In this issue:
Kazakhstan Has Active Role to Play in "Great Game", Foreign Minister Says
Europe's Parliamentary Assembly Welcomes Death Penalty Moratorium in Kazakhstan
Chief Rabbi Says Kazakhstan "Symbol" for Others
Credit System's Use to Expand to Undergraduate Education
Kazakhstan Has Active Role to Play in "Great Game", Foreign Minister Says
Kazakhstan is successfully playing an active role in all the processes that take place in Central Asia, Foreign Minister Kassymzhomart Tokaev said while in Beijing this week, as he commented on his country's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Speaking to Kazakh reporters after a meeting of the foreign ministers of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on January 14, Minister Tokaev said Kazakhstan needs to be very sensitive and flexible in relation to these processes.
He noted, "We have understood that, one way or the other, Kazakhstan will be involved in the great game being played out in Central Asia. Indeed, our region is very important and attracts attention of key countries of the world, and not just of China and Russia, but of the United States, India, Pakistan, Turkey and Iran."
According to Kazinform news agency, the Minister stressed "Kazakhstan is not a passive observer of the unfolding competition. We are a large regional power. Kazakhstan's economy has a good reputation in the world, and we pursue a very active foreign policy."
The region of Central Asia has attracted growing attention since the collapse of the Soviet Union 12 years ago, primarily because of its key geographic position in the heart of Eurasia and abundant energy reserves in Kazakhstan and elsewhere. In recent years, the countries of the region gained even greater significance as participants in anti-terrorist operations in Afghanistan. The secular nature and the religious and ethnic diversity and tolerance of Kazakhstan also make it an important bulwark against extremist and fundamentalist forces seeking to hijack the Islamic religion.
Such situation and Kazakhstan's position in "a sensitive region, bordering both China and Russia, requires an active foreign policy," the Foreign Minister believes.
Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in existence since 2002. Its goals are to promote multilateral cooperation in security and economy. Last year it staged its first antiterrorist exercises in Kazakhstan and China. In June 2004, the six presidents are slated to inaugurate the group's Regional Antiterrorist Center (RATC) in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
Europe's Parliamentary Assembly Welcomes Kazakhstan Death Penalty Moratorium
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly's top official welcomed the introduction of a death penalty moratorium in Kazakhstan and expressed hope it will lead to the ultimate abolishment of of the death penalty.
According to the organization's December 2003 news release, reported by the Kazakhstan Today news agency on January 12, Peter Schieder, the President of the Assembly, said: "This is a very positive step and I hope it will lead to the definite abolition of the death penalty in the country. It clearly illustrates that Kazakhstan is willing to move closer to European standards."
President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the decree introducing a moratorium on the death penalty on December 17.
Mr. Shieder noted: "This important decision comes just before the signature of the special cooperation agreement between our Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliament of Kazakhstan, due to take place in January 2004."
The aim of a cooperation agreement with the parliament of a non-member state is to develop a political dialogue between the parliament and the Assembly with a view to promoting the principles of parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Chief Rabbi Says Kazakhstan "Symbol" for Others
Yeshaya Cohen, the Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan, today called the country a "symbol" for others and announced that a new large synagogue will soon be completed in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital.
In a January 16 interview with Kazinform news agency timed to mark World Religion Day on January 19, Rabbi Cohen said: "There's no secret that Kazakhstan became a symbol for other countries by being able to bring together representatives of different religions who adopted the Declaration [of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in September 2003]."
He added, "A large new synagogue is being built in Astana, and it will open in a few months. That is another indicator of the respect on behalf of the Government, which ensures an opportunity to people of different religions to gather, pray and study." Said Rabbi Cohen: "I would like to thank the President of Kazakhstan for paying so much attention to distinguishing between those who truly believe and those who want to hijack religion for their own reasons."
He continued: "There are people of almost 120 ethnic groups here who have good relations with each other. If we look at the history, there have never been anti-Semitic moods here, and that's a distinct trait of this country."
Rabbi Cohen, born in Jerusalem, educated in England and the United States, came to Kazakhstan almost a decade ago. There are several dozen thousand people in Kazakhstan of Jewish origin, and more than a dozen new synagogues have been built across the country during the 12 years of independence.
New Undergraduate Credit System Follows U.S. Model
The Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan will this year introduce the system of subject credits to the undergraduate education as the country continues with its education reform modeled on the U.S., officials announced January 10.
Speaking on Khabar TV, Aibek Atkhanov, director of state procurement of graduate education of the Ministry, said the introduction of the credit system for the Bachelor of Arts level follows its introduction into the graduate education a year ago.
"To get a BA diploma, a student will have to receive 120 credits during the four years of studies," Mr. Atkhanov said. "Every subject will be judged equally, at 3 credits."
The changes, giving students much greater latitude in charting their own educational trajectory, amount to a revolution of sorts in an educational system that was based on the old rigid tradition of compulsory lectures, seminars, and exams. Officials believe the reform will make graduates more competitive in an increasingly globalized economy.
Things to Watch:
- On January 6, the National Bank Chairman Grigori Marchenko was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility over the financial issues. Mr. Marchenko had governed the country's central bank since 1999, and his skillful stewardship is internationally credited in the rapid development of the country's financial sector.
- On January 10, following a visit to Astana by President Vladimir Putin, Kazakhstan and Russia extended Russia's lease of the Baikonur Cosmodrome until the year 2050, and Kazakhstan expanded its participation in the exploration of space.
- On January 19, believers of 46 different religions in Kazakhstan will be marking the World Religion Day.
- President Nazarbayev visits the United Arab Emirates for talks on promoting economic cooperation, January 18-22.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
