In this issue:
Majilis Ratifies Agreement with U.S.
Kazakhstan Will Pursue More Vigorous Foreign Policy
Electronic Voting To Debut on Small Scale
Kazakhstan Seeks Firm Foothold on Tourism Market
Olympics End With 8 Medals for Kazakhstan
Say It in Kazakh:
Ratification --- Bekittiru
Electronic Voting --- Electrondyk dauys beru
Majilis Ratifies Agreement with U.S.
Deputies of Kazakhstan’s Majilis voted to the ratification an Article 98 agreement with the United States on September 1.
It is part of a legal framework of bilateral treaties under the founding charter of the International Criminal Court. Article 98 provides countries with the option of not submitting their citizens to the ICC without their written permission.
The agreement between Kazakhstan and the United States establishes a mechanism for both countries to protect their citizens.
The Majilis approved the ratification on its first day in session after the summer recess. The Senate is expected to take the matter up shortly.
Kazakhstan Will Pursue More Vigorous Foreign Policy
President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan will pursue a more vigorous foreign policy based on the strengthening of the country’s political and economic potential.
Speaking at a meeting of Kazakhstan’s Security Council in Astana on August 31, President Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan will develop a comprehensive program to strengthen its foreign political activities, better position the country in international organizations, consolidate economic ties with other countries, promote Kazakhstan’s private sector into world markets, and further improve the country’s image abroad.
“Kazakhstan must review its Foreign Policy Concept of 2001 because of the geopolitical changes in the world and the region and because of continuing globalization,” the President noted.
Since regaining its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has joined the United Nations and other key international organizations, and also established full diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries. Its key foreign policy priorities are peace, stability and security in the region and the world, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and sustainable economic development. Kazakhstan’s most important foreign partners are Russia, the United States, China, the European Union and the neighboring countries of Central Asia.
Kazakhstan, a country of more than 100 ethnic groups and 40 religions, has been free of clashes based on either ethnicity or religion and has become an anchor of stability in Central Asia, a region increasingly under siege from radical and extremist ideas.
Kazakhstan has promoted dialog and strengthening mutual confidence as solutions to international problems. Kazakhstan hosted the first summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), an Asian equivalent of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in 2002. The meeting drew leaders of 16 Asian nations pledging more dialog and mutual understanding. In 2003, Astana welcomed leaders of 17 different religions for the first Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions who promised to continue the dialog and spread a message of tolerance.
Kazakhstan has also seen a rapid economic growth based on solid market reforms and high prices for its major export commodity, oil. Kazakhstan’s economy grew by 50 percent during the past 4 years and the prospects for the foreseeable future also look strong. In recent years, Kazakhstan paid off its debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) eight years in advance, received investment-grade ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s rating agencies and has seen its businesses expand into neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Russia and China.
Kazakhstan’s business community welcomed the call for more vigorous foreign policy as a spur to greater development in the foreign sector as the country becomes better known.
Electronic Voting To Debut on Small Scale
The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, said electronic voting systems will be used in no more than 10 percent of the polling places during the September 19 parliamentary election in his country. The systems should be introduced only in the most technically equipped regions, but no more than 10 percent of the actual polls will be taken electronically.
The President voiced his position during the Parliament’s joint session on September 1, the first after the summer recess. His comments were directed at concerns from Kazakhstan’s people about the reliability and transparency of electronic voting.
President Nazarbayev said the recently adopted election law provides all conditions for a fair and open election. He stressed that the upcoming election will be a major test for Kazakhstan and noted that 713 candidates are running for 77 seats of the Majilis.
Noting the public discussion about electronic voting, the President said “we need to take into account discussions about this issue going on in our society”. He said the e-voting system should only be introduced in regions where Kaztelecom [the national telecommunications company] has the supporting infrastructure in place. “The Central Election Commission, at the same time, should ensure every citizen’s right to elect or be elected.”
The President is confident “the new method will become one of the most effective means to prevent violations during the election.” Its only “inconvenience is that the most emotional voters will not be able to express their graphic opinions in addition to proper voting as they used to do on paper ballots in the past.”
“I believe this is not the worst loss for the people of Kazakhstan and our democracy,” President Nazarbayev said.
Kazakhstan Seeks Firm Foothold on Tourism Market
Almaty (Interfax-Kazakhstan) – Kazakhstan’s State Agency for Tourism and Sport has suggested a number of initiatives aimed at making the country a more popular tourist destination.
“We will not be able to ensure a tourist flow without a vigorous advertising campaign of Kazakhstan’s tourism potential abroad,” Yevgeny Nikitinsky, the agency's deputy chairman, told a tourism conference in Almaty on Friday [August 27].
Nominating the country as a candidate for membership in the executive council of the World Tourism Organization is a step toward gaining a firmer foothold on the tourism market, he said.
“If our initiative to nominate Kazakhstan as a candidate for a seat on the World Tourism Organization’s executive council is supported, this will be a major victory for the republic,” he said.
In addition, Kazakhstan is seeking to host a session of the organization’s commission for Europe, he said.
Nikitinsky underscored the importance for Kazakhstan to expand its ties in the area of international tourism. The nation is already working with 25 other countries in the tourism sector, he said.
Passing a specialized tourism program for 2005-2010 will also contribute to boosting the country’s popularity for tourists, he said. “The program has now been submitted to the government and the republic’s budget commission for consideration. Under the program, tourism is expected to bring $644 million into state coffers,” he said.
Drafting new tourism laws, personnel training programs for the tourism sector, and a number of other measures are crucial for advancing the country’s tourism industry, Nikitinsky said.
Underscoring the need to revise air transportation fees, Nikitinsky said that “a flexible tariff policy for tourists is necessary. Rising passenger traffic will allow air carriers to balance their financial losses. Moreover, this practice is in place worldwide,” he said.
Olympics End With 8 Medals for Kazakhstan
Athens Olympics which finished on Sunday
August 29. As expected, the medals came
in boxing (1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze),
wrestling (2 silver and 1 bronze), as well as
weightlifting (1 silver) and men’s decathlon
(1 bronze). Bakhtiyar Artaev of Zhambyl
region (the south of Kazakhstan) won gold
in welter weight (69 kg) boxing, winning
along the way the Barker Cup from the
organizers as the Olympics’ Best Boxer.
At right: Beauty and the Olympic spirit.
Kazakhstan’s Aliya Yussupova performs
in the individual all-around final of the
rhythmic gymnastics competition at the
Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 29,
2004. She just missed the bronze and
took a fourth.
Photo by REUTERS
Things to Watch:
- A new synagogue will open in Astana on September 7, becoming the largest synagogue in Central Asia.
- The Commonwealth of Independent States summit meeting will take place in Astana in mid-September.
________________________________________________________________________________
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
