The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kasymzhomart Tokaev holds a meeting to discuss the co-operation of Kazakhstan with the other CIS countries
A meeting devoted to urgent problems affecting bilateral and multilateral co-operation of Kazakhstan with the CIS countries was held by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of foreign affairs Kasymzhomart Tokaev.
Opening the meeting, Tokaev emphasised the necessity to work out a single position of the departments to settle the numerous problems that have arisen in the process of interrelations of Kazakhstan with other members of the Commonwealth. K. Tokaev made some concrete proposals. The deputy PM remarked that the President Nursultan Nazarbaev�s initiative to create a common economic space is being realised. The last summit of the leaders of the CIS countries held in Moscow proved that without economic integration the Commonwealth has no future.
The participants of the meeting thoroughly analyzed Kazakhstan�s policy in the post-soviet countries, the condition of the interrelations of our republic with the other CIS countries, as well as the current positions and approaches to its reformation. They characterised the current situation in the Commonwealth as a difficult one and considered it necessary to search for optimal ways of political and economical integration of Kazakhstan with the CIS countries at both two-side and multi-side levels.
Especial attention was paid to the Customs Union and Central Asian economic community. Concrete problems concerning interrelations of Kazakhstan with separate states were considered, the ways to settle them in favour of our republic were determined.
K. Tokaev emphasise the priority of interrelations with the CIS countries, first of all with Russia, as well as with the neighbouring countries. At the same time, he emphasised the necessity to realise accurately agreements, concluded at the highest level, through mechanism of the joint intergovernmental commissions.
(��z ��G)
Agency on protection of state secrets is to be established
The president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev issued the decree regarding creation of the agency on protection of state secrets. The president�s press-service announced that to the �Interfax-Kazakhstan� agency on Friday.
According to the press-service, the agency would be subordinate to the head of the country. It will be a central executive body, which will not be included in the government.
The press-service stated, that the agency will be responsible for working out �technical, legislative, economic and administrative measures� to protect state secrets, for working out a single policy on protection of state secretes, for control for secrete regime in the state bodies, co-ordination of activity of the bodies on protection of state secretes.
In accordance with the president�s decree, the government of the republic is to settle organisational issues concerning the creation of the agency within a month.
In spring 1999 the parliament of Kazakhstan approved the law on state secretes, in the last year � the law on national security.
(INTERFAX-KAZAKHSTAN)
Mikhail SERGEYEV
ALMATY, April 17
(THE GLOBE)
Recently the Kazakhstani media ardently discussed the Russian political crisis. Kazakhstan traditionally maintains ties with its Northern neighbor. Will the current political events in Russia effect Kazakhstan, and how? THE GLOBE tried to seek answer among different Kazakhstani experts.
In the opinion of Andrei Tsaluk, Director of the Information Agency for Financial Markets, the Russian developments may effect us if only rapid devaluation of Russian rouble continues.
�Consequently, restrictions for Russian import would be preserved�, said Tsaluk. He said that currently the Russian political crisis didn�t greatly affected the Russian currency market.
Sabit Zhusupov, Director of the Kazakh Institute of Sociology Economy and Prognosis, does not excludes the possibility that the consequences of a Stepashin�s conformation as a Russian premier may be unpredictable but no catastrophe of the economy is in view.
(KazAAG)
The inter-departmental working group on considering the appeals of foreign investors was established in accordance with the order of the President of the republic. The group is led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kasymzhomart Tokaev. The Ministers of State Revenues, Finance, Justice and the heads of other concerned departments involved into international economic co-operation were included in the composition of the group.
Under the continuing world financial crisis, investors are especially sensitive to the investment climate, as they are afraid of potential hazards connected with the hardening money-credit and fiscal policy of the States. The working group established in our republic, should evaluate the situation and begin to correct the investment policy in the framework of the total economic strategy of the State.
According to the MFA press service, on May 15 the head of the Foreign Ministry held the first meeting of the working group in Astana. The most urgent questions to be considered to avoid a worsening of the investment climate in the country were determined.
ASTANA, May 17
(THE GLOBE)
�Following the urgent demands of the new capital being constructed, we invited more than 70 companies from 12 countries to take part in the exhibition,� the organisers of the exhibition �Astana Build�99� announced in Astana.
The exhibition will be held from May 18 to 20 in the building of the President�s Congress-Hall in Astana. According to the organisers (Iteca company), a wide range of constructional materials and equipment of big foreign and local producers, interior finishing products, radiator and ventilation systems of the world-wide recognised companies, will be presented at the exhibition.
The organisers thanked the representatives of the Constructional Committee subordinate to the Ministry of energy, industry and trade, and of the Akimat of Astana for their official support of the coming event. They also expressed their confidence in the fact that �we will be able to construct the new capital with the efforts of the companies represented at the exhibition.�
Kulimkhan HASENOVA
ALMATY, May 17
(THE GLOBE)
On January 6, 1999, three days before the known Presidential election, Baltash Tursumbaev, who had worked as the deputy of the Vice-minister of Balgimbaev�s government for two months only, gave a press-conference at the National press-club. Touching the coming event, he announced that �neither now, nor in future he is going to pretend to the president�s post.� At that time journalists did not believe him, as they knew perfectly well that the opposition planned to nominate his candidature along with the others candidates to the post of the head of the state. He was always respected by the opposition, as he was recognised as �a man with a character�, not pleasing to the authorities, a man who was able to fight for his opinion. Despite this, he always worked at sufficiently high state posts. The mass media regularly published scandal information about his relations with Nursultan Nazarbaev. Baltash Tursumbaev liking to express his point of view directly to anybody, does not like to indulge in confidences with press, either when he was a deputy of the chairman of the Soviet of Minister of Kazakh Soviet Republic, or when he headed the Ministry of Agriculture or when he was the head of the regional administration. �I don�t like to rend the air for nothing,� he says. �To talk in public is necessary when you are confident that you will be heard.� He was keeping silent for three months after the Presidential election. It is his first interview in press. According to Baltash Tursumbaev, now is time when the authorities have finally made sure that further it is impossible to degenerate. �We have touched the bottom with our arms and legs, now we should climb up.� A faint hope which was after the Presidential election, has completely died out. There is still an extra hope for the Parliamentary election. Well, we offer you thoughts of the man who worked in the government during the pre-election campaign and who was thrown overboard right after the inauguration.
1. Why was not he invited to the new composition of the government?
�Till present I do not know, why I was not included in the old-new government. To clarify this question I considered humiliating. But I say, that was not a big surprise for me. When before the election I was invited to the new composition of the government, much was promised. I thought I would be able to be useful for the country, though it may sound pretentious, but I did think so. I was eager to try to change something in the system. But as the selection of the new government was farmed out to Balgimbaev, and was executed on the basis of a principle of personal devotion, it was naive to hope that somebody required common sense. I categorically abandon the essence of this principle. I can serve my Motherland and my people only, not any concrete person. That is first of all. Second, I think today the authorities do not require people having their own opinion, their own position. Today the authorities appreciate ordinary and resigned men. Just remind, when after Abilsiitov and Svoik we had bright persons in the government for the last time? I am deeply confident, that the government should include not only professionally qualified people, but people having their own conception of the problem, these people are to be united with the strategy to lead the republican economy out of the crisis. The principle of personal devotion played a bad trick with the government. It is proved by the results of the working out of the budget for 1999. Such a short-sightedness of the government pushed the economy of the country into a deadlock.�
2. About the market reforms
�I had always my own opinion, both when I was the director of a collective farm, and when I was the Minister or the ambassador. My opinion did not practically change by today. The world experience shows, that every country having its territory, natural resources, qualifies manpower, etc. works out its own strategy, taking its own niche in the market. Unfortunately, we did not take into consideration these circumstances, and trusted recommendations of different international consultants too much. As a result, our reforms were separated from real executors, i.e. from people. I am sure, it is first of all people who should feel results of these reforms and execute them. Look, we have been reforming our economy for seven to eight years, and people lives its own life. The reforms and the people are not united.�
3. About successful links
of the economic reforms
�first of all, they may be agricultural complex and new technologies. A search for a proprietor in the agriculture led to liquidation of the biggest farms able to use a new technique, technology, fertilities, etc. instead of increase of the production volume we received its abrupt reduction, instead of development of the competitive environment � small production, which is unable to compete and to realise their products at a price covering all expenditures. What may be a way-out? First of all, it is required to create production of agricultural technique competitive by its quality and cost with the foreign one. Today we do not produce even inventory needed by the farms.
APK gives much more working places that oil, gas and machine-building branches together. Agriculture allows to raise competitiveness of the domestic production and living standards of the population. The humanity always required, first of all, ecologically clear foodstuffs, and then oil, gas, metal and so on. We should not lose meeting of these demands of the world�s market.
The second point is new technologies. We belong to the system of countries with �coming up economy�, as the countries-monopolies are not going to give anybody their status. Today we should have at least five to six goods able to compete in the world�s market and gaining hard currency for Kazakhstan.
4. About floating tenge�s rate
�It should have been introduced in August 1998, just after Russian events. But at that time policy was placed over economy, while, just the opposite, policy is to express economic interests. In the result, about one billion dollars was spent to support the tenge�s rate. Indices of stability of our economy were being demonstrated. Though this money we could use to develop our economy, not to express our political ambitions. Unfortunately, that money left the country�s economy and replenished the shadow economy or hard and currency reserves of other countries. The economy of the country and prosperity of the people should not sacrificed to political ambitions.�
5. About his own program to lead the country out of the crisis
�A part of this program I has just said to you. That is my own conception, which I am preparing as a single document. For the time being many its units are being perfected. Only the program of development of agriculture is ready for publication. I am ready to submit it to your paper. I think, I will complete the whole program soon.�
6. About further plans
�Among all the branches of power, I sympathise more the legislative power. In the article 3 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan it is said: �The only source of the state power is people.� That is why parliamentarians chosen by people should work out such laws which will improve the people�s life, not life of separate persons. The today�s Parliament may be called only juridical department of the government. Though by its status it is to be equal to the government. Taking into consideration all the mentioned facts, I am going to nominate my candidature at the parliamentary election to have a chance to realise my plans concerning increase of its role and development of democratic and economic reforms in the country. For the time being I am working over myself, over anti-crisis program; besides, I consult a number of Kazakhstan firms co-operating with Russia and Turkey. Work is interesting enough, and it is useful. I take part in integration of our countries.�
6. Prognosis of the Parliamentary election in Kazakhstan
�I am sure seven years of sovereignty did not pass uselessly for the electors. They have something to compare with and what to compare. I hope, this time people given a lesson by the previous election, will not make the same error and will elect to the legislative body professionals knowing policy, economy, true patriots of the country. Of course, struggle will be difficult, as the authorities are preparing for it. �Pushing� their own persons is possible at any level. I repeat once more: I hope only for people�s wisdom.�
7. About electing akims
�Democratic principles demand them to be elected. For this essential changes in legislation regarding local self-governing are required. Local akims governed by the laws of the country, should be responsible for social-economic development of their regions before people. Under the current legislation not a single dismissed akim was responsible.�
8. About changes to the Law on elections.
�Point regarding elections by the parties� lists may be considered as a step towards democracy. It is somehow stimulates activity of the parties and movements. Their forces are regrouping, small parties are uniting, new ones are creating. There are some of them which initially are intended for achievement of the top of powerful Olympus. �Otan� is a party of power, which prepares beforehand its success in the next election. Functionaries and some today�s parliamentarians hurry to join the party hoping for warm places in the governmental structures. The sad experience of the CPSU showed visually, such an approach is wrong. Defeat of such parties are unavoidable. As far as creation of my own party is concerned, my attitude to this question is very serious. I do not approve unprepared parties, parties of �one use� required during election period only. That is why now we are working on creation of our own movement, on which basis the new party will be established. It is possible, this party will not have been created before the parliamentary election. But life does not end with the latter.�
In the next issues we will publish the program of development of local agricultural complex offered by Baltash Tursumbaev. Wait our newspaper.
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