Kazakhstan
News Bulletin
Released weekly by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
April 3, 2003 Vol. 2, No.1
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In this issue:
Kazakhstan Liberalizes Visa Rules for Citizens of U.S., Canada, 52 Other Nations
Majilis Votes to Lease Land to U.S. to Build Embassy in Astana
Further Liberalization of Economy and Society to Be Main Thrust of President's April 4 Annual Address
President to Approve New Industrial Program Shortly
Government Approves Caspian Development Program
Kazakhstan Liberalizes Visa Rules for Citizens of U.S., Canada, 52 Other Nations
New regulations went into effect on 1 April for some categories of foreigners visiting Kazakhstan for tourism or business, khabar.kz and rferl.org reported. Invitations extended to such persons by nongovernmental organizations may now be submitted directly to the Foreign Ministry's consular section. Previously, the permission of the regional migration police was required before a visa request could be submitted. For foreigners entering the country on private affairs, the Interior Ministry's permission is still required.
The new rules apply to citizens of 54 countries, including the United States, Canada, Israel and most of Europe. Citizens of these countries will also be able to get tourist visas on arrival at the international airports in Kazakhstan (in Astana, Almaty, Atyrau, Uralsk and Ust-Kamenogorsk), provided they have invitations from tourist organizations properly registered with the Foreign Ministry in advance.
It has also become easier for persons who emigrated from Kazakhstan to obtain visas to visit their birthplaces and the graves of relatives. They only need to submit a personal request and proof they were born in Kazakhstan, emigrated from there, or that close relatives are buried there.
Majilis Votes to Lease Land to U.S. to Build Embassy in Astana
The deputies of the Majilis (the lower house of the Parliament) voted for a bill ratifying the provision of land to the United States for building the embassy in the capital city of Astana.
"Signing of the relevant Memorandum reflects the two sides' aspiration for further development of the bilateral relations in the spirit of strategic partnership and corresponds to mutual interests," Deputy Foreign Minister Vadim Zverkov said presenting the bill. Under the Memorandum signed in Astana last October, Kazakhstan is to provide 8,614 hectares of land for the construction of the Embassy.
Foreign embassies have been gradually relocating from Almaty to Astana since the city became the official capital of Kazakhstan in December 1997. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Further Liberalization of Economy and Society to Be Main Thrust of President's April 4 Annual Address
"We have approached the new stage of liberalization of the economy and the entire life of our country," President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at the March 31 meeting of the Public Council on the Media, kazaag.kz reported. The President added that this message would be the main thrust of the annual address to the nation that he would deliver at the April 4 joint session of the houses of Parliament. Mr. Nazarbayev underscored that "democracy is not the destination, but the beginning of the road and no decrees would be enough to reach it, because it needs to be lived through."
President to Approve New Industrial Program Shortly
President Nazarbayev announced March 31 that he would approve the new industrial program for the years 2003-2015 in April. He said it outlines a stage-by-stage industrial development of the country.
It envisages the establishment of specialized technological zones based on the existing growth clusters. Mr. Nazarbayev said the nuclear physics would be developing at Kurchatov (a formerly closed city at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site), while the information technology development to be centered in Alatau (outskirts of Almaty). Stepnogorsk, the site of the former world's largest anthrax production and weaponization facility will be the center for biotechnology. To support the new industries, the investment fund and export guarantee corporation are to be established.
Kazakhstan will have to "shed the dependence on raw materials", the President noted. He spoke for a gradual "switch from receiving revenues from raw materials to developing processing industries", to prevent the state from "losing economic, and then political independence."
Government Approves Caspian Development Program
KazMunaiGaz President Uzakbai Karabalin announced March 29 that the government approved a program to develop Caspian Sea oil fields, interfax.com and rferl.org reported. The program, devised jointly by KazMunaiGaz and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, covers the period until 2015. During the initial phase from 2003-05, oil exploration and infrastructure development will be accelerated opening the opportunities for new contracts. From 2006-10, the program envisages the rapid development of the offshore fields, with oil production stabilized from 2011-15. The program has to be approved by the President.
The report noted that a foreign consortium - Agip KCO, which is headed by ENI and includes ExxonMobil, Inpex, Shell, Phillips, and TotalFinaElf - is now completing exploration of the Kashagan field, one of the largest in the Caspian. Consortium member BG has announced that it intends to sell its share in the project. Agip KCO intends to start industrial development of the field in 2005 which coincides with the government's plan to begin developing all the country's offshore Caspian oil fields. Kazakhstan plans to produce 150 million tons of oil a year by 2015.
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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 persons: Roman Vassilenko, Aibek Nurbalin
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, 115, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
