In this issue:
A Mosque, A Church, A Synagogue, A Buddhist Temple: But Only One Parking Lot
Kazakhstan's Rapid Economic Growth Needs More People to Fill New Jobs, Says President
Kazakhstan Seeks Better Access to World Ocean
Hero's Welcome For Vinokourov, Third in Tour de France
SAY IT IN KAZAKH:
Good Afternoon (formal) - Salamatsyzba [Sala-maht-syz-bah]
Good evening (formal) - Qayirly Kesh [Ka-ihr-ly Kesh]!
A Mosque, A Church, A Synagogue, A Buddhist Temple: But Only One Parking Lot
A new center housing a mosque, a church, a synagogue, and a Buddhist temple is to be built in Astana, as a reflection of Kazakhstan's religious diversity and freedom of worship.
The announcement came from President Nazarbayev after a gathering of leaders of regional ethnic centers from throughout Kazakhstan, all members of the Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan on August 27. He said, "We are currently drafting an architectural concept for the center, and are confident that it will rise."
President Nazarbayev said the center, to be called the "Palace of Peoples", will house "a mosque, a church, a synagogue, a Buddhist temple," so that everybody could "pray to their God". He added that he had thought of that idea a long time ago, because he believes that "God is one for everybody", according to Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency.
The center will also include the headquarters for the 8-year-old "Assembly of Peoples of Kazakhstan". This is the group representing ethnic centers from each of Kazakhstan's 14 regions. These centers represent dozens of different ethnic groups which contribute to the rich texture of life in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan will be hosting the World Religious Congress, September 23-24, 2003, in Astana. This gathering will bring together religious leaders from all major faiths to discuss how religion should bring people together, not separate them.
Kazakhstan's Rapid Economic Growth Needs More People to Fill New Jobs, Says President
Kazakhstan will need at least another 5 million people in the years ahead to fill jobs created by its growing economy, according to President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Today Kazakhstan's population is 14.9 million, but in the near future a population of 20 million or more will be needed to fuel continued growth.
Interfax news agency reports that President Nazarbayev made this call at a meeting in Astana on August 21: "My remarks that our population should be brought up to 20 million people are not accidental, they were well thought out. We will be short of workers to sustain this pace of economic growth."
Given sustainable economic growth at an annual rate of 7-8%, Kazakhstan will need an additional 100,000 new workers every year starting in 2006.
The population increased by 38,100 to 14,900,600 in the first half of 2003, the National Statistics Agency said on August 19. More than 8.452 million people, or 56.7%, live in urban centers, and 6.447 million, or 43.3%, reside in rural areas.
Kazakhstan Seeks Better Access to World Ocean
Ministers from several dozen nations will gather in Almaty this week for a UN-sponsored conference on the special problems landlocked countries face. Kazakhstan plans to use the event and its final declaration to improve its access to the World Ocean through neighboring countries, Kazakhstan's Transport Minister Kazhmurat Nagmanov said on August 25. Landlocked countries face problems in cost-efficient access to world markets for their goods.
During at a preparatory meeting in Almaty, Minister Nagmanov said the main idea of the upcoming conference is to find ways to provide reasonable transit conditions for landlocked countries. There is a draft declaration, "The Almaty Program of Actions", which is expected to be adopted at the conference.
"We hope that the conference will allow us to open way for joint projects with our neighbors so that our goods are not subjected to high tariffs," the minister said, according to Kazinform news agency. Countries with access to the World Ocean will be asked to provide cooperation for their landlocked neighbors, as will donor countries and international organizations.
The minister said Kazakh goods are often 50 percent more expensive simply because of the costs of ground transportation to other countries' ports, which naturally limits their competitiveness.
The conference, the first of its kind, will take place in Kazakhstan's economic capital, Almaty, on August 28-29. The decision to hold such a meeting in Kazakhstan, the world's largest land-locked country, was approved at the UN General Assembly in 2002. Mr. Anwarul K. Chowdhury, UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, is to be secretary general of the conference.
There are 30 landlocked countries in the world which have no direct access to the World Ocean for their goods. Seventy-nine countries, including the United States, are expected to be represented at the conference, as are 23 international organizations.
Hero's Welcome For Vinokourov, Third in Tour de France
Vinokourov, 29, later met in Astana with Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov, himself a keen cyclist, to discuss ways of promoting cycling in Kazakhstan. PM Akhmetov, during his tenure as governor of the North Kazakhstan region, established a strong cycling program there. This included the creation of a training school. The PM knows Vinokourov personally, and he currently serves as chairman of Kazakhstan's National Cycling Federation.
"As I stood on the Champs-Elysees, I was
thinking to myself: maybe, my day will come,
and I, too, will stand here in a yellow jersey,"
Vinokourov said after the meeting with
Akhmetov in Astana on August 25.
"Such thoughts always give you more
motivation. So my task number one now
is to excel my results."
Earlier this year, Vinokourov, who competes
for Team Telekom of Germany, in major
international cycling competitions, came
third in Tour de France, only 4 minutes
behind the five-time champion, US Postal
Service's Lance Armstrong of Texas.
The race lasted 22 days and 2,000 miles.
Before the Tour de France, Vinokourov had won the prestigious Paris-Nice race, becoming the only rider to win it back-to-back.
Things to Watch:
- Almaty Program of Actions to be adopted on August 29 at the international ministerial conference on problems of landlocked countries.
- August 30 marks 8 years since the adoption of Kazakhstan's Constitution through the national referendum
- Caspian Sea Environment Conference to take place in Aktau, September 11-12.
* * *
News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and various agencies' reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
