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www.kazakhstan-embassy-us.org

Vol. 3, No. 29, August 21, 2002

Politics

Gen. Franks thanks Kazakhstan for its support in antiterror war

UN hails Kazakhstan's nuclear disarmament efforts

Economy

Seven-month oil and gas production up 14%

Fitch agency upgrades Almaty city rating

Kazakhstan harvests over 2 million tonnes of grain

General

Kazakhstan's beer gets gold medals in international contests

DO YOU KNOW THAT...

...Kazakhstan has the 9th largest territory in the world, which, at 1,687,443 sq. miles (2,717,300 sq. km), is equal to the size of Western Europe or almost four times the size of Texas.

POLITICS

Gen. Franks thanks Kazakhstan for its support in antiterror war

Speaking at a news conference

in Astana on August 21, Army Gen.

Tommy Franks, head of the U.S.

Central Command which oversees

operations in Afghanistan and in the

region, said the main purpose of his

visit to Kazakhstan was to thank

President Nursultan Nazarbayev for

his support.

"The participation of Kazakhstani

officers in the Tampa headquarters has

been very important for us. I thank the President Nazarbayev greets Gen.

people of Kazakhstan for the immediate Franks in Astana, August 21, 2002

support after Sept. 11th of last year.

This is a serious contribution to our efforts under Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan," Gen. Franks said.

"I believe that the military relationship between our countries has continued to grow," he said. Gen. Franks was speaking at a joint news conference with Kazakhstan Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev after both had held talks with President Nazarbayev. Gen. Franks's visit comes in furtherance of the already extensive military contacts between Astana and Washington, dating back to mid-90s and the holding of joint military exercises since 1997. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld also visited Kazakhstan earlier this year saying Kazakhstan and the U.S. are "partners in the global war on terrorism".

Kazakhstan has offered over-flight and emergency landing rights in the antiterrorist campaign, Gen. Altynbayev said at a news conference. Gen. Altynbayev announced plans to visit Washington this fall and plans to expand training programs for Kazakhstan's officers in the U.S. military academies, including West Point.

During a separate meeting in Astana, Secretary of State Foreign Minister Kassymzhomart Tokaev and Gen. Franks discussed issues of regional security and bilateral cooperation in the military sphere. Mr. Tokaev confirmed Kazakhstan's readiness to further contribute to the fight against the international terrorism, the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

UN hails Kazakhstan's nuclear disarmament efforts

Secretary of State - Minister of Foreign Affairs Kassymzhomart Tokaev met with United Nations Deputy Secretary General Jayantau Dhanapala in Astana on August 16 to discuss disarmament and non-proliferation issues. Mr. Dhanapala praised Kazakhstan's efforts to establish a nuclear-weapons-free zone in Central Asia in cooperation with the UN and regional nations. According to the UN official, Kazakhstan first proposed the idea to establish such a zone in February 1994 and the UN have been working with the regional countries to draft the appropriate documents since then.

Kazakhstan "voluntarily rejected the possession of nuclear arms. It is actively participating in key international agreements and regimes in the spheres of disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. In May of this year Kazakhstan joined the Nuclear Suppliers Group that restricts proliferation of nuclear and dual-purpose materials.

ECONOMY

Seven-month oil and gas production up 14%

Production of oil and gas condensate in Kazakhstan from January to July 2002 totaled 23,406 million tons, a 14% increase over output in the first seven months of 2001, the Oil Information Agency said. Gas condensate production rose to 2.889 million tons, 5% more than last year, and natural gas output totaled 7.346 billion cubic meters, a 0.7% drop from last year. From January to June, Kazakhstan exported 17.807 million tons of oil and gas condensate, 8% more from last year, with the total worth of $1.896 billion. Natural gas imports are estimated at 4.429 billion cubic meters, which totaled $132.8 million.

Fitch agency upgrades Almaty city rating

International rating agency Fitch Ratings recently upgraded Almaty's long-term foreign currency and local currency ratings to BB- from B+. At the same time, the agency assigned the city a B short-term foreign currency rating. The rating upgrade reflects Almaty's growing economy, strong budget balances, low debt burden and support provided by the central government, the city's main creditor in the repayment of debts in 2002. To date, Almaty is entirely self-financed, using cash balances carried over from previous years to cover its negative balance before debt operations.

Almaty accounts for approximately 7% of Kazakhstan's population and 16% of its GDP. It has become a financial and cultural "capital" of Kazakhstan after the national capital city was from here to Astana in 1997.

Kazakhstan harvests over 2 million tonnes of grain

As of August 16, Kazakhstan harvested 2.160 million tonnes of grain, compared to 1.476 million tonnes in the same period in 2001. 2002 grain will be harvested from an area of 13.9 million hectares compared to last year's 13.2 million hectares. An average of 17.4 tonnes are being harvested per hectare, compared to the average 12.5 tonnes in 2001.

GENERAL

Kazakhstan's beer gets gold medals in international contests

The beer of two types, "Shymkent Dark" and "Shymkent Pilsner" in bottles and in 50-liter kegs, got gold medals during the recent international competition in Paris, France. Forty-five nations sent 180 beer brands to the contest arranged by a Belgian company, Monde Selection.

The news was delivered on August 9 by Tokhtar Tuleshov, the General Director of Shymkentpivo (Shymkent beer) company, one of the largest beer producers in Kazakhstan located in the south of the country.

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For more news and information visit us at www.kazakhstan-embassy-us.org

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