Kazakhstan
News Bulletin
Released weekly by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
November 6, 2002 Vol. 4, No. 7
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In this issue:
Terrorism strikes home in Oklahoma and Karaganda
President calls for collective struggle against international terrorism...
...says relations with U.S. will continue to be among Kazakhstan's key foreign policy priorities in 2003
Silk Road tourist train to open in April 2003
GDP to grow at least 9% in 2002, says minister
Terrorism strikes home in Oklahoma and Karaganda
Kazakh woman's American fiancee and daughter die in Moscow hostage siege
Among many stories of tragic loss of life and shattering of hopes following the hostage taking at a theater in Moscow last month, few stories are as striking as the one of Sandy A. Booker, an electrician from Oklahoma, and his fiancee, Svetlana Gubareva from Karaganda in Central Kazakhstan.
The morning of the fateful day of October 23, Ms. Gubareva, 45, who had met Mr. Booker, 49, through a dating service half a year ago, had passed an interview at the American Embassy. She had been told she would get a visa for a new life with her fiancee and her daughter in America.
In a mood for celebration,
they then bought tickets for and
went to see the popular musical
Nord-Ost the same night where
Chechen fighters took them
hostage along with more than
throughout their ordeal, Ms.
Gubareva and Mr. Booker were
optimistic as the captors
seemed willing to negotiate with
U.S., Austrian and other foreign
embassies the release of their
People continue to bring flowers to the scene of the nationals who numbered almost
But their hopes were dashed in an early Saturday morning storm of the theater. While Ms. Gubareva survived the Russian authorities' operation to free hostages, Mr. Booker died after the siege, along with Ms. Gubareva's 13-year-old daughter, Alexandra Letiago, following their exposure to the gas used in the operation.
"A new family is destroyed before it can reach America", read the headline of a story about Ms. Gubareva's tragedy in the New York Times on November 1.
Sorrowful stories like this, just as thousands of similar stories from September 11, make one wonder once again about fate's ugly sense of justice, but also about terrorism that transcends all boundaries and distinguishes between no age, race or nationality. As those close to Mr. Booker and Ms. Gubareva mourn and grieve in Oklahoma and Karaganda, we hope our voice of condolences will help them live through this difficult period and rebuild their lives.
President calls for collective struggle against international terrorism
Says efforts needed to include economic assistance, political and humanitarian interaction
Only through collective efforts can the world community counter theinternational terrorism, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at a traditional annual meeting with the foreign diplomatic corps in the country on November 6 in Almaty.
The president noted that "the guarantee of collective security should not be limited by traditional political and military methods."
"Without economic mutual assistance, political and humanitarian interaction, and information sharing, we will be unable to defeat international terrorism and prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction," he stressed.
Mr. Nazarbayev singled out the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Conference for Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia as the international institutions called on to ensure and maintain peace and stability in the world.
In his view, "nuclear missile confrontation, threatening humanity with annihilation, has become a reality in our life again." "It should be admitted that the world community has never learned how to prevent deadly weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists," the president said.
...says relations with U.S. will continue to be among Kazakhstan's key foreign policy priorities in 2003
In 2003, Kazakhstan will preserve its foreign policy priorities, the President said at the same meeting on November 6.
The U.S., the nations of the European Union and Central Europe will be of priority for Kazakhstan, President Nazarbayev said at a meeting with diplomats. He praised the recently announced Kazakhstan-U.S. Houston Initiative to support small and medium-sized businesses in the republic as a testament to expanding relations with the U.S. beyond energy.
Mr. Nazarbayev thanked the U.S. and the European Union for recognizing Kazakhstan as a market economy nation, adding that he is to meet European Commission President Romano Prodi until the end of the year.
The regional priorities for Kazakhstan will be to develop good neighborly relations with Russia, Central Asian nations, the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and China, as well as other key Asian nations.
The republic will continue to work to demarcate its borders with its members in a peaceful manner consistent with its previous policies. As of now, Kazakhstan has successfully negotiated and delimited its border with all its neighbors, including the 950-miles-long border with China, 4,250-miles-long border with Russia, the longest land border in the world. In September 2002, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan peacefully settled their border issue in a move that was welcomed by American academia as promoting peace and stability in a crucial region for the U.S.
"This border compromise illustrates that disagreements over land ownership do not have to erupt into war," Research Director of the Harvard's Caspian Studies Program Brenda Shaffer said in her op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor. "It is time for Western governments to recognize the good job the new states of Central Asia have been doing in preventing wars among themselves in this difficult period of transition."
Silk Road tourist train to open in April 2003
Kazakhstan's geographic position plays role in regional transport development
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, a national railways operator, in conjunction with other Central Asian rail companies, plans to launch a tourist train route along the Silk Road in April of 2003, daily newspaper Express-K reported. The route will run along ancient trade routes across Central Asia and visit Silk Road cities valued for their architecture and historical value.
The train route is primarily intended to serve tourists sightseeing in Central Asia. A pilot train has already taken a group of tourists from Germany, Switzerland and Austria along the route. The train will depart from and return to Almaty, after passing through Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Since its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan is working to benefit from its unique geographical position in the center of the Eurasian continent. The development of transport and communications infrastructure, including the laying of the Europe-Asia fiber optic cable, reconstruction of sea ports in the Caspian sea and a number of major airports, have become a priority for the nation.
The U.S. and some other nations have in recent years began to recognize the need to help Kazakhstan and its neighbors in their efforts to develop prosperous societies and to rebuild the Silk Road in the modern settings. In 1999, the U.S. Congress passed legislation sponsored by Senator Brownback, Silk Road Strategy Act of 1999, calling for targeted assistance to the area in such spheres as economic and democratic reform, institution-building and humanitarian relief.
GDP to grow at least 9% in 2002, says minister
Kazakhstan's GDP will grow by at least 9% in 2002 as compared to 2001, Minister of Industry and Trade Mazhit Yessenbayev said at a November 6 press conference in Astana.
"Inflation is expected to be within the target level, some 5.9%," he said.
GDP in January-September 2002 has been estimated at 9.4%. The growth is driven by the expansion in mining industries, including extraction of oil and gas, in agriculture, transportation and telecommunications, as well as in services.
Yessenbayev also noted that the Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover in the first nine months of this year was $11.6 billion, with exports amounting to $6.8 billion.
The government previously estimated GDP to grow only by 7% this year.
In 2001, Kazakhstan's economy grew by 13.2%, and inflation rate was 8.4%.
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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
