Kazakhstan News Bulletin Released weekly by the Embassy of The Republic of Kazakhstan
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Vol. 1, No. 9, March 20, 2002
Politics 
·Secretary of State - Foreign Minister Tokaev speaks at UN human rights body in Geneva
·and discusses upcoming Eurasian Economic Summit with "Davos Club" president
·Kazakhstan values UN contribution, plans international security cooperation organization summit
Economy
·American companies gearing up for tenders of offshore blocks
·Kazakhstan's subsurface resources sector receives USD 4.7 billion in investment in 2001 blocks
·Unemployment down, industrial output up in February
Society
·Kazakhstan is to celebrate Nauryz holiday
POLITICS
Secretary of State - Foreign Minister Tokaev speaks at UN human rights body in Geneva
"Kazakhstan has launched a democratization program, unprecedented for Central Asia," Kassymzhomart Tokaev said in his speech to the gathering of more than 150 nations at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. "The program is aimed at full respect for human rights and freedoms, prevention of any forms of discrimination".
Mr. Tokaev said Kazakhstan's "firm commitment" since the first days of its independence "to the establishment of a democratic, secular and socially oriented state based upon the rule of law" made democratic processes "irreversible".
Kazakhstan was party to the main international conventions on human rights, Mr. Tokaev said, stressing that Kazakhstan made a principled decision to join the International Covenants on economic, social and cultural rights, civil and political rights and their optional protocols.
In view of the global fight against terrorism, Kazakhstan undertook steps to strengthen national security, including on the prevention of illegal migration and all forms of extremism. "Kazakhstan has adopted legislation aimed at prevention of penetration into the territory of our country of religious extremists, especially those who conceal their activities under noble ideas of Islam", he stated, adding that Kazakhstan was "combating extremism, not religion".
Mr. Tokaev also informed the gathering of Kazakhstan's further plans in terms of democratic reforms, including the decentralization of power, reform of the election legislation and the establishment of the office of Ombudsman (Commissioner) on human rights.
and discusses upcoming Eurasian Economic Summit with "Davos Club" president
While in Geneva, Secretary of State Kassymzhomart Tokaev met on March 19 with Klaus Schwab, President of World Economic Forum, to discuss preparations for the 2nd biannual Eurasian Economic Summit to take place under WEF auspices in Almaty on April 8-9, 2002. The fist such summit was successfully held in Almaty in April 2000.
The summit, «Sustaining Growth in Uncertain Times", "will focus primarily on the eight core countries five of them in Central Asia and three in the Caucasus of the region. It will also pay close attention to the surrounding area (China, Iran, Russia and Turkey) and other nations (Afghanistan, India and Pakistan) that play an important role in determining the fate of the core countries," the WEF said in its advisory.
The summit is expected to draw together Asian heads of state, top officials from world financial institutions, and business executives from throughout the world. The gathering is to be organized by sector, featuring workshops and brainstorming sessions on transport and infrastructure, oil and gas, power generation, mining, consulting services, tourism, information technologies, banking, finance and other categories.
Kazakhstan is planning to announce up to 40 new investment projects at the forum, according to Mr. Vadim Zverkov, Chairman of the Foreign Ministry's Investment Committee.
Kazakhstan values UN contribution, plans international security cooperation organization summit
Kazakhstan government highly values the activities and contributions of the United Nations in the Republic, First Deputy Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov declared at a conference in Astana to mark ten years of UN presence in Kazakhstan.
Mr. Idrissov said the UN had provided a considerable contribution to the Republic's evolution as a independent state and had provided strong support for the foreign and domestic policies of the fledging state. The UN plays an "essential" role in the development of democratic institutions in the region, the diplomat said.
Mr. Idrissov emphasized that the UN has supported Kazakhstan's initiatives to establish a pan-Asian security organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and to create a nuclear-free zone in Central Asia. The first ever CICA summit is being planned for the year of 2002 in Almaty. Among its 16 members are Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.
ECONOMY
American companies gearing up for tenders of offshore blocks
American companies are looking forward to upcoming announced tenders for the development of offshore oil blocks on the Kazakhstan Caspian shelf, Ambassador Stephen Mann, Senior Adviser on Caspian basin energy diplomacy at the US State Department, announced at a press conference in Astana last week. According to him, prospects for the development of Caspian shelf deposits seem "promising".
Kazakhstan officials earlier this year announced plans to sell off over 100 offshore blocks in the Kazakhstan Caspian sector. Deputy Prime Minister Karim Masimov recently announced that the tenders would be held only after an official state program on the development of Caspian resources was adopted.
Independent estimates put Kazakhstan's offshore Caspian sector's hydrocarbon reserves at 75 percent of the seabed total potential.
Kazakhstan's subsurface resources sector receives USD 4.7 billion in investment in 2001
According to the National Statistics Agency, enterprises working to develop Kazakhstan's bountiful subsurface resources received a total of USD 4.747 billion in investment in 2001.
Foreign investment into subsurface resources development projects totaled USD 3.781 billion, some 79.7% of total investment in the sector. Kazakhstan investors spent USD 965.9 million on subsurface resource projects. Hydrocarbons development projects received 74% of investments in Kazakhstan's subsurface resources, while the complex metals sector received 6%, copper - 4%, coal - 5%, iron and manganese - 4% and gold, chromites, uranium and bauxite - 1% each.
As of January 1, 2002, just over 1,200 companies (1,203) were involved in subsurface resources projects in Kazakhstan. Some 58% were involved in production projects, 29% in combined exploration and production and 13% in exploration efforts.
The Republic has signed 906 subsurface use contracts, including 62 contracts signed last year.
Unemployment down, industrial output up in February
Unemployment in Kazakhstan fell by 0.2% in the month of February 2002 to 10.8%, Reuters reported citing the National Statistics Agency. In February 2001 unemployment in the Republic stood at 12.6%. According to the Statistics Agency, Kazakhstan's workforce grew to 7.2 million people as of February 28, up from 7.18 million in January and 7.12 million in February 2001.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's industrial production rose 11.1% in February vis-à-vis February 2001; industrial output totaled USD 989 million. Industrial production is up 12% year-on-year.
SOCIETY
Kazakhstan is to celebrate Nauryz holiday
Kazakhstan is planning to celebrate Nauryz holiday on March 22.
The tradition to mark Nauryz, the holiday to celebrate the spring renewal, was reinstated in Kazakhstan following its independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991.
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
(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
