Kazakhstan News Bulletin Released weekly by the Embassy of The Republic of Kazakhstan
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Vol. 3, No. 39, September 26, 2001
Politics
Economy
Society
Special Report
POLITICS
Presidents Nazarbayev and Bush hold telephone talks
On Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and George Bush held telephone talks on September 26, 2001, press service of the President of Kazakhstan reported. Mr. Nazarbayev expressed condolences with regard to the loss of so many innocent lives in New York and Washington. President Bush thanked President Nazarbayev for the support from Kazakhstan in the tragic days for the U.S. The latter said Kazakhstan was ready to participate in practice in the fight against terrorism. Mr. Nazarbayev stressed that the fight against terrorism should not develop into a clash of civilizations nor lead to civilian casualties.
President Bush thanked President Nazarbayev for his resoluteness in the issue of fight against terrorism and noted that Kazakhstan's position was notable for its commitment to active measures. Mr. Bush stressed that the United States and Kazakhstan should unite in the fight against global evil, and underscored that friendly relations between the two leaders provided a basis for close cooperation between the U.S. and Kazakhstan.
The two Presidents also exchanged opinions on developing cooperation in the production and transportation of the Caspian basin mineral resources.
Kazakhstan supports U.S. efforts to fight terrorism
President Nursultan Nazarbayev pledged that the United States would have Kazakhstan's complete cooperation, including the use of Kazakhstan military bases and airfields, as it prepares to strike terrorists operating in Afghanistan. "Kazakhstan is ready to support an action against terrorism with all the means it has at its disposal," Mr. Nazarbayev told a news conference in Astana on Sept. 24. Asked whether support would include use of aerodromes, military bases and airspace, President declared: "these means include everything you have just enumerated," Reuters reported. The head of state said that to express support for the United States' "war" on terror without offering whatever means available the fight would be "dishonest".
United States to open permanent representation in Astana
The United States plans to open a permanent representation in the Kazakhstan's new capital of Astana by the end of the year, US Ambassador to Kazakhstan Larry Napper announced after a meeting with Oralbai Abdukarimov, Senate Speaker of the Parliament on September 20. The opening of the representation would be a precursor to the gradual transfer of the entire US Embassy, currently located in Almaty, to the new Kazakhstan's capital. In talks with the Senate speaker, Ambassador Napper praised Kazakhstan's efforts in the sphere of nuclear non-proliferation and discussed ways to develop inter-parliamentary relations between the two countries.
Travel is safe to Kazakhstan
While U.S. Embassies in several Central Asian states have issued travel warnings to American citizens for those countries and are evacuating some personnel due to security considerations, officials from U.S. mission in Kazakhstan say they haven't requested that the State Department issue a travel advisory, nor have they observed any change in the security situation in the republic.
ECONOMY
Saudi Arabian official suggests Kazakhstan join OPEC
Speaking to reporters after talks with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev on September 24, Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi declared that it is in the interests of all oil exporting countries that Kazakhstan be invited to join OPEC. Kazakhstan is due to attend an OPEC conference on September 26 in Vienna as an observer. Regardless of whether or not Kazakhstan becomes and OPEC member, Saudi Arabia is interested in strengthening oil and gas industry ties with the republic, al-Naimi said.
President Nazarbayev says Kazakhstan to be alternative oil supplier on world market
"Kazakhstan will be an alternative oil supplier to the world market," as it is not a member of OPEC, and "Europe is interested in having just such an oil source," President Nursultan Nazarbayev stated at a press conference in Astana on September 24.
The president emphasized that the major oil discovery at Kashagan last year catapulted the republic into fifth-rated position [in terms of reserves] among all oil and gas countries. According to independent estimates, Kashagan could hold up to 7 billion tons of oil reserves, and Agip KCO, the consortium leading exploration of the deposit, is to put a number on reserves by the middle of 2002. Agip KCO has pledged to produce the first commercial oil at Kashagan by the year 2005, the president underlined. "Oil production at Kashagan, coupled with the launch of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, will open Kazakhstan oil up to world oil markets, above all to European consumers," Nazarbayev stated.
CPC pipeline to be officially inaugurated in mid-October
CPC pipeline should be officially inaugurated in the second half of October 2001, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan Shkolnik told reporters last week.
The 1,510-kilometer pipeline, running from large Tengiz field in West Kazakhstan to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, has been built as a designated export primarily for oil produced on the filed by the Tengizchevroil, a consortium joining U.S.-based Chevron (50%) and ExxonMobil (25%), Kazakhstan (20%) and Russian LUKArco (5%). Chevron is the largest private shareholder (15%) in the CPC, which also includes the governments of Russia (24%), Kazakhstan (19%), and Oman (7%), as well as ExxonMobil (7.5%) and other Russian, British, Italian and Kazakhstan companies.
The $2.5-billion CPC pipeline is considered to be the largest investment project in the former USSR so far, as well as an example of successful cooperation between Kazakhstan, Russia and foreign private companies. It is expected to carry as much as 28 million tons of mostly Kazakhstan oil a year initially with an upgrade to 67 million tons at a later stage.
SOCIETY
New synagogue opens in Pavlodar city
A new Jewish synagogue has been opened on the eve of Rosh Hashanah in Pavlodar, a major industrial and cultural city in northern Kazakhstan. The synagogue "Rachel House", named after the mother of Alexander Mashkevich, President of the Jewish Congress of Kazakhstan, who provided moral and financial assistance to the construction, became the fourth new synagogue built in Kazakhstan in recent years. The opening ceremony was attended by the Government and Jewish leaders from Kazakhstan, as well as Ambassador Israel Mei-Ami, Ambassador of Israel to Kazakhstan, a vice mayor of Tel Aviv and rabbis and diplomats from the U.S. and other countries.
The construction of the synagogues in the country became possible as a result of democratic changes since 1991, said Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan Yeshaya Cohen at the ceremony. According to Faina Svechinskaya, head of Pavlodar synagogue, its opening was the best gift to all local Jews and her personally for 60 years of her life. Mr. V. Vesnin, member of Kazakhstan's parliament said: "I am pleased to see how the long suffering people that did not have their own country were able to preserve itself, and now we are witnessing the reinvigoration of their religion, culture and customs".
"The attitude to Jews was not positive all the times in the past, and I am grateful to President Nazarbayev who does his best for the peoples of Kazakhstan", said Mr. Mashkevich, noting that he was also glad that the issue of constructing a synagogue in Astana was resolved the day before. It is to be located in the center of the capital and will open next year.
SPECIAL REPORT
Pope John Paul II visits Kazakhstan, praises religious tolerance and calls for peace
Pope John Paul II visited Kazakhstan, September 22-25, 2001, where he served an outdoor Mass at the Motherland Square in Astana, met with President Nazarbayev and religious and cultural leaders of Kazakhstan, students of the Eurasian University, and visited the Monument to the Victims of Totalitarianism.
The visit of the pope, who insisted on coming to Kazakhstan to stress the point of inter-religious peace and harmony after the devastating terrorist attacks on the U.S., highlighted Kazakhstan's notable religious tolerance record since its independence in 1991. The issues of war and peace, relations between various religions dominated the visit.
Speaking at a mass on September 23, the Pope called for peace and tolerance in the world: "I wish to make an earnest call to everyone, Christians and the followers of other religions, that we work together to build a world without violence, a world that loves life and grows in justice and solidarity," the Pope stated. "We must not let what has happened lead to a deepening of divisions. Religion must never be used as a reason for conflict." Catholics comprise 2-3%, around 300,000 of Kazakhstan's largely secular but nominally predominantly Muslim and Orthodox Christian population, but the Pope called on those of all faiths to the "logic of love" propagated by Jesus Christ, "above all through generosity to those in need." "It is a logic that can bring together Christians and Muslims and commit them to work together for a 'civilization of love," the Pope told a crowd of about 50,000.
Later the Pope led a prayer in which he declared: "From this place, I invite both Christians and Muslims to raise an intense prayer to the One, Almighty God whose children we all are, that the supreme good of peace may reign in the world."
Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the pope's spokesman, said, "The pope is here to stress that the present situation cannot be interpreted as a conflict between Islam and Christians or between Islam and the Western world. This would be dangerous and does not reflect reality. The pope is trying to stress that Muslims and Christians can live together, work together and pray together as is happening now in Kazakhstan."
Both Muslims and Christians in the crowd of 53,000 said there was no real tension here between different brands of believers in this former Soviet republic, all of whom suffered under Stalin and throughout the Soviet era.
Mr. Nazarbayev said he had been "deeply touched" by the Pope's remarks at the Mass. "I am on your side when you speak of the civilization of love and trust among faiths," he said. But he also told the pope that Kazakhstan was prepared to join a coalition to pursue terrorists. "No country, no matter how big, can fight terrorism on its own," he said.
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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
The visit was as much an official event as unofficial. On Sept. 23, the pope met with a crowd of vividly cheering university students at a concert of traditional Kazakh music at the Eurasian University, thrilling them with his occasional use of Russian and his obvious interest in Kazakh culture. One by one, the student musicians came forward to hug and kiss him on the cheek
at the end. The pope, deeply moved by this outpouring of sympathy, said jovially in Russian: "And finally the pope even got kissed here".
