar Plant
The “Pavlodar Machine Engineering Plant” JSC signed up a contract to supply a gantry crane with lifting capacity of 20 tons to the Russian-British transnational company TNK-BP. The uniqueness of this complex construction is in its ability to work in the Arctic. Such lifting apparatus has not been produced before and is recognized by the specialists from leading oil producing powers to be the most suitable for severe polar conditions.
“Different from other conventional cranes, it is able to work under extreme temperature conditions of the Far North”, JSC’s Director Leonid Belogrivy stresses. “This very crane can withstand temperatures of minus 60 centigrade as it made of special solid steel”.
Another innovation is that this lifting apparatus has a different system of power and heating cab.
“Since the crane operators also have to work under extreme conditions of the North Pole, we needed to make the cab more frost proof. By the efforts of the plant personnel, this requirement was satisfied,” Belogrivy added.
The government’s backing in developing the domestic content of goods, works and services in production activities of the large extracting companies has allowed the Pavlodar Engineering Plant to reach partner agreements with the JSC Kazzinc, Mittal Steel Temirtau, Aluminum of Kazakhstan, Eurasian Energy Corporation, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (Kazakh Railways), Kazchrome, Casting LTD and a number of industries not only on the manufacturing of bridge and gantry cranes, grabs, but also the non-standard equipment in the form of large reservoirs and structures for conveyors.
Since 2006, this Pavlodar plant has been exporting its products. Among its clients there are large mining and metallurgical companies, both Kazakh and international. Domestic market consumes three quarters of the plant output. The company produces from 70 to 90 cranes per year, which are used in metallurgy, oil-extracting and mining industries.
Of the total number of crane, manufactured by the plant per year, about 30% are exported to Russia. And now the customer is a major international oil company.
Today, the company not only produces spare parts for modern and productive equipments, but has its own design bureau. The plant’s management pays much attention to improving workers’ professional skills. All of this, plus the planned reduction in production costs made the factory a serious partner for its customers.
The enterprise continues developing new products, which will likely find consumers. This indicates that engineering in Kazakhstan, which used to be losing ground to foreign competition, is now regaining experience and skills, and is increasing its competitiveness.
The Pavlodar plant was established in 1955 as a company that manufactures various equipment and machinery for construction projects in Kazakhstan. In 2003, the plant became a subsidiary of the Eurasian Natural Resources Group, and the country’s leading manufacturer of lifting equipment for various purposes of up to 140 tons.
Also in the News:
Kazakhstan has established a joint commission with Kyrgyzstan on economic reconstruction of the latter hit by the political turbulence of the recent months. President Nazarbayev proposed creating one following the Eurasian Economic Community on July 5 in Astana and his first meeting with the new Kyrgyz president Roza Otunbayeva. The commission’s task is to elaborate a large scale programme of socioeconomic stabilization of Kyrgyzstan and consolidate resources for its implementation. The special working group, which is led by First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeev, had its first meetings this week in Bishkek, followed by a visit to Osh to see the damage from June ethnic riots there and define concrete objects to reconstructing which international assistance could be used.
On July 13-14 a delegation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Agency visited Kazakhstan. The group led by Volker Turk, the agency’s Director of International Protection, met high-ranked officials in Kazakhstan’s ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Interior, Labour and Social Protection, and the General Prosecutor’s Office. The sides discussed their collaboration in assisting refugees, their protection by national and international bodies, the situation with individuals without citizenship. The High Commissioner’s Agency commended Kazakhstan for adopting a special Law on Refugees and promised help in its practical implementation. Also on the agenda were the issues of registering refugees, granting of the status by Kazakh authorities, and preventing abuse of the status. The sides agreed to continue cooperation on the matters of common concern.
On July 14 the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) in Almaty hosted the conference on the initial assessments of the Central Asian nation’s chairmanship of the OSCE. The experts, journalists, and officials discussed the outcomes of the chairmanship’s first six months and the pressing challenges standing ahead, handling the instability in Kyrgyzstan and relevant agenda for the proposed OSCE Summit. Two high-ranking officials of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry attending, namely Chairman of the Committee for International Information Roman Vassilenko and Director of OSCE Department Serzhan Abdykarimov, stressed it was important for the government to learn of the opinions of leading experts through a direct dialogue.
How to best promote integrity in customs and border services in Central Asia and the South Caucasus was the topic of a regional OSCE seminar that took place on July 13 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Participants in the seminar discussed the development and implementation of national strategies and reforms to combat corruption. Participants also emphasized the importance of public-private co-operation, technology and training courses to fight corruption.
Kazakhstan’s Government has introduced customs duties on exports of crude oil and petroleum products. A respective ruling was announced by Vice minister of economic development and trade Marat Kussainov. “Duty on light oils will make up USD 99.71 per ton, with duty on heavy petroleum products being USD 66.47 per ton, and on crude oil – USD 20 per ton”, he elaborated.
Things to Watch:
On July 18 Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan to advance political contacts and economic relations between the two countries, as well as the issues of cooperation within the OSCE framework.
On July 20 OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev attends the Kabul Conference on continued international assistance to Afghanistan. He is expected to speak at the conference on the Kazakh chairmanship’s proposals on enhancing OSCE’s engagement with Afghanistan, as well as hold a number of bilateral meetings with his colleagues attending the event.
On July 17 team Kazakhstan continues its bid to qualify for the Rugby World Cup with a semi-final of the mini-tournament, whose winner will grab the last, 20th place in the event due in September-October next year in New Zealand. The opponents are Uruguay and the match takes place in Montevideo (according to the regulation, the team with a higher ranking (Uruguay is #22 and Kazakhstan is #26) host the game). The winner of this tie will advance into a two-leg final against the winner of the other semi-final contested by Romania and Tunisia.
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
