ASTANA CALLING
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Kazakhstan
Central Communications Service for the President of Kazakhstan
A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ ISSUE NO 314 / FRIDAY, JULY 26 2013
Minister of Economy Forecasts 6% GDP Growth Corrective measures still needed
Head of Religious Aairs Interviewed Highlights role of Religious Affairs Agency
Emergencies Ministry: Proactive, Not Just Reactive
Ancient Turkestan Reveals its Secrets
Minister outlines work of MES
Archaeologists make exciting discoveries
News from the Government in Brief
Also in the News
Minister Dossayev faces the press after his briefing to the government on Tuesday
Minister of Economy Forecasts 6% GDP Growth The Minister of Economy and Budget Planning, Yerbolat Dossayev, sounded a warning to the government this week. Even though the economy is on course for impressive GDP growth of 6% for the year, corrective measures must be taken in a number of sectors to improve performance. Because of the continuing global economic instability, the government is carefully monitoring economic developments at home and abroad. Mr Dossayev assured his government colleagues that all economic indicators for the first six months of 2013 are “in the safe zone”. Nevertheless, he began his report by highlighting those areas where improvement is clearly needed in the second half of the year, as there are fears that yearly targets will not be met. The Minister pointed out that crude oil production from January to June was down by 1.8% from the planned level, a figure which had caused a drop of 0.3% in GDP. The drop in steel production was even greater - 15.6% - causing a further fall in GDP of 0.2%. Mr Dossayev singled out the instability of blast furnaces and the high failure rate of equipment at the Arcelor Mittal Temirtau company. There was more worrying news in the agricultural sector, where food production is down 10.4% from where it should be. Chemical production is nearly four and a half percentage points below its planned level. However, having sounded the warning bells, Mr Dossayev went on to show that there have been some encouraging signs of growth during the first six months of the year. Production of non-ferrous metals is up 2.3%; non-metal mineral production up by 4.4%, and machine-building up by 9.2%. Together, these figures have led to an improvement in GDP of 0.4%. And even though the overall figure for agriculture shows a decline of 10.2% from the plan in the first half of the year, because of the seasonal nature of agricultural production it can be properly assessed only at the end of the year, after the harvest has been gathered. If, as expected, the wheat harvest produces 14.5m tonnes, this will make up what now appears to be a shortfall . Despite his prediction of 6% GDP growth this year, the Minister warned his colleagues that some of the measures to support macroeconomic stability outlined in the government’s anti-crisis plan must be put into effect in order to stimulate internal demand, to support the economy as it affects people in their daily lives and to prevent the growth of unemployment. On this last point, he reminded his audience that an extra KZT 31bn had already been allocated this year to the “Employment Road-Map 2020” program. Summing up, Mr Dossayev said that the government, together with local authorities, should concentrate on solving the following issues: firstly, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and local authorities must concentrate on involving people in measures described in the “Employment Road-Map 2020”. Secondly, in order to reach planned levels of economic activity, greater efforts must be made to encourage investment in capital-intensive industries such as construction and the development of infrastructure and agriculture. This includes the need for the Ministry of Regional Development working with local authorities to improve housing, under the program “Affordable Housing – 2020”. Finally, the Minister called upon the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies to bring on line projects described in the “Industrialization Map”. If the projects outlined in the program for 2013 are realized, they would lead to growth of 0.2% in GDP. Allied to this, the President has put forward industrial projects that would lead to a further growth of 0.8%. And a fourth task for the government in August, as well as presenting the budget for next year, is to produce a new law on financial transfers to operate in the period 2014-2016.
“Looking realistically at the situation in the global economy, at a time of falling external demand, in the second half of the year it is essential that we take concrete steps to ensure that the economy is functioning properly and that we can resist crisis tendencies.” Yerbolat Dossayev, Minister of Economy and Budget Planning ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 314 / 2
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Emergencies Ministry: Proactive, Not Just Reactive The Ministry for Emergency Situations (MES, or Emergencies Ministry) of Kazakhstan came into being as a separate ministry in October 2004. It is an organization that rarely makes headlines, yet thousands of people in Kazakhstan have reason to be grateful for its services. On July 23, the Minister for Emergency Situations, Vladimir Bozhko, briefed journalists at the offices of the Central Communications Service on the Ministry’s activities.
Vladimir Bozhko, Minister for Emergency Situations
In the first six months of this year alone, the MES saved 3,638 people; evacuated a further 5,243 from difficult situations and gave first aid to 1,517. With experience comes greater efficiency, the Minister explained. Compared to the period from January to June 2012, the number of emergency incidents was down by over 20%; there was a decline of more than 18% in fatalities at such incidents; and the number of injured was down by over 22%. Although saving lives and dealing with catastrophes – such as floods, earthquakes, serious industrial or traffic accidents – is an essential part of the work of the MES, a crucial element is also the proactive, preparatory work the Ministry carries out. For example, knowing that the combination of summer weather and open water invariably leads to carelessness and accidents, ahead of the summer the MES carried out checks on more than 4,000 lakes, rivers and reservoirs where people go swimming. The Ministry also examined 535 holiday areas to ensure that it would be safe to swim there, including clearing the water of any dangerous objects. The Ministry worked with the owners of nearly 1,000 water sites to ensure that beaches were ready and warning signs clearly displayed and paid special attention to 200 children’s summer camps situated near the water.
Vladimir Bozhko, Minister for Emergency Situations Vladimir Bozhko has been Minister for Emergency Situations since November 2007 and holds the rank of Lieutenant-General of security services. After serving in the Soviet Army in the early 1970s, General Bozhko underwent a course at the KGB College in Minsk in 1976. From there, he rose through the ranks of the KGB of the Kazakhstan Soviet Socialist Republic until the collapse of the USSR at the end of 1991. He moved into the newly formed security service of Kazakhstan, and served there until his appointment o the Emergencies Ministry in 2007.
Even though there have been 164 deaths due to drowning this year in Kazakhstan that represents a fall of 32% on the same period last year. Clearly the MES safety message is getting through to people and the preparatory safety work which is being done by the Ministry is paying dividends. In one of its more unexpected operations, the MES was even called upon by the government in June this year to operate out of its usual region and go abroad. When the Turkish airline Sky Airlines went bankrupt, tourists from Kazakhstan were left stranded in Antalya. The MES chartered a plane from Kazaviaspas and brought 188 citizens home, among them eight children. One of the most important preventative tasks for the MES is carrying out fire inspections. More than 20,000 inspections of public properties have been carried out this year, as a result of which 822 places were closed until they had been made fire-safe, and more than 100,000 violations of fire safety standards were uncovered. Over 15,000 people have been called to account for this, whilst almost the same number have been fined to the tune of KZT 170m.
The MES has more than 100 subsidiaries throughout Kazakhstan, employing over 36,000 specialists in civil defense procedures. Of these, 25,000 have earned the official title of “life-saver”. Altogether, under the Ministry’s banner there are military civil defense units, fire-fighters, mountain rescue teams, specialists in dealing with gas blow-outs and other related accidents, and air-crash specialists. They are regularly called out to a variety of incidents, often 200 in any one day. More than half of these are related to fires.
“Units of the Emergencies Ministry are in constant demand and in round-the-clock readiness. In each 24-hour period throughout the year we are called out between 100 and 240 times to come to people’s assistance.” Vladimir Bozhko, Minister for Emergency Situations
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Head of Religious Affairs Interviewed Following the collapse of the USSR and its inherently atheist system, freedom of belief has been enshrined in the Constitution of Kazakhstan, and the country has seen a religious revival. But a number of pseudoreligious organizations took advantage of the new freedoms and in 2011 the Agency for Religious Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan was established by Presidential Decree, to promote legitimate religious organizations and protect society from groups masquerading as religious entities. The Chairman of the Agency, Kairat Lama Sharif, was interviewed on the work of the Agency by The Astana Times. Kairat Lama Sharif, Chairman of the Religious Affairs Agency
When asked what challenges face Kazakhstan today in the development of a multi-religious, but stable society, Mr Sharif explained that they are the common challenges faced by almost every other country. These challenges include the spread of international terrorism and extremism from pseudo-religious organizations, what he called, “the antihuman destructive activities of radical religious movements and cults”, and organized crime. He continued, “We also have to prevent the erosion of the spiritual traditions and principles of society that make up the overall identity of the people and, ultimately, the identity of the state.” The Agency spends a significant amount of time and effort examining religious literature and other materials which are either published in Kazakhstan or brought into the country, in order to weed out extremist religious literature. The Agency created a system of implementation of theological examination of texts based on six norms and legal acts containing standards and rules, stages and mechanisms for the organization. The following evaluation reference points are applied in the examination of texts: appeals for the use of violence to change the basis of the constitutional system and violations of the integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan; negative emotional evaluations and negative attitudes towards any ethnic, racial, religious or social group; appeals directed toward the promotion of exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of individuals on the basis of their social, racial, national or religious identity; and appeals for actions that encroach on the rights and legal interests of citizens.
Kairat Lama Sharif, Chairman of the Agency for Religious Affairs Kairat Lama Sharif is an Arabist who has a long history of working in and with the Arab world, most notably during a long career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Kazakhstan. He has held various posts in the MFA, including that of Deputy Director of the Department for Asia, the Middle East and Africa from 2002-2004. He has served in the Embassies of Kazakhstan in Egypt (where he spent two terms, firstly in the mid-1990s, then from 1998-2002), and the United Arab Emirates, where he was Consul General from 2004-2006. In July 2006, Mr Sharif was appointed Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in May 2007 the post of Ambassador to Kuwait was added to his responsibilities. He took up the post of Chairman of the Agency for Religious Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan when the Agency was established on May 18, 2011.
“The positive role of religion in public life has undoubtedly increased, but at the same time, negative side effects related to the penetration of destructive religious movements into the country, which threaten the stability and forward development of our society, has increased as well… The Agency for Religious Affairs sees its mission as coordinating interaction between the government, religious groups and civil society for further promotion of peace and harmony in Kazakhstan.” Kairat Lama Sharif, Chairman of the Agency for Religious Affairs
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In general, opinions about the religious content of such material are given by experts in the field of religious studies. It is their responsibility to compile accurate and impartial judgements on the content of religious materials. Representatives of various government agencies also assist when necessary. So far, the Agency has examined 4,344 religious books and other materials. Of those, 148 were determined to have negative content. The Agency is currently examining a further 1,923 religious texts. In order to combat religious extremism and terrorism, the Agency holds events throughout the country to raise awareness of the dangers they pose. Last year alone, almost 3,500 events were held, involving over 200,000 people. There is also a program to publish materials in the media aimed at strengthening inter-confessional and inter-religious harmony and to expose the content of various destructive religious movements. The Agency’s team has already published 510 articles and interviews in the media. The Agency also uses social networks. Importantly, a cultural and educational Internet resource called E-ISLAM is expected to be launched in the second half of this year. This will be aimed at increasing interest in the spiritual and cultural values of traditional Islam for believers and those interested in the religion. It will also promote Kazakh traditions of spirituality and culture, and aim to halt the spread of ideas and activities of destructive non-traditional Islamic movements.
Kazakhstan is home to over 130 ethnic groups and 40 religions and is an example of a country where Islam and Christianity meet and co-exist peacefully. Islam is the most commonly practised religion in Kazakhstan. About 70% of the population are Sunni Muslims. Christianity is the second most practiced religion. About 25% of the population is Christian, with the majority of believers in this group belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church. 2% of the population is Roman Catholic
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The city of Turkestan traces its roots back to an ancient center of the caravan trade. It became a religious center known as Khazret (Hazrat) because of the 12th-century Sufi Ahmed Yesevi, whose 14th-century mausoleum is the city’s chief monument
Ancient Turkestan Reveals its Secrets Turkestan is sometimes understood to be a region covering roughly the area of former Soviet Central Asia, taking in present-day Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan as well as Xinjiang province in China. More precisely, Turkestan is an ancient city which was on the old Silk Road and is situated in the South Kazakhstan Region. The Margulan Archaeological Institute is currently conducting a major archaeological dig in Turkestan, which has revealed some fascinating and, until now, hitherto unknown details about the citadel which once stood on this site. The head of the excavation work, Yerbulat Smagulov, revealed details to the newspaper, Kazakhstanskaya Pravda. The most striking architectural feature of Turkestan is the Khodzha Akhmed Yasavi Mausoleum, which, with its sky-blue dome, is similar in appearance and size to the celebrated Bibi-Khanum Mausoleum in Samarkand in Uzbekistan. The dig, which is uncovering more and more of the ancient citadel, is situated just 300 meters to the south of the Mausoleum. It has already revealed four-meter high walls, with arched doorways and the remains of great arched ceilings. Experts now think that there was a cross-shaped building with an upper floor at the heart of the old city – yet only a few signs remain. Only three or four buildings of this design have been uncovered, in the Zhambyl and South Kazakhstan Regions, and these date back some 2,000 years. Experts believe that the building at the present excavation site could date from the first century BC. The current excavation is helping to form a more complete picture about the whole history of this fascinating place. Last year, pots were uncovered in the walls of the Mausoleum which had been used to offer sacrifices. They are believed to date from the ninth or tenth centuries. A clue to their age is a runic inscription on one pot which is thought to be in an as yet undeciphered script used in the ninth century. Archaeologists are beginning to talk about the whole territory of the ancient citadel being turned into a single large museum site. The excavations so far have already uncovered enough to present an architectural and archaeological vision of the start of the development of city life in the area. But the chief archaeologist working on the project, Yerbulat Smagulov, is aware that much has still to be done to make this dream of creating a museum site a reality. Until now, too little has been preserved of city life in the area, helping to promote the myth that there were no cities since the Kazakh people were always nomadic. The excavations at Turkestan are showing that 2,000 years ago there were already buildings of more than one storey, city walls and towers as well as places of spiritual importance. The excavations at Turkestan are uncovering secrets about life in the area which have been hidden for centuries. Not only could Turkestan find itself in the future on a revived “Silk Road”, it could also become a major attraction for historians and cultural tourists.
“There’s a myth about Kazakhstan being a country of eternal nomadism. That’s because archaeological finds have never been properly researched; or if they were researched they weren’t preserved. Our findings show that already 2,000 years ago, in ancient Turkestan, there were complex buildings of more than one storey.” Yerbulat Smagulov, Chief Archaeologist at the Turkestan archaeological dig ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 314 / 6
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News from the Government in Brief Tax audit to be centralized From August 1 this year, all tax audits in Kazakhstan will be carried out at the regional [oblast] level, and no longer locally. This follows a pilot scheme which was carried out in the North Kazakhstan and Mangystau Regions and was found to be a far more efficient method of carrying out the audit. In the first quarter of 2013 in these two regions, there were 60% fewer document checks, while an extra 600% of tax revenue was brought in. It is thought that such a system offers fewer opportunities for corruption. In recent times, 1,200 tax payers in Kazakhstan have been found guilty of false accounting, which has seen more than an extra KZT 107bn collected in taxes. The Chairman of the Tax Commission acknowledged that problems of false accounting represent a threat to the economic security of the country. (ortcom.kz)
Kazakhstan-EU Cooperation Council meets in Brussels The 13th session of the Kazakhstan-EU Cooperation Council gathered in Brussels on July 24. As well as a general discussion of bilateral relations and the wider international situation, the talks focused on the priority topics for Kazakhstan-EU relations: the strengthening of the mechanisms for political dialogue; the pace of the implementation of the current Agreement and the talks on the new Agreement on the wider Partnership and Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU; key aspects of EU policy in the Central Asian region; the further development of trade relations; improving cooperation in the sphere of civil aviation, as well as science, innovation and new technologies. Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation already attained and expressed their optimism about continued positive developments. They also agreed on what they saw as the most important aspects of both global and regional security issues. (mfa.gov.kz)
President Nazarbayev visits London President Nursultan Nazarbayev made an unofficial visit to London this week, and for the second time in less than a month held a meeting with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. Mr Cameron made an official visit to Kazakhstan on June 30-July 1, first visiting British companies working in the oil and gas fields of the North Caspian region and opening, with the President, the “Bolashak” oil and gas refinery; and then travelling on to Astana for further talks with President Nazarbayev. On this occasion, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the progress of their countries’ cooperation; discussed the key aspects of the trade relationship; and checked on the progress of the agreements signed in Astana. They also discussed questions of regional security and the current international situation. (akorda.kz)
Kazakhstan improves competitiveness and customs procedures The Ministry of Finance reported this week that Kazakhstan’s position has risen significantly in two international ratings for 2012-2013: the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) and the “Time for Customs Procedures” ranking. On competitiveness, defined by research carried out by the Swiss-based World Economic Forum, Kazakhstan has risen 21 places to number 51 on the list of 144 countries. The improvement in the rating for “Time for Customs Procedures” has seen Kazakhstan rise by 25 points to be listed at number 77 in the table. The procedure for taking goods through customs has become more transparent and easier to understand. The declaration procedure should become easier still, as new technology is introduced. In addition, since January 1 this year a pilot scheme has been in operation for a paper-less, electronic export declaration form. This has been shown to be a quicker procedure for the customs authorities and it also saves money for exporters. It reduces the risk of corruption, too. It is planned to switch the whole customs operation over to the electronic system in 2014, which will help to bring the system up to international standards and should speed up the entry of Kazakhstan into the list of the 30 most developed countries. (primeminister.kz)
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Also in The News… • Institute of Social Studies and Gender Research reports that 55% of civil servants are women According to the director of the Institute of Social Studies and Gender Research KazGosZhenPU, 55% of civil servants in public administration in Kazakhstan are women. Zamza Kodar, an expert of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy commented: “We have three female ministers and 260 women are mayors of urban, rural and village districts. According to Kodar, there has been a two-and-a-half fold increase in the number of women holding positions in the Majilis (lower house) of the Kazakhstan Parliament. The percentage of female deputies in the Majilis is 24% – a similar or even higher figure than in many Western European countries. (bnews) • Plans announced to increase number of flights between Kazakhstan and Turkey Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry for Transport and Communications, Beken Seidakhmetov, announced this week that Turkish aviation authorities are ready to discuss increasing the number of regular flights between the two countries. Currently, Turkish aviation authorities permit scheduled flights only to Istanbul. Kazakhstan would like to see the expansion of flights to other regional Turkish cities. (primeminister.kz / bnews) • Summer school in aid of environmental conservation of the Caspian Sea opens in Aktau Students and young professionals have taken part this week in an educational program in Aktau, aimed at discussing and resolving environmental issues in the Caspian Sea region with a particular focus on the problem of declining seal populations. The program entitled, ‘The Caspian seal and biodiversity of the Caspian Sea’ opened its first summer school and is organized by ‘Eco Mangistau’, a non-governmental organization supported by the NCOC company. The ceremony opening the summer school was attended by the Akim of Aktau, Edil Zhanburshin. • Azerbaijan joins list of countries to order new Eurocopter Kazakhstan military helicopters Azerbaijan has joined a list of countries that have ordered EC 645 T2 military helicopters from Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering – something confirmed by the Ministry of Defense. The other countries that have ordered the EC 645 T2 include Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and Russia. Eurocopter Kazakhstan intends to assemble the helicopters in Astana according to Commercial Director Karybay Ablezov during a presentation of the new helicopter. (bnews) • Kazakhstan’s car industry moves into top gear There has been a sharp increase in the purchase of new cars in the past year in Kazakhstan with sales breaking pre-crisis records. Rising incomes, Kazakhstan’s entry into the Customs Union and legislation restricting imports of used cars have all contributed to the increase. Rising demand has encouraged firms such as France’s Peugeot Citroen to set up production in the country as well as existing manufacturers to expand their operations. (bnews) • Belgian cyclist joins race to Astana EXPO-2017 This week the first participant of the international cycling ride, ‘The Sun Trip: On the Road to Astana EXPO 2017’, arrived in the capital of Kazakhstan. Belgian, Raf Van Hulle, representing the Solar Wind Company, reached Astana having set off on June 15 with other cyclists from the city of Savoie in France. The ride has been organized as a prelude to EXPO 2017 in order to highlight the importance of green technologies as part of the EXPO’s ‘Future Energy’ theme. Therefore, bikes carried solar panels to aid their journeys. (Ortcom.kz) • Astana celebrates International Chess Day Astana celebrated International Chess Day this week by inviting leading grandmasters from all over the country to the capital. International Chess Day has been celebrated yearly since its inception in 1966 at the initiative of the World Chess Federation. During this year’s event, the game of chess was honored in the Khan Shatyr entertainment center in Astana – the program included contests, entertainment and concurrent play sessions. Members of the national team of Kazakhstan, Rinat Dzhumabayev and Anuar Ismagambetov together with the national coach, Nurlan Ibrayev, arrived in Astana to join the day’s festivities. (Kazinform)
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