Askar DARIMBET
ALMATY, Dec 17
(THE GLOBE)
The first Forum of the Jewish Congress in Kazakhstan determined problems of the Diaspora and ways of their settling. A wide representation of Jewish organizations from Kazakhstan and abroad (150 delegates) emphasized how important the Forum is for the further union of local representatives of this ancient people, preserving of national traditions, cultural and religious heritage. Alexander Mashkevich, a famous Kazakhstani businessman, the head of the Eurasian Bank was elected the first President of the Congress. In his speech he emphasized that one of the main achievements of Kazakhstan is guaranteed protection and independence of all peoples in the country.
The Israel Ambassador to Kazakhstan Israel Mei-Ami participated in the congress as a honorable guest. He gave an exclusive interview to THE GLOBE. Besides other issues Mei-Ami touched relations between the two countries, as well as problems of the Arabic-Israel dialogue.
Jewish people in Kazakhstan
In this year the Jewish society in Kazakhstan celebrates its 120th anniversary. For Israel �120� is a holy figure. According to the legend, the first leader of the Jewish State lived for 120 years. The number of Israel parliamentarians is 120.
The Israel embassy being an authorized representative of the state in Kazakhstan, was notified of the congress two months ago. Of course, it is an internal affair of Kazakhstani people, but the embassy approved it. One of the main objectives of the congress is to unite all public Jewish organizations on voluntary basis and to lobby interests of the Kazakhstani Jewish people in different forums held all over the world.
Besides, the forum deals with education, cultural programs, aid to old people of all nationalities. Many Kazakhstani and foreign organizations, all oblast centers participated in the congress. The pending task of the congress is to work out a program of activity, to determine requirements of the Jewish communities, as well as financial voluntary sources. We hope for investments by every member of the Jewish congress.
Before I worked in Mexico, where about 60,000 Jewish people live. There are 8 Jewish schools. Young people wishing to study in Ivrit, may do it without any problem. One of the Jewish centers in this Latin-American country is the sport club Deportivo, the biggest private club in Mexico.
As far as the number of Jewish people in Kazakhstan is concerned, there are different opinions. At least, according to the general census of the population 1989, there were 20,000. Possibly, due to different reasons, people did not stipulate their true nationality. The Israel embassy states, that about 10,000 to 15,000 of Jewish people live in Kazakhstan now. Recently about 30,000 people left for foreign countries, including Israel.
Israel-Kazakhstani relations
I appreciate relations between Kazakhstan and Israel. Israel was one of the first countries that recognized Kazakhstan, and opened an embassy in Kazakhstan. In August 1995 Shimon Peres, the head of the Israel Foreign Ministry visited Kazakhstan. In December 1995 President Nazarbaev officially visited our country. In the first quarter of 2000, the Kazakhstani leader is to come to Israel.
However, visits are not the main thing, but interrelations between the countries� peoples and economies. I would like to mention some Israel companies that are leaders in the Kazakhstani market. First of all, they are Ormat supplying power and heat in Karaganda. This company has invested US$ 60 million to Kazakhstan. Another company is Levaev, the leader in the chemical and mining industry that works Dzhambul, Shymkent and Stepnogorsk, where it produces mineral fertilizers. Gilat company, that has concluded a contract worth US$ 8 million for supply and assembling satellite communication equipment for distant settlements is especially notable in the local market.
Israel companies are successful in agriculture. Bent company, a local partner of Anat, is the leader in this field. It deals with livestock. The company produces sausages and forage. Food and packing enterprises work using Israel technologies in Kyzylorda and other towns.
From 1993 to 1999 335 Kazakhstanis visited Israel. They were trained at MASHAV courses, including agricultural, medical, educational, management, as well as democratic and social development.
There is a conception of scientific-technical incubators in Israel, when the government allots a premises, grants concessions and tax privileges for the first 3 years to winners of the grant. Tens of millions of dollars are spent to this. All of them are repaid back. Several workshops on this project held in Kazakhstan. In the next years 2 to 3 incubator projects will be realized here. In four cities (Almaty, Astana, Kyzylorda and Shymkent) consulting centers function. They assist to defend business plans and to receive credits. Kazakhstanis who studied in Israel work in these centers. Our embassy supports them. For 3 months 1999 these agricultural projects on small and middle-sized business have been financed by local and foreign banks for the amount of US$ 450,000. Seminars dedicated to important types of business are regularly held. For example, in Kyzylorda a seminar on agricultural tourism was held, and in Talgar � on gardening. Recently a seminar on rational technologies and utilization of water (the problem that is very important in Kazakhstan, though the country does not lack water) was held.
We have an interesting camel-breeding project. There are 3,000 camels in Israel. Daily income from each of them is US$ 20. Ice-cream is made of camels� milk. This ice-creme is useful for diabetic people, as it reduces the level of sugar content in their blood. The Embassy special officers Boris and Rivka Moldavsky and the worldly-known Professor Ruven Yagil deal with this project. After preliminary estimations, scientists concluded that camel breeding is promising in Kazakhstan. Today there are about 2 million camels in Kazakhstan. This may become an important factor of the economic development.
Israel has chosen Kazakhstan as a key country in the Central Asian region. That is why the embassy staff is numerous and we have different directions of activity. I think, the Israel embassy is the leader in the market. Only the UN office and the US embassy have similar programs with regional representations. Our embassy often cooperates with them, realizing joint programs. I want to emphasize that we optimistically consider relations between our countries.
Arabic-Israel dialogue
Symbolically, at the eve of the Jewish holiday Hanuk we received the information from Israel and the USA of negotiations between Israel and Syria held in Washington with support of the US, different international organizations and European Union, where the Prime Minister Barak met the Foreign Minister of Syria al-Shar.
It seems to me this is the last obstacle in the way of stable Israel-Arabic peace. Of course, there are a lot of problems with Palestine, but they are being discussed. A compromise is possible, and principal decision has been taken already. Israel has good relations with Egypt and Jordan. We believe that we will achieve peace now, as it is necessary to avoid wars and sufferings. Arabic countries, as well as Israel need peace as a guarantee of the economic development at the eve of the 21st century. the Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the former Foreign Minister Shimon Peres dreamt of prosperity in the Near East.
Combination of the Arabic money with scientific-technical potential of Israel will cause a boom that is comparable only with the economic miracle in South-East Asia. There are common problems in the region: water, ecology, and pollution of the Mediterranean Sea. These problems may be settled by all countries only if peace is stable. We hope, this process will be fast.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
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