In this issue:
President Ratifies Common Economic Space Agreement
Another Political Party Enters Scene, Bringing Total to 11
Astronauts Land in Kazakhstan
Say it in Kazakh:
Six --- Alty
Seven --- Zheti
Eight --- Segiz
Nine --- Togyz
Ten --- On
President Ratifies Common Economic Space Agreement
President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a law on April 29 ratifying the agreement on the establishment of the Common Economic Space (CES) between Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and the Ukraine, opening the way for Kazakhstan’s participation in a free trade zone among the four large economies of the former Soviet Union.
The agreement, signed by presidents of the four countries in September 2003, provides for the establishment of the free trade zone without exceptions and limitations, creating conditions for the free movement of goods, services, capital and the workforce, as well as a single tariff policy. Russia and the Ukraine ratified the agreement earlier this week.
The press office of the President said in a statement that “the agreement’s implementation will also allow reducing the level of infrastructure burden, facilitating the interaction of producers and raising the competitiveness of the CES members.”
It also added that as the CES will be developing, this process will call for the harmonization of national legislation, given the differences in their level of development and the different status of their accession negotiations with the World Trade Organization.
Another Political Party Enters Scene, Bringing Total to 11
A new political party in Kazakhstan entered the political landscape with its first congress in Astana on April 29, bringing to eleven the number of political parties either registered or aspiring to be registered in Kazakhstan.
The party, called the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan (DPK), was established on the basis of a movement, “For Legal Kazakhstan” which came to being last year with the goal to ensure elections are held in a fair and transparent way.
Maksut Narikbayev, leader of “For Legal Kazakhstan”, announced at the congress that the party has received support from more than 300,000 people, and he expects it would have no difficulties in registering. Under the 2002 law, a membership of 50,000 is required for the party to be registered. The party expects to submit registration documents within 2 or 3 weeks, its officials said.
The appearance of DPK brings to eleven the number of political parties currently active in Kazakhstan. Of them, nine parties are registered and five parties have representatives in the Parliament. The tenth party has recently submitted its application for registration to the Ministry of Justice.
This event confirms the trend toward greater political activity in the run-up to the Parliamentary election this coming fall which will be held under the new reformed law. The DPK intends to bring experience of its initiators, mostly legal professionals, to the table.
According to Khabar news agency, Mr. Narikbayev said: “We clearly understand that despite successes in economy, reforms in the political sphere and legal spheres are lagging behind. What is needed is help from professional lawyers and intelligentsia.”
He added: “With inertia of political reforms, ineffectiveness of legislation and other unsolved issues, our complacency will not be forgiven.”
Astronauts Land in Kazakhstan
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a U.S.-Russian-Dutch crew returned from the international space station to Earth on Friday, landing on target in the vast steppes of Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz TMA-3 capsule carried American astronaut Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri, who spent some six months on the ISS, and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, who was returning after a nine-day mission on the station.
The homeward journey took about 3 1/2 hours, ending on the vast, wide-open steppes of Kazakhstan near the town of Arkalyk. It was the third time an American astronaut had come back to Earth aboard a Russian craft since the U.S. manned space program grounded its shuttle fleet following the February 2003 Columbia disaster.
The landing of the space station’s previous American-Russian crew in October was smooth and on target—unlike the dramatic landing of the first American astronaut in a Russian Soyuz capsule in May 2003, when a computer error sent the crew on a wild descent 400 kilometers off course.
Things to Watch:
- Kazakhstan celebrates May 1 as Day of Unity of People of Kazakhstan for the 9th time.
- Kazakhstan’s reporters are getting ready to celebrate World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
- President Nazarbayev is to visit China May 17-19 to discuss cooperation within regional organizations, as well as bilateral economic cooperation, including in the oil transportation.
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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
