Kazakhstan
News Bulletin
Released weekly by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
February 6, 2003 Vol. 1, No.7
________________________________
In this issue:
U.S. "supports" Peace and Harmony Conference in Almaty
President visits Italy to expand business ties ...
... and the Vatican to promote interreligious dialogue
Kazakhstan's experience in penal reform can benefit others, PRI head says
Women's ice hockey team wins gold in Winter Asian Games
U.S. "supports" Peace and Harmony Conference in Almaty
Officials say it accords well with U.S. "goals of engaging Islam"
The U.S. supports
the upcoming International
Conference on Peace and
Harmony to take place in
Almaty, Kazakhstan, on
February 13, American
officials and members of
Congress said last week.
"We regard the
conference as a continuing
effort to promote collaboration
and coexistence between
different ethnic groups," Ambassador Kanat Saudabayev (center) invites guests
Representative Robert to try invites both Kazakh national and Kosher food at a
Wexler (D-FLA) said at the reception to present the Conference. Those looking on
Washington-DC presentation include (from right to left) Mark Levin, executive director
of the upcoming meeting. of NCSJ: Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia,
"We certainly think that it is Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia, Roman
a very positive development Vassilenko of the Embassy, and Alexander Mashkevich,
and we wish it great President of EuroAsian Jewish Congress.
success," he added.
The U.S. administration said it welcomes the initiative, too.
"The United States supports the planned conference, which accords well with our goals of engaging Islam," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on January 30.
At the conference in Almaty, presidents of Central Asian nations, as well as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and several dozen leaders of major Jewish organizations from the USA and Israel, will discuss ways to promote dialogue among nations, cultures and civilizations. They are expected to adopt a new Chapter of Peace and Stability and establish a Forum to pursue dialogue.
The conference was presented in Washington, DC, on January 29 at an event held jointly by the Kazakhstan Embassy, EuroAsian Jewish Congress and NCSJ: Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia.
Speaking at a presentation, Mark Levin, executive director of Washington, DC-based NCSJ (which stands for National Conference on Soviet Jewry), said he was "very comfortable" about going to Kazakhstan because there "Jews and Muslims have been living together side by side in peace and friendship for centuries." Mr. Levin said he would be part of the delegation of more than 70 leaders of the major Jewish organization going to Kazakhstan in mid-February. He said they "hope to see firsthand how the Kazakhstan's Jewish community is developing and to be able to talk to various leaders of the Kazakhstan's government and other governments of the region about ways in which we can work together" for peace and stability.
President visits Italy to expand business ties ...
President Nazarbayev visited Italy Feb. 3 through Feb. 6 to discuss the growing business ties between the two nations. His separate meetings with Italian officials, including President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as well as Italy's oil and gas company Eni SpA' managing director, centered on expanding business ties between the two countries.
After the meeting, The Eni's chief executive pronounced himself "very satisfied" with oil company's dealings with the country. Eni, the operator of the major Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea shelf, plans to start extracting oil from it. Eni has been present in Kazakhstan since 1998, and has already invested US$1.6 billion in developing its oil and gas reserves.
"We intend to broaden our relations," Berlusconi said. Italy is already the third largest foreign investor into Kazakhstan after the U.S. and the UK, and the third largest trading partner after Russia and China with an annual trade turnover of $1.5 billion.
Berlusconi said Kazakhstan's proximity to China and Iran means Kazakhstan has the possibility of being a base for manufactured goods and their distribution, beyond its role as a major oil and gas supplier.
At a news conference with President Nursultan Nazarbayev on February 5, Premier Silvio Berlusconi said he would go to Kazakhstan early this summer, bringing Italian businessmen with him to drum up more business with that country.
... and the Vatican to promote interreligious dialogue
The issues of interethnic and interreligious harmony were on the agenda of President Nazarbayev's meeting with Pope John Paul II in the papal library in the Vatican on Feb. 6., Kazakhstan Today reported.
This meeting came as a follow-up to the Pontific's own trip to Kazakhstan in September 2001, during which he heartily applauded Kazakhstan's religious freedom. The President invited the Roman Catholic Church to participate in the interreligious dialogue that is based in Kazakhstan and is gradually getting international attention. The Pope welcomed the ideas of holding an interreligious congress of leaders of all world's religions in Kazakhstan and establishing a permanent international interreligious headquarters in that country.
Kazakhstan's experience in penal reform can benefit others, PRI head says
Hails transfer of prisons to Justice Ministry, discusses fighting the spread of TB
Kazakhstan's experience in reforming its penal system can be useful for other countries, Baroness Vivien Stern of Great Britain, Secretary General of the Penal Reform International (PRI), has said during a visit to Astana on February 3, Interfax and Kazakhstan Today reported.
PRI, a non-governmental organization, has been working in Kazakhstan for the past five years and has provided extensive assistance to its prison reform. Speaking to the press on Monday after meeting Senate Speaker Oralbai Abdykarimov, Lady Stern said Kazakhstan's experience in reforming the penal system is of great interest and can be useful for others. The baroness has described the top officials in the penal system as great experts and professionals in their sphere, the Interfax quoted her as saying.
Kazakhstan has made a number of steps in liberalizing criminal legislation and humanizing correctional system since Baroness Stern's last visit to the republic in 2001, Mr. Abdykarimov said at the meeting. He singled out the reduction of prison terms for first-time offenders in the crimes of light and medium seriousness, a significant reduction of the number of crimes punishable by death, and an improvement of conditions for inmates.
At their meeting, Abdykarimov and Stern also discussed the proposed moratorium on the death sentence and the transfer of pre-trial detention centers in Kazakhstan to the Justice Ministry from the Interior Ministry. The British politician said international experience showed that the conditions in pre-trial facilities were always more humane when they were under the Justice Ministry.
In a move also welcomed by the OSCE experts, prisons and penal colonies in Kazakhstan have been transferred since the beginning of 2002 from the Interior Ministry to the Justice Ministry. For a country of 14.9 million, Kazakhstan has 70 correctional facilities with a combined population of about 70,000 convicts.
On February 4, Baroness Stern also met Minister of Health Zhaksylyk Doskaliev to discuss ways to combat spread of tuberculosis amongst inmates. They agreed to pursue further a special joint project, conducted since 1998, to provide medical equipment and medicines to prevent and stop the TB. A number of European organizations, such as the International Center for Penal Studies, Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis Association, and others also take part in the project.
Women's ice hockey team wins gold in Winter Asian Games
Kazakhstan's athletes dominate many events in Japan, so far second to hosts in medals tally
Kazakhstan's women ice hockey team made history when it won the gold medal in the 5th Winter Asian Games in Aomori, Japan on February 6, having overpowered the hosts 3:1, the South Korean team 19:0, and drawn with the Chinese 1:1. This victory represents an important milestone for a very young team that first competed in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Men's hockey team has guaranteed itself a place in the final on February 7 after defeating the Chinese opponents 12:1 in the semifinal.
The skiers from Kazakhstan also dominated major events in the games, winning numerous men's and women's races. Kazakhstan's Svetlana Shiskina-Malahova captured the first gold medal of the games on Sunday as skiers from Kazakhstan won seven medals in cross-country skiing.
As of February 6, Kazakhstan held the second place in terms of medal tally, second only to the host nation of Japan.
A total of 1,043 athletes from 29 nations and regions - the largest ever at the Winter Asian Games - are competed in skating, ice hockey, skiing, and other sports from Feb. 1 through Feb. 8.
* * *
News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact persons: Roman Vassilenko, Aibek Nurbalin
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, 115, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
