The Astana Times

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city of 1.5 million, is getting ready to host top negotiators from relevant countries for an important round of talks.

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Wednesday, 20 february 2013 № 3 (24) www.astanatimes.kz

NatioN

New Border Law Passed to Boost Security Improved Adoption Policies Protect

Children’s RightsPage A2

ECoNoMY & BUSiNESS Major Transport Corridor to Connect

Kazakhstan, Russia, China by 2015 Kazatomprom Reports Year of Achievements

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EDitoRiaL Social Media:

Shaping The Way We See the World or Shaping the New World Itself?

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oPiNioNS ABDYKALIKOVA: State Policy to Unlock

Women’s Potential BOUCHEZ: EU and Kazakhstan KUYUKOV: Act before Too Late

Pages A6-A7

NatioN & CaPitaL Curling Comes to the Capital

Kaleidoscope of Touristic Destinations

Pages B1-B8

By Yelden Sarybay

ASTANA – The world’s powers, including Britain, China, france, Germany, Russia, and the United States, are set to meet with Iran in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on feb. 26, for a new round of talks on that country’s nuclear programme.

The Islamic Republic of Iran,

represented by Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, is set to meet the European Union’s High Representative for foreign Affairs and Security, colloquially known as the EU foreign Minister, Cath-erine Ashton, who is expected to co-chair the negotiations leading the EU delegation. Wendy R. Sher-man, undersecretary for political

affairs at the State Department, is set to lead the US delegation.

The P5+1, or EU3+3, depending on how one chooses to count, suspect Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of its peaceful nu-clear programme. Tehran says its nuclear programme is aimed solely at meeting the country’s electric-ity needs. Last year, representatives

of the same six countries and Iran held three rounds of talks in Istan-bul (April 14), Baghdad (May 23-24) and Moscow (June 18-19), all of which ended without any break-throughs. Before those three rounds of talks, negotiations with Iran had not been conducted in over a year.

Continued on Page A3

Almaty Readies to Host Int’l Powers for Talks over Iran’s Nuclear Programme

By Rufiya Ospanova

ASTANA – Kazakhstan, which experienced firsthand the devas-tating effects of nuclear weapons testing under the Soviet Union, has joined other nations in condemn-ing the latest underground nuclear test by North Korea.

On feb. 12, Kazakhstan’s Na-tional Data Centre, a part of a glo-bal system for monitoring nuclear tests, recorded seismic disturbanc-es caused by the test on the terri-tory of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In its statement on feb. 12, Ka-zakhstan’s foreign ministry said Astana “strongly condemns the nu-clear test carried out by the Demo-cratic People’s Republic of Korea which violates the UN Security Council Resolutions #1718 (2006) and #1874 (2009).”

“Testing of nuclear weapons af-fects the non-proliferation process and bears security risks on regional and global scale,” the foreign minis-ter continued. “Having experienced the harmful consequences of nu-clear tests, our country took the lead to initiate to proclaim the UN Inter-national Day against Nuclear Tests. Kazakhstan stands for immediate resumption of negotiations on North Korean nuclear issue within six-par-ty talks and calls on Pyongyang to abandon any steps which might lead to the escalation of tensions.”

The explosion was the third un-derground test by North Korea.

for many years, North Korea has been actively developing in-tercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.

Continued on Page A3

Astana Condemns

North Korean Nuclear Test

By Altynai Sultan

In a sign of growing friend-ship and expanding strategic partnership, President Nursultan Nazarbayev paid a working visit to Spain on feb. 5-6 for meetings with King Juan Carlos I, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and chief executives of major Spanish com-panies working in Kazakhstan, including Patentes Talgo S.A., Airbus Military and others.

President Nazarbayev arrived in Madrid on feb. 5 and on feb. 6 he met King Juan Carlos I to discuss cooperation on tourism, culture, international issues and humanitarian affairs.

President Nazarbayev awarded Juan Carlos I Kazakhstan’s high-est award, the Order of Altyn Kyran, for his outstanding con-tribution to Kazakh-Spanish rela-tions.

The same day, Nazarbayev met Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and discussed boosting trade and investment ties with him. They also exchanged views on international issues

Spain is a major partner of Kazakhstan. It is the second Eu-ropean country with which Ka-

zakhstan has signed a treaty of strategic partnership. Spain is also the first EU member state to sign a full package of agreements with Kazakhstan on criminal law.

“This visit is a reflection of the very wide-ranging and expanding bilateral ties between Astana and Madrid which are mutually ben-eficial and reach into trade, mili-tary equipment, transportation and culture,” Assylbek Mendy-galiyev, a leading research fel-low at the Nazarbayev Center’s Institute for Statehood, Issues of Security and Development, said. “The relations have always bene-fited from the very close personal friendship between the President of Kazakhstan and King Juan Carlos I.”

On feb. 5, President Nazarbayev met leaders of major Spanish companies.

With Carlos Palacio Oriol, the president of Palentes Talgo S.A., President Nazarbayev discussed further cooperation in the manu-facturing and technical mainte-nance of railway equipment and passenger rail cars. Nazarbayev said a joint venture between Pat-entes Talgo S.A. and Kazakhstan’s national railway company Kaza-

khstan Temir Zholy has already built around 70 passenger rail cars and in the near future the produc-tion is set to rise to 150 units. He then noted that there were great opportunities in that area.

“Now our challenge is to build high-speed railway between As-tana and Almaty, and I think we will continue to work in this field,” he said.

Oriol said his company had worked with its Kazakh partners for 10 years with successful re-sults.

“We are pleased that the presi-dent of Kazakhstan has a clear vision for the development of the railway sector and, above all, for high-speed railway transport. Cooperation with Kazakhstan is important for us, and we will do everything to continue its devel-opment for the benefit of the both sides,” Oriol said.

President Nazarbayev also held talks with Domingo Urena-Raso, head of the Airbus Military Com-pany. They explored further co-operation on developing techni-cal programmes for air military transports.

Continued on Page A3

President Nazarbayev’s Visit to Spain Advances Political, Economic Ties

By Maral Zhantaykyzy

ASTANA – fedor Kovalev, a Ka-zakh journalist from Pavlodar, pub-lished at open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama calling on him to press the AES Corporation to fulfil its investment obligations to the Shul-binsk Hydroelectric Power Plant.

Journalist fedor Kovalev claimed

that AES (Applied Energy Serv-ices), a major American company, had delivered far too little water, too late, through the facilities of the Shulbinsk hydro plant in eastern Kazakhstan from the resources in the Upper Irtysh reservoir cascade to the Irtysh flood plain.

Continued on Page A5

Journalist Asks Obama to Intervene with AES on Water Crisis

By Assem Kazybay

Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the efforts of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to promote inter-re-ligious and inter-cultural under-standing on feb. 6 and gave his apostolic blessing to Kazakhstan’s initiatives in this field.

The pope shared his views in a meeting with Chairman of Ka-zakhstan’s Senate and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Kairat Mami that took place at the Vatican on Wednesday. Mami’s visit was timed to mark the 10th anniversary of President Nazarbayev’s initiative to convene the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

Meeting Pope Benedict XVI, Mami expressed gratitude to the

Pope and the Holy See for all-round support for the Congress, and conveyed cordial greetings from the President of Kazakhstan.

The Pope praised the efforts of President Nazarbayev in preserv-ing inter-confessional and inter-cultural understanding and accord, and wished success in the develop-ment of a multicultural dialogue and strengthening the peace. Pope Benedict XVI also gave apostolic blessing to Kazakhstan’s initiatives in the area.

During his visit Mami also met Dean of the College of Cardinals of the Holy See Angelo Sodano, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue Jean-Louis Tauran, Secretary for Re-lations with States in the Roman Curia Dominique francois Joseph Mamberti.

“The Vatican is a strategic part-ner for Kazakhstan. We have re-cently celebrated the 20th anniver-sary of our diplomatic relations, 20 years of constructive and sustained interaction based on mutual respect and full confidence,” Mami stated at the meeting with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

He stressed that President Nazarbayev’s official visit to the Vatican in November 2009 gave a strong impetus to the development of bilateral relations. It was during that visit that Pope Benedict XVI assured President Nazarbayev of the Vatican’s full support for Kaza-khstan’s chairmanship in the OSCE and for the idea of organizing an OSCE Summit in Astana.

The relations between Ka-zakhstan and the Vatican have always been strong and warm.

President Nazarbayev first met Pope John Paul II in 1994 and in September 2011, a few days after the terrorist attacks of Septem-ber 11 in the United States, Pope John Paul II visited Astana. That visit was seen as an affirmation of traditions of tolerance prevail-ing in Kazakhstan and of the im-portance of continued efforts to strengthen dialogue and under-standing among various religions and civilizations at a time when terrorists were trying to hijack re-ligion and drive a wedge between countries and peoples. During that visit, Pope John Paul II called Ka-zakhstan “an example of a country where men and women of differ-ent origin and belief live in peace with each other.”

Continued on Page A3

Pope Welcomes Kazakhstan’s Efforts to Promote Inter-Religious Understanding

Kazakhstan to Launch New

Generation Green Smart Mine in

2015By Galiya Nurzhan

ASTANA – In keeping with the global trend for saving energy and resources, the Kazatomprom National Atomic Company (Ka-zatomprom) announced the de-velopment of a smart uranium mine project at the fifth seminar dedicated to the development of Kazakhstan’s uranium and atomic industries held on January 31 in Almaty.

The implementation of the project will contribute to posi-tioning of Kazakhstan as a coun-try committed to a new, green development strategy. The main goal of the project is testing and introducing new technologies in uranium mining to bring down costs.

The meeting was organised by the Institute of High Technolo-gies LLP (IHT), a subsidiary of Kazatomprom NAC, and focused on the development of the concept of a new generation green smart mine.

The event brought together ex-perts from Kazatomprom; its sub-sidiaries, joint ventures and affili-ated companies; representatives of foreign companies currently work-ing or planning to work with the national atomic company in the field of innovation as well as lead-ing technicians and professionals involved in introducing new tech-nologies.

Continued on Page A5

During his visit to Spain President Nazarbayev met King Juan Carlos I to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation and also awarded him Kazakhstan’s highest award, the Order of Altyn Kyran.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013The Astana TimesА2

NationDOMESTIC

NEWS IN BRIEf

By Alina Usmanova

ASTANA – Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov has given the green light to an ambitious programme of law reforms this year.

The prime minister participated in a planning conference at the Jus-tice Ministry where Justice Minis-ter Berik Imashev outlined plans for legal reforms in 2013.

Imashev said the Justice Minis-try was preparing 12 new laws and was working with other ministries and state agencies to prepare an-other 36.

The process of legal reform is already well underway. In 2012, President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed 62 new laws and another 61 draft laws are currently under con-sideration by Parliament.

“This year, the government will submit 53 draft laws for the con-sideration of Parliament,” Prime Minister Akhmetov said.

The prime minister also instruct-ed the Justice Ministry to submit proposals for reforming the execu-tion of judicial acts. The ministry will continue its work to stream-line administrative procedures and revise literary copyright law. It is also working to modernise patent legislation and simplify the reg-istration of inventions to meet the standards of nations in the Organi-sation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The patent reform process is de-signed to promote domestic inven-tors. It recognises that intellectual property law is essential to pro-mote national competitiveness and fulfil the Strategy-2050 to make Kazakhstan one of the world’s 30 most competitive countries.

In 2013, the government will also introduce a new edition of the Criminal Code, the Criminal Pro-cedure Code, the Criminal Execu-tive Code and the Code of Admin-istrative Offences to Parliament.

Prime Minister Akhmetov said

the main task of the Justice Min-istry was to enforce the implemen-tation of new laws drafted within the framework of the government’s strategic development programme. “first, the ministry shall address current legal problems, detect their causes and comprehensively re-solve them. Second, coordinate the rule-making activity of state agen-cies, ensure the quality of draft laws and reduce the number of un-scheduled drafts,” he said.

The prime minister also instruct-ed the ministry to speed up Par-liament’s work in preparing new

guidelines for state regulations. “Starting this year, we pass to a

new stage of cooperation with Par-liament and the Nur Otan party in line with the national strategy for framing new official regulations,” he said.

This strategy has not been final-ised yet because the state agencies have not agreed on their proposals, the prime minister said. Therefore, he instructed the Justice Ministry to take responsibility for complet-ing the process and to coordinate the legislative initiatives of the government, Parliament and Nur Otan.

“The tasks of the ministry lie in strengthening its analytical work, detecting the reasons for legal claims, assessing the prospects for legal proceedings in different cases and participating in negotia-tion processes,” the prime minister said.

In his address to the nation in December, President Nazarbayev said 60 percent of all state services, including the issuing of all types of licenses, should be available online. The Justice Ministry has already achieved this goal, mak-ing 71 percent of all state services available online. Justice Minister Imashev said the number of state services available online increased by 35.2 percent in 2012 compared to 2011.

By Maral Zhantaykyzy

ASTANA – One of the priorities of state policy in Kazakhstan is the right of every child to live and grow up in a family.

Raissa Sher, Chairwoman of the Children’s Rights Protection Com-mittee of the Ministry of Educa-tion and Science, recently held a briefing where she spoke about the implementation of the National Strategy of Adoption and the in-novations in national legislation on children’s rights.

International (also known as in-tercountry) adoption has been per-mitted in Kazakhstan since 1999. Over 14 years, more than 8,000 orphans have found new families outside their home country. Un-der the laws of Kazakhstan, all of them remain citizens and are eligible for Kazakhstan passports. At age 18, the child can choose a citizenship. Today, Kazakhstan has 10,887 orphans and aban-doned children who live in chil-dren’s homes, hoping one day to have a family.

In 2010, the government of Ka-zakhstan introduced a moratorium on international adoption. It was adopted because the previous un-regulated and chaotic process of adoption had spawned many abus-

es and made it impossible to trace the fate of the child.

That same year, Kazakhstan rat-ified the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Coop-eration in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The government carried out the necessary work on the for-eign adoption process in accord-ance with international standards and regulations.

Accession to the convention will allow authorities to monitor a child and ensure he or she will not be treated cruelly. Today, if any case of such mistreatment is revealed, children can be returned to their homeland, Kazakhstan.

The adoptive parents are now required to report about the fate of the children. In late 2011, President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law a new code “On Marriage (Mat-rimony) and the Family.” In March 2012, the government passed six regulations to be added to the code.

The main innovation is the crea-tion of regional interagency com-mittees to select children for inter-national adoption and to approve candidates for adoptive parents.

Under the new rules, all docu-ments provided by foreign adop-tive parents will be collected by ac-credited agencies abroad and then transmitted through their branches

in Kazakhstan to the Children’s Rights Protection Committee.

The accreditation process for adoption agencies was carried out over the last year and was complet-ed on Jan. 18, 2013. About 60 agen-cies have submitted their proposals. The commission has approved the accreditation of 37 of them. Another 20 adoption agencies have already completed the registration process. These include eight agencies from the United States, five from Spain, three from Canada, one from Ger-many and one from france. Every agency will be allowed to find adop-tive parents for only two children.

“Today, adoption agencies ac-credited in Kazakhstan undertake the control of adopted children in foreign countries and the respon-sibility of providing timely re-ports about them. During the first three years, these reports will be required twice a year. In the fol-lowing years, they will be required once a year until adulthood. If the accredited agency violates the re-quirements of Kazakhstan’s law to any extent, the accreditation will be recalled,” Sher said.

The international adoption of children from Kazakhstan is per-mitted only to countries that share Kazakhstan’s international obli-gations to protect the children’s rights and interests (paragraph 5 of article 84 of the code).

The terms of selection of adoptive parents for their children have been changed. The list of persons who can-not be adoptive parents (single men, people with no fixed abode, stateless persons, and others) was extended. The period of communication of fu-ture custodial parents with their child has been increased from two to four weeks. In addition, the age difference between the adopter and the adopted child must be at least 16 years and not more than 45 years.

After the child meets and commu-nicates with his or her prospective parents, the interagency commis-sion will decide whether candidates correspond to the child’s interests. If approved, the adoptive parents must be listed in the consular register in the Department of Consular Service of the Ministry of foreign Affairs. Upon arrival in their own country, they are obliged to register the child at the embassy consulate of Kaza-khstan accredited to their country.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Edu-cation and Science and its foreign Ministry, represented by diplo-matic missions and law enforce-ment agencies, are charged with controlling the execution of this process.

As The Astana Times reported in its article about the Mercy Vol-untary Society on July 27, 2012, a new webpage called www.us-ynovite.kz was launched. The page provides collected resumes of all children living in Kazakhstan’s or-phanages, including detailed infor-mation for those who want to adopt a child in Kazakhstan.

By Rufiya Ospanova

ASTANA – The government of Kazakhstan has introduced a new border security law for the first time in 20 years. It came into force on January 16.

The new law is designed to com-bat a wide range of threats to nation-al security and the daily wellbeing of the people of Kazakhstan that have emerged in recent years. These include drug trafficking, illegal mi-gration, international terrorism, reli-gious extremism and separatism.

It was the first time the law had been amended and updated since the old one came into force on Jan. 13, 1993.

The new law takes into account the great changes in international relations, the country’s new for-eign policy and the dramatically different economic conditions that have developed over the past two decades. It has provisions to deal with the increase in transnational trade and migration and the condi-tions governing state border con-trols since Kazakhstan created the new Customs Union with Russia and Belarus. It also has updated as-pects that deal with the legal status of Kazakhstan’s sovereignty over the areas it controls in the Caspian Sea.

The new law was drafted by the Border Service of the National Se-curity Committee working in co-

operation with the Ministry of De-fence, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of finance and other rel-evant government agencies.

The new law was drafted after ex-tensive consultations with the Presi-

dent’s Office and the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan.

The new law defines the areas of responsibility of state bodies partici-pating in the protection and control of state borders. It decides the state body which will be responsible for protecting maritime borders on the Caspian Sea, and for retaining sov-

ereignty over the seabed and its un-derground resources. The 1993 law had no such provisions.

The new law also consolidates responsibility for the protection of frontiers under the new State Border Commission. The commission will include representatives of all inter-ested state bodies. They will be in-

structed to draft new proposals and recommendations on state border issues.

The 2013 law requires all authori-ties involved in enforcing border se-curity to apply administrative norms and all national criminal legislation in the exercise of their duties.

To reduce administrative barriers and protect the constitutional rights of citizens, entry passes into Kaza-khstan will be required only for for-eigners and stateless persons. Citi-zens of Kazakhstan will be able to enter the country with only their IDs.

The new law encourages ordinary citizens to voluntarily participate with the law enforcement agencies in fighting drug trafficking, illegal migration and other transnational crimes.

The new legislation is designed to make entering Kazakhstan a far easier experience for tourists, busi-nessmen and other lawful travellers. However, this does not mean that the border will become transparent. All its security aspects will be preserved and enforced against violators.

The new legislation is also de-signed to increase security in com-munities in border regions. It con-tains a combination of balanced measures to ensure safety and free-dom in these areas.

The law is also designed to en-courage local communities to create their own voluntary groups to par-ticipate in patrolling and securing the country’s land borders.

The growth of these voluntary groups is envisaged as a gradual, evolutionary process.

New Border Law Passed to Boost Security

PM Supports Multiple Legal Reform Efforts

Improved Adoption Policies Protect Children’s Rights

● Erzhan Mayamerov, 40, the former imam of Semey, was elect-ed the Chief Mufti of the Muslims of Kazakhstan at the 7th Extraor-dinary Congress of Muslims in the country which took place in Astana on Feb. 19. He replaced Sheikh Ab-sattar Hajji Derbisali, 65, who had served in this position for 13 years and who had expressed desire to devote himself to scholarly work. Mayamerov has graduated from Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where he had lived for 10 years, from 1993 to 2003. He is married with three children.

● The working population of Kazakhstan will grow to 9.5 mil-lion by 2017, the Ministry of La-bour and Social Protection said in a statement. However, the minis-try said the working population of the Akmola, Kostanay, North-Kazakhstan and East Kazakhstan regions of the country would fall in the next five years. “The most significant growth in the number of employed people will be seen in Astana where the total is projected to rise by 107,000 by 2017 and the largest decrease will occur in North Kazakhstan where the work-ing population is projected to fall by 2,700 by 2017,” the ministry said. “Economic growth will cause an increase in labour efficiency and the fall of the percentage of self-employed people in the labour force by 2.4 percent,” it said.

● Kazakhstan’s educational and science programmes should focus on innovations and ecology. Presi-dent Nursultan Nazarbayev told Education Minister Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov at a meeting that de-veloping the green economy would require extensive innovations and invention. “If everything is good with the ecology, new technologies will keep developing as well,” the president said. He said innovative technologies would grow in impor-tance as Kazakhstan prepared to host EXPO 2017 on future energy in Astana.

● President Nursultan Nazarbayev has appointed Rapil Zhoshybayev, executive secretary of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, as commissioner in charge of EXPO 2017.

● All incomes and assents must be declared to the government by 2017, finance Minister Bolat Zhamishev said, “The individual is the final beneficiary of economic activities. There is an individual behind any capital and any prop-erty. We can keep talking about tax administration, but this system will be far from perfect if we cannot monitor the property of final ben-eficiaries. We are aiming to carry out a gradual transition to com-prehensive reporting by 2017,” he said.

● The national toguz kumalak championship was held in Pavlodar from Feb. 4 to Feb. 13. The tour-nament was held in three classes - classic, blitz and rapid - based on the Swiss system. Some 104 play-ers from 13 provinces took part. Toguz kumalak, or nine balls, is a game in the mancala family, which is played throughout the region. It is a national sport in Kazakhstan where there are 10,000 organised players. The game is similar to backgammon.

● More than 98,000 traffic viola-tions have been recorded in Almaty over the past two and a half months and 95,000 traffic tickets issued for over 1 billion tenge ($6.7 million), the city’s Road Police Department said. Video surveillance cameras record up to 2,000 traffic rule vio-lations daily. The most frequent one is speeding.

● Kazakhstan TV channels will be available in 110 countries, Cul-ture and Information Ministry said. “The country’s Internet media will reach more than 100 countries,” he said.

● The application process for this year’s Bolashak international scholarships opened on Feb. 18. The registration period will run from Feb. 18 to Oct. 1, 2013..

● An exhibition of the works of contemporary artist Kazakbay Azhibekuly was held in the Presi-dential Museum in Astana on feb. 20 Azhibekuly, 46, is a citizen of Astana who was born in 1966 in the village of Bestamak in the Tselinograd region.

Defenders of state borders protect and ensure safety of the country’s frontiers.

Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov participated in a planning conference at the Justice Ministry where Justice Minister Berik Imashev outlined plans for legal reforms in 2013.

Accession to the convention will allow authorities to monitor a child and ensure he or she is treated properly.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013 The Astana TimesА3

ExTERNAL NEWS IN BRIEf

Eurasia and world

from Page A1

Kazakhstan will not play a role in the negotiations, other than being a host country. However, Kanat Saudabayev, Director of the Nazarbayev Center and chair-man of the Commission on Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction under President Nursultan Nazarbayev, believes the location of the talks in this country is not coincidental. “The fact that the participants in the new round of international talks on Iran’s nuclear programme are going to hold a meeting in Kaza-khstan is further proof of the rec-ognition of the initiatives of our country in the field of non-prolif-eration and reducing the nuclear threat,” he said.

Ashton said the talks are a win-dow of opportunity for achieving “real progress” regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. What progress means is open for interpretation, but one thing is clear: these nego-tiations will be the most pressing and urgent to date.

Iran recently stated its intention to install advanced centrifuges of the IR2m type at the fuel En-richment Plant at Natanz, which could significantly increase the production of enriched nuclear

material. According to Ashton, this would “add to the already se-vere concerns of the international community about the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme” and would be a “clear violation of Iran’s interna-tional obligations to suspend all enrichment and enrichment re-lated activities.”

British foreign Secretary Wil-liam Hague welcomed the new round of negotiations, but harshly criticized Iran. In a statement, he said Britain wanted to find a dip-lomatic solution, “but the need to make progress is increasingly ur-gent. Iran continues to enrich ura-nium in contravention of UN Se-curity Council resolutions and on a scale that has no plausible civilian explanation.”

Amos Yadlin, the former head of Israel’s military intelligence direc-torate, recently told journalists that Iran has what it needs to build a nuclear bomb in a matter of four to six months. “Iran has completed in the last two years two components that… give it all of the necessary means to manufacture a nuclear weapon as soon as it chooses to do so,” Yadlin said.

Hague said world powers have made Iran “an updated and cred-ible offer.”

“The onus is on Iran to respond seriously and turn its declared will-ingness to negotiate into concrete action,” he said.

World powers have used selec-tive economic sanctions and di-plomacy to try to persuade Tehran to halt, or scale back, its uranium enrichment. However, negotiations over the last year failed to pro-duce a breakthrough and European courts are deeming the sanctions on Iranian banks and state companies as illegal. The EU's General Court said the EU had failed to provide sufficient evidence that Bank Sad-erat was involved in Iran's nuclear programme. A week earlier, the court issued a similar ruling about Bank Mellat, the biggest private sector lender in Iran.

Iran’s foreign Minister Ali Ak-bar Salehi said that he welcomed the United States’ willingness to hold direct talks with Tehran in the standoff over its nuclear aspiration but didn’t commit to accepting any terms it might be offered. Salehi insisted that Washington must show “fair and real” intentions to resolve the issue and complained about “threatening rhetoric.” Te-hran has announced that it wel-comes the fact that the P5+1 group are ready to hold constructive talks with Iran.

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeat-edly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy programme. Iran rejects such allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has con-ducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, it has never found any convincing evidence to prove that the Iranian nuclear programme is used for nu-clear weapons production.

At the end of January, Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the world community should take a realistic approach to the talks in order to achieve their goals. “The success of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme depends on the agen-cy’s compliance with the realities,” Ali-Asghar Soltanieh was quoted as saying by Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

As a predominately Muslim secular country that voluntarily gave up its large nuclear arsenal, Kazakhstan is very clear in its

stance on nuclear issues. President Nazarbayev, having closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site in 1991, takes pride in the coun-try’s leading role as a driver of nu-clear non-proliferation around the world. To further contribute to the strengthening of the security of the international nuclear fuel cycle, in 2009 Kazakhstan offered to host an international nuclear fuel bank under the IAEA.

Saudabayev said the Kazakh side “sees the possibility of a new round of international talks on Iran’s nu-clear programme as a very impor-tant and positive development.”

Saudabayev expressed the hope that “the talks will be a significant step in building trust and under-standing between the parties and contribute to resolving the situa-tion diplomatically, to the reduc-tion of tension in the region.”

In its statement on the matter, Kazakhstan’s foreign Ministry said Kazakhstan will do its utmost to provide all necessary condi-tions and conducive environment to successfully hold the negotia-tions which bear an exceptional importance for global security and stability.

The talks in Almaty are set to at-tract not only negotiators from the seven countries involved but also scores of foreign journalists. Al-ready, as of february 15, more than a hundred foreign journalists have sought accreditation for the talks, according to the press service of Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry.

Astana Condemns North Korean Test

from Page A1

States in the region and the inter-national community perceive these steps by Pyongyang as a serious threat to their security.

North Korea signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1985. The treaty, which entered into force in 1970, requires non-nuclear powers to refrain from the production and acquisition of nu-clear weapons, and to recognize the authority of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), based in Vienna, Austria.

The nuclear powers pledged un-der the NPT to refrain from trans-ferring technologies and materials to non-nuclear states that could be used for the production of nu-clear weapons, except for transac-tions concluded under IAEA con-trol. All NPT member countries pledged to strive for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to make all necessary efforts for nuclear disarmament.

However, right after North Ko-rea signed the treaty, its nuclear facility in Yongbyon started oper-ating its reactors to produce highly enriched uranium and plutonium.

In 1993, Pyongyang refused to provide the IAEA with information about its nuclear programmes and withdrew from the NPT. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Un-ion at the end of 1991, North Korea lost its main sponsor and its econo-my was in ruins.

In 1994, the U.S. and its allies in Asia convinced North Korea to eliminate its uranium reactor in Yongbyon in exchange for a new light water reactor that could not produce the raw material to make nuclear weapons. North Korea then signed the NPT. However, that move appears to have been only a tactical manoeuvre to buy time.

In August 1998, North Korea conducted the first test launch of its long-range Taepodong-1 multi-stage ballistic missile under the pretext of attempting to launch a satellite into low earth orbit. The U.S. then accused Pyongyang of developing nuclear weapons. The North Korean government denied the claim.

In September 1999, against the background of improved relations with the United States, Pyongyang pledged to suspend its tests of long-range missiles.

In 2002, North Korean diplomats unofficially informed their Ameri-can counterparts that their country had nuclear weapons.

In January 2003, North Korea again announced its withdrawal from the NPT. It then agreed to en-ter a series of six-party talks with the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea to discuss its nuclear and missile programmes.

In february 2005, North Ko-rea promised to stop those pro-grammes, re-enter the NPT and allow IAEA inspectors into the

country. However, in March 2005, Pyongyang refused to observe the moratorium on missile testing, cit-ing what it called “hostile” U.S. policy.

In April 2005, North Korea tried again to launch a satellite into low earth orbit on its Taepodong-2, or Unha-2 missile. The launch failed.

However, in December 2012, an Unha-3 multi-stage booster suc-cessfully launched a satellite into low earth orbit at last, showing that North Korea had made considera-ble progress in developing its own ballistic missiles. The UN Security Council condemned the action.

In response, North Korea indi-cated it would carry out another underground nuclear test and did so on feb. 12.

After Tuesday’s test, the Secu-rity Council held an emergency meeting on the issue. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters that the Se-curity Council “must and will de-liver a swift, credible and strong re-sponse” in a resolution to deal with Pyongyang’s missile and weapons programmes, she said.

North Korea “does not and will not benefit from violating interna-tional law,” Rice said. She said the Pyongyang government had “iso-lated and impoverished its people from its ill-advised pursuit” of weapons of mass destruction and weapons delivery systems.

North Korea was criticized by several foreign countries for con-ducting Tuesday’s test. The Rus-sian foreign Ministry described it as a “violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.”

Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said North Korea should “abandon its nuclear arms pro-gramme,” and he called for the re-vival of talks on the issue.

South Korea’s presidential na-tional security adviser, Chun Young-woo, said the test was an “unacceptable threat to the security of the Korean peninsula and north-east Asia... and a challenge to the whole international community.”

U.S. President Barak Obama called the test “provocative” and called for an urgent international response.

British foreign Secretary Wil-liam Hague said: “If North Korea continues in this way, it will face increasing isolation.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Or-ganisation described the test as an “irresponsible act” and a “grave threat to international and regional peace, security and stability.”

The North Korean test has also been condemned by the IAEA, the European Union, China and Japan.

The UN Security Council said it was starting work “on appropri-ate measures in a Security Council resolution” and that “North Korea will be held responsible for any consequences of this provocative act”. The council is chaired this month by South Korea.

President Nazarbayev’s Visit to Spain Advances Political, Economic Ties

from Page A1

Earlier, in January 2013, Kaza-khstan has taken delivery of the first two C295 transport aircraft from Airbus Military that it ordered last year, marking the company’s entry into the CIS regional market. The aircraft, the first two on firm contract and a further six on op-tions to be progressively confirmed in the coming years, were formally handed over in Seville before the ferry flights, via Astana, to Almaty, where they will be based.

In a meeting in Madrid, Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan was carrying out several joint projects with Airbus Military and said their ties should be expanded.

Urena-Raso said the company’s prospects in Kazakhstan were sound thanks to the good rela-

tions between the governments of the two countries. Airbus Military would participate in the further development of the country’s avia-tion industry, he added.

following the talks, a memoran-dum of understanding for further cooperation was signed between Kazakhstan Engineering and Air-bus Military.

President Nazarbayev also met the heads of the Maxam, OHL and Next Limit Technologies compa-nies and discussed future coopera-tion with them.

They discussed cooperation in manufacturing explosives for use in the construction and min-ing industries and on future in-frastructure construction projects, including ports, airports, roads and railways. They also explored jointly developing software for

computer simulations in scientific and engineering research.

The Maxam Company consists of over 140 enterprises with pro-duction capacities in 40 countries. Since 2002, it has been engaged in ore mining in Kazakhstan where it employs 181 people.

The OHL Company specializes in designing and building infra-structure facilities. The company has built facilities in 39 countries and is currently constructing new ones in 30 nations.

Next Limit Technologies is fa-mous for the quality and capacity of its computer simulation soft-ware.

Overall, there about 30 small and medium-sized Kazakh-Spanish joint enterprises working in Kaza-khstan.

Pope Welcomes Kazakhstan’s Efforts to Promote Inter-Religious Understanding

from Page A1

At the meetings in the Vatican, Mami and his counterparts ex-changed views on the topical issues of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Vatican and discussed ac-tivities of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions.

“I am happy that the congress is held regularly. This initiative of the President of Kazakhstan is alive and growing, and no one questions now the existence and future of the Congress,” Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran said.

He also noted the high impor-tance and uniqueness of the exist-ing understanding between differ-ent religions in Kazakhstan.

Also, during the visit, a roundta-ble on interreligious dialogue and a photo exhibition dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Congress were held. Speaking at the open-ing ceremony of an exhibition, the Senate Speaker said the forum proved its effectiveness and has become a useful platform for pro-motion of the global dialogue for the last ten years.

“By a twist of fate Kazakhstan became the second home for thousands of Catholics. Today, 79 Catholic communities operate in the country,” Mami said.

“There were about 1.5 billion Catholics in the world according to 2010 data. More than 100,000 Catholics live in Kazakhstan. In this connection, strengthening of

cooperation with the Vatican is strategically important for Kaza-khstan,” Shokan Orazbekov, a sen-ior research fellow for geopolitics and international relations at the Institute of Statehood, Issues of Security and Development of the Nazarbayev Center, said comment-ing on the visit.

The Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions has become one of the largest in-ternational regular international gatherings. Senior representatives of the Vatican and of dozens of major religions from throughout the world participated in all Con-gresses held in Astana in 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012.

“The growing interest of the international community in the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is evidence that this international initiative of the President of Kazakhstan has become an integral part of a global process for the establish-ment of inter-civilizational and inter-religious dialogue, which is especially critical in the current turbulent times. for ten years, the Roman Catholic Church has sup-ported this initiative aimed at pro-moting inter-religious dialogue in the world. Promoting tolerance and intercultural dialogue is consid-ered as a key priority in coopera-tion between Kazakhstan and the Vatican,” Nazym Malibayeva, a senior research fellow for religious studies at the Nazarbayev Center’s

Institute of Statehood, Security and Development Issues, added.

“Friendship and confidence are built step by step together. This vis-it to the Vatican of the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Tra-ditional Religions, Kairat Mami, represents one of these important steps,” Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, the Apostolic Nuncio in Kazakhstan, told the Astana Times.

He noted: “The friendship and confidence that happily exist be-tween Kazakhstan and the Vati-can, head of more than one billion Catholics, is not only a model for international relations but a signifi-cant point of reference in how to promote religious understanding in today’s world. The Vatican has always appreciated the harmony that characterizes the daily life of the different religious communities in Kazakhstan and has support-ed from the beginning President Nazarbayev’s initiative of conven-ing the congress of religious lead-ers, which is transforming Astana into a world religious strategic centre.”

On feb. 11, Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication effective as of Feb. 28 due to ‘deteriorating’ health.

A conclave to elect a new pope is likely to take place before the end of March.

● Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov spoke on the phone with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Feb. 19 to discuss bilat-eral relations, the upcoming talks over Iran’s nuclear programme in Almaty as well as the continued cooperation in stabilizing Afghani-stan.

● A Russian space official said lease agreements for some launch facilities in Kazakhstan could be suspended, opening the way for their joint administration by the two countries. Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev told the Ivz-estia newspaper in an interview, published on Feb. 16 that the first facility to come under review would be the pad used to launch satellites on Zenit rocket boosters. Savelyev said Kazakhstan had ex-pressed interest in training its own space engineers. Russia currently pays Kazakhstan $115 million an-nually to use the Soviet-built cos-modrome under a deal that stretch-es until 2050.

● Kazakhstan will provide the best possible conditions for all me-dia outlets which intend to cover the negotiations on the Iranian nu-clear program. Press centres will be opened and conferences will be organized at the Intercontinental Hotel in Almaty. During the nego-tiations official representatives will hold briefings for media outlets pe-riodically. Over 150 media repre-sentatives have been accredited to cover negotiations of “Group of Six” and Iran.

● The Kazakhstan film “Har-mony Lessons” received the Silver Bear award for photography at the 63rd Berlin International film fes-tival. Cameraman Aziz Zhambak-iev thanked the team that worked on the film, including the direc-tor of the movie Emir Baigazin, as well as especially Kazakhfilm chief Ermek Amanshaev.

● Kazakh delegation discussed cooperation with Japanese com-panies in energy sphere within the visit to Japan of delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister and In-dustry and New Technologies Min-ister, Aset Issekeshev. The Minis-ter met with representatives of the Japanese New Energy and In-dustrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Atomic Pow-er Company (JAPC).

● French Foreign Minister Lau-rent Fabius will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan, starting on March 1. “The next year is the Year of Kaza-khstan in france. I can assure you that there are big cultural and eco-nomic projects ahead for france and Kazakhstan,” Jean-Charles Berthonnet, french Ambassador to Kazakhstan, said. “I believe the forthcoming visit of Mr. fabius is a good impetus for further devel-opment and strengthening of the bilateral relationship.”

● The aviation authorities of Ka-zakhstan and Thailand have agreed to expand flights and increase their frequency, the Transport and Com-munications Ministry announced on Feb. 18. Previously, regular flights took place twice a week only on the Almaty-Bangkok route. Now, Kazakh airlines will be able to make regular flights from any city in their own country to Bang-kok, Phuket, Krabi and Utapao. Thai airlines will be able to make regular flights from anywhere in their country to Astana, Almaty, Karaganda and Shymkent. The two countries also agreed to increase the number of regular flights up to 14 per week between Almaty and Bangkok, up to seven flights per week between Astana and Bangkok and up to three flights per week on all other routes.

● On Feb. 15, people in Russia’s region of Chelyabinsk, Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan and in the northern Kazakhstan watched the explosion of a large meteoroid, shattering thousands of windows across the region. In the Chelyab-insk area, more than 500 were in-jured. Scientists said it may have been a fragment of a disintegrating asteroid 45 metres in diametre that originally weighed 130 tons.

● Andrey Gundarev of Almaty, who climbed his first volcano in february 2012, has picked the Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, the highest North American volcano at 5,636 meters (18,490 feet) as his next goal.

Almaty Readies to Host Int’l Powers for Talks over Iran’s Nuclear Programme

Wednesday, 20 february 2013The Astana TimesА4

EconomyBUSINESS

NEWS IN BRIEf

By Maryam Turezhanova

ASTANA – Russia, China and the European Union have signed new agreements with Kazakhstan giving the go-ahead to complete the Western Europe-Western China international transport corridor by 2015.

The new transportation corridor is the largest project of its kind ever undertaken in the history of Central Asia.

The total length of the route – St. Petersburg - Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan - Orenburg - Aktobe - Kyzylorda - Shymkent - Taraz - Kordai - Almaty - Khorgos - Urumchi - Lanzhou - Zhengzhou - Lianyungang – is 8,445 kilome-tres (5,247.5 miles), 2,233 kilo-metres (1,387.5 miles) of which run through the territory of Russia, 2,787 kilometres (1,731.75 miles) through Kazakhstan, and 3,425 kilometres (2,128.2 miles) on the territory of China.

Some 2,452 kilometres (1,523.6 miles) of the new roads will be constructed in Kazakhstan. That programme will cost 825.1 billion tenge ($5.47 billion) and involve 1,390 kilometres (863.7 miles) of the Kyzylorda - Turkestan - Shym-kent - Taraz - Almaty - Khorgos highway to Category I stand-ards with four-lane highways and 1,062 kilometres (659.9 miles) of the route from the Russian border

through Martuk, Aktobe, Karabu-tak, and Kyzylorda) to Category II standards. Conditions for turns, visibility and angles on inclines and descents will be substantially improved.

The corridor will dramatically cut transportation timetables and costs compared with maritime traf-fic through the Suez Canal and will also cut shipment times compared with the Trans-Siberian Railway. Current average transportation time by sea is 45 days and along the Trans-Siberian Railroad it is 14 days, compared to only 10 days along the new Western Europe - Western China corridor.

The project will create three major transportations routes: China - Kazakhstan, China - Central Asia, and China - Kaza-khstan - Russia - Western Europe. By 2020, the volume of freight traffic passing through Kaza-khstan is expected to increase by 250 percent compared with today and the value of the total sav-ings from the reduction of travel time thanks to the new corridor will be 33.9 billion tenge ($220 million) per year. The cities and regions of Aktobe, Kyzylorda, South Kazakhstan, Zhambyl and Almaty will directly benefit from their positions along the corridor. It will generate a vast boost for small and medium-sized enter-prises (SMEs), service indus-

tries, tourism and other sectors of the economy.

“In 2012, 800 kilometres (480 miles) of the Western Europe-Western China international cor-ridor were opened for traffic and another 700 kilometres (420

miles) has been commissioned,” said Minister of Transport and Communications Askar Zhum-agaliyev.

The work involved 21 gen-eral contractor organizations, 66 subcontractors, 4,500 major

machines, 34 asphalt laying ma-chines, 32 cement mixers, 37 crushing plants and over 35,000 workers. This year, another 806 kilometres (500.8 miles) of the corridor will be upgraded and opened for traffic.

Major Transport Corridor to Connect Kazakhstan, Russia, China by 2015

By Yernat Mukhamadiyev

Almaty is establishing itself as Central Asia’s business, tourism and transportation hub.

“Kazakhstan today has a thriving economy, governed by consumers, not plans. With material improve-ments, the city has also developed a well-deserved pride and self-confidence,” said Thomas Mirow, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at the EBRD annual meeting in Kazakhstan in May 2011.

As the largest city in the coun-try and the nation’s capital at its independence in 1991, it was in-evitable that the success of those policies would transform Almaty into a major transportation hub and

regional centre for visiting foreign businessmen and investors.

“We have been developing Almaty as a large business and financial centre, promoting tour-ism and services,” President Nur-sultan Nazarbayev told a meeting of the Council of foreign Inves-tors.

“Almaty has great potential for further development as a financial centre of the Central Asian region,” said Carolyn Browne, Britain’s new ambassador to Kazakhstan, during a meeting with Almaty Mayor Akhmetzhan Yessimov.

Mayor Yessimov said Almaty was not only the largest city in the country, but also its business, financial, cultural, innovative and educational centre.

“This city is the largest contribu-tor to Kazakhstan’s budget and the most attractive region for foreign investment,” he said.

Kazakhstan’s modern banking system developed under difficult conditions. When Kazakhstan was still a Soviet Socialist Republic, the banking system was introduced in branches of the State Bank and the Industrial Bank and, later, as branches of other banks. Today, the Russian and Kazakh banking systems still share several common features, but there are fundamental differences.

Banks in Kazakhstan have expe-rienced a lengthy period of politi-cal stability and economic growth. Together with a rational approach to banking and finance policy, this has helped propel Kazakhstan’s banking system to a higher level of development. Banking technology and the personnel qualifications required for working in banks are stronger in Kazakhstan than in Russia.

Today, Kazakhstan has a two-level banking system:

• The National Bank of Republic of Kazakhstan (NBRK) which is the state bank.

• The second-tier banks, which include a range of state, private, joint stock, combined and foreign banks.

The law defining the functions of the National Bank established it as the central bank of Kazakhstan and the highest authority for banking in the country. The National Bank is a legal body possessing separate properties.

Commercial banks and credit in-stitutions comprise the second tier of the country’s banking system. Commercial banks are the oldest. With the credit companies, they perform most of the financial op-erations and services required by businesses in the country’s market economy.

There are 38 commercial banks

operating in Kazakhstan, and most of them have their headquarters in Almaty. They function as multi-disciplinary credit institutions and are a key link in the credit sys-tem.

The global financial crisis of 2008-2009 was a major test of Kazakhstan’s financial system. The country’s banking and real estate sectors were particularly exposed to the adverse impact of the global turmoil. Kazakhstan’s economy, however, endured these challenging times in a resilient manner and continued to grow. It recorded GDP growth of only 1.2 percent in 2009. However, this re-turned to pre-crisis levels of 7.3 percent in 2010 and 7.5 percent in 2011.

The country is working hard to diversify its economy by develop-ing its banking sectors and expand-ing new industrial sectors based on its wealth of natural resources. It aims to become one of the top 30 countries in terms of providing a fa-vourable business environment by 2050, and to become one of the top financial centres in Asia by then.

Almaty Becoming Central Asia’s financial Hub

Source: Kazakhstan Financial Review, June 2012

number of Commercial (second-Tier) Banks

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012Commercial banks (number) 33 35 37 38 39 38Bank branches (number) 1 813 2 381 2 546 2 299 2 246 2 262

● Kazakhstan has allocated 1 bil-lion tenge ($6.7 million) for people needing organs transplants abroad this year, Azhar Tugaliyeva, direc-tor of medical aid organisations at the Health Ministry, said. “Our cit-izens go abroad only for transplan-tation of organs and tissues. These are the serious patients who failed to find their donors and for whom there is no possibility to have the surgery in Kazakhstan,” Tugali-yeva said. “The budget for treat-ment abroad is increasing, as these are serious patients. These cases involve complicated surgeries that involve donor searches and trans-plants of major organs that are very expensive abroad. A single such surgery can cost around $200,000. Best Western International re-cently entered Kazakhstan, with the opening of Best Western Plus Atakent Park Hotel, in Almaty. The four-star hotel has 196 rooms with 23 suites and conference halls that can accommodate up to 500 peo-ple. Its amenities include climate control rooms, mini-bars, safes, in-ternational direct dial telephones, free wi-fi and a gym and spa. The hotel’s Bastau restaurant serves traditional Kazakh and European cuisines for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

● Kazakhstan is planning to invest $3.7 billion in a new gas processing plant at the Karachaga-nak oil and gas field being devel-oped by the consortium operated by the British BG Group. “The plant will work to meet the needs of the country’s capital, Astana, and the northern regions starting from 2017,” the KazMunayGas National Company said in a state-ment.

● A new industrial park will be built in Zhanaozen in western Ka-zakhstan, Magzum Mirzagaliyev, deputy chairman of KazMunayGas, told the Oil and Gas: Kazakhstan Content-2013 forum. Mirzagali-yev said KMG had launched a new investment forum in Aktau in Sep-tember 2012 to attract investors. KMG has signed memorandums with several foreign companies to build new production facilities.

● A new gold mine has been discovered in the Zhambyl region. The Golden Compass Jambyl Com-pany discovered the deposit while carrying out a geological survey in April-August 2012. It will invest three million tenge in the project. The total gold reserves of the mine are estimated at 300-350 tons.

● Kaznet has bought the Wheels and Roof newspapers and web-sites. The cost of the properties was not announced. Kaznet is owned by Vyacheslav Kim, man-aging director of the Kaspi Bank and Kaspi board chairman Michael Lomtadze.

● Average wages per month have increased by 6.9 percent. The highest wages are in the mining in-dustry and averaged 247,500 tenge per person. Wages in professional, scientific and technical fields aver-aged 264,600 per person. Workers in financial fields averaged 267,700 tenge per person. The highest wage levels were 232,700 tenge per per-son in the Mangistau region, a rate 180 percent higher than the nation-al average.

● The insurance market of the three Customs Union nations of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus has been growing. Kazakhstan in-surance companies increased the value of the premiums they col-lected in the first half of 2012 to $662 million, an increase of 12.5 percent compared with the same period in 2011a year before.

● The Japan Atomic Power Com-pany and Marubeni Utility Servic-es, Ltd., signed the Memorandum of Understanding with National Nuclear Center of Republic of Ka-zakhstan for Cooperation toward the Introduction of Nuclear Power Plant in Republic of Kazakhsta.

This Memorandum is aimed to agree the area of technical coop-eration on serious study toward the introduction of nuclear power plant which is promoted by the govern-ment of Kazakhstan, as a part of cooperation implemented based on “Cooperation Agreement for LWR Nuclear Power Plant Introduction in Republic of Kazakhstan” signed among the Japan Atomic Power Company, NNC and other relevant organizations at the occasion of joint public-private sector delega-tion on April 2007.

“almaty has great potential for further development as a financial centre of the Central asian region,” said Carolyn Browne, Britain’s new ambassador to Kazakhstan, during a meeting with almaty Mayor akhmetzhan Yessimov.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013 The Astana TimesА5

BusinessECONOMY

NEWS IN BRIEf

from Page A1

Experts discussed innovations in the atomic and uranium industries including related industries such as metallurgy of non-ferrous, rare and precious metals; geology, geophys-ics and geo-technology in the ura-nium industry; processing uranium and associated valuable components; scientific and technological issues of intensification and optimisation of production and deep processing of uranium deposits to produce com-petitive products with high marketa-bility; the production and processing of rare earth elements from mineral and industrial sources; the produc-tion of technological, analytical and laboratory equipment; advanced mining technologies and issues sur-rounding the development and use of renewable energy for the nuclear industry in Kazakhstan.

Among the issues discussed were also opportunities and prospects for the innovative development of ra-dio ecology, environmental protec-tion, uranium production safety and training qualified personnel for the uranium mining and atomic indus-tries of Kazakhstan.

Experts believe this experimental mine will become a prototype for a new generation uranium mine, which will provide for more envi-ronmentally safe and at the same time more cost-effective exploita-tion of uranium deposits. Advanced technical solutions tested at the smart mine will be introduced at the uranium mining companies of Ka-zatomprom, including its joint ven-

tures, as holders of the intellectual property rights.

“Kazatomprom has started devel-oping a new smart mine. We will invite our leading foreign partners to participate in the development of the concept. The mine will allow us to reduce technogenic impact at sites where uranium deposits are being developed, to increase their complexity of processing, to reduce the cost of energy significantly and to develop solar energy,” Director General of IHT Serik Kozhakhme-tov said at the meeting.

National companies are actively developing ways and mechanisms to ensure their development, inflict minimal harm on the environment and maximize efficiency. In or-der to achieve these goals, modern “smart” technology is needed. The mine to be developed in accordance with smart technology will be called Green Smart Mine.

“The Green Smart Mine will be located on fields owned by Ka-zatomprom and currently being developed by the company. After declaring our objectives and goals, we will start working on obtain-ing subsoil use rights. A distinctive feature of the project is that the re-turn on investment is expected to be the highest. The mine will start operating at the end of 2015, thus Kazatomprom will be able to dem-onstrate that a new generation green smart mine has been operating for more than a year in Kazakhstan by the time EXPO 2017 takes place,” Kozhakhmetov continued.

The smart mine will be located

at the Ortalyk canned site, Central Mynkuduk deposit in the South Ka-zakhstan region. Kozhakhmetov ex-pressed the hope that the technolo-gies developed at the smart mine could be transferred to the mining sector.

Kazatomprom plans to raise $10 million from the launch of the new project. According to the Institute of High Technologies, the imple-mentation of the project will cost approximately $30-35 million. Ka-zatomprom will allocate part of the funding for the project; the balance will be funded through loans. Ac-cording to IHT estimates, the term of return of direct investments is 4.5-5 years.

The Green Smart Mine is de-signed for pilot testing and imple-mentation of advanced technologies aimed at saving energy and increas-

ing production and environmental friendliness. Experts will complete a feasibility study of the project by mid-year and the mine is scheduled to be commissioned in 2015.

IHT was established on february 5, 2002 as a scientific institute for the innovative development of the atomic industry of Kazakhstan.

To improve the competitiveness of the operating enterprises of the atomic industry of Kazakhstan, IHT carries out the development of new technologies of a high degree of readiness.

IHT is the basis of an infrastruc-ture of effective scientific support of development of the domestic ura-nium industry. The structure of IHT assumes carrying out the full work cycle, from a scientific idea to scien-tific research and the introduction of the entire process chain from mining

to the final product.IHT has a pilot facility testing

site and two affiliated specialised engineering companies: Research & Production Centre ULBA LLP and Research & Production Asso-ciation ULBA-Engineering LLP. In general, it represents a complex research and design institute which solves problems of the scientific and technical maintenance of the ura-nium industry. IHT also implements research and a skilled and innova-tive approach in construction; moni-toring, analysis, adaptation, use and transfer of the newest scientific and technological developments of the uranium, metallurgy, renewed en-ergy and other allied industries; as well as the exchange of best prac-tices and technologies with leading foreign educational and scientific organisations.

By Galiya Nurzhan

ASTANA – On January 24, the Kazatomprom National Atomic Company reported its production activities in 2012.

The company’s work has been conducted within its development strategy, aimed at keeping Kaza-khstan’s current leading position in the world uranium market. Ka-zatomprom is becoming a transna-tional, vertically-integrated com-pany involved in all stages of the atomic fuel cycle. It is also expand-ing in the fields of rare-earth metals and alternative energy sources.

Over the past 21 years, Ka-zatomprom has become one of the world leaders in the produc-tion and processing of uranium. It has consolidated the advantage of Kazakhstan in the most advanced markets in the world and has dem-onstrated the sustainable develop-ment, high profitability and pros-pects of the atomic industry.

New opportunities and directions are emerging. The company has started new projects in the research and processing of rare metals. It also promotes the growth of the do-mestic chemical industry. Working with french partners, Kazatomprom has successfully created a project to produce nuclear fuel components at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant.

Kazatomprom has also launched projects to generate renewable en-ergy based on wind and solar pow-er. It has started to manufacture heat pump installations.

The highly original Bolotov wind-rotors were designed by the famous Kazakh scientist Academi-cian Albert Bolotov and are unique in the world. The new wind power plants are a part of a large-scale programme that Kazatomprom is pursuing in alternative green en-ergy.

These projects have allowed Ka-zatomprom to create new jobs in the country. The programmes use components from local companies and have cut the costs of energy production. They have also reduced pollution into the atmosphere.

Kazatomprom says it is continu-ing its prospecting operations to find new uranium deposits around the country. In the past year, the company drilled more than 2,000 exploration wells with a combined depth of 1,010,000 metres. Three billion tenge will be spent on more prospecting projects to increase the known uranium reserves by 20,000 tons over the next three years.

In 2012, work was completed on preparing the new sulfuric acid plant in the Zhanakorgan region of Kyzylorda province. The plant will provide all Kazatomprom’s re-quirements of sulfuric acid and in 2012, it produced 98,000 tons.

The Zhanakorgan plant was built

by Kazatomprom in partnership with its Mining Company, the Ja-pan Corporation of Japan (SAP) and Uranium One of Canada. It is more advanced than any compa-rable plant in Europe or the Com-monwealth of Independent States.

Sulfuric acid is the main reagent used by the in-situ leaching (ISL) method of uranium production. The plant will supply sulfuric acid to the Khorassan-1, Khorassan-2, Northern and Southern Karamurun uranium mines. It will eventually produce 500,000 tons of sulfuric acid per year, or 1,500 tons per day. The plant cost $216 million to build.

The plant uses advanced tech-nology that is effective and envi-ronmentally friendly. Some 99.9 percent of its raw material is con-verted to the finished product. Its production processes are fully au-tomatised.

The plant produces its own elec-tricity that also contributes to the local power grid. Eventually it will generate 18 МW. The plant will make Kazatomprom less depend-ent on foreign suppliers of sulfuric acid.

The sulfuric acid plant was the first step in Kazatomprom’s import substitution programme. The com-pany next plans to start producing its own ion exchange resins and hy-drogen peroxide in a new complex of chemical plants in Pavlodar and Aktau. It is planning to build a se-ries of mini-plants to manufacture sulfuric acid using nano-catalysts directly at the uranium mines.

Kazatomprom is working with Canada’s Cameco Corporation to start conversion production in the nuclear fuel cycle. The company signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding with Cameco in September 2012 to create the new project at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant.

In November 2012, NAC Ka-zatomprom and the TVEL OJSC fuel Company of Russia’s Rosatom Corporation signed an agreement to build an alternative Uranium Enrichment Centre. Work on it is expected to start in the first half of 2013.

In 2012, Kazatomprom and the french AREVA Company worked on a joint feasibility study about producing nuclear fuel in Kaza-khstan.

In November 2012, Kazatomprom and the Sumitomo Corporation of Japan launched the Summit Atom Rare Earth Company (SARECO) Joint Venture to build a new industri-al complex producing rare earth met-als (REM) in Stepnogorsk city in the Akmola region. A new REM pilot factory costing about $30 million was built in Stepnogorsk. Kazatomprom owns 51 percent of SARECO and Sumitomo 49 percent.

The plant, launched last year, is a unique complex for the thermal and hydrometallurgical processing of rare earth metals. It embodies the work of Kazakh, Japanese and European scientists and engineers. It has advanced environmental safety systems and will produce 1,500 tons of TREO (amount of REM oxides) per year, rising to 3,000 tons of TREO in 2015, and up to 5,000-6,000 tons by 2017.

Most of the plant’s output will be of heavy rare earth metals, which are in great demand for use in high tech appliances manufactured in Japan. Its first exports are expected in the first half of 2013.

The Stepnogorsk plant will not restrict its production to the prima-ry product of bulk REM concen-trates. By 2015, it will also contain an isotope separation facility and will produce rare earth metals magnets.

Rare earth metals production is a new form of industrial-innovative development for Kazakhstan. It introduces more value-added high technology production into the country and allows it to enter the REM market. Kazatomprom plans to increase the production capacity of the Stepnogorsk plant and build more in the future.

Demand for rare earth metals, especially dysprosium and neo-dymium, is expected to increase rapidly in the near future due to the increasing popularity of hybrid and electric cars. Rare earth metals are also important in preparing special structural steels and alloys to make powerful permanent magnets, col-oured glass and lasers. They are used in the defense industry and in agriculture.

The Core Consultants analytical group values the current global an-nual demand for rare earth metals at $15 billion. There is an annual shortage of 20,000 tons in the pro-duction of such critically important rare earth metals as neodymium, europium, terbium, dysprosium and yttrium. China is drastically cutting its export of these REMs to give priority in using them in its own industries. Some 140,000 tons was produced around the world in 2012, and that figure is expected to rise to 200,000 tons by 2015.

In the field of renewable energy, Kazatomprom is already manufac-turing its own solar panels based on domestically-produced silicon in the KazPV Project Astana. The factory to make them opened in December 2012. Also last year, the company opened a new silicon processing plant for the solar pan-els in Ust-Kamenogorsk city.

In 2012, Kazatomprom opened another silicon production plant in Ushtobe village in the Almaty re-gion where it also resumed quartz production.

KazPV is also implementing new high tech joint projects between Kazakhstan and france that were signed during President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s official visit there in October 2010. KazPV promotes sustainable economic growth, knowledge-intensive industries and renewable energy sources.

The Astana Solar Plant is the fi-nal technological unit in KazPV’s master plan to construct a fully in-tegrated industrial production line of alternative energy sources in Kazakhstan.

The Astana Solar Plant will man-ufacture photovoltaic panels made of entirely domestically produced silicon with an estimated capacity of 60 MW and a further expan-sion up to 100 MW. The plant is equipped with the latest automated generating equipment meeting the highest safety and environmental standards. It will come up to full capacity in the next two months.

The Astana plant’s solar panels will be sold both in the domestic and international markets. The company has already signed sev-eral contracts, including with the joint Kazakhstan-french Com-pany KATCO, the uranium-min-ing joint venture of AREVA and Kazatomprom, to make panels for AREVA factories in france. Kazatomprom also plans a joint venture with french companies to build and operate combined hydro-electric, solar and wind power sta-tions on the rivers flowing from the mountains of the East Kazakhstan and Almaty regions.

The KazSilicon metallurgical plant started operating on Dec. 31, 2006, when the first Kazakhstan’s industrial silicon was extracted. Kazatomprom became the only participant in the project on Oct. 31, 2011.

The KazSilicon plant is equipped with modern metallurgical equip-ment and has an automated control system. Its output will be sent to Ust-Kamenogorsk city for further processing and then transported to Astana to make solar panels. The finished products will be exported to Asia, Western Europe and Japan. Kazatomprom is also considering exporting its silicon to Germany and the United States.

The Quartz Company LLP (lim-ited liability partnership) is also involved in the process of making photovoltaic solar panels based on KazPV’s domestically produced silicon. Kazatomprom became the sole shareholder of the Quartz Company on Oct. 31, 2011.

The Quartz Company extracts its product from the unique quartz field at Sarykulskoe with proven reserves of 1.7 million tons. The quartz is then processed to make metallurgical silicon at the Kaz-Silicon metallurgical plant.

The Quartz Company control its own production cycle, quality con-trol and manufacturing processes. Quartz grit is widely used in indus-trial production, especially in the fields of aerospace, electric power, electronics, semiconductors and medical equipment.

A new heat pump boiler started operating at the Kirov second-ary school in East Kazakhstan on Oct. 30, 2012. It was the first heat pump units (HPU) made by Mashzavod, a subsidiary of Umba Mettallurgical Plant, to be used in schools.

The heat pump consumes low heat from the environment and transmits it into the heat supply system in the form of hot water or air. The school has two heat pump boilers with a total capacity of 317 kW. Their heat source will be groundwater. Each heat pump cost 60 million tenge.

Kazatomprom Chairman Vladimir Shkolnik said the project was the first ever in Kazakhstan and would serve a model for future energy-saving technologies.

In 2012, Kazatomprom opened a horizontal-pellicle desalination plant at the Mangistau energy com-plex to distil fresh water from the sea. Its capacity is 12,000 cubic metres per day and it will reach full capacity this year.

All these new projects are part of the successful implementation of the 2010-2014 State Programme for Accelerated Industrial-Innova-tive Development (PAIID) to boost domestic technology, science and training.

Kazatomprom has also been recognized as one of the best run industrial corporations in Kaza-khstan. KPMG experts gave it a 70.4 percent rating in 2012, mak-ing it the highest rated of all the Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wel-fare fund’s companies.

Kazatomprom produced 11,900 tons of uranium in 2012, or more than 20 percent of total world pro-duction. Overall, at year-end 2012, the uranium production volume in the Republic of Kazakhstan made up 20.900 tons (this figure includes all joint ventures where Kazatomprom has a stake).

Kazakhstan remains the world’s leading uranium producer with ap-proximately 37 percent of the to-tal global uranium production of 55,700 tons in 2012.

In that year, Kazatomprom ex-ported 9,260 thousand tons of ura-nium in concentrated form. The company also produced 213 tons of tantalum, 43 tons of niobium and 2,526 tons of beryllium.

In December 2012, Kazatomprom won President Nazarbayev’s special Innovative Breakthrough award and was recognised as an Innova-tive Leader.

Kazakhstan to Launch New Generation Green Smart Mine in 2015

Kazatomprom Reports Year of Achievements ● The European Bank for Re-

construction and Development (ERBD) has predicted that, in 2013, the Kazakhstan economy will grow by six percent, confirm-ing its forecast of October 2012. In 2012, Kazakhstan’s GDP increased by five percent. The bank said the start of commercial production in the Kashagan oil field in the North Caspian Sea will boost growth this year.

● Kazakhstan National Bank has approved the country’s basic monetary policies for 2013, Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov said. The new plan has the goal of keeping the annual inflation rate within the six to eight percent range. “The National Bank’s main objective is to ensure stability of prices and re-tain the annual inflation rate within 6-8 percent,” the prime minister said. This year, the National Bank will work closely with the finance Ministry to strengthen the govern-ment securities market. “The new mechanism will help reduce the dollarisation of the economy, har-ness the volatility of interest rates, cut speculation on the money mar-ket and, therefore, increase the flexibility and efficiency of liquid-ity regulation,” the National Bank said in a statement. The bank will continue to grow its long-term in-vestment portfolio in government securities by buying them from sellers in secondary markets. The bank will intervene to regulate fluctuations in the tenge exchange rate, without influencing the over-all trend of the exchange rate based on market conditions.

● Kazakhstan export companies have signed contracts worth $1 billion over the past three years. More than 300 Kazakhstan en-trepreneurs have entered foreign markets in that time. Domestic companies sold goods to five new countries last year. Kazakhstan-made goods are exported to over 100 countries. However, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan remain the major markets. “We are ready to reimburse the costs re-lated to companies seeking to sell their goods in foreign markets. If a Kazakhstan producer spends money on advertisement cam-paigns, makes video ads or places advertisements in foreign media, our agency will reimburse 50 per-cent of all those costs at the end of the year,” said Kaznex director Askar Arynov. “Half of the costs are reimbursed when a company takes part in exhibitions and trade missions abroad. Several Almaty companies have used this support and are now opening their repre-sentative offices, branches and stores abroad,” he said. Over the past three years, Kaznex has sup-ported more than 300 Kazakhstan businessmen. Kazakhstan-made products popular in foreign mar-kets include engineering equip-ment and food.

● The government of Kaza-khstan has announced plans to build 1.04 GW (gigawatts) of re-newable energy capacity by 2020, including four solar photovoltaic (PV) plants. PV-Tech said the four PV plants will generate 77 MW (megawatts), Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov was told at a meeting on feb. 5. The government also plans to build 13 wind plants and four hydroelectric plants by 2020.

● The Organisation of Petrole-um-Exporting Countries (OPEC) expects Kazakhstan’s oil produc-tion to reach 1.73 million bpd (bar-rels per day) in the fourth quarter of 2013

● The Science Fund of the Edu-cation and Science Ministry of Ka-zakhstan will finance a biological plant to make vaccines against in-fluenza, poliomyelitis and brucel-losis, as well as veterinary drugs. The new plant will be built at the Scientific Research Institute for Biological Safety in Almaty. Sci-ence fund Chairman Kuatzhan Ualiyev said the plant would pro-duce up to 10 million doses of vac-cines a year.

● Kazakhstan expects its grain exports to Russia to rise substan-tially to between 900,000 and 1.1 million metric tons in the period from Sept. 1, 2012 to Aug. 31, 2013, the head of the Kazakh grain trader said on feb. 12. Russia im-ported 440,000 metric tons of Ka-zakh grain from Sept. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2012, Kazakhstan’s state-owned grain trader, the food Con-tract Corporation, said.

The “smart” mine will implement advanced technologies aimed at energy savings, environmental and production efficiency.

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Wednesday, 20 february 2013

А6 The Astana TimesEDITORIAL

By Karipbek Kuyukov

I want to address the Government of the Democrat-ic People’s Republic of Korea as a survivor of nuclear

weapons testing with the words of Kaza-khstan’s writer Rollan Seysenbayev: “Pursu-ing nuclear superior-ity cannot be an act of self-defence of any country in the world. The souls of us all – Asians, Europeans Africans, Americans tremble alike when we love or cry…”

We have to mo-bilize global public opinion more active-

ly towards the elimination of the nuclear weapons threat.

Louder than ever before, the world should declare, “We have to destroy all nuclear weapons, we have to stand as one and say no to nuclear war!”

We, as survivors and witnesses of horrific madness, strive to warn the world before it is too late about the consequences of nuclear weapons. If billions of peo-ple around the world would realize the consequences of nuclear weapons testing, global public opinion united as one would have enough power to eliminate atomic bombs forever.

I reject the pessimistic voices that doubt the weap-ons race can be halted. I believe our destinies are in our own hands and it is in our power to save the future.

I call on the world and each one of us to support a nuclear weapons-free world.

The author is Honorary Ambassador of The ATOM Project.

Let Us Act before It Is Too Late

A Question of Humanity By Setsuko Thurlow, Kenneth McGinley,

Karipbek Kuyukov andRoland Oldham

Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. We are the Hibakusha, sur-vivors of the nuclear bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and people harmed by years of nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific and Kazakhstan. It is our hope that never again will anyone suffer the catastrophic humanitarian conse-quences caused by the use of nu-clear weapons.

With nine countries now pos-sessing 19,000 nuclear weapons, it appears that the world is in danger of forgetting the appalling and ir-revocable harm caused by nuclear weapons. We listened with horror as we heard about the testing of nuclear weapons by North Korea. This brings the potential use of nu-clear weapons closer.

a humanitarian catastrophe

Most of today’s nuclear weapons are much bigger than the nuclear bomb that incinerated Hiroshima in 1945. The nuclear weapon used in Hiroshima was around 13 kilo-tons and it killed 118,661 people instantly, seriously injuring over 78,000 more people. By the end of 1945, a further 140,000 people had died. Most of these deaths and injuries were due to the immedi-ate effects of the massive fireball that rose into the sky. The flash of intense white heat burned people where they stood, imprinting their shadows on walls and setting fire to most of the city. The blast tore people’s clothes and melted flesh from their bodies. It turned homes, shops and offices to rubble, kill-ing and trapping people. Then came the fires, which were quickly whipped into a vast firestorm, burning and suffocating thousands more. This was followed by radio-active fallout, leaching out of the great mushroom cloud as greasy black rain.

After some of the atmospheric tests in the Pacific islands, the ra-diation fell like white fluffy snow. Children got excited and played in it. Islanders, like the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, fell sick and died from radiation poisoning, from breathing, eating, drinking and absorbing the invisible ra-dioactivity that contaminated our homes. Children lost their hair. Their skin erupted in cancerous kheloids. Women miscarried or gave birth to “jellyfish babies”, dead before they could draw breath.

This also happened to down-winders near the US and Soviet test sites, denied and covered up for decades.

The Soviet Union conducted more than 450 nuclear weapons tests at its Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in eastern Kazakhstan, in-cluding 120 in the atmosphere. The total power output of those tests was equal to 2,500 bombs dropped on Hiroshima. The tests caused deaths and illnesses to an estimated 1.5 million people in Kazakhstan and contaminated huge swaths of land with radiation. Consequences of nuclear tests still negatively af-fect the locals, as 70 percent of survivors are the descendants of second and third generations born to exposed parents.

Now we know that even micro-

scopic amounts of radioactively contaminated material can cause genetic damage and many types of cancer. These effects pass down through generations.

No one is safeAfter a single nuclear explosion,

the dust clouds darken the skies for days, with deep crimson sun-sets. If there were a nuclear war using a hundred bombs – a frac-tion of today’s arsenals – the soot and dust from incinerated cities would circulate, causing much of the earth to become much darker

and colder than normal. This glo-bal freezing could last for many years, disrupting rainfall and the seasonal cycles, and causing crops to fail. It is estimated that up to a billion people might starve to death in the first decade after a ‘limited nuclear war’. Many of these nuclear famine Hibakusha

would come from regions like Africa, South-East Asia and Latin America, which have regional nu-clear weapons free zones in place. The Red Cross and other humani-tarian assistance organisations would be quickly overwhelmed, unable to provide an adequate re-sponse.

No one on this planet would be safe if any of the nine nuclear-armed countries decided to deto-nate any of their nuclear weap-ons. How can we prevent such a humanitarian catastrophe from taking place in our lifetimes? The Red Cross argues that to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again, the nations of the world need to “pursue in good faith and conclude with urgency and determination negotiations to prohibit the use of and completely eliminate nuclear weapons”.

It’s time to actOn 4-5 March, over a hundred

governments will gather in Oslo, Norway for the first ever global meeting of states, civil society and UN agencies that is focused on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. By considering the humanitarian consequences and the impossibility of provid-ing effective humanitarian assist-ance to survivors, governments must realise that a ban on nuclear weapons is needed to ensure that these atrocities are never carried out again.

We appeal to governments and civil society leaders: don’t wait for another nuclear catastrophe to oc-cur before you ban these weapons of mass suffering. Our pleas are borne out of our experience. The time to prohibit nuclear weapons is now.

Ms Setsuko Thurlow, Hibakusha Mr Kenneth McGinley, Christ-

mas Island Nuclear Test VeteranMr Karipbek Kuyukov, Atom

Project Honorary AmbassadorMr Roland Oldham, Président

de Moruroa e Tatou

The rise of the Internet has spurred the develop-ment of web-based communication platforms. Digital platforms have been growing stronger throughout the last decade, facilitating the exchange of information. Online content has undergone a transformation from being a source of raw data to also becoming an in-teractive tool, enabling the public to collaborate on projects through the exchange of knowledge and opinions.

As a result, consumers of information have now also become producers of information. People with com-mon interests organise online groups and societies in which every participant can contribute by using social tools such as social networks, videos, blogs and photo-blogging to establish common ground. The Internet enables any person to influence public opinion, creat-ing inclusiveness and a new dimension for public rela-tions.

Social media has established new ways of commu-nicating and creating perceptions between businesses and consumers, organisations and their audiences, po-litical offices and their electorate.

Though in Kazakhstan the development of online platforms began comparatively recently, they have al-ready achieved some success. If in the past locals were turning to Russian and European platforms, now both the quality and quantity of national products have im-proved.

Among the most popular of Kazakhstan’s blogging platforms are Yvision (www.yvision.kz) and Gonzo (www.gonzo.kz), good examples of the new online presence of Kazakhstan. A study of their content, and of the content of countless other blog platforms, dem-onstrates the diversity of interests of Kazakhstan’s on-line society. The first pages of these platforms cover issues of poverty, adoption, design, current events, trip reports and more. This kaleidoscope of themes was created by users themselves and each topic will find its audience.

The other famous platform is Voxpopuli (www.vox-populi.kz), the philosophy of which could be stated as, “It’s better to see.” Voxpopuli specialises in photo essays. Great pictures depict hidden fears and obscure issues, and at the same time show beautiful captured moments. On this platform, photos give the audience a chance to form personal opinions based on what they see.

Among the newcomers to this online world is Blog-basta (www.blogbasta.kz), a moderated platform of entries and comments on the most current political, so-cial, cultural and economic trends.

And, most certainly, the people in Kazakhstan has taken to globally and re-gionally popular social me-dia such as facebook, Twit-ter, Youtube, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Moi Mir and others. While the pene-tration and attractiveness of these media differ accord-ing to people’s age, pref-erence and social activity, the general trend is point-ing towards ever increasing growth of Kazakhstan users on these networks. At that, the Kazakh-speaking ones, i.e. the ones offering their consumers a chance to nav-igate the functionalities in Kazakh, have recently seen the most dynamic growth.

Of course, to attract au-dience attention, websites tend to raise issues of widespread concern.

Our perception of the world is based on the infor-mation we obtain. The media provide us with news of events happening beyond our immediate surroundings and though situations around the world are touched upon, the topics shown are chosen by editors. Media and public opinion have always been connected, as the media play a significant role in mass communication and reflect issues of the greatest concern to a particular society. With the increasing role of the media in shap-ing public opinion, it has become more commercial-ised on one side and has experienced more limitations and restrictions on the other. Raw information evolves into perceptions based on that information. Thus any opinion formed on the basis of a news outlet could be considered as having been shaped under the influence of external sources.

Public opinion is a question to be explored. In some cases, it’s subject to constant fluctuation; in others, public opinion is more solid and stable, based on tradi-tional thought processes. In sum, it could be defined as ideological consent, where the opinion of the majority is dominant and leading so as to influence that of the community in which it exists.

With social media, persuading the public and influ-encing opinions have become more achievable and, yet, more uncontrollable.

Content presented through social media does not have to have approval to be published, which is posi-tive in the sense that it can contravene censorship and control. On the other hand, this freedom creates new issues for the governmental affairs area of public re-lations. Social media platforms have thus become au-tonomous participants in building and influencing democratic societies. Everyone can be engaged in the decision-making process.

Digitalised communication has made the manage-ment of organisations and institutions more transpar-ent. It has personalised the images of companies and governments and created new, more human, participa-tive and socially directed images for them.

For the last five or six years, Kazakhstan’s govern-ment has been enhancing its online presence. Now, almost all ministries and agencies have websites. President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Presidential Administration provide data on decrees, meetings, and other important activities of the president at www.ako-rda.kz. The Ministry of foreign Affairs lists the latest news as well as useful information on obtaining visas and Kazakhstan’s embassy contacts abroad at www.mfa.kz. One of the most popular governmental web-sites is www.e-gov.kz, which has data on taxation, laws and regulations and more information to make the lives of citizens more convenient.

Previously, governments and their agencies have used digital technologies like websites to provide in-formation about themselves. With time, governmen-tal websites evolved from being online news services and data providers to becoming sources with active content supplemented by podcasts and real-time data. In sum, online services created what is now called e-government. With growing social media consumption, e-governments enhanced their communication with the public through blogs, social networks and other online software.

Another positive development is the existence of personal blogs by governmental officials, first imple-mented by former Prime Minister Karim Massimov (who now serves as chief of staff to the President), whose blog received widespread support and penetra-tion. Now, when citizens have issues or concerns, they have a way of contacting the responsible official direct-ly. This kind of direct contact can help society in vari-ous ways: decreasing corruption through transparency, increasing convenience along with reducing costs or preventing the misuse of public funds. Thus, social me-dia “socialises” the government by changing its image from being something ephemeral to something more concrete and human.

All in all, social media create new virtual worlds and new realities in all aspects of social life. These are new realities of ever-changing opinions, realities no one can fully control, realities demanding continuous online presence to respond adequately.

Social media has an influence on society. Though short-term values do not replace long-term ones, they can corrupt traditional perceptions of relationships and

lifestyles. They have lit-tle influence on long-term politics, though politics manages directions of social development by introducing programmes which affect lifestyles in the long-term.

from an economic standpoint, social media have become a new model of low-cost production, since to post content on-line is in most cases free. At the same time, with developed directories and high traffic, producers are able to earn fortunes from advertising revenues. In other words, social media platforms offer opportuni-ties for high returns from low investments.

from a cultural point of view, social media platforms, with their availability of information and opinions, do not promote long-term values. Moreover, they erode traditional values by of-fering short-term alternatives.

from a social standpoint, the new media affects re-lationships through changing people’s perceptions. Individuals are fragmented according to their interests and concerns. Users come together for short periods to protest or solve issues that concern them, but once any problems are solved, users no longer remain together.

Social media platforms are often marketing tools, es-tablished to create opinions and to persuade the public to take particular actions. When the action is complet-ed, the group collapses and does not rise again until the next crisis.

But in the end, does democracy online reflect democ-racy offline, or is it a path to chaos? A conflicting set of opinions will never be satisfied by the same action. Only what is perceived as the opinion of the majority will be taken into consideration. But who shapes that opinion? Are we approaching the moment when social-media-influenced public opinion can dramatically in-fluence and change society itself? Or are we already past this stage as many observers have claimed that the social media had played a key role in the so called Arab Spring chain of revolutions?

With the new social media, the old limiting factors – time, distance, nationality, and ideology – are gone. If public opinion can be influenced, so can societies. So-cial media is a unique global phenomenon whose true reach and potential to affect not only short term, but also long term change can only be understood better as time progresses. In its turn, Kazakhstan, with its ever growing Internet penetration and usage, is among those countries where social media-related developments are progressing with the breath-taking speed.

Social Media: Shaping The Way

We See the World or Shaping the New World Itself ?

With nine countries now possessing 19,000 nuclear weapons, it appears that the world is in danger of forgetting the appalling and irrevocable harm caused by nuclear weapons...We appeal to governments and civil society leaders: don’t wait for another nuclear catastrophe to occur before you ban these weapons of mass suffering. our pleas are borne out of our experience. The time to prohibit nuclear weapons is now.

Social media is a unique global phenomenon whose true reach and potential to affect not only short term, but also long term change can only be understood better as time progresses. in its turn, Kazakhstan, with its ever growing internet penetration and usage, is among those countries where social media-related developments are progressing with the breath-taking speed.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013

А7The Astana Times

opinions

By Gulshara Abdykalikova

The role of women in building a strong society was reflected in the president’s state-of-the-nation ad-dress, Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy: A New Policy of the Established State, which also focused on mater-nal and child welfare.

Women are “the support of the family and of the state; our coun-try’s future depends on how we bring up our children,” the presi-dent said.

Kazakhstan ranks 31st out of 135 countries in the World Economic forum rating of gender equality. family values are important in our society. To support these values, the National Commission for Women’s Affairs arranges public meetings with model families. It has also been assigned the task of enhancing patriotism in Kazakhstani youth. This year, the commission plans trips to remote districts in order to establish contact with local youth leaders and continue to work on the motivation of young workers.

This century will be dominated by active people. Unfortunately, sloth and the pursuit of easy money is not uncommon. The president called these characteristics social infan-tilism. The great poet and thinker Abay Kunanbayev said that he who works and is not lazy will be rich. Albert Einstein said that it is not nice words but work and its results that creates outstanding personali-ties. Our youth needs to be moti-vated to work, and a man of labour should be given special respect in society. Socially useful work needs be encouraged in every way.

We intend to use electronic and other media to this end and appear in television and radio programmes with talks and discussions on na-tional traditions, character build-ing, motivation to seek knowledge and meaningful work and parents’ and children’s responsibilities and duties. People’s welfare is the fore-most concern of the country. It is more important than the GDP, gold currency reserves or international ratings. After all, unless we educate the younger generation properly and fit them to be masters of the country, all the mineral resources and innovations are worthless and all our ambitious plans for the fu-ture do not make sense.

“We need to build a religious consciousness that is aligned with the traditions and cultural norms of

the country, and emulate best be-haviours,” said the president in his address. “Youth, particularly ne-glected children, easily fall under the influence of religious sects, ex-tremists, drug addicts and criminal groups,” he continued.

This is a signal to society that families and schools must conduct coordinated educational processes to prevent children from falling under dangerous influences, and the commission has to focus not as much on fighting negative conse-quences, but on understanding how to counter their root causes. De-mographic development is another important aspect of state policy. Although there has been an increase in the population of Kazakhstan as a whole (mostly in the southern re-gions), in four regions it is declining due to low birth rates and a negative migration balance. To stop this de-cline, the state programme Genera-tions Fund for 2010-2014 has been adopted.

We are concerned about the fre-quency of suicide, teenage preg-nancies and abortions and violence against women. To fight these social ills, legislative amendments have been proposed penalising early and forced marriage, the abduction of young girls and inducing girls to undergo neke kiyu (a type of wed-ding ceremony in accordance with religious laws of Islam).

In his address, the president also expressed concern about domes-tic violence against women and children, demanding that penal-ties for such offenses be stiffened. The commission will be working on this task and at the same time supporting and expanding crisis centres to provide psychological, medical and legal assistance to do-mestic violence victims. There are 28 such facilities in the country and we are soliciting funding for them; the relevant regulations are current-ly being created. The crisis centres alone, however, are not a solution. To address this challenge, public awareness of the problem should be increased as well.

Society is changing fast under the influence of globalisation, and along with progress, some re-gressive phenomena are evident. Among the latter is the choice of our girls to wear hijab, oblivious to the roots of this tradition.

“Kazakhstan’s girls,” the president said, “must have more access to good educations and good jobs; they should

feel free. They should be able to use credit cards, drive cars, make careers and wear modern clothes instead of wrapping themselves in fashions that are alien to us, that we have never worn. Our nation has its own culture, traditions and customs.”

We plan to team up with profes-sionals to raise awareness among young people and students regard-ing this issue. Sometimes, women dress simply to attract attention. Then there are cases when young girls, without any idea about the true values of Islam, are drawn into a sect fraudulently, or are even bullied into it to spread harmful ideology or to be used as suicide bombers.

Resolution 1325 of the U.N. Se-curity Council, On Women, Peace and Security, states that countries must ensure peace and security through the integration of gen-der aspects in their national secu-rity policy. This means increasing women’s involvement in decision-making about security, peacekeep-ing operations and the settlement of conflicts and disputes.

The prosecutor general’s office is upgrading the law enforcement system and the foreign Ministry is schedul-ing an international conference on the implementation of the resolution.

The topics of global and regional development and women’s involve-ment in the political, economic and social life of the country were also raised at the recent Third Eurasian Women’s Summit. One of its goals was to train local businesswomen and share their success stories. It said that the Customs Union opens ample business opportunities to Kazakhstan’s women to develop Kazakhstan’s, Russian and Bela-rusian markets and establish joint ventures.

The author is an adviser to the President of the Republic of Ka-zakhstan and head of the National Commission for Women’s Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan.

State Policy to Unlock Women’s Potential

By Aurélia Bouchez

This year, the European Union and Kazakhstan celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. On the eve of the anniversary, on 29 January, foreign Minister Idrissov visited Brussels. His meeting with Presi-dent Barroso gave an opportunity to take stock of the two decades that have elapsed since the first of-ficial visit of President Nazarbayev to the European Union, on 2 feb-ruary 1993. On that occasion, the agreement on the establishment of a permanent EU representation in Kazakhstan was signed. Bilat-eral relations between the EU and Kazakhstan entered a new stage of mutual recognition and interac-tion.

In terms of human life, 20 years is not old. And I feel tempted to dedicate my comments on this anniversary to the youth of Kaza-khstan, to students, to the new gen-erations. It is not an accident that almost all the activities we plan to celebrate the occasion will take place in schools and universities – classroom lectures by European Ambassadors, academic confer-ences, civil society gatherings or concerts and exhibitions. The young people will not be the audi-ence – they will be the participants and the performers.

When relations between the EU and Kazakhstan began 20 years ago, determination and dedication were required from both sides. from the start, Kazakhstan made the strategic choice to develop links with Europe and consistent-ly pursued this direction, notably thanks to the Path to Europe adopt-ed in 2009. The EU did its best to support Kazakhstan's steps – very rapid steps! – towards full inde-

pendence and towards economic and social sustainability.

In Kazakhstan, as in other coun-tries in the region, the European Union is concerned with such key issues as development, democ-racy and security. They are at the heart of the EU Strategy for Cen-tral Asia, and are becoming more pressing than ever as security chal-lenges in the region increase. This is why the EU and the five Central Asian states decided last October to set up a new EU–Central Asia High Level Dialogue to enhance our engagement on security issues, including on Afghanistan.

And here let me stress the cen-tral role played by Kazakhstan . On security, we would like to praise in particular the contributions made by Kazakhstan with regard to Af-ghanistan post-2014; through the provision of training and educa-tion to Afghan students, but also through the Heart of Asia process and the hosting of the Ministerial meeting next April. As to economic development, Kazakhstan is now

an upper middle income country, with over USD 12,000 per capita income; it also attracts the bulk of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the region. As OSCE Chairman in 2010, and now as a member of the UN Human Rights Council and of the Venice Commission, Kaza-khstan has taken important steps in the ongoing process of democracy consolidation. We appreciate Kaza-khstan’s pivotal role for the stabil-ity and the security of the region, thanks to its constant emphasis on good neighbourly relations. We also appreciate the global initiatives launched by President Nazarbayev, in particular in the field of nuclear non-proliferation, but also the ef-fort to address the climate change-security nexus with initiatives like the Green Economy project.

It is not, therefore, surprising that Kazakhstan is the only coun-try in the region with which the EU is currently negotiating a sec-ond generation agreement, the “enhanced Partnership and Coop-eration Agreement”, which reflects our very broad and comprehensive relationship with Kazakhstan. Practically all areas of life are cov-ered, paving the way for deepened and expanded dialogue and coop-eration, based on mutual trust and respect, shared goals and interests.

EU–Kazakhstan relations show an impressive record of achieve-ment over a relatively brief period of time.

And now? Now, the EU is Ka-zakhstan’s first trading partner and first provider of FDI. It is the main destination of Kazakhstan’s exports and the main source of its imports. Kazakhstan is key for the EU’s en-ergy security, European companies are key for the development of Ka-zakhstan’s impressive oil and gas reserves – a shining example this

year will be the Kashagan oil field. The EU is also Kazakhstan’s part-ner for the further modernization of its institutions and structures, in particular in the areas of public sec-tor reform, judicial reform and re-gional development. Such coopera-tion contributes to the consolidation of democracy, the empowerment of civil society and also to the im-provement of the business climate – all areas which are indispensable for a fully modern state and for its citizens. With Kazakhstan, the EU has also developed a mutually confident and fruitful dialogue on political and security matters, and we constantly seek ways to support each other on international issues of common interest. Your experi-ence of the broader region is of in-terest to the EU, and you know our overall objectives. We can work together in a complementary and mutually supportive manner.

Ours is a partnership oriented to-wards peace and modernity. I have briefly spoken about peace and se-curity. Let me dwell on modernity, which goes hand in hand with edu-cation, innovation, new technolo-gies and research.

Modernity, in my view, be-gins with education. And here let me praise Kazakhstan for its achievements in this field. In 2009, Kazakhstan ranked first in the UNESCO’s Education for All Development Index, with particu-larly positive results in securing a near universal level of primary education, high adult literacy and full gender equality. The remark-able Bolashak program designed by President Nazarbayev allowed young Kazakhs to find their way to foreign universities. From 1994 on, the priority given to education has been supported by the EU, no-tably through the Tempus and Er-

asmus programs. 22 universities from Kazakhstan are involved in Tempus, 600 students and teachers in Erasmus partnerships for mobil-ity. These decades of efforts pro-vide Kazakhstan with enlightened and socially mobile elites, as well as with intellectual back-up match-ing the country's active role in the region and beyond.

Modernity cannot be dissoci-ated from the quest for innova-tion; this is another common point between the EU and Kazakhstan. We already cooperate on topics that belong to the future through the European Space Agency pro-grammes at Baikonur. There are new and very promising prospects for using the EU’s fP7 programme for Research and Technological Development to further develop research and innovation efforts in Kazakhstan. And I am sure that EXPO 2017 in Astana, with its fo-cus on Energy for the future, will boost our cooperation, given the EU’s unmatched experience and expertise in the field of renewable energy and its attachment to the promotion of sustainable energy as a contribution to UN-led efforts on the Rio and Doha agendas.

Last but certainly not least, mo-dernity is about freedom – freedom to think, talk and exchange. In Eu-rope, we learnt the importance of this with Galileo. A free society, a free economy and free trade are the best foundations for sustained pros-perity and lasting stability, ensured by a broad consensus acquired through political dialogue and a vibrant civil society. Effective implementation of fundamental freedoms, and respect for the rule of law, are part and parcel of a modern democracy. They also ensure pros-perity, since economic actors value predictability and transparency, as

well as fair legal process. And we are all aware that freedom needs to be accompanied by social justice, as well as by the concern to avoid burdening future generations with ecological disasters. We know how much Kazakhstan’s authorities pay attention to these issues, and here again we stand ready to provide help and support.

Let me be clear here. We in Eu-rope do not set ourselves up as examples, since we may have our own shortcomings. We do, how-ever, have experience and exper-tise drawn, sometimes painfully, from our history and also from the transition made by some EU Member States in the 1990s. We have commitments, as members of the OSCE and parties to UN legal instruments which also apply to Kazakhstan, and all of us have to deliver accordingly. Cooperation with the EU can benefit its part-ners. In this regard, we appreciate Kazakhstan’s interest in getting closer to EU standards, and look forward to further progress.

The success of our relationship is a two-way process. In many fields, it is clear that we need each other. Thus, since much is at stake in EU–Kazakhstan cooperation, each of the two sides is determined to make its best efforts to pursue our win-win relationship. A few months ago, on her first official visit to Kazakhstan, EU High Rep-resentative Catherine Ashton had a clear message for all her interlocu-tors in Kazakhstan: Be assured that the EU will remain faithful to its commitments to Kazakhstan and to the rest of the world, to protect peace and democratic values for future generations.

The author is Ambassador of the European Union to Kazakhstan.

EU and Kazakhstan: Twenty Steps Towards Each Other,Twenty Years of Comprehensive and Vibrant Partnership

By Vladislav Kosarev

The Communist People’s Party’s faction in the Mazhilis of the Parlia-ment of Kazakhstan was not built from scratch: We have been involved in national politics for a long time. The party contests parliamentary seats and declares its positions on policies to the public at all levels.

We addressed the government and the executive office of the president and clearly presented our positions on all issues before the national elec-tions. Our programs are aimed at im-proving social welfare.

A three-party legislature is new for Kazakhstan. fortunately, in Par-liament, we do not feel any kind of neglect. Our contributions are weighed and considered. We do not hear reproaches or sneers from our colleagues in other political parties. We work as equals, but, of course, the number of seats we have does not give us the opportunity to carry out our policies. What is most important is that we know the voice of the Com-munist People’s Party is heard in Par-liament. It did not fade and we clearly declare our principles and positions.

The Communist People’s Party wants to achieve its goal of helping people get the housing they need. In September 2012, the government launched its Affordable Housing 2020 programme. This plan still has serious shortcomings and distortions, but it aims at responding to the re-quirements of the people.

The distortions and omissions in this programme are as follows: It has not taken into account that the em-ployer has to participate in solving the housing problems of his employees, to build a house and pass it on to the people in need on certain conditions. Houses, for example, could be pur-chased, leased or provided on propri-etary possession for merit at work.

The advantage of the three-party legislature is that it does not express the voice of only one party, but takes into consideration the views of all three. Our party raises questions of the most public concern.

The Communist People’s Party has recently protested the attempt to in-crease the retirement age for women from 58 years to 63 years. Our appeal was also reflected in the decision of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to unite all pension funds in a single fund under state administration.

We also discussed the necessity to help farmers and agricultural work-ers by maintaining existing farms.

That is an initiative of our faction and we are studying these issues very se-riously.

When our members of the Mazhi-lis of the Parliament raise issues, we study them at the level of govern-mental implementation, the views of other political parties and the way they are covered in the mass media. This was the way we approached the issue of food production and supply.

The work of our parliamentary faction closely intertwines with the work of the party’s central com-mittee. If issues are discussed at a plenary session, the same issues are considered in Parliament from the parliamentary perspective.

This work is conducted by primary party organizations, but as soon as the Parliament makes statements, the political activity begins. We insist that these movements be picked up in the lower party organisations at the regional committee, district com-mittees, and primary party bodies. Thus, to create united movement of Communist People’s Party deputies, we take a series of coordinated steps. And our party organisation gives pri-ority to working with the public.

Our party gives importance to improving the number of farms and the conditions under which they op-erate. We recognise the importance of the agricultural sector in provid-ing food for the general population and employment for the rural pop-ulation. Today, meat is expensive because of the shortage of fodder to feed livestock. We raise this and other issues in Parliament.

The Communist People’s Party is not losing its ideological direction at a time when the state has started to move towards the modernisation of the social sphere, the economy and culture under the new Kazakhstan 2050 national strategy. This practi-cally coincides with the ideological directions of our party. Our party, therefore, agrees with this national strategy and supports the government

in implementing it. We will continue the work together because it is right and because we have never ceased to be patriotic.

At the same time, the goal of our party is to enhance the role of ordinary citizens, and the rule of the people in the management of state affairs.

It is necessary to implement the national employment programme, which we have carefully studied. Our party is committed to improving the working conditions of the people and to achieving full employment. We consider that employment is the main factor in maintaining the wel-fare of society.

What does self-employed mean? It means people who do not par-ticipate in the production of gross domestic product, who do not keep records of their working contribu-tions and who have no right to use national health services. It is time to stop this disregard towards these people from the side of the state. Therefore, our party insists that all people should be employed.

Ordinary people should be in-volved not only in the working process. They should also be in-volved in the industrial innovative development of the state. The popu-lation needs to be directed by state programmes to help them learn to master new technologies, study sci-ence and raise the country so that the bourgeois forms of oppression do not prevail in Kazakhstan.

We also strive so that people can get a good salary and enjoy the necessary vital conditions for life, health protection, childcare and other social services.

We want to achieve all these goals as quickly as possible to ensure that the fruits of labour are the property of all the people.

The plans for the future develop-ment of Kazakhstan have great po-tential. This progress should serve all of society, but the people should participate in it fully and ensure that their voices are heard by those who have the means and the power.

We recognise that we have rela-tively little electoral support. Half a million people voted for us in the most recent parliamentary elections. We have the goal of winning 10 per-cent of the vote in district and region-al elections. We continue to make the case that bourgeois society does not show respect for all people and that it is inevitably characterised by ac-quisitiveness and corruption.

If the Communist People’s Party will be involved the representative bodies, we will effectively curb the negative effects that prevent the full development of our society.

The author is the leader of the Com-munist People’s Party of Kazakhstan.

fighting for the Rule of the People

Wednesday, 20 february 2013

А8The Astana Times

Nation & Eurasia

By Yulia Polonskaya

ASTANA – Many changes and upgrades are being planned for Kazakhstan’s National Space Pro-gramme. first, changes will be im-plemented in the multi-vector de-velopment of space infrastructure, including the creation of a space communication and KazSat broad-casting system, a system of remote earth sensing (RES), construction of an assemblage-test facility and the Baiterek space and rocket com-plex and Kazakhstan’s participation in the commercial use of the Dnepr rocket carrier, Chairman of Kazkos-mos Talgat Musabayev at the organ-isation’s board meeting revealed.

“KazSat-2 functions normally. All the satellite’s systems are sta-ble. Today, the system load is more than 56 percent. Rental services of

the satellite’s resources are granted to nine operators in Kazakhstan,” Musabayev noted in the progress report. “Currently, design and tech-nical work on KazSat-3 projects have been completed, including on the payload, solar devices and service systems of the satellite.”

In 2014, the space agency will be actively involved in the design and manufacture of commercial satellite KazSat-3 and commissioning a re-serve ground control communication complex near Almaty. There are also plans to test a remote sensing system, in particular to launch a RES space-craft of medium spatial resolution.

The launch of KazSat-3 is sched-uled for the first quarter of 2014, concurrent with the launch of the Russian space module Luch 5B from Baikonur Cosmodrome.

“Development of space infra-

structure on the basis of modern technical achievements is the future of the most knowledge-intensive industry of the national economy,”

Musabayev said at the meeting.As for strategic direction, the

agency is involved in developing scientific and technological bases,

forming the system of environ-mental regulation of space activi-ties, international cooperation and developing human resources.

The head of Kazkosmos also added that “at present they are con-sidering options for the use of the Zenit rocket (as part of the Baiterek complex). That leaves the question of Kazakhstan’s participation in commercial use of the Dnepr car-rier rocket.

“I would like once again to offi-cially confirm our unconditional com-mitment to the agreements signed by the leaders of Russia and Kazakhstan in 2004 to extend the term of the lease of Baikonur Cosmodrome up to 2050,” Deputy Prime Minister Kairat Kelimbetov said, summing up discussions on the future of the do-mestic space industry.

“All possible problems are dis-

cussed within the framework of the intergovernmental commission, which we head jointly with Igor Shuvalov,” Kelimbetov said. “Ne-gotiations are also held at the level of the space agencies of the two coun-tries. Thus, they were instructed to prepare agreements on the joint use of Baikonur, the development of its scientific and technological capaci-ty and on the training and participa-tion of Kazakhstan’s specialists in launch services. All disputed issues can be solved through constructive negotiations, in particular the issue of reducing rocket launches with highly toxic fuels that are harmful for the environment in Kazakhstan. According to the agreement, the Russian side pledged to help reduce the launch of Proton carrier rockets, which adversely affect the environ-ment. for my part, I would like to say that our main task is to protect and defend the national interests of Kazakhstan with respect to the in-terests of our strategic partner.”

Kazakhstan Broadens Scope of Space Programme

During their recent meeting, Presidents Nazarbayev and Putin agreed to continue the joint space programmes’ development.

BThe Astana Times

Wednesday, 20 february 2013

Nation & CapitalGenerations of Handicraft Masters Preserve National traditions

Page B2

Curling Comes to the Capital

Page B8

Hollywood’s Russell to Make Kazakh-Russian Comedy Thriller

Page B3

National Theatre of Opera & Ballet named after Kulyash Baiseitova

March 2 at 17.00 “Othello” (opera in 2 acts)March 4 at 19.00 Concert of three bass singersMarch 6 at 19.00 “La Bayadère” (ballet in 3 acts)

Russian Drama Theatre named after Maxim Gorky

March 1 at 18.30 Opening night of comedy “Toth, a major and other people” by István ÖrkényMarch 3 at 18.00 Comedy “There are no strangers here” by “The Government Inspector” of Nikolay Gogol

Kazakh Music and Drama Theatre named after Kairat Kuanyshbayev

February 26 at 18.30 Drama “Ak keme” (the white boat) by Chyngyz Aitmatov February 27 at 18.30 Drama “Kenesarykhan and Kunimzhan” by Duman Ramazan

The Museum of contemporary art to March 14 Exhibition of museum collections “Portrait, landscape and still life”

The Central Concert Hall KazakhstanFebruary 28 at 19.30 qualifying festival of KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive)March 1 at 19.00 the concert of People’s Artist of Russia and Georgia Tamara Gverdtsiteli

Things to Watch february - March

By Anel Adilbayeva

ASTANA – fashion week has returned to Kazakhstan, prompting fashionistas in the country to scope out what’s happening in design both within the country and abroad.

The development of the fashion industry is considered to be one of the most topical issues in the social and contemporary life of the coun-try. Kazakhstan is changing and so are its people. Young people across Kazakhstan want to stand out from the pack; they sport the latest trends from London, Paris, Tokyo and New York. Increased opportuni-ties to travel and to study and live abroad have opened new horizons for the people. Globalisation is fueling the trend to show off a glo-bal style. And Kazakhstan’s fashion industry is evolving. The growing number of fashion events, designers and stores demonstrate that fashion in Kazakhstan has grown beyond the beginners’ stage and is ready to make a bigger splash in the world of couture.

So far, Kazakhstan has only been represented at Paris fash-ion Week once, by the break-all-boundaries designer Kenzhe

Devyatko (Kenje), who in 2008 used the international opportunity to show bold nomadic haute–cou-ture. Since then, Kazakhstan’s de-signers have not made it to Paris. At home, however, amidst the growing competition, diversity of trends and availability of materi-als, as well as the changing men-tality of the nation, a number of new and promising designers have appeared among the existing titans of Kazakhstan’s fashion.

Continued on Page B4

Kazakhstan’s fashion: Young, Unique and DiverseBy Askar Beisenbayev

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s na-tional tennis team achieved a significant victory on their home court in the first round of the latest Davis Cup World Group competi-tion. In the wake of that achieve-ment, Kazakhstan Tennis federa-tion President Bulat Utemuratov recently spoke with The Astana Times about the success and fu-ture of Kazakhstan’s elite tennis players.

In the first round of the Davis Cup this year, our rivals were the Austri-an team, a tough nut indeed. Many Kazakh fans, it must be admitted, did not expect the 3-1 victory over the masters standing much higher in world rankings.

Actually it was a win over rank-ings! Andrey Golubev, number 187, defeated Andreas A. Haider-Maurer, who is 80 places above him in the world rankings.

Continued on Page B7

National Tennis federation Wants to Groom future Grand Slam Winners

Astana on Ice: City Offers Winter fun

By Miras Abykov

ASTANA – Winter in Astana has its charms: fresh cold air, sun and deep blue skies, all of which call residents and visitors outdoors despite the cold. Now the capital is adding ice skating to its list of winter charms. New ice rinks and

entertainment venues are be-ing constructed all over the city. Astana doesn’t have much for ski-ers, so ice rinks don’t have much competition in drawing winter sports enthusiasts. The rinks will function from December 12 until the end of April, when the sun is finally strong enough to melt the ice.

Astana offers both in-door and outdoor skating. Indoor rinks are located in big malls and entertainment centres, where in addition to skating visitors can en-joy a cup of coffee, tea and desserts.

Outdoor rinks are open only during the winter months and are construct-ed on the frozen Yessil and Akbulak rivers. There is also a skating rink in the centre of the old city, next to Cine Tempore Mall.

Locals love the out-door rinks. The prices

are reasonable and the wind does not allow you to stand still. You’ll have to skate to keep warm, no matter what your skill level. Photos with the ice sculp-tures around the rinks are must-have winter holiday souvenirs from Astana.

Astana has a total of five skating rinks: in the Central Park, next to

Duman Aquarium, on the Akbulak River, in Zheruyik Park and on the Yessil River opposite Samal Micro-district.

for the convenience of visitors, it is possible to rent skates next to the rinks. Visitors can also enjoy warm dressing rooms, buffets with hot tea and music and a skate-sharpening service for serious skaters. Skate rentals are 500 tenge (about $3.30) per pair per hour. Nearby snowmo-bile riding costs 1,000 tenge ($6.60) per lap.

“Many people are willing to go skating. We have in total 200 skates for hockey and for figure skating. We also have snowmo-biles and skis. We have so many visitors, sometimes we run out. To date we expect to work prior to the beginning of March,” Zhaz-ilbek Kanseitov, administrator of the ice rink on the Yessil River, says.

Continued on Page B8

Kazakhstan's National Tennis Team demonstrates good results and strong team spirit.

Kazakhstan’s boxer Gennady Golovkin has been selected as the January Boxer of the Month by the ratings committee of the World Boxing Association.

By Azat Abyroi

ASTANA – Tarik Volkan Oskay, director general of Sembol Invest-ment and Development came to Kazakhstan for the first time at the end of 1996 to meet the family of his then girlfriend, now wife. After that, a job opportunity came up, and in June 2005 he arrived to work for Rixos President Hotel. Since then, he has been working and living in Astana.

The Astana Times talked to Mr Volkan to find out his opinion on

his second motherland and discuss how expats perceive Kazakhstan and its future.

Did you notice any changes here since you first arrived?

I note real changes happening in social life and in commerce. This doesn’t only apply to places like Almaty or Astana. I say this as a person who knows the regions well from first-hand experience. With my job, I periodically visit rural ar-eas. I have travelled before as well, with my wife’s father, just out of

curiosity. Because of that, I know there are serious changes in the re-gions apart from Astana, Almaty, Aktau, and Atyrau.

Kazakhstan has this sort of ad-vantage with approximately 16-17 million people: the processes that happen at the top level always have an impact on the ground very quickly. In my country, that isn’t the case, things usually take time. I think this can be seen from the out-side as well.

What about negative changes?Of course, there are going to be

imperfections, they will never end. As long as people live they will always have flaws. Firstly, I think people have to think about employ-ment in a different way, because Kazakhstan doesn’t only need oil-men and miners and financiers. A country needs everything. So if people change their mindset to ac-cept that, and not just seek riches quickly. You have to look at the situation differently to see what the country needs and realise that peo-ple are required in every sphere.

Continued on Page B2

Turkish Expat Sees Astana as Depiction of Country’s future

People of all ages enjoy Astana’s skating rinks.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013The Astana TimesB2

People

By Aset Kalymov

ALMATY REGION – Battle swords, jars for koumiss (the tra-ditional mare’s milk drink) and jewelry boxes are all made from natural materials at Akshi village, Enbekshikazakh district, where generations of craftsmen have honed their skills.

Graphic designer Daulet Shokparov, who creates unique pieces of traditional Kazakh art, comes from a long line of crafts-men. His great-grandfather, grand-father and father worked with metal, leather and wood, and he has inherited their gift.(He first showed an interest in this kind of work at age seven) Now, the work of these generations of craftsmen

is being displayed and preserved in the Darkembay Shokparuly Ethno-graphic Museum. This complicated work requires creativity as well as a jeweler’s precision and patience.

“Hasty people cannot ‘take root’ in our art,” Shokparov says. “They come and go almost immediate-ly, unable to maintain a serious rhythm. It all depends on your inner tranquility. After all, while you’re working, you are surrounded by a lot of sharp objects and tools. Safety in our practice is a priority, along with quality of work. It starts with the love of the profession. Pa-tience and meticulousness together open the secrets of our art.”

Shokparov knows what he’s talking about. He was disciplined at his father’s knee. Darkembay

Shokparuly, a member of the Un-ion of Soviet Artists and Designers of the USSR, was known across the country as a scientist-ethnog-rapher.

Darkembay Shokparuly, who hated idleness, fostered in his chil-dren a love for work. A Renaissance man, he stamped metal, carved wood sculptures and painted in oil. He was chief artist-restorer at the Kazrestavratsiya National Muse-um of Applied Arts and head of the department of metal and wood arts at the Zhurgenov National Acad-emy of Arts.

The results of his years-long scientific research are more than 200 scientific articles on folk arts. He himself created unique ob-jects, while also collecting vintage

household items, musical instru-ments, weapons and armour. In his native village he organised a school-workshop, Asyl (“precious” in Kazakh), where he taught young people ancient folk crafts and tra-ditions.

Now his son, Daulet Shokparov, director of the Darkembay Shok-paruly Ethnographic Museum, is passing the torch. The museum opened in July 2010 in his fa-ther’s house as part of the state cultural heritage programme. Dau-let Shokparov has donated all the items his father collected. There

are six exhibition halls in the mu-seum, which is a temple of history. Here, young scientists can trace the origin and development of Kazakh arts and crafts. Now Shokparov teaches his sons and assistants the nuances of Kazakh art.

Studying the works of old mas-ters, the artists from Akshi village have resurrected the manufacturing technology of leather housewares. They have become highly sought-after masters. Their bracelets are very popular among women, and men have snapped up horse har-nesses and saddles.

The beautiful museum, built in the oriental architectural style and blended splendidly with the surrounding majestic peaks of Alatau attracts the attention of travelers on the Ghuljin route. Akshi village is located on the ancient Silk Road. The old crafts revival and the artisans’ works of art are becoming the region’s calling card. focused museums like this one could become mag-nets for tourism, attracting lovers of antiques and instilling in local people a sense of pride in their country.

Generations of Handicraft Masters Preserve National Traditions

Turkish Expat Sees Astana as Depiction of Country’s future

from Page B1

In the work that I do, hospital-ity, a lot of things can happen. I am a person who believes that Kaza-khstan has many more wonderful opportunities that are not related to oil and raw materials. There is a huge potential in tourism.

Not many people may believe me but in my country, we didn’t have a tourism industry 25 years ago. Now we can talk about ap-proximately 30 billion dollars. And this is a country that’s four times smaller than Kazakhstan. Toursim isn’t only the sea, sand and sun. In Kazakhstan, there is a serious cul-ture of hunting tourism.

It can also use the relationship with its Turkic neighbours. We have, for example, the Mevlana museum, a visit to which is said to be equal to a mini hajj. You could say the same thing here with Khodzha Akhmet Yassawi mau-soleum. These are still not active but closed destinations that can be expanded, or say, be made more at-tractive, preserved. Hotels on route and related services could be devel-oped. Not only that but this list also includes the cradle of Turkic civi-lization, the Altai mountains, and I could list many more attractions.

And there are things being done already, and I try to keep up with them. You have to look at it through that perspective. Let’s not call it negatives, but with efforts things can improve. And you can’t change the image of Kazakhstan to what it wants to be by just selling oil or mineral resources. You have to do these kinds of things so that the image of the country is seen from different perspectives, and a major part of this perception is shaped through tourism.

Is there any advice or comments to our readers?

Actually, I can give quite a lot of recommendations regarding Kazakhstan. I’ll speak from my experience: this is a very positive country, at least that’s how I feel about it. Maybe not everybody does this, but when I travel abroad I try to sense the air, the water and the people of a place their open-ness to you. In those terms Astana

can be perceived as perhaps the most competitive city. However, I live here and know it. There is still a very positive atmosphere and I hope it never ends, because it is something unique. You cannot find this in any other place in the world. This is a cultural, histori-cal moment. foreigners don’t usu-ally stay here for long, or at least, people like me who stay for 8-10 years, as they say, are a rare exam-ple. I hope they really get into the taste of things and when they re-turn, they can enjoy the memories of the time spent here.

This is the modern world and one can travel a few hundred years within 100-200 kilometers. Be-cause there aren’t many people, a lot of things seem to be just hang-ing in the air. Especially if you go to the south you can feel it. 50-100 kilometers from where people live, you can feel a different environ-ment and I think they have to enjoy it. I would recommend it at least.

Other than that, there is some-thing I notice all the time: Kazakh culture has stayed very raw, basic and not far from its roots. They have to live this, because in a lot of countries in the world there isn’t a dialogue between a people and their forefathers. There is, for ex-ample, the beshparmak ceremony and I am sure that a thousand years earlier it was the same. Maybe they didn’t use porcelain dishes but in some way the Kazakhs are incred-ibly bound to traditions. And even in Turkey, which considers itself very cultural country, you can’t live the culture this close. I just think foreigners have to entrust themselves to Kazakh friends and

that will be enough. I am sure this is something they can see and feel in every family and home here.

Some people can say it’s cold here. Well, it’s cold in Canada, but you cannot find in Canada what you can find here. I’m talking about hu-man connections, and you have to relish it. I think there are few things better than having a Kazakh friend. I’m not saying that because I live here and want to make somebody like me, it is really like that. I have been to other places, lived in other countries but here I do not feel like an alien. I am not made to feel like a foreigner. My friends who sur-round me simply do not let me feel it. To be abroad and to feel at home, for me this is one of the few coun-tries in the world. Maybe a German or an Italian may not feel this way. I can recommend making friends among Kazakh, and I am sure they will arrange for everything. They provide me this comfort and ease, and I therefore I feel happy here.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I think Kazakhstan, Astana es-pecially, being one of the youngest capitals in the world, must be one of the most creative as well. And its work to attract and inform for-eigners carries great importance. At the Rixos President Hotel, the first place where I worked here, we tried to support these types of works. It is the message that the country wants to convey, it is what the capital wants to say. And it is important because you have a great guide in Nursultan Nazarbayev with a great vision stretching into the future. When I first came to Astana in 1999, I couldn’t compre-hend it. “Why?” I asked myself, “why” was the capital moved here? I thought about it for a long time but now I understand. If you want to give a message to the world, you had to do this type of thing. And it’s being done. So really, it must be appreciated.

Whenever I show my friends who haven’t been to Astana photos of the city they are amazed, asking “Is it really like this?” They then go online, and I bring them more books. They are surprised and want to visit.

Kazakh traditional jewelry made from natural materials fascinates by its beauty.

Tarik Volkan Oskay

Generations of craftsmen in the Shokparov family have honed their skills.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013 The Astana TimesB3

Culture

By Maral Zhantaykyzy

ASTANA – famous Hollywood director Chuck Russell who made the hugely popular films “The Mask,” “Eraser” and “The Scor-pion King” will make the joint Kazakh-Russian film “Politsioner” (a tongue-in-cheek mix of “Police-man” and “Militsioner” (Militia men in Russia).

The film will be a comedy thrill-er with a $10 million budget, pro-duced with the financial support of the World Cinema fund. Its pro-ducers are Pierre Spengler, who made the first three and most suc-cessful “Superman” movies, Yegor Konchalovsky, Alexandra Lee and Ernar Kurmashov.

The film tells the story of two

police officers, Harper and Ivan, who live on the opposite sides of the world. But fate and duty bring them together to fight the Rus-sian mafia. Ivan goes undercover in the Russian mafia gang that controls the illegal pharmaceuti-cal business in the United States. The group plans to contaminate Harper’s hometown with a deadly virus.

The movie will be filmed in the United States, Kazakhstan and Russia. Russell has proposed Ste-ve Guttenberg, the star of “Police Academy,” for the role of Harper. Now he is looking for a Russian actor to play Ivan.

Russell is also making another Kazakh-American film called “Arabian Nights.” It is a new ad-

aptation of the famous book “A Thousand and One Nights.”

The Kazakhfilm studio is pro-ducing the film in partnership with Inferno, a leading Hollywood film company. Among its other produc-tions, Inferno has made “Hachiko” (2009) and “Professionals” (2011). The film District Company ac-quired the U.S. rights to present the film at the Cannes Film Festival.

“Arabian Nights” tells the story of a young commander, played by Liam Hemsworth of “The Hun-ger Games.”After the death of a king, he joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and the genie of Aladdin’s lamp to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers. Anthony Hopkins will play the vil-lain Pharotu, who killed the king.

“Arabian Nights” has a budget of $70 million and most of it is filmed in Kazakhstan. The country was chosen primarily because of its desert regions, where most of the action will take place. Sets in-clude a full-scale medieval city 120 miles from Almaty that was built a few years ago for Russian director Sergey Bodrov’s “Nomad.” Other locations include the sandy hills and gullies at the Altyn Emel Na-tional Park near Almaty.

“When I saw such a huge variety of nationalities and traditions exist-ing in one country, I realized that anything is possible. Even on my first day here in Kazakhstan, I met a troupe of actors performing some incredible tricks while riding hors-es. It amazed me!” Russell said.

“Ancient traditions are still alive in Kazakhstan,” the American di-rector said. “They coexist with the making of a contemporary movie.”

“In my opinion, it is very worth-while to produce movies in Kaza-khstan, thanks to your spectacular scenery, hospitable people and rich cultural traditions of music and dance which I want to show to my Western colleagues. Kazakhstan has everything,” he said.

Russell first visited Kazakhstan in 2011, when he took part in the Eurasia festival. He was awarded the main film festival award for his contribution to world cinema.

“More than a decade ago I made ‘The Mask.’ Now I want to make a film that is understood all over the world. The manuscript of ‘A Thou-sand and One Nights’ which is the basis for this film was found in the ninth century and represents a col-lection of myths and legends of North Africa, the Middle East and

China. My grandmother read me those stories when I was a child,” Russell told reporters in Almaty after signing a co-operation agree-ment with Kazakhfilm.

On his visit, Russell also held casting auditions with Kazakhstan actors.

“for a director, nothing is more pleasant than to discover new tal-ents,” he said. “What is happening now in Kazakhstan, China and India demonstrates the rapid growth of young cinema and their rise to world standards. The Kazakhstan cinema today is like Hollywood studios in the 1950s and 1960s, when they were discovering new faces and sup-porting young, novice directors.”

Kazakhstan’s President Nursul-tan Nazarbayev has made support-ing the national filmmaking in-dustry a priority goal. His backing over the past two years has sparked

a major investment programme in Kazakhstan film-making and has helped to revive the domestic film industry.

“The domestic film industry of Kazakhstan has the capacity to make 100 films a year including 20 films of the high standard required for movie theatre distribution,” the president said when he issued the annual presidential and state grants for literature and art at his Almaty residence in January.“Hundreds of movies can be produced, but we need those to be of high quality.”

“We know that the quality of our movies has been confirmed by audiences in 48 countries. The importance of cinema in the edu-cation of patriotism is very great,” the president said. “We will contin-ue to support Kazakhfilm and we will look critically at the quality of the product.”

By Manshuk Bekentayeva

ASTANA – The rich culture of Kazakhstan has gone on display in one of Europe’s most ancient and fabled cities.

A new exhibition called “Ka-zakhstan – the Heart of Eurasia” opened in the Charles University in Prague on feb. 7. It will remain on display until March 17.

The exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between Ka-zakhstan and the Czech Republic. Kazakhstan’s embassy in Prague organized the show. It worked in cooperation with the geographical department of the faculty of Sci-ence at Charles University.

The opening ceremony was at-tended by diplomats, representa-tives of leading Czech universities and media, and by Kazakh students studying in Prague. The audience was introduced to the natural riches,

ecology, history, culture and life-style of the Kazakh people, to the accompaniment of national musical instruments played by virtuosos.

The exhibition included a show of works by the famous Kazakh

artist Leyla Makhat, an honorary member of the Prague Academy of fine Arts.

“I am very pleased that Kaza-khstan is presenting interesting cultural projects in Europe, and all over the world,” Makhat told The Astana Times. “Naturally, I am very pleased to see such a positive reac-tion from art lovers in the Czech Republic. This interest towards the art of Kazakhstan demonstrates the intensive development of creative processes in our country which is attracting the attention of the world community.”

“The works presented at this show are dedicated to the ancient art of our nation,” Makhat said. “The study of the folk art of our ancestors was always of special interest to me and ancient petro-glyphs occupied a special place in my work.”

“It seems to me that the ancient symbols of our culture are an in-exhaustible source of inspiration for different generations of Ka-zakh artists,” she continued. “I am privileged to be able to exhibit my works on the walls of one of the oldest universities of Europe. Charles University in the beautiful city of Prague is a unique platform to showcase the achievements of Kazakhstan.”

The exhibition follows a rise in interest in the Czech Republic in the culture of Kazakhstan in re-cent years. Orchestras and leading musicians from the country regu-larly perform in the concert halls of Prague. And bilateral relations generally have grown over the past several years, including through a visit to Prague by President Nur-sultan Nazarbayev in October 2012 when agreements worth 155 million euros were signed.

By Anel Adilbayeva

ASTANA – For the first time, se-lected artwork from the Caucasus to Kazakhstan will be displayed at Sotheby’s in London in a selling exhibition called “At the Cross-roads,” open from March 4-12.

According to its description, the exhibition will bring together 50 pieces by artists from post-Soviet republics including Armenia, Az-erbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uz-bekistan.

Organisers intend to introduce the diverse styles of the region, “socialist-realist to non-conform-ist, right through to the forefront of emerging contemporary, aris-ing from the unique encounter of ancient historical heritages with evolving modern day tech-niques.”

The exhibition is being organised with the participation of the Rys-bek Akhmetov Gallery in Almaty, which has provided paintings by Salikhitdin Aitbayev (“Virgin Soil. At lunch,” 1960) and Bakhtiyar Tabiyev (“Village at the Caspian Sea,” 1985).

In Soviet days, Aitbayev’s work was criticised. He was accused of copying the “bourgeois” style of Picasso, which contrasted with the ideal of Soviet art. Aitbayev had to

make changes to his work. Now, his work is included in the per-manent exhibition at the Kasteyev Museum in Almaty and is recog-nised as classic Kazakhstan art.

“Village at the Caspian Sea” de-picts traditional life and spiritual values and reveals the ties binding nature and humans, which have become the artist’s calling card. Permission to ship these paintings abroad was given by the artists’ relatives, as both artists are de-ceased. Elmira Akhmetova, direc-tor of the Akmetov Gallery and daughter of Rysbek Akhmetov himself, is in charge of preparing

the exhibition. Previously, Kaza-khstan’s art was shown by another London-based auction house, Christie’s, which displayed sculp-tures by Rysbek Akhmetov and lithography by Evgenii Sidorkin. Rysbek Akhmetov was one of the first sculptors to create genuine interest regarding Kazakhstan’s heritage in contemporary archi-tecture. Akhmetov’s works carry a diversity of feelings, mood and rhythms, reinterpreting traditions of Kazakh art.

Critics praised that event as a new page in the history of the re-gion’s art, which has revealed new names for the international market. for the Kazakhstan artists, who had never been shown at an exhibit on this scale, the Christie’s show was a breakthrough, since Chris-tie’s curators rarely select artists who don’t have a successful histo-ry in auction sales. Participation in the Sotheby’s exhibition is another major step for the Kazakhstan art-ists.

Sotheby’s is a multinational cor-poration, which was established in London in March, 1744 and cur-rently is U.S. owned. Sotheby’s is the second largest auctioneer of fine and decorative art, jewelry and collectibles, and the world’s fourth oldest auction house, with 90 loca-tions in 40 countries.

Hollywood’s Russell to Make Kazakh-Russian Comedy Thriller

Kazakhstan’s Culture on Display in Prague

Sotheby’s to Display Works of Kazakh Painters

Guests of the exhibition enjoyed the event.

Diplomats, representatives of Czech universities and media were invited to the event to share the rich culture of Kazakhstan.

Hollywood director signed a contract with KazakhFilm to shoot “Arabian Nights” in Kazakhstan .

In 2001, Russell first visited Astana to take part in the Eurasian Film Festival.

One of the masterpieces to be presented at Sotheby’s is a painting titled “Virgin Soil. At lunch,” 1960, by Salikhitdin Aitbayev.

Critics praised that event as a new page in the history of the region’s art, which has revealed new names for the international market... Participation in the Sotheby’s exhibition is another major step for the Kazakhstan artists.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013The Astana TimesB4

Country

By Marina Parkhomenko

ASTANA – There are now more people living in Kazakhstan than in the past few years, and they live longer and have healthier lives than before, Minister of Healthcare Salidat Kairbekova said at a recent board meeting of her ministry.

According to Minister Kairbe-kova, the population increased by four percent compared to 2011, while life expectancy has grown by five months, from 69.01 years in 2011 to 69.6 in 2012.

Presenting the performance re-port on the second year of the state programme Salamatty Kazakhstan (Healthy Kazakhstan) 2011-15, Kairbekova added that work con-ducted in the area of mother and child protection resulted in a 23 percent decrease in maternal mor-tality and a nine percent decrease in infant mortality. Women and chil-dren are regularly given preventive examinations, screenings and im-munization. In 2011, Kazakhstan launched a vaccination programme

for children against pneumococcal infection.

Developments in neonatal sur-gery facilitated an increase in the malformations detection rate and timely surgical intervention. Post-surgery survival is up to 87 per-cent. Since 2010, the guaranteed volume of free medical care in-cludes in-vitro fertilization, which increased by six times more cycles in this year.

Mortality of cardiovascu-lar diseases was reduced by 20 percent; of cancer pathology by three percent; accidents, poison-ing and injuries by 5.3 percent. In compliance with international standards, 20 stroke centres were opened in the regions, with an-other 28 to be opened before the end of 2013 to fully meet the needs of citizens. Kairbekova reported active development in transplantation in 2012. More than 90 transplants (kidney, bone marrow, heart, pancreas and oth-ers) were provided to adults and children. The most significant

transplant event in 2012 was a heart transplantation.

Health screening, part of the national healthcare programme, reached approximately 6.9 mil-lion people. More than one mil-lion were diagnosed with diseases, and 600,000 were cured. Related to healthcare improvement is the ongoing development of transport medicine and sanitary aviation.

Chair of the Mazhilis Committee for Socio-Cultural Development Dariga Nazarbayeva brought atten-tion to shortcomings in the screen-ing programme, specifically in the formation of a single information system, emergency care as well as to issues with understaffing.

Deputy Prime Minister Erbol Orynbaev, who attended the meet-ing, outlined the 2013 healthcare focus, namely the development of the emergency care, per capita funding in primary care, stream-lining the system of specialised care provision and improving staff training. As part of efforts to improve staff training, a new

medical school will be opened at Nazarbayev University in 2014-2015, which is to become a bench-mark for other schools of medicine in the country.

“The president has called for the National Oncology Research Cen-tre to open in Astana,” Orynbayev reminded participants. “It should be possible to start construction work in the second half of the year on the designated land site. We are also in need of inter-regional can-cer centres.”

The vice prime minister also cit-ed the president, saying “the meas-ures taken by the state would be a thousand times more effective if healthcare was each family’s con-cern.”

“In this respect a number of tools are being developed to ensure joint responsibility of the state, the citi-zen and the employer for the health of every citizen and the society at large, including through targeted social assistance on the basis of the Employment 2010 state pro-gramme,” Orynbayev added.

Life Expectancy Grows, Mother and Child Mortality Decreases

By Ravil Chardabayev

Oil and politics go hand in hand. Most significant events in world politics from the second half of 20th to the beginning of the 21st centu-ries – coups, military conflicts and financial crises – have been in some way connected to oil.

Oil also plays a central role in Kazakhstan, with its location in the Caspian region and its important im-pact on ensuring energy security at the regional and global level.

Kazakhstan’s foreign policy from its first years of independence have proven successful and have allowed Kazakhstan to maintain the status quo in the region, where the interests of many world political forces over-lap and sometimes clash, and also to conduct an effective and multidirec-tional economic policy, particularly in our energy export and investment policy. All these aspects are consid-ered in the book “Kazakhstan Oil: A Century-Long History.”

I began to study the chronicles of the oil industry many years ago. I have always been interested in the history of oil, especially in a global context. The outcome of this research was the book “Oil: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” published in 2009, on the eve of the 110th anniversary of the discovery of oil in Kaza-khstan. This is a very important part of our history, and I believe the book to be interesting to a wide range of readers, from students of technical colleges to oil experts, workers and executives of the oil and gas indus-try, journalists, politicians, analysts and historians. In addition, the book was also released in an English edi-tion, which significantly expands its audience, and soon it will be avail-able in electronic format.

To write the book I engaged firsthand with the technology of ex-ploration and production of hydro-carbons; I know the history of the de-posits’ development from the inside. Each is unique in its geological and geophysical parameters, not only for our country but also globally.

Take, for example, the Tengiz field. It can be called the quintes-sence of the heroic work of several generations of Kazakh oil workers, who knew the troubles of war, fam-ine and persecution, who overcame the difficulties of the transition period in the early 1990s and who achieved the highest level of professionalism in the oil industry, now recognised worldwide. They are true patriots of their professions, these engineers, geologists, geophysicists, drillers, oil producers and ordinary workers

in the oil fields. I was fortunate to be able to work side by side with many of them. And, of course, my experi-ence in industry, science and man-agement as well as my memories of working days in the fields helped me very much in writing the book.

Today, the oil and gas industry of our country is, of course, on the rise. During its years of independ-ence, Kazakhstan has managed to increase production of oil and gas enormously. Last year the country produced 80 million tons of crude oil and 40 billion cubic metres of natural gas. The state plans in the next 5-10 years to increase oil pro-duction up to 100 million tons, gas to 60 billion cubic metres a year. I think this is a realistic forecast, provided that the current produc-tion growth is maintained.

Kazakhstan has made consider-able progress in exporting hydro-carbons. Of course, there are still unresolved issues. Some of the most important are increasing the internal volumes of oil and gas, up-grading our refineries and develop-ing the petrochemical industry.

The oil and gas sector of Ka-zakhstan has enormous potential. Despite all the financial and politi-cal crises in the world, demand for hydrocarbons continues to grow. Oil and gas for many years will remain the main source of energy on Earth, and significant amounts of hydrocar-bon reserves and production growth will provide our country with leader-ship positions among the largest oil producers in the world.

In addition, Kazakhstan is gradu-ally moving toward economic di-versification and the use of alter-native energy sources. It should be noted that Kazakhstan has great potential for the development of wind, hydro- and solar energy. But in speaking about the future of the oil and gas and energy sector of Ka-zakhstan, we cannot forget the past and what we had to go through in order to achieve the economic re-sults recognized around the world.

It took 80 years to make our way from the first oil fountain in Kara-shungul in 1899 to the discovery of Tengiz, one of the world’s largest oil fields, and another 20 years to reach offshore and open the super-giant Kashagan deposit. This century-long road was an eventful period in the history of the domestic oil and gas industry, full of bright pages, victories and discoveries.

Ravil Chardabayev is the author of the book, “Kazakhstan Oil: A Century-Long History.”

Book Explores Kazakhstan’s Oil and Gas Industry History

By Nurlan Kaimoldayev

The Soros foundation Kaza-khstan recently presented in Al-maty a study on the problem of mass youth migration trying to draw additional attention to the problems remaining in this area.

In its study, the Soros founda-tion Kazakhstan said: “In Almaty, every year the number of young migrants increases and this real-ity should not be ignored. Their problems should be resolved on the spot, rather than hoping to send them back to the villages. Instead, the development of programmes aimed at addressing the problems of registration, professional educa-tion and job creation will be more effective.”

As a result of its study, the foun-dation made the recommendations which are primarily addressed at the local agencies in Almaty. A number of recommendations are addressed to the Government, the National Bank, civil society and international organizations.

On one hand, internal migra-tion occurs regularly in societies as they urbanise, and urbanisation is considered by scientists and public opinion in general to be an objective of the development of a modern society and a result of the ambition of people to live more comfortably. Migration has posi-tive effects not only on increasing the population, but also on qualita-tive characteristics of the region.

In Kazakhstan, every year about 300,000 citizens are actively mi-grating domestically. Of these, more than half are young people who want to go to university or find a job with high salary. The concen-tration of universities in Astana

and Almaty cities, a large volume of domestic and foreign invest-ments, greater economic opportu-nities and wide choice of employ-ment cause a large influx of young people in these cities. for example, the population of Astana has more than doubled since 1997.

According to the Statistics Agen-cy of Kazakhstan, Almaty and As-tana cities and the Almaty, Atyrau and Mangystau regions have been the most attractive areas of internal migration in the last decade.

On the other hand, there are neg-ative sides to internal migration. The youth leave areas unfavoura-ble to life. This creates shortages of

professional staff and a decline in agriculture; the regions lose their economic value. Internal migra-tion is a complex indicator of the economic and social situation of a particular region. After moving, migrants are faced with difficulties in their new cities. An absence of official registration complicates access to some social services.

To support and create favourable conditions for rural youth, the gov-ernment developed the Aul Zhas-tary (Rural Youth) Nationwide Ini-tiatives Plan for 2009-2011, which provided for regional studies to de-termine the real problems of rural youth.

The state programme ”With Di-ploma to Village” was created to effectively promote the influx of human resources to rural areas, create conditions to overcome staff shortages in the social sector and improve living standards. The pro-gramme provides social support to young specialists who come to work and live in rural areas, in particular providing soft loans for housing and 25 percent increases in salary and installation allow-ances. From 2009 this programme spent 16 billion tenge for 24,000 young professionals: 75 percent of them are working in education, 20 percent in health care and the re-maining five percent in culture, so-cial protection and sport. for 2012-2014, the state budget provides 21.6 billion tenge to attract more than 16,000 young professionals.

The Youth Practice” directive has been successfully implemented within Employment Programme 2020. It aims at creating conditions for young people to gain their first experiences in their careers, pro-moting employment and competi-

tiveness in the labor market. Youth Practice is conducted at any enter-prise, institution and organisation regardless of its ownership. The government pays the salaries of participants for up to six months.

To provide housing for young families, the government plans to build 1.2 million square metres of affordable housing through 2020.

The total amount of funding for the national projects Aul Zhastary, With Diploma to Village, Youth Practice and Zhasyl El (Green Country) is 37.7 billion tenge.

The youth wing of the Nur Otan People’s Democratic Party, Zhas Otan, tries to attract young people to socially and economically sig-nificant issues. The “Prosperity of Village–Prosperity of Kazakhstan” initiative brought together more than 700,000 young Kazakhsta-nis, who planted 640,000 saplings, cleared lakes, rivers and water-courses and scraped 450 tons of trash. Zhas Otan developed the new strategy “Zhastar – Otanga” (Young People to the Homeland), which identifies 11 directions for support and involvement of young people to achieve the objectives of industrial innovation development and increasing stability and secu-rity in the country.

According to the Statistics Agen-cy of Kazakhstan, the level of mi-gration from rural to urban areas in 2012 compared with 2011 declined by 4.5 thousand people. Agency Chairman Alikhan Smailov colli-gates these indicators with the so-cial policy of state. “I attribute this to the improvement of the socio-economic situation in the country and the government’s social policy implemented in rural areas,” he said.

NGOs, Government Tackle Problems Related to Youth Migration

Seven children were able to get expensive treatment abroad thanks to Alexandre Vinokurov, who put up his champion’s bike for a charity auction, and raised money amount-ing to 230,000 dollars donated to seriously ill children.

Among those being helped there are children suffering from congen-ital heart desease, infantile cerebral paralysis, coarse nodular cirrho-sis, chronic kidney disease, crurae ectomelia. The average price of every operation costs 32,000 dol-lars. Parents of ill children were not able to raise the required funds for the treatment. The organisers of this charity project have conducted negotiations with medical experts from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. financial payment has been trans-ferred directly to clinics (hospitals), where children are being treated. Half of them have been operated successfully and undergoing reha-bilitation courses, others are wait-ing for donors.

Milen Mezenzeva, from Almaty region will be three years old in April. Milena has crurae ectome-lia, lack of shinbone on both sides. Operation cost 15,000 dollars. The operation has been successfully carried out at “Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics”. At present, Milena undergoes re-habilitation course.

14-year-old Nurlan Erezhepov with diagnosis of infantile cerebral paralysis from Shymkent was oper-ated at N.Burdenko Neurosurgeon Institute in Moscow. The total cost is 41,902 dollars. He continues un-dergoing rehabilitation course in a Moscow clinic.

15-year-old Evgeniy Boikov from Kostanay suffers from chronic kid-ney disease. Operation costs 46,509

dollars. Evgeniy and his family went to Belarus to go through medi-cal tests and are waiting for opera-tion to be carried out soon. Now, they are in search of a donor.

Indira Amanzholova, from Kok-shetau, 14, her diagnosis is coarse nodular cirrhosis. Operation costs 85,000 dollars. At present, the do-nors are being searched for Indira, as soon as the transplantant organ will be found, Belarus specialists will ar-rive to carry out the operation.

Ayaulim, four years old, from As-tana, has congenital heart desease. Recently she was being operated at Tomsk Institue of Cardiology. The operation has been carried out successfuly. Operation cost 6,500 dollars.

Aysha Beksultan is five years old, born in Almaty, with congeni-tal heart desease, she will be oper-ated in Ukrain. The operation costs 17,188 dollars.

Evgeniya Raspopova (aged 14) was born in North Kazakhstan re-gion with a diagnosis of congeni-tal heart desease. With the help of charity funds she was operated in a Tumen clinic. Operation costs 13,917 dollars. Nowadays, Ev-geniya is under the care of a physi-cian.

The project is still going on and the Bolashak charity foundation are closely keeping eye on every child’s future. Thanks to initiative of Olympic Champion Alexandr Vinokurov seven lives are being saved and children are getting a chance for a healthy happy life.

The project is developed and im-plemented by “Bolashak” Charity foundation under the support of Kazakhstan Cycling federation. The Organisers express their spe-cial gratitude to “Mercy Volunteer Society” charity foudation.

Seven Children Get Expensive Care Abroad

The advancement of healthcare sphere and education of medical specialists are major goals of the state.

According to the Statistics Agency, the level of migration from rural to urban areas in 2012 compared with 2011 declined by 4,500 people. Agency Chairman alikhan Smailov colligates these indicators with the social policy of state. “i attribute this to the improvement of the socio-economic situation in the country and the government’s social policy implemented in rural areas,” he said.

Wednesday, 20 february 2013 The Astana TimesB5

societyKazakhstan’s fashion: Young, Unique and Diverse

from Page B1

According to fashion historians, the term first appeared in the 12th and 13th centuries, when people began to wear clothing that was clearly designed more for beauty than function. Since the 17th cen-tury, french fashion has been the model for the world, and the coun-try maintains its position as a glo-bal trendsetter. fashion began to take hold in Russia in the 17th cen-tury. Today, the fashion industry is international and highly globalised, with clothing often designed in one country, manufactured in another and sold worldwide.

Only in 1987 did a group of tal-ented designers establish the Ka-zakhstan Union of Designers to provide organisational structure, support creative activities, promote achievements, share experiences and protect the professional inter-ests of Kazakhstan’s designers.

Now, the country has its own fashion week, KfW, a seven-day period during which, in a kalei-doscope of events, runways are set up, walked, and broken down for the next show, models scurry frantically from one backstage to the next and people in the most ex-traordinary and stylish outfits come together to see what Kazakhstan’s fashion industry has to show.

The National Chamber of fash-ion, the organiser of the Kaza-khstan fashion Week, promotes the industry through this event and by many other means. The cham-ber unites designers under its wing and promotes designers in Kaza-khstan and beyond. One of its pri-mary functions is to act as a union for domestic designers to defend their interests. The chamber also provides assistance and supports emerging designers.

All designers wish to sell their own collections, and recognition and fame are major motivators. The fashion in-dustry in Kazakhstan hasn’t reached the level of world-famous Italian or french brands because of its com-paratively short history and a lack of financial investment and professional designers. With time, this situation should change, thanks to young tal-ents. Local designers, however, have already found their key to success: they don’t try to compete with world-famous fashion houses but offer unique products based on their cul-tural heritage. Light industry in Ka-zakhstan has begun to grow because of increased demand for materials such as wool, denim and accessories by the local fashion gurus.

The following personalities are the current leaders of the Kaza-khstan fashion industry: Kuralai Nurkadilova, whose collections sell like hot cakes in Paris and the United Arab Emirates; Bal-nur Asanova and Saida Azikhan, who also sell in the United States; Aida Kaumenova, who sells her collections in Moscow; Dilbar, who sells in St. Peters-burg; Kuandykova & Karibzh-anova, which sell in Germany and Oksana Corby in Southeast Asia.

Kuralay Nurkadilova is a Kaza-kh fashion designer who has made it to the global fashion market. She is the designer and director of her own fashion house, Kuralai, which was established in 1995. Her collections are exhibited in multi-brand boutiques in Paris and offered in major foreign markets including Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States and Europe.

In 2012, the Kuralai House of Haute Couture launched a new line, Kuralai-Muslim. This line uses very high quality fabrics embroidered with stones and Swarovski crys-tals. In her collection, Nurkadilova presented clothes for special oc-casions, the cost of which varies from 20,000 to 150,000 tenge. The designer says that Kuralai-Muslim combines Muslim robes with the rich colour of Kazakh traditional costumes. Kuralai collections al-ways contain a variety of dresses with breathtaking cuts and tech-niques.

Another popular designer in Kazakhstan is Aida Kaumenova. Kaumenova is a successful design-er and her sensuous and romantic prêt-à-porter deluxe collections can be seen in Kazakhstan fash-ion Week every season. This brand

has gained popularity within Kaza-khstan and abroad.

“When I am creating collections for the next runway show, I must not only think creatively but I need to understand and select a particu-lar sector of consumers. Because clothes are different if they’re for children, for glamour ladies, for large sizes or teenagers,” Kaumen-ova says. “The clothes affect the in-ternal state of the women and vice versa: mood influences style.” Cre-ating new collections, Kaumenova first imagines the type of women she wants to wear her dresses: suc-cessful, beautiful and harmonious. Every image gives her a new style and new ideas for her work.

Oksana Corby fashion House was founded in 1997 by Oksana

Corby herself. The house has par-ticipated in international fashion weeks and exhibitions and held solo shows in Kazakhstan. Many Oksana Corby dresses have be-come cult objects; some are in ma-jor museums.

Oksana Corby creates exclusive dresses for weddings, evening dresses and cocktail dresses for special occasions. The richness of their fabrics and their exqui-site style and beauty of form have made the Oksana Corby trade-mark one of the most popular and beloved among the creative glitterati, political leaders and business elites of Kazakhstan. In addition, the house is involved in events such as creating the table decoration for the Pope of Rome’s visit to Astana and the Essence of Women fashion show at the Luxor Wellness Club in Almaty. Oksana Corby prefers natural fabrics and likes combining complex shades and colours.

DILBAR was named after its owner, lead designer and creative director of the house Dilbar Ashim-bayeva. DILBAR focuses on prêt-à-porter deluxe women’s clothing; its image is bohemian and intel-lectual. One of the basic principles advocated by the house is to work only with natural materials and tex-tures produced by artisans in India, China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and other countries. Think Indian saris, hand-weaving in a single editions, silk-dzhama-var with metal threads traditionally produced in a limited volume—usually no more than 10 metres—and special grades of silk with different natural colour palettes. The house also uses natural, high-quality wool, linen, cotton, leather and fur. Ashimbayeva’s favourite technique is kurak or patchwork,

achieved by using complicated ar-ticulation, decorative patterns, a lot of texture, subtle colour blends, or, conversely, colourful decorative contrasts. Unlike many European fashion houses, large embroidered patterns are another hallmark of Dilbar clothes.

What we should expect from Ka-zakhstan’s designers in the spring-summer season is still a question but globally, spring-summer 2013 promises to be bright, patterned and striped. Spring – summer col-lections are impossible to imagine without blouses with floral motifs. The 1990s saw a lot of sporty spring and summer looks. Exquisite black dresses with sneakers, beige coats with jogging shoes, leather jackets with sweatpants and bright stylish bags all promise to be global sports trends of the season.

Journalist Asks Obama to Intervene with AES on Water Crisis

from Page A1

“During the last four spring sea-sons, AES has allowed gross viola-tion of the overflow schedule of the Irtysh river flood plain,” Kovalev wrote. “Water was supplied to the riverbed with a big delay and in insufficient volume. The annual absence of artificial flood waters has caused huge damage to the en-vironment, agriculture and interests of a quarter of Kazakhstan’s popu-lation. flood meadows are exposed to gradual desertification and the forage crop is significantly reduced. Unique valuable species of plants and fish are threatened.”

“This year (2013) is a criti-cally important one for us,” Ko-valev wrote. “Repeated drought may become fatal, especially on the threshold of Kazakhstan join-ing the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Please ask AES to observe the rules. Give us the river over-flow back now!”

Svetlana Mogilyuk, an inde-pendent ecologist, in comments to various media outlets said that Ko-valev’s concerns were valid ones. “The issue of Irtysh water flood could have a catastrophic effect on the development of the whole Pav-lodar region,” she said.

Mogilyuk, an expert on the re-gion, said the delivery of insuf-ficient water from the reservoir would seriously harm the region’s agriculture and threaten public health because the floodplain could not compensate for the effect of sa-line ground water, threatening pub-lic water supplies.

In 2002, the government of Kaza-khstan issued new rules to regulate the exploitation of water sources in the upper Irtysh reservoir cas-

cade. AES respected these require-ments until 2009. However, critics allege that in the following years, those regulations were consistently infringed. further infringements were explained by investors as due to water shortages in the Shulbinsk project.

Svetlana Nishchenko, AES di-rector of public relations in Ka-zakhstan, told The Astana Times that the Shulbinsk power plant was discharging the correct volume of water daily on the schedule set for it by the Irtysh basin water inspec-tion authorities. The volume of wa-ter discharged every spring and the schedule for its flow are set by the State Commission on floods.

“Due to the dry winters and re-duced water volumes in the Irtysh River in recent years, the spring water discharge at the Shulbinsk HPP took place in the difficult con-ditions of reduced water flow. This year, due to the presence of large quantities of snow in the mountains of East Kazakhstan, the Shulbinsk HPP is preparing for anticipated significant increase in the inflow into the Irtysh River in the spring-time,” Nishchenko said.

Kovalev sees the root of the problem less in the breach of rules of water usage, but rather in the non-fulfilment of investment obli-gations to build a dam.

In accordance with its agreement, the AES Corporation is obliged to finish construction of the dam and the navigation lock at the Shulbinsk plant. However, over the past 16 years, AES has made only routine repairs instead. In 2003, the naviga-tion lock was returned to the gov-ernment of Kazakhstan. It was then completed using budget funds. The dam has still not been completed.

In 2010, Kazakhstan’s Agency for the Regulation of Natural Mo-nopolies accused AES of defaulting on investment commitments worth $459 million. The Agency for the Protection of Competition contin-ues its litigation with AES in the London International Court, claim-ing that the corporation has set un-reasonably high prices for electric-ity of more than 20 billion tenge.

“The head of the Pavlodar region administration raised the issue of the Irtysh river overflow with the government and confirmed AES’s obligation to provide sufficient wa-ter in summer 2013. But nobody can guarantee that AES will fulfil its obligations,” Kovalev wrote in his letter which he published on his page in facebook and sent to the White House.

Mels Eleusizov, chairman of the Tabigat Green Party, does not con-sider the AES the only culprit in the growing environmental problems of the Pavlodar region.

He supports Kovalev’s civic ac-tion philosophy but believes the issue should be resolved at govern-ment level with the assistance of the Ministry of foreign Affairs and other relevant authorities.

“The government should set strict requirements. China is also involved in the Irtysh problem. Our government should work to convince China to accede to the International Convention on the Protection and Use of Transbound-ary Watercourses and International Lakes. We must fundamentally re-solve the water problem, otherwise we can expect a second Aral Sea tragedy to happen,” Eleusizov, who ran for president in 2011, told The Astana Times.

On Jan. 22, the 10th session of the Kazakhstan-China joint com-mission on transboundary rivers in Astana concluded with an agree-ment to complete the scientific as-sessment of the water resources of the two countries in 2014. The re-sults of this assessment will be used as a basis for developing a bilateral agreement on the division of water resources in 2015.

AES is a multinational corpora-tion founded in the United States that generates and distributes elec-tric power in 27 countries. In 1997, the Ust-Kamenogorsk hydroelec-tric and thermal power plants and the Shulbinsk hydroelectric power plant were leased to the company for a 20 year term. The Shulbinsk hydro-electric power station.

Aida Kaumenova’s dresses are a combination of elegance and style.

Elegance of dresses by Aida Kaumenova impresses with its flawless

Wednesday, 20 february 2013The Astana TimesB6

Tourism

By Aset Kalymov

ALMATY REGION - The Al-maty region’s unique mix of natu-ral beauty and resorts attracted a total of 167,000 tourists last year, according to records, and the serv-ices offered to them amounted to 2.8 billion tenge.

Zhetysu (Seven Rivers) region, the unique landscape rich in na-ture reserves, parks and resorts is a leader in the domestic leisure and travel industry. There are nearly 500 hotels, resorts, camp-sites and other tourist sites in the area, plus 118 developed routes passing through Charyn Canyon, Kolsai Lake, old-growth ash for-ests, Altyn-Emel Nature Park, the Tamgaly Tas mountain region and Turgen Gorge.

This summer, tourist services will be offered to thousands of tour-ists at Alakol Lake, and new tourist facilities with sports grounds, chil-

dren’s playgrounds and comfort-able cottages have appeared on its shores.

In addition, the construction of the Zhana Ili tourist centre (“New Ili” in Kazakh) on Ka-pshagai Reservoir, recreational facilities on the shores of Lake Balkhash and ski resorts in the Kaskelen and Tekeli districts will be launched in the near future. Another tourist cluster and road-side infrastructure will be created along the old Silk Road which is recreated today as a transconti-nental road corridor Western Eu-rope - Western China.

The ethnographic and ecological routes “Along the Silk Road”, “To the Mountain Lakes of the Tien Shan” and “In Ancient Times” have gained popularity, as have rafting on the Karatal and Charyn Rivers, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, biking and cross-country skiing tours.

By Galiya Nurzhan

The Akbulak Mountain Resort in the foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau Mountains is a picturesque place for family holidays, corpo-rate events, business meetings, parties and training camps for ath-letes. Located about 40 kilometres east of Almaty at a height of 1,600 metres above sea level, the Akbu-lak resort has established itself as a prime location for summer and winter vacations and a favourite holiday destination for both do-mestic and foreign tourists due to its location, mild climate and natu-ral landscape.

In spring, autumn and summer, visitors can swim in the waters of the river and walk in the conifer-ous forests that surround the tourist complex. fans of extreme sports can go mountain biking on trails around the green slopes of the ski stadium.

In winter, sledding and skiing trails and an ice rink are available for visitors. A unique ropeway 3,700 metres long helps visitors climb to ski and snowboard trails. Trails are 5,000 metres long with a maximum slope angle of 55 de-grees. The highest point in the ski area is 2,700 metres above sea level.

The Akbulak Hotel is located in the ski resort area and was de-signed to provide the highest levels of service and comfort. The Akbu-lak Hotel offers standard and de-luxe rooms. All rooms have mini-bars, fire alarms, electronic locks, satellite TV, DVD equipment, tel-ephones with long-distance com-munication, central air condition-ing with climate control functions, electronic safe-boxes and bath-rooms. Wi-fi access is provided in the lobby. The hotel also has mod-ern and well-equipped conference halls, a restaurant with 120 seats, three bars, an indoor heated swim-ming pool and sauna, bowling and billiards.

The Almaty conference hall, with a capacity of 80 people, is located on the third floor of the hotel and is ideal for small seminars, confer-ences and round-table meetings. The conference room is equipped with projection equipment. Tables, chairs, flip charts, projectors and screens can be installed. The As-tana conference hall on the second

floor of the hotel is designed for 50 people and is set up for confer-ences, seminars, presentations and exhibitions.

The complex offers two bowling lanes in a small room ideal for fam-ily games and team tournaments. All tracks are equipped with an automatic control foul line for se-rious bowlers. There are also pool and billiards tables and plasma screen TVs. The Akaydin ice-con-cert complex within the Akbulak ski complex is a unique construc-tion. It can be used for hockey, fig-ure skating and short-track events, but it can also be transformed into a playground for volleyball, bas-ketball, handball, tennis, gymnas-tics, boxing, ballroom dancing and other sports. It can also be used for exhibitions, conferences, presenta-tions, concerts and entertainment events. It was here, in fact, that the OSCE informal ministerial meet-ing took place in July 2010 during Kazakhstan’s year of chairmanship in this organization, bringing to-gether delegations from 56 partici-pating states as well as more than 20 partner and observer states.

Other sports fields are open on the grounds of the ski complex, including a football field with ar-tificial lawns, tennis courts with acrylic surfaces and volleyball and basketball courts with syn-thetic surfaces. There are also ta-ble tennis tables and a boxing gym equipped with a punching bag, bal-loons and sledgehammers, exercise equipment to strengthen the hands, multipurpose trainers and balls. A general gym is also located in the ice-concert complex. The room is equipped with multipurpose train-ers, barbells, dumbbells, gymnastic sticks, bicycle trainers a straighten-ing trainer for the back and a Smith machine.

Winter and summer are the high seasons at Akbulak, drawing thou-sands of people who come for the unique local flora and fauna, the pine and leaf forests, and the long range views of the Seven Rivers Valley with its cold waters and waterfalls. farther up are alpine meadows filled with wild flow-ers such as alpine poppies, clo-vers, cornflowers and wild onions. Higher climbs take visitors to the Talgar Glaciers and the 4, 973 me-tre Talgar Peak, a destination for climbers and mountaineers.

Kaleidoscope of Touristic Destinations

By Svetlana Abenova

EAST KAZAKHSTAN – East Kazakhstan is a land of peaks and valleys, with heights ranging from 145 to 4,500 metres above sea level. The highest point is the peak of the famous Mount Belukha at 4,506 metres. Due to its unique geographic features and diversity of flora and fauna, the ancient Altai area has always attracted travelers from around the world.

Many new tourist routes have appeared in the region. In addition to Belukha Mountain there is also Mount Berkutal, rafting in head-waters of the Katun, White Berel and Ulba rivers and more.

The first programme for the de-velopment of East Kazakhstan’s

tourist industry was prepared in 1992-1993 with the involvement of specialists in tourism and re-lated disciplines. For the first time, they identified promising districts, tourist and excursion routes and developed activities for training personnel. However, the predominance of outbound tourism like shopping tours in the structure of tourism flows and the lack of incentives, especially financial support, for the devel-opment of inbound and domes-tic tourism made the programme unrealistic to implement at that time.

Now, horseback tours are espe-cially popular among travelers on the Altai paths and the routes to Kokkol Waterfall.

By Lyubov Dobrota

SOUTH KAZAKHSTAN - Eco-tourism could become a profitable part of the South Kazakhstan re-gion’s budget. The number of do-mestic and foreign tourists eager to summit the snowy mountain peaks, roam the unique gorges and look for argali, snow leopards and Turkestan lynx is growing each year.

for those who prefer less-

traveled areas, the management of the Sairam-Ugam National Park has developed seven tour-ist routes: four horseback and walking journeys, one horse-back trek and two hiking trips. All of them are educational and athletic.

The total length of the tourist paths in the national park is more than 600 kilometres. The park in-cludes seven natural areas, from the steppe zone in the foothills of

the Western Tien Shan to the high-lands.

The area is rich with wildlife with 59 species of mammals in-cluding the endemic Western Tien Shan Menzbir’s marmot, about 300 species of birds and 1,635 spe-cies of plants. 240 species in the area are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. Bears, wolves, wild boars, goats, deer, badgers and por-cupines are common sights in the park. The graceful Karatau argali

that appear there only in spring are infrequent guests in the southern parts of Boralday Ridge.

Green cover, wildlife, diverse terrain, rivers, waterfalls and mountain lakes create picturesque landscapes, which have great rec-reational potential. There are also religious sites, petroglyphs, ancient settlements and tombs of different historical periods. The cultural landscape is still poorly studied and ripe for exploration.

Almaty Region’s Nature Has Much to Offer Tourists

Ecotourism Growing in South Kazakhstan

New Tourist Routes in Eastern Kazakhstan

Akbulak Mountain Resort: A Winter and Summer Destination

By Maral Zhantaykyzy

ALMATY – An unusual new travelling café in a restored tram has become a hot stop for dating couples and proposals of marriage.

The tram café travels on a regu-lar route and daily schedule around the city of Almaty. But its passen-gers sip coffee and drink cham-pagne, savour quality desserts and even listen to soft music as they ride around town enjoying the sites outside and the soft, ambient light-ing within.

The café opened in May 2012 and was an immediate success: It is always packed with customers and has already generated dozens of enthusiastic Internet reviews, making it a magnet for tourists.

Three Almaty friends who went to university together created the café. Bakhtiyar Sadvokasov, Nurk-en Duysembekov and Pavel Gre-bennikov all attended KIMEP, the Kazakhstan Institute of Manage-ment, Economics and Economic Prognosis. Located in the centre of Almaty, it is a leading independent North American-style academic institution in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The three did everything together, from studying for exams to playing sports and even making parachute jumps.

Sadvokasov, Duysembekov and Grebennikov started out with no experience in the restaurant busi-ness and they knew nothing about trams. But they had their vision,

or high concept. And thanks to the support and help of their families and friends, they succeeded in tak-ing out a lease on an old, decom-missioned tram. It was a vintage 1976 Tatra T3D that had previ-ously served the town of Chemnitz in Germany.

In 2004, the tram was originally purchased by the city of Almaty for its tram route No. 6. It took the three friends more than six months to refurbish it for its new role. They did most of the repair work, including the repainting, insulation and interior design themselves.

The tram travels on a regular, fixed schedule. It starts from a bus stop at Shevchenko-Kunayev, travels along Baitursynov and Makatayev streets and finally re-

turns to its starting point. The jour-ney takes two hours. Every day ex-cept Monday, passengers buy their cups of coffee and line up for their trip at exactly 8:30 pm. The tram café is open for customers until 4 am. It can carry 25 passengers on every trip.

The menu includes fresh bread and desserts from the french pa-tisserie La Tartine, snacks from the restaurant La Grenouille, sand-wiches, Japanese sushi, champagne and other drinks and cocktails. The three owners make the gourmet coffee themselves. They learned to do so at bartender’s courses.

The business quickly proved a success and the owners hired two new drivers and three wait-ers, giving themselves time for

their families and other business projects. However, they still try to serve their customers personally and maintain good service and a friendly atmosphere.

Other businessmen have offered Sadvokasov, Duysembekov and Grebennikov $250,000 to buy the place but they are not interested in selling it. Instead, they plan to franchise the idea in other loca-tions and other cities.

The café has become a favourite romantic destination and a popular location for marriage proposals. The owners and staff are happy to work with customers to plan romantic surprises for their loved ones. And they have already de-veloped a loyal clientele. As the owners say, “every visitor will find

in our tram his or her favourite ta-ble.”

The idea of a coffee shop in a tram is new to Almaty and Central Asia. But it is already a common sight in the cities of Belgium, Italy, Russia, Poland and the Czech Re-public.

The first trams in Almaty’s pub-lic transportation system were introduced in 1938 before World War II. Today they remain a ma-jor means of public transportation and contribute to the image of the city as one of the most beautiful and scenic in the region of Central Asia.

Now, the café on wheels has be-come Almaty’s latest beloved land-mark. It looks set to serve the city for many years to come.

Almaty’s Tram Café Is favourite Ride for Romance

The tram café is attracting romantic couples, friends and families who seek an interesting time out. (photos by www.yvision.kz)

Wednesday, 20 february 2013 The Astana TimesB7

Sports

By Askar Beisenbayev

ASTANA – This year, one of the most modern ice rinks on the continent hosted the first curling tournament in the history of Kaza-khstan’s capital city Astana. Man-agers of Alau Ice Palace and spe-cially invited curling experts from Omsk, Russia were the first play-ers to slide stones across the rink’s smooth surface.

“first, we conducted a test-drive, evaluating the ability of the palace to become a centre of curling in real conditions. Alau is an ultra-modern complex, and we have no

doubt that in technical terms it ful-ly provides for the needs of a sport like curling,” Alau Director Nail Nurov said.

“Preparing ice for curling is a special art. It needs high-quality purified water, which is frozen strictly at minus five degrees. The surface then has to be maintained at the same temperature. Alau pro-vides all necessary conditions for that. The only thing to be done is to make professional markings,” Omsk Regional Curling federa-tion Representative Igor Pasechnik said.

The managers of the ice palace

intend to promote professional and amateur curling. This year the ex-otic sport will be available to local citizens.

Curling is an Olympic sport and is included in the eight compulsory winter sports of Universiade in 2017 in Almaty. Thus, its appear-ance is fully consistent with the emergence of the concept of Alau, both in terms of professional sports and mass accessibility.

The Curling Association was created in Kazakhstan in 2003. The first “chess on ice” tourna-ment was held in Almaty in March 2004, but in the capital this sport

was not popular. The managers of the ice palace decided to correct this omission and promote curling in Astana.

Today, negotiations regarding hiring professional coaches are underway. Most likely they will be experts from Eastern Europe. In the near future it is planned to organise ice-making training to ensure that surfaces are always in accordance with international standards.

In summer the curling sheet will be marked up and equipment will be purchased; this autumn the first curling club will be opened in the capital.

By Askar Beysenbayev

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s na-tional women’s tennis team has won its way into the playoffs of the international federation Cup.

After previous victories over Thailand and India, the team won a decisive series of matches against Uzbekistan, the leading nation in their group.

Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan won the first match in the se-ries against Uzbekistan’s Nigina Aburaimova and beat her in straight sets (6-0, 6-4).

Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedo-va won her first set against Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-1. But she then lost the next two sets after a tough duel (7-5, 6-4).

The outcome of the series was decided in the women’s doubles match between Yaroslava Shvedo-va and Galina Voskoboeva against Nigina Aburaimova and Akgul Amanmuradova. The Kazakh pair defeated their opponents (6-2, 6-4).

The playoffs of the second World Group will be held on April 20-21. The Kazakhstan’s women’s team will then fight for the right to play in next year’s second World Group in the tour-nament. They may play teams from france, Ukraine, Belgium and Argentina.

The national women’s team is currently in 19th place in the up-dated rankings of the federation Cup, improving its standing by five rankings.

The federation Cup, or fed Cup, is the largest female international tennis tournament in the world and

is the equivalent of the Davis Cup for men. It is organized by the In-ternational Tennis Federation (ITF)

and was first held in 1963. The Fed Cup is held between different na-tional teams.

By Miras Abykov

ASTANA – On Feb. 19-20, Ka-zakhstan joined nine of the world’s top national wrestling teams in the Iranian capital Tehran to determine who is king of the mat.

The Kazakhstan team’s head coach, Tanat Sagyndykov, is

taking the following promising wrestlers to Tehran: Zhanserik Sarsenbi and Nursultan Kalmyr-zayev (up to 55 kg), Almat Ke-bispayev (60 kg), Yerbol Konyrat (66 kg), Doszhan Kartik (up to 74 kg), Alkhazur Ozdiyev (up 84 kg), Yerulan Iskakov (up to 96 kg) and Nurmakhan Tynaliyev

(120 kg). 2012 Olympic bronze medal winner Daniyal Gadzhiev won’t be part of this trip. Senior trainer Bakhtiyar Bayseitov and trainer Boranbek Konyratov will help Sagyndykov during the tour-nament.

Just a few weeks ago, Kaza-khstan’s team appeared in the

United States, where the wrestlers won first place in an all-team com-petition.

The wrestlers flew to Tehran this Saturday, february 16. “We’ve set ourselves the goal of getting in the top three teams. But as they say, only the mat will show!” said Coach Sagyndykov.

Curling Comes to the Capital

National Greco-Roman Wrestling Team to Compete at World Cup

Women’s Tennis Team Makes fed Cup Playoffs

National Tennis federation Wants to Groom future Grand Slam Winners

from Page B1

We were happy with this victory and it was very important for us, es-pecially because it gave confidence to Yevgeni Korolev against Jurgen Melzer, who is among the thirty best players in the world. It’s incredible but the 29th ranked player in the world was defeated by the 210th ranked player! Korolyev did his best in this match and brought the team the victorious point. After that, the third victory of Andrey Golubev in singles over Jurgen Meltzer was quite expected. But in the doubles match, Golubev with Yuri Schukin were less fortunate against the tan-dem of Peyia and Knowle. Perhaps this was the only time in these games when the higher rating of our oppo-nents was confirmed by the result.

It’s worth mentioning that our federation organised a training camp in Dubai in December last year to prepare for this competition; therefore, they were well prepared for the matches. Of course, the dif-ficulty of the situation for us was the fact that Mikhail Kukushkin, the highest ranked member of the team, had undergone two surger-ies on both hips and had not com-pletely recovered from them, so he could not take part in matches. Also it should be noted that Kukushkin, who is one of the most stable play-ers, very successfully performed in his Davis Cup matches. I’d like to mention one more indisputable advantage of our team: all our athletes are very trainable. Gener-ally speaking, as newcomers in the World Group, we were able to gain much-needed experience from the matches against such strong na-tional teams as Argentina, Spain, Uzbekistan, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

What was the victory over the Austrian team for you personally, as president of the Tennis Federa-tion of Kazakhstan?

It has become a source of pride and inspiration for achieving new goals. With each success our country is approaching leadership among the world’s tennis powers. As a matter of fact, it was a collec-tive victory. I cannot help noting the contribution of my deputy in the Tennis federation, Adil Burlibayev, and all members of the coaching staff, starting with Dias Doskara-yev, the captain of the team and a

former player; and Mieczyslaw Bo-guslavsky, head coach of general and special physical training. They found the right training and psycho-logical approach for each player at the competition and off the court.

What are the key areas for de-veloping Kazakhstan’s tennis in the future?

We adopted the programme for tennis development approved by the head of state. Thanks to his sup-port, tennis in our country is one of the fastest-developing sports, although so far it has not been pro-moted among the masses and it has needed to generate its own players. That is why the strategic goal is the creation in each region of tennis centres equipped with everything necessary for the development of tennis skills. Great importance is attached to children’s and youth tennis. It is among our priorities. Interest in this sport among youth is growing from year to year. In 2012, the number of people playing in professional domestic tourna-ments and registered junior players increased by 20 percent. We organ-ise the training of future champi-ons inside the country, including in the format of master classes of world stars. for example, for this purpose we invited international stars Martina Hingis and Dinara Safina and our compatriots Elena Likhovtseva and Irina Selyutina, the most titled representatives of Kazakhstan’s tennis. We also send talented young players to the best foreign tennis academies in the world. Making tennis more wide-spread, paying more attention to it and attracting players from other countries as examples, we will, I think, over time, be able to create Grand Slam winners.

By Miras Abykov

ASTANA – Seven teams from across Kazakhstan took part in the World Special Olympics Win-ter Games, held from Jan. 29 to feb. 5, in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang.

Kazakhstan’s national team has participated in the Special Olym-pics12 times and has won550 med-als.

This year, Kazakhstan was rep-resented by 45 athletes from all five regions of the country.

Athletes from Astana and Almaty participated in alpine skiing, cross country skiing, speed skating, fig-ure skating and the new Olympic sport of running on snowshoes.

Kazakh athletes won 28 med-als in the 2013 Winter Games including 13 gold medals, seven silvers and eight bronze. Most of the medals were won by the al-pine skiing team who took home five gold and two silvers. In speed skating, the team won three gold medals, a silver medal and two bronze medals.

Special Olympics branches op-erate in all regions of Kazakhstan. Almost 17,000 people participate in training and competitions for Olympic sports.

Held over eight days, the Special Games united the world in South

Korea. Thousands of volunteers, families, friends and sponsors watched and supported the ath-letes.

The Special Olympics movement seeks to change lives around the world through the power of sport. It empowers people with physical disabilities, promotes acceptance for all and fosters communities of understanding and respect in every country.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of OO “Special Olym-pics in Kazakhstan”, deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zagipa Baliyeva supported the national team in Pyeongchang.

“All students from Kazakhstan, who are studying in Seoul, came to Pyeongchang to support our team. And our team was probably the only one who had that great sup-port.. Our athletes showed a great performance and several times our flag was raised skyward,”Zagipa Baliyeva said.

In his turn, athlete of the national team Evgeny Rudnitsky com-mented “I have been participating in sledge sport for 3 years already and I’m not going to stop trainings in the near future.”

Kazakh Teams Play in Winter Special Olympics

A player tests the ice at the Alau Ica Palace.

Kazakhstan’s national women’s tennis team has won its way into the playoffs of the international Federation Cup.

Bulat Utemuratov

Wednesday, 20 february 2013The Astana TimesB8

Capital

from Page B1

The ice skating rink in the old city occupies 1800 square me-tres and is equipped with seating for 600. There are snack bars, big screens for showing entertainment programmes and a medical centre.

Missing this winter are ice towns, which didn’t make the economic or aesthetic cut for 2013.

“The ice rinks for the city have become a traditional place for lei-sure and sports activities for the public and for the guests of the city, so this year we have organ-

ised traditional large rinks in three parts of the city to help serve all the sports-loving population. The rinks have all the safety equip-ment and other infrastructure visi-tors would want at a skating rink,” Deputy Mayor of Astana Vasiliy Krylov said.

Astana on Ice: City Offers Winter fun

By Marzhan Imanbayeva

ASTANA – from the Louvre to the cuisine to the language, Kaza-khstan has declared 2013 the Year of france in Kazakhstan and has 12 months of events planned to cel-ebrate and strengthen ties between the two countries. One of these, the international france and Kaza-khstan Exhibition, opened on feb-ruary 16 at the Hall Astana Artline in the new Students’ Palace.

“This is a special year in the his-tory of Kazakh-French relations,” said Head of the Astana City’s Edu-cation Department Asima Bimendi-na. “This event is about friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations; it is a great joy to show the wealth and inheritance

of our cultures. I want to thank our famous artists whose works are ex-hibited here today.”

Bimendina presented to french artist Martine Rivasi-Offant the Let-ter of Gratitude for her contribution to the development of cultural rela-tions between the two countries.

french Ambassador to Kaza-khstan Jean-Charles Berthonnet opened the exhibition with Bi-mendina by cutting the red ribbon.

The exhibition presents the work of Rivasi-Offant and of well-known and emerging artists and sculptors of Kazakhstan, including Umsyn Arkabayeva, Director of the Stu-dents Palace and a member of the Artists Union of Russia and Kaza-khstan, as well as Armat Bektas, Yerlan Nazarkul, Gulmira Telgo-

ziyeva, Yerkinbek Yessimov, Yer-aly Dosmaganbetov and Zhannet Abish. Works displayed represent diverse genres including still lifes, portraits and landscapes.

Armat Bektas presented his “phi-losophy of the steppe,” the philoso-phy of its linear structure, dictated by the space of the steppe itself. With mythical characters and ethnic symbols, Yerlan Nazarkul created a completely new direction in art—a three-dimensional image in the postmodern style. Gulmira Telgozi-yeva demonstrated a deep spiritual world. The sculptures of Yerkinbek Yesimov tell the history of their an-cestors, of its traditions. Yeraly Dos-maganbetov used a warm colour palette to show the identity of steppe culture, the romance of daily life.

Martine Rivasi-Offant has been living in Astana for the past three years because of her husband’s job. It has affected her work: in a remarkable manner, the artist con-veys the beauty of Kazakhstan’s land: vast steppes, Astana city-scapes and views of snow-covered Borovoy. She was particularly im-pressed by a visit to Tengiz Lake, where she saw the lake’s amazing pink flamingos.

“This is my fifth exhibition in Kazakhstan. I’ve had two personal exhibitions. We organised my first show in 2010,” she recalls. Her long stays in Paris as well as several years spent in Norway and later in Kazakhstan have shifted her artistic expression more towards introspec-tion.

“Central Asia is an endless, harsh, hard landscape, but it is unusual for an artist to draw it. Kazakhstan landscapes are gorgeous, like they’re asking to be painted. This feeling of human facing the infi-nite is fascinating. I had never seen such an endless and open steppe. And the steppe helps me to express it. Steppe inspires me at any time of the year, in winter and autumn. Snowy steppe – it is like a blank canvas, about which every artist dreams. for a painter, it is fantas-tic experience. In winter, the bright colours of nature disappear and a white space remains. Gray, yellow and white colours only increase the depth and spirituality of the local nature,” the French artist said to The Astana Times.

A lawyer by education, Rivasi-Offant has been drawing for more than 15 years. The artist is actively involved in the cultural life of the capital, showing her paintings in various galleries. Rivasi-Offant’s portraits and landscapes, done in pastels, watercolours and oils, have been exhibited in many famous gal-leries and salons in france, Australia and Norway. She has won multiple awards and prizes.

Rivasi-Offant will take the land-scapes of Kazakhstan to france where she will discuss and show the riches of Kazakhstan to the french people. 2014 has been declared the Year of Kazakhstan in france.

The france and Kazakhstan ex-hibition will last until the end of february.

Astana Exhibition Celebrates Kazakhstan-france Relations

By Manshuk Bekentayeva

ASTANA – After its first year in operation, Astana’s new E-ambu-lance service is proving its worth.

The service was introduced as part of the Smart Astana pro-gramme in December 2011. Since then, the ambulance service’s mor-tality rate has dropped to 98 people dying before reaching hospital in 2012 compared to 105 in 2011.

Under the programme, city hos-pital ambulances were equipped with new navigation software, GPS navigation systems and new directories for ambulance staffers to quickly contact hospital special-ists.

Thanks to the use of IT tablet devices, the accuracy of diagnoses and delivery time of patients to hospitals increased by 0.9 percent. Ambulances delivered 18 percent more patients to the hospital in re-sponse to emergency calls in 2012 compared to 2011.

Emergency medical care service is crucial to giving heart attack, stroke and accident victims their best chances of survival until they can be given full intensive care

treatment in hospitals. There is a so-called “golden hour” in the inter-national standards, which is a time during which timely and adequate medical care helps to save injured people’s lives. Astana’s ambulance service has now been upgraded to the highest global standards.

The new information systems and navigation devices in the E-ambulance fleet reduce travel time for patients and optimise the work of ambulance crews. Access to online consultations upgrades the quality of treatment they can pro-vide.

The ambulances now carry full medical reference books on tablet PCs that describe all likely symp-toms. The information on them is updated on a monthly basis.

Throughout the country, Kaza-khstan has introduced two other new IT programmes to upgrade its mobile medical services. The Salamatty Kazakhstan, or Healthy Kazakhstan, railway health service was introduced in 2011. It operates two diagnostic trains, Densaulyk, or Health, and Zhardem, or Assist-ance. In the past two years, they have diagnosed 230,000 patients

at 234 stations around the country and provided medical examina-tions for 63,000 people, including 25,000 children.

The Air Ambulance Coordina-tion Centre has made 1,005 flights, provided more than 1,300 medical services, 450 consultations, and performed 90 surgeries.

Twelve medical rescue stations are now based at the most danger-ous sections of the national road system.

Since the programme was launched, the doctors of the mobile medical services have examined more than 530,000 people, con-ducted more than one million labo-ratory diagnostic tests and held more than 450,000 consultations.

The Constitution of Kazakhstan requires healthcare to be avail-able for the entire population on an equal basis. The mobile medicine service with its fleets of helicop-ters, medical vehicles and trains provides the most remote inhabit-ants with the same full access.

Currently 49 mobile medical complexes equipped with advanced diagnostic systems visit the most remote districts of the country.

New Astana E-Ambulance Service Improves Survival Rates

Asima Bimendina and Jean-Charles Berthonnet cut the ribbon at the official opening of the exhibition.

Martine Rivasi-Offant poses in front of one of her creations.