In this issue:
President Sends News Media Bill to Constitutional Council
Microsoft to Help Set Up Government Network, Adapt Office Software to Kazakh Language
Government Increases GDP Growth Forecast to 8%
Guinness-Listed Singer from Kazakhstan Wins International Contest
Kazakh Senate Approves Membership in WIPO
Kazakhstan Ready to Aid Economic Rebirth of Afghanistan
Say it in Kazakh:
Breakfast --- Tanghy as [Tan-GYH Ahs]
Lunch --- Tuske as [Tus-KEH Ahs]
Dinner --- Keshke as [Khesh-KEH Ahs]
Food --- Tamak [Ta-MAK]
Let’s eat! - Tamak esheikh! [Ta-MAK E-SHEIKH]
President Sends News Media Bill to Constitutional Council
President Nursultan Nazarbayev has sent a bill on the news media to the country’s Constitutional Council to review its compliance with the Constitution.
As reported by the Kazakhstan Today news agency, the press office of the President said this decision was made in light of the importance of the bill. The Constitutional Council has one month to review the bill and come up with recommendations.
The bill has been under discussion in various forums for almost a year now. A total of 500 amendments were introduced to the bill at the recommendation of the Congress of Journalists of Kazakhstan, the Permanent Council on Democratization and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The Parliament approved the bill on March 18, 2004.
Microsoft to Help Set Up Government Network, Adapt Office Software to Kazakh Language
The Government of Kazakhstan and the Microsoft Corporation have signed a memorandum on mutual understanding setting out principles of cooperation in developing and introducing information technology in Kazakhstan.
Industry and Trade Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov, Chairman of the State Information and Communications Agency Birzhan Kaneshev and Microsoft CEO for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Jean-Philippe Courtois signed the document in Astana on March 26.
According to Interfax news agency, Mr. Courtois said the parties will closely cooperate in setting up an internal network for the government, introducing information technology and adapting Microsoft Office software for the Kazakh language.
The MOU also provides for an exchange of expertise in information security, Mr. Courtois noted.
Minister Dzhaksybekov said the completed MOU is an important step for Microsoft as the company enters Central Asian markets which should lead to contracts “involving big money.”
Government Increases GDP Growth Forecast to 8%
Kairat Kelimbetov, Economy and Budget Planning Minister, announced last week in Astana that Kazakhstan has increased the forecast for GDP growth by 1 percent to 8.0 percent due to high oil prices in the international markets. Kazakhstan also expects its currency to continue strengthening.
The minister said: “We believe our GDP growth will exceed the previous forecast (7.0 percent) by $1.48bn, and therefore, we expect the GDP to grow by about 8 percent this year.”
In 2003, Kazakhstan’s GDP grew by 9.2 percent, and the average annual exchange rate of its national currency, the tenge, against the dollar was 149.45 tenges per dollar.
According to Minister Kelimbetov, the government has also revised the methodology of calculating the consumer price index (CPI), and the annual inflation rate is expected to reach 5 to 7 percent. The target for the 2004 inflation rate is 5.4 percent.
“Additionally, we plan to save money on programs dealing with debt servicing. Given the fact that the dollar is declining against the tenge, we can save money on these programs,” Minister Kelimbetov added.
Guinness-Listed Singer from Kazakhstan Wins International Contest
Masha Mudryak, a 9-year-old singer from Pavlodar in northern Kazakhstan who at her tender age has already released her own album, won an international singing contest in Moscow, Russia on March 31.
The contest, called Light Your Star, was opened as Masha cut the ribbon and sang a song from her homeland, the Kazakh Waltz by Khamidi.
Masha, already a winner of numerous international singing contests, was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest female singer to release her own album on disc.
Kazakh Senate Approves Membership in WIPO
The Senate of Kazakhstan on April 1 approved a bill ratifying Kazakhstan’s entry in the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Kazakhstan’s growing IT industry considers intellectual property rights an important factor in developing their segment of the economy.
The bill was sent to the President for signature.
Kazakhstan Ready to Aid Economic Rebirth of Afghanistan
Kairat Abusseitov, First Deputy Foreign Minister, said Kazakhstan is ready to participate in international program and projects to rebuild the economy of Afghanistan.
Speaking at an international conference on Afghanistan in Berlin earlier this week, Mr. Abusseitov said Kazakhstan, given its geographical proximity and its developed infrastructure, could supply Afghanistan with grain, industrial goods and construction materials. The deputy minister said Kazakhstan’s knowledge, technical expertise and a rich experience of earlier work in Afghanistan could be put to good use in rebuilding transportation and communications infrastructure, irrigation networks, coal mining and other industries.
Stressing the need for a comprehensive approach to the problems faced by Afghanistan, Mr. Abusseitov said the priority should be given to fighting drug production and trafficking.
Representatives of 65 countries participated in the Berlin conference.
Things to Watch:
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News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and agency reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
