A bi-weekly online publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan www.mfa.kz Issue # 80 Friday, 23 July 2010 [PDF]

Kyrgyzstan: OSCE Sends Police Advisors, Astana Donates $11.6 Million

(Formalising deployment of police advisors goes along Kazakh aid deliveries)

Kazakhstan Hosts OSCE Seminar on Implementing Vienna Document 1999

(The country’s military meet colleagues to study aspects of the arrangement)

New Golden Man? Archaeological Discovery in Kazakhstan Suggests as Much

(130 gold items, thousands of plates and beads remind of Issyk treasure of 1969)

Mysterious Mangystau Awaits Tourists, both Local and Foreign

(Plans to develop tourism based on unique nature, sea and cultural heritage)

Kyrgyzstan: OSCE Sends Police Advisors, Astana Donates $11.6 Million

The 56 OSCE participating States agreed the deployment of police advisors to Kyrgyzstan in a decision taken by the Permanent Council in Vienna on July 23. According to the decision, the Police Advisory Group will assist Kyrgyzstan in reducing inter-ethnic tensions and strengthening the capacities of the territorial units of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic. The initial deployment of the Police Advisory Group will be for four months from the start of the operation, and the mission could be extended with the agreement of Kyrgyzstan and the Permanent Council.

The agreement with Kyrgyzstan on the Police Advisory Group envisages sending an initial 52 international police officers to monitor and advise counterparts in the Kyrgyz police force, with a focus on southern Kyrgyzstan. They will be unarmed and have no executive police powers. All 56 OSCE participating States may nominate candidates for the Police Advisory Group.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, commended the decision.

“From the onset Kazakhstan has been advocating for the OSCE’s effective participation in the settlement of the situation in Kyrgyzstan, within the existing mandate of the Organization. In view of this, we supported from the start the request of Kyrgyzstan’s authorities to deploy a Police Advisory Group. I sincerely welcome the fact that all 56 participating States of the OSCE have demonstrated their wisdom and achieved consensus about the deployment of OSCE police advisers in Kyrgyzstan, which was formalized today by the decision of the representatives of our countries in Vienna,” Saudabayev said.

“The presence of the Police Advisory Group in the regions that were the site of violent clashes will facilitate strengthening trust, stability and order in the country. As President Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized during the informal ministerial meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in Almaty, Kazakhstan stands ready to continue supporting the brotherly people of Kyrgyzstan both as the OSCE Chairmanship and on a bilateral level.”

Following the informal meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers near Almaty on 17 July, it was announced that the OSCE participating States had reached consensus on deployment of the OSCE Police Advisory Group to Kyrgyzstan.

The Permanent Council’s decision on Thursday formalised this agreement, and now the process of recruiting is being launched to have the most experienced and best suiting candidates deployed to Kyrgyzstan as soon as possible.

“Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship welcomes the decision of the participating States to deploy without delay a Police Advisory Group and thus enhance the OSCE's continuing work with Kyrgyzstan to resolve the current crisis, prevent the spillover of tensions in the region and promote post conflict rehabilitation,” said the Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

“The police advisors will play an important role in reassuring the people of Kyrgyzstan following the tragic events of recent months, and will further strengthen the capacities of the police and help in restoring public trust,” he added.

In a July 23 statement on its website, Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also welcomed the police mission saying its believes “the presence of the international police force in the south of the country will help prevent various destructive forces from provoking new upheavals and destabilization of the situation.” It also said it was “convinced that the deployment of the OSCE police task force will become a very useful and effective stimulus for modernizing the law enforcement apparatus in Kyrgyzstan.”

In the meantime, Kazakhstan launched a new phase of humanitarian and economic assistance to Kyrgyzstan on a bilateral basis. According to two government decrees signed by Prime Minister Karim Massimov on July 20, and as earlier announced by President Nazarbayev at the informal OSCE ministerial in Almaty on July 17, Kazakhstan starts delivering US$ 11.6 million worth aid to Kyrgyzstan. The ministries of emergency and transport have been tasked to secure timely shipping of coal for Bishkek thermal power station, construction materials for reconstructing damaged houses in Osh and Jalal-Abad, 3,000 tons of rice, 190 tons of buckwheat, and 60 tons of detergents.

In addition to that, Kazakhstan is working to help Kyrgyzstan elaborate a strategy of stabilising socio-economic situation in the country and coordinate international donors’ contribution toward the same goal. The joint intergovernmental commission led by Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeev and his Kyrgyz counterpart Amangeldi Muraliyev is already defining the best ways to use the international assistance most efficiently to raise US$ 1 billion, which was their assessment of the damage to be repaired following the recent turmoil in April, May and June 2010. Kazakhstan has already proposed to involve the Eurasian Economic Community’s special “anti-crisis” fund to help Kyrgyzstan stabilise its national budget, with operative management of the World Bank, to prepare properly for the looming cold season. The possibility of financial assistance from the Eurasian Development Bank, as well Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and its member states.

Kazakhstan Hosts OSCE Seminar on Implementing Vienna Document 1999

On July 21-23, Almaty hosted a regional training seminar for military officers on the practical implementation of the Vienna Document 1999 on confidence and security building measures.

The Arms Control and Inspection Monitor Centre (ACIMC) under the Kazakh Ministry of Defense in cooperation with the OSCE Centre in Astana, OSCE offices and missions in Central Asia and Caucasus, and the Organization’s Secretariat in Vienna organized the event.

During the seminar, more than 30 military representatives from Armenia, Belarus, France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the United Kingdom discussed the situation and developments in the field of confidence and security building measures (CSBMs), which are the key focus of the Vienna Document 1999. According to the ACIMC’s Head Amangeldy Aubakirov, the course was predominantly aimed at reviewing and studying the state of inspection and notification in the area of (CSBMs). Some aspects of their implementation including inspection procedures, experience exchange and the demonstration of weapons and equipment systems were also in the lime light of the discussions.

The Vienna Document obliges the participating States to share information on armed forces and military activities. It also contains provisions on compliance and verification, such as conducting and hosting inspections and evaluations, as well as on risk reduction, military contacts and co-operation, and prior notification of certain military activities. The national verification agencies are responsible for the practical implementation of the Document’s provisions in the OSCE participating States.

In addition, representatives of the OSCE verification centres held a series of lectures on politico-military dimension, and the provisions of the Vienna Document. In particular, the Kazakh military officials had a chance to study annual military data, exchange the formats of notification through the OSCE communications network, and consider the issues of ensuring mutual inspection activities by the states-parties to the document. The participants also exchanged opinions on prospects of improving the implementation of confidence and security building measures in the OSCE zone of responsibility.

Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana Jeannette Kloetzer said the Vienna Document is a key OSCE document aimed at building trust and transparency in arms control among all 56 participating States of the Organization. “We believe the open discussions and exchange of experience on regional security matters contribute to mutual understanding and facilitate better implementation of the Document,” she noted.

Representative of the Kazakh Ministry of Defense Bakhtyiar Syzdykov said: “One of the major goals of Kazakhstan’s OSCE Chairmanship this year is to strengthen the OSCE as a forum for dialogue. A positive result of the dialogue is a consensus decision on the mechanism to improve the Vienna Document 1999. It opened the way to update the Document and served as a catalyst for transforming the existing toolbox in the field of arms control.”

The training seminar has been held within OSCE’s politico-military dimension which is the first basket of the Organization’s activity. As is known, OSCE takes a comprehensive approach to the politico-military dimension of security, which includes a number of commitments by the participating States and mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution. The Organization also seeks to enhance military security by promoting greater openness, transparency and cooperation.

Once theoretical exercises were over, the participants made a simulated inspection visit to the 35^th Air Assault Brigade in the city of Kapchagai. There they conducted an evaluation in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Document on compliance and verification, and produced a report summarizing their findings.

The Kazakh Ministry of Defense emphasized the previously held seminars and exchange activities in the field of arms control have made a contribution to Kazakhstan’s current OSCE chairmanship. The OSCE Centre in Astana has been organizing seminars on the Vienna Document in Almaty since 2007. The seminar is part of the Centre’s long-standing efforts to raise awareness about CSBMs and promote regional security.

New Golden Man? Archaeological Discovery in Kazakhstan Suggests as Much

During the excavation works in the Kent Mountains of Qaraghandy region, last Saturday, Kazakh archaeologists discovered a burial mound of a man dressed in the golden garments. The burial contained a skeleton of uncertain sex, in all probability a 40-year-old Saka (Scythian) tribal leader, interred with warrior’s equipment, and with rich funerary goods, including 130 gold items and thousands of plates and beads. The more plausible suggestions on the origin of the site are to be made after a thorough scientific research.

The mound is located near the Kassym Amanzholov village in Karkaralinsk district, 300 kilometres from Qaraghandy. Arman Beysenov, the head of the expedition who works in the Margulan Archaeology Institute, says it is early to call the finding a sensation which may turn the course of the Kazakh history. Nevertheless, the importance of this discovery should not be underestimated, he notes.

“The value of this discovery can be compared with the “Golden Man” found in south-eastern Kazakhstan in 1969. The present skeleton is estimated to be 40 years old, whereas the age of the artefacts is approximately 2,600 years. Thus, they may be attributed to 7th or 6^th century BCE. It may have been a Scythian tribal leader, a man, or simply a rich woman. We will find the answers to many questions following the results of the expertise to be held in Almaty very soon,” Beysenov noted.

Remarkably, the scientists came across their discovery totally unexpectedly, in a kind of serendipity action. The initial purpose of the excavation works was to search for the burials of poor tribesmen inhabiting the region during the late Bronze Age (between 12^th and 7^th centuries BC), aiming to fill the gaps in the country’s history.

Apart from the skeleton, archaeologists found jewellery and gold beads in the form of a leopard, tiger and dragon with weighing up to two kilograms. The region’s municipal Department of Culture is now planning to establish an open-air museum in order to provide a unique opportunity for the Qaraghandy residents and tourists from abroad to see the Kazakh history with their own eyes. The jewels will be transferred to the Regional Museum.

In addition, the burial also treasured 14 bronze arrowheads and stone beads, gold animal figurines, cast belt holders, gold pendants and pieces of foil. All items relate to the Scythian, or Saka culture. This is the first time such a precious archaeological findings were made in Central Kazakhstan, scientists say.

“This indicates the highly developed society that existed in 6th century BC on the territory of modern Saryarka,” Beysenov said, referring to the vast plain of ‘Yellow Back’ in north-central Kazakhstan. “Belts and clips are landmark discoveries. They should have probably belonged to the ruler or warrior.”

The long concealed Scythian heritage of Central Kazakhstan with roots stretching back into the antiquity has its own present-day background. For more than a decade local authorities have been consistently financing archaeological works in the region. The research of Taldy-2 burial ground in Karkaralinsk district near the Kassym Amanzholov village started in 2009 within the “Cultural heritage” programme.

A year later, according to a plan of study and preservation of historical and cultural heritage of Qaraghandy region local authorities allocated nearly 2,900 million tenge for continuing research activities on the subject of “Archaeological sites of the early Iron Age in Central Kazakhstan”. By the end of the second phase of the governmental programme, a number of important discoveries have been made.

“We still hope to find new archaeological evidence which will help us learn more about the life of poor Bronze Age residents on the territory of modern Kazakhstan,” assistant professor of archaeology and history of Qaraghandy State University Viktor Varfolomeyev said.

“Life of the rich and distinguished Scythian representatives of the Bronze Age has been studied in a substantial way, for we often found their graves and other evidence. But we hardly know the history of ordinary people who lived in the same period. It is not easy to search for the graves of poor people, as the majority of them are not visible on the surface. Nevertheless, we hope for success.  The problem of the earlier structure of Scythian society is of great significance for the history of Kazakhstan in general,” he concluded.

Mysterious Mangystau Awaits Tourists, both Local and Foreign

The Mangystau region on the Caspian seashore in western Kazakhstan, better known for its abundant oil and gas reserves, can also be of special interest for tourists both as a destination for recreation and cultural and historical tourism. 

Its impressive sea coast, fantastic landscapes, places of pristine wilderness and thousands of archaeological and cultural sites, steeped in myths of the nomadic history, already draw tourists from all over the world and can be an important prerequisite for developing tourism in the region.

Due to its unique natural environment, rugged and out-of-this-planet sandstone mountains which were the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago, this region around the city of Aktau has an opportunity to create a large recreational complex in the Caspian region and become recognizable to many potential tourists.

The state programme of tourism development in Kazakhstan for 2007-2011 prioritizes the development of beach tourism on the Caspian coast, in Mangystau. And one of the most ambitious projects is the “Kenderly” recreation area.

This ambitious idea is a crown jewel project of the Kazakh tourism industry as it seeks to create an internationally competitive tourism product. 

The “Kenderly” recreation area was designed with the needs of potential customers in mind and developed with the help of numerous surveys conducted in Kazakhstan, Russia and international markets. The resort is projected for different categories of tourists, including families and youth, and will be one big “paradise”, divided into four zones.

The first one is the “Golf Paradise “Shaiyr”. This exclusive American-style resort is meant for sophisticated golf players. There will be three five-star hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, boutiques, etc. On the vast steppes of Mangyshlak, a golf course will be built with 36 holes and practice areas. It is planned to build a total of 250 luxury villas on the coastal areas and golf courses.

The second area is the “Water Paradise “Meret”. This resort will be attractive for those who holiday in the Mediterranean style. There will be a yacht port, a water sports center for surfing, diving and navigation. The “Water Paradise” visitors will have an opportunity to go to the shopping centers with boutiques, restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs.

The third zone is the “Entertainment Paradise “Tamshaly”. It will be a ravishing resort area designed for young people. Here, they will find a variety of entertainment: not just discos, bars and nightclubs, but also a park of entertainment, where young people can visit a unique aquarium “The Caspian paradise “Aksu”, and the outdoor musical theater built in the African and Latin American styles. Visitors will be offered a shopping complex with restaurants, cafes, and boutiques. Engineers plan to build a four-star spa hotel, four three-star hotels, two two-star hotels and one club, and a residential building with apartments and 120 villas as well.

Last but not least, the “Family Paradise “Bosaga”. This zone will be attractive for tourists who vacate with children. A special microclimate will be created here. The visitors will be amused by a huge botanical garden, the zone with playgrounds, kids club, and a water park. One of the hotels “Torysh” will be developed by designers to match the shapes of the stone cliffs. Visitors will be able to live in two four-star spa hotels and two three-star hotels.

The great spaces of Mangystau store a lot of architectural and archaeological monuments. They are invaluable for scientists, historians, archaeologists and tourists. The landmarks of Mangystau are divided into two groups: the memorial tomb monuments and religious buildings, mostly the mosques.

The underground mosques, such as Masat-ata, Beket-ata, Karaman-ata, Shopan-ata managed to withstand the passage of time. The unique one is Shakpak-ata mosque - the four-chambered underground mosque of the XIV-XVI centuries, carved from a rock on the southern coast of the Sarytash bay. Shakpak-ata mosque is as unique architectural complex on the territory of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, sculptured in the monolith. All these monuments reflect the lifestyle, culture, art and traditions of the Kazakhs. The cultural monuments of Mangystau may serve as proof of presence in the Mangystau of the Scythian culture.

 Mangystau is situated in the south-west of Kazakhstan, at the junction of the largest inland sea on the planet, the Caspian Sea, and the vast desert, which lies below the sea level.

The northern part of the area is the Caspian lowland. In the center lie the Mangyshlak Peninsula and one of the deepest basins of the world, the Karagiye depression. The southwestern Kendirli - Koyasan plateau descends into another gigantic basin, Karynzharyk. And to the east stretches the Ustyurt plateau. The whole territory of the region covers 165,600 square kilometres and is divided by two parallel ridges of Aktau and Karatau.

Also in the News:

·         UN member states, having undertaken commitments under the UN Millennium Development Goals should achieve the targets before 2015 despite the results of the world crisis, the participants of the 3^rd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament said on Wednesday. Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Senate Kassym-Jomart Tokaev attended the conference. Following the meeting, a declaration was adopted calling on the parliamentarians to take into consideration their common tasks while elaborating and considering legislation. “A huge amount of work has been made to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. Nevertheless, in case the efforts taken will stay the same, many of the objectives may not be achieved. The Governments of the industrially developed states should fulfill their commitments in financing the activity notwithstanding the aftereffects of the economic and financial crisis,” the declaration says.

·         Financing of the advanced training programme for the executive staff and managerial reserve personnel in economy, agreed upon in 2003 during the official visit of Germany’s Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, will be prolonged until 2013, the Kazakh Ministry of Economic Development and Trade reported on July 21. According to the statement, signed on July 18 by the governments of Kazakhstan and Germany, the programme will be financed through budget allocations. In addition, annual meetings of the Kazakh-German Administrative Committee are to be held in order to assess the progress of the project’s implementation and introduce new proposals on its improvement and efficiency.

·         On July 21, the Government of Kazakhstan has increased the marginal rate of return for the second-tier banks (STB) on credits relating to the first and second dimensions of the State Business Roadmap 2020. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the changes have been introduced by a decree adopted by the Kazakh government. Thus, the marginal rate of return for STB on credits for private enterprise parties has increased from 12% up to 14%, no more than 7% of which is paid by the party itself, and the rest 7% are compensated by the state. These measures will help enlarge the number of programme’s participants and raise financial and economic stability of the private sector, and small- and medium sized businesses in particular.

·         Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Finance decided not to issue Eurobonds this year following the decision of the Council for Kazakhstan’s State Economic Policy made on July 3. Attraction of financial resources through Eurobonds is beyond the purpose so far, the Ministry says. In May 2010, the Government of Kazakhstan has signed an agreement with the World Bank according to which the latter will allocate US$ 1 billion for the state development programmes. In the second half of the year, the Ministry, in its turn, is planning to attract $500 to $700 million on the international markets.

·         On July 20, Uralsk environmental prosecutor’s office has decreed to rectify violations which caused a wide-scale loss of saiga antelopes in Borssy and Zhaksybai villages, West Kazakhstan region, earlier in May. In June, the regional prosecutor’s office audited a number of public agencies, including the regional agricultural directorate and West Kazakhstan’s territorial inspectorate of State Inspection Committee in order to check their compliance with law while conducting animal epidemic countermeasures, and verify application of funds allocated for appropriate procedures in 2008-2010. Following the results of the audit, a number of violations in veterinary control of domestic and wild animals have been detected; two officials were held to disciplinary account.

·         Five handicapped children in urgent need of treatment received 10-million tenge certificates (US$1= 147.47 KZT) from the akimat of Astana city. An official certificate presentation ceremony took place on Tuesday in the akimat (mayor’s office). The first five children who were rendered assistance, aged from 4 to 7, may already start their treatment in the best Kazakh and foreign clinics. The funds were raised following the festivity events on the Astana Day celebration, and charitable contributions of the city’s residents. In the nearest future, the akimat plans to help not only the challenged children, but other vulnerable strata of society as well.

·         Holders of the Kazakh Super League title FC Aktobe progressed to the 2^nd qualification round of the UEFA Champions league at the expense of Georgia’s FC Olympia after a 1-1 away draw solidified their home success of a 2-0 victory a week ago. In the next round the Kazakh champions meet FC Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel. In the meanwhile FC Atyrau followed steps of their colleagues from FC Shakhter Qaraghandy and FC Tobol Kostanai to crash out of the Europa League as they lost both matches against FC Djor of Hungary with the same score of 0-2.

Things to Watch:

·         On July 27, Bishkek hosts the first conference of international donors for Kyrgyzstan. The Kazakh government contributes efforts to convening the gathering, as was announced on July 14 during First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeev’s visit to Kyrgyzstan. The follow-up conference is to take place in Almaty in mid-August.

·         On July 30-31, the First International Livestock Forum “KazMeat & Milk 2010” will take place in Astana. The leading producers of meat and diary products from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Europe will gather to discuss issues of attracting investments into the industry. Representatives of the World Bank and World Food Programme are expected to partake in the event. A conference of meat producers will also be held as part of the forum.

·         The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) joint antiterrorist training “Peacekeeping mission 2010” will take place in Kazakhstan on September 9-25. An agreement to that effect was signed three years ago in Bishkek by the representatives of SCO member states, and was approved by the joint communiqué following the conference of SCO Defense Ministers in May 2008. The training will provide an opportunity to ensure SCO prompt response to armed conflicts in the organization’s zone of responsibility.

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