Tag Archives: Kazakhstan

Kazakh president question the Eurasian Economic Union

AUG. 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU) is still a few months from coming into existence and yet Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is already threatening to quit the Russia-led alliance.

In an interview with a local TV station, Mr Nazarbayev said he wouldn’t be afraid of quitting the EaEU if the group was damaging the national interests.

“Our independence for which our forefathers fought is our greatest asset,” he said. “First, we will never sacrifice our independence. Second, we will do everything to defend it.”

Mr Nazarbayev’s comments are important as they come against the backdrop of fighting in Ukraine, where Russia is accused of supporting pro-separatist forces. Kazakh officials have become increasingly nervous that the Russia dominated north of the country may look to secede with Russia’s support.

Although economics and business interests weren’t mentioned by My Nazarbayev, there was also a clear underlying message.

Kazakhstan’s increased association with Russia has hurt it economically. Russia’s economy is so important for Central Asia that if it is impinged, this economic malaise is felt further down the chain.

The Eurasian Economic Union will come into place in 2015 and will be a direct descendent of the current Customs Union. Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are members Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan and of the Armenia plan to join the group in the next few months.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Kazakhstan to produce foods for austronaunts

AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Depicting a more modern, technologically advanced side of Kazakhstan, officials have unveiled a plan to build a plant near Karaganda that will produce food for astronauts based on mare’s milk. Toregeldy Sharmanov, head of the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition, told media that mare’s milk was particularly nutritious.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Kazakh President declares offshore amnesty

SEPT. 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Under an amnesty declared earlier this year by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, people can legalise companies and cash held offshore without being taxed over the next 12 months, media reported. Mr Nazarbayev wants to bring an estimated $10b into the economy through the amnesty.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Language and identity change in Kazakhstan

ALMATY/Kazakhstan, SEPT. 3 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — The conversation, and the coffee, flowed freely in this café in the centre of Kazakhstan’s financial capital that is popular with students and intelligentsia types. The language, too, was fluid and the speakers switch causally between Kazakh and English.

Amantai, a 21-year old student, had been listening to the conversation.

“I’ve heard you guys speak interchangeably in Kazakh and English,” he said. “You haven’t used a single word of Russian.”

Russian didn’t have a place at this table of young, educated Kazakhs. In the wider context, as Kazakhs grow more aware of their statehood and less attached to the notion of the Soviet Union, the Russian language is being displaced.

Amantai was from a village outside of Almaty. He had moved to study economics at the Kazakh- British Technical University. He had studied hard to reach the level of English that was required to enroll.

Even though for Amantai Kazakh was not necessary to study economics he still preferred to use it in public over Russian.

Another of the young Kazakh men sitting around the table explained.

“It’s up to the new generation to turn our mother tongue into a language that can be spoken in every instance of one’s life,” he said.

A decade ago this scene would not have unfolded in Almaty. Until recently Russian dominated Kazakhstan’s business and political elite. Kazakh was spoken just by villagers and not in the cities.

That, though, has changed with President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s various nation building schemes and with the influx of people to Almaty and other cities.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Inflation climbs in Kazakhstan

SEPT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Inflation in Kazakhstan edged up to 7.1% for the year to end-August, the top of the Central Bank’s bandwidth. The Central Bank aims to keep inflation between 6% and 8%. Central Asia’s economies have been under pressure from the sanctions on Russia. Inflation increased by 0.4% in August.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank posts strong data

AUG. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Halyk Bank, Kazakhstan’s second largest lender, increased its full year profit estimate by 10% to 100m tenge ($550m) after a strong first half of the year. The data is positive for Kazakhstan’s banking sector which is looking to rebound from the Global Financial Crisis.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)

HRW criticise Blair on Kazakh President advice

AUG. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Human rights groups have criticised former British PM Tony Blair for penning a letter in 2012 to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev giving him advice on how to refer in a speech to deadly clashes between police and anti- government demonstrators. Mr Blair has been an adviser to Mr Nazarbayev since 2011.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)

Blair’s wife is working for Kazakhstan

AUG. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Cherie Blair, wife of ex-British PM Tony Blair, has negotiated a contract to advise Kazakhstan’s ministry of justice for three months for $200,000, the Daily Telegraph reported. Mr Blair has been an adviser to Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev since 2011.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 196, published on Aug. 20 2014)

Kazakhstan’s economy grows 4%

AUG. 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan’s economy grew by 4% between January and July, Alikhan Smailov, head of the Kazakh statistics committee, said. This is lower than predicted at the start of the year because of the impact of sanctions on Russia over its alleged arming of rebels in Ukraine.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 196, published on Aug. 20 2014)

Kazakhstan cuts government ministries

AUG. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – This is the age of austerity and when money is tight, costs have to be trimmed.

That’s certainly the message Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev was sending out when he announced that he was merging several ministries.

“It is hard to understand, why one government body must be responsible for oil and gas, while another one deals with solid energy resources, the third department controls the power grid and the fourth one the nuclear industry,” Reuters quoted Mr Nazarbayev as saying. “This is why I believe it is time to concentrate the entire energy sector in the hands of one person.”

He appointed his ally Vladimir Shkolnik head of a new super Energy Ministry that merged the Oil and Gas Ministry, the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Ministry for Industry.

Kazakhstan’s economic growth has slowed due to sanctions on Russia over its interference in Ukraine and the failure of the giant Caspian Sea oil field Kashagan to start producing.

Mr Nazarbayev’s downsizing didn’t stop with the energy sector. He disbanded the Agency for Fighting Financial Crimes and gave its responsibilities to the Agency for Civil Affairs and also cut the Ministry for Emergencies, handing its duties to the Interior Ministry.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)