Peter NOVIKOV
ALMATY, Nov 8
(THE GLOBE)
On last Saturday November 6 the new Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerlan Idrisov announced in Almaty the main directions of the Kazakhstani foreign policy. Among issues touched at the conference, THE GLOBE selected some most important ones:
- �Today the Caspian region is extremely complex point of the interrelations. Interests of very powerful forces are interwoven here. Iran admits that the Caspian regions are to be divided. But Iran does not agree with the proposed division according to the principle of middle division of the shelf. The position of Iran is based on the equal division of the shelf by 20% among all Caspian states. But this position does not satisfy all the rest states, including Russia,� Mr. Idrisov said.
- Yerlan Idrisov admitted the scandalous illegal sale of visas and diplomatic passports by the Foreign Ministry. He added that guilty persons had been punished according to the law. The head of the Foreign Ministry did not answer who was guilty.
- Contradicting to himself, the new Minister announced �the foreign policy of Kazakhstan was open and transparent.� But Mr. Idrisov did not answer to many important questions, including regarding persons living in regions of Proton catastrophe, the compensation to be paid by Russia, or what the Kazakhstan authorities will do if gunmen invade Kyrgyzstan and, possibly, Kazakhstan.
- �Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism will not spread in Kazakhstan,� the Minister said. �But the problem of gunmen in Kyrgyzstan has not been settled. Consulting groups to analyse the problem and to take a decision, established. This problem is closely related to the Caucasian conflict and the Afghan war.�
The new Foreign Minister refuted the possibility of mass penetration of Islamic fundamentalism to Kazakhstan. In our country religious trends are less than in other CIS regions.
The Minister did not answered what measures the Kazakhstan establishment was going to take if gunmen invaded Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan, possibly.
- The Minister did not answer what was the external debt of Kazakhstan. He only said that �regular negotiations and dialogue held between our country and world financial organisations, including IMF. Kazakhstan will not default its foreign debts.�
- �Strategy and tactics of the Kazakhstani foreign policy is of multi-vector direction. It is to create conditions for Kazakhstan�s entering the international arena. The strategy 2030 is the main principle of the foreign policy. Kazakhstan is going to co-operate with foreign countries on the basis of economic and political favouring,� the Foreign Minister said.
Nov 25
(IRBIS)
The last week of the Kazakhstan exchange market is remarkable first of all by the dollar rate increasing on KASE. In three previous weeks tenge has slightly increased, though the speed of revaluation has been gradually reduced by the end of this period. The last market events testify to the next turn in the exchange rate dynamics.
The message about cancellation in the near future of the obligatory sale of half of exporters� foreign currency earnings on KASE has acted as a signal to this turn. This message about the press-conference of Grigory Marchenko has appeared in some information systems. More correct, the future cancellation has been introduced earlier, but this time nobody doubt, that it will actually take place in the nearest future.
It is necessary to add, that the cancellation of the one-percentage tax from the foreign currency purchasing by the natural persons was also promised. It is the important factor, because this tax provokes decreasing of the dollar demand from the population and, hence, the dollar has lost in the bank�s opinion a part of its speculative potential.
The changes have begun in the market on Thursday. Before it the dollar rate have been steadily reduced. It has been promoted by increase in volume of exporters� dollars sales in the beginning of November, and also by restoration of bank�s currency net - positions under the influence of tenge rate increase.
The last two days has shown, that anything extraordinary has not happened. On the exchange trades, in contrast to the previous days, the market has shown a pliability, and some attempts of banks to sell dollar more expensive has been successful. But the dollar rate has increased only to the strictly certain level. On Thursday they has not exceeded 140.17 tenge for dollar (though on the OTS market after dinner the dollar quotation has crossed this level), on Friday they has not crossed a level of 140.40 tenge. The Friday�s �level of resistance� has been not crossed after dinner by the interbank quotations. The banks has possessed of free money for the dollar purchasing, but they have refrained from it.
The banks� and their customers� behavior at the placement of the National Bank notes is indicative. The great demand at the not indexed note-35 placement on Wednesday testify to the market�s trust in a stable tenge. The participants are not confused with the further decrease of the yield. Investors� accounts has been depleted by the Wednesday�s placement, when 2.3 billion tenges were attracted, and the Thursday�s note-42 placement has appeared not so successful. Demand has fallen, and it can be explained also by doubts of the participants in result of the dollar growth during Thursday�s exchange session. On Friday the National Bank has offered the indexed note-21, and the demand has reached almost 2 billion tenges at a current dollar rate.
Judge by the notes demand on Friday the market has already �voted� for devaluation. But when the emitter has conducted rigid cutting off and has offered at the additional placement 7.14% instead of usual 7.31%, many participants have preferred to refuse to purchase of so expensive notes.
Thus, behavior of the market participants in the last few days do not show the sharp change towards the dollar increase. Dealers and brokers �just in case� undertake security measures to be protected against possible tenge devaluation, which can be provoked by cancellation of hard currency obligatory sale. They have started with opening of the long positions, but they do not harry. There is an impression, that all decisions will be accepted proceeding just from the developing conditions. And it is still impossible to speak about tenge collapse in the near future.
In opinion of the IRBIS experts, in the next week the dollar strengthening will proceed with the same speed (approximately 4-5% p.a.). At that the corrections of dollar rate downwards are possible on Tuesday and on Wednesday.
Aia MURZABEKOVA
ALMATY, Nov 5
(THE GLOBE)
At the press-conference held on November 5, the Communist Party of Kazakhstan attracted the society�s attention to the purchase of all Kazakhstan power system by the Belgian company �Tractebel C.A.� at a price 200 times lower than the cost of the national property.
In July to September 1996 this company bought all power complex �Almatyenergo� having paid only US$ 7 million. That means it bought 7 enterprises for US$ 5 million and 4 ones (The Kapchagai Power Station, Yesik power station (Yesik), the Almaty energoremont and the hothouse complex (Fabrichny)) � for US$ 2 million. The start price of the Kazakhstan power system was US$ 868 million. The price determined by the consulting company was US$ 404 million 863 thousand. It happened that the price was 200 times less than the amount stipulated by the contract. Workers and Kazakhstan citizens submit claims to such facts and illegal decisions to the Almaty regional committee of the Communist party of Kazakhstan. But these are not all steps made by the government in respect to the Kazakhstan national property. On June 14, 1997 the Department on Management of State Property and Assets of the Finance Ministry had concluded a contract with the same Belgian company for gas transport means, Mr. Abdildin said. The annual revenue of the gas transport system is US$ 300 million, but they mentioned about US$ 30 million. These facts contradict to the Constitution of Kazakhstan.
A group of deputies headed by V. Zemlyanov mentioned this issue in the appeal to the Kazakhstan President and touched it at a Mazhilis meeting. The General Prosecutor replied: �To acknowledge the closed tender dated 31.07.1996, the additional tender dated 17.09.1996 for sale of the power enterprises and the contract concluded by the State Privatization Committee and �Tractebel C.A� dated 10.08.1996 and appendix to the contract dated 04.10.1996 invalid.�
This decision has not been realized. Mr. Abdildin said that experts on tariffs and the Anti-monopoly Committee had thoroughly investigated the facts, and had found out that Almaty Power Consolidated annually transmitted about 6 billion tenge (US$ 42,735,042.7) to the West. Mr. Abdildin considers this might be a reliable financial source to support the national power system and budget. In conclusion Serikbolsyn Abdildin requested the government to take a principal decision regarding �Tractebel�.
Aia MURZABEKOVA
ALMATY, Nov 8
(THE GLOBE)
On November 4 the conference devoted to the pension policy of Kazakhstan was held in the National Press Club. The National Commission on Securities represented by its chairman Mr. Dzholdasbekov announced that the State Accumulative Pension Fund (SAPF) received a licence for independent operations. In other words, SAPF will decide itself how to manage pension assets. Widening its borders and infrastructure, SAPF takes a chance to participate in the Kazakhstan stock market and to purchase non-state stocks from foreign companies.
Rashid DYUSEMBAEV
ALMATY, Nov 6
(THE GLOBE)
Tourism is a potential and promising industry able to earn significant revenues. Both the Kazakhstan government and local authorities pay more and more attention to develop this industry.
Against this background the opening of the representative office of Amadeus company in Almaty is noteworthy. The office will be responsible for Central Asia and Caucasus. Amadeus is the leading company working with global distributing systems and has the most complete database on travelling (THE GLOBE #86(404), 05.11.99).
Pail Devilliers, the Marketing Manager Europe and Central Asia said Kazakhstan was rich in natural resources and hence, had a great tourist potential. According to the company�s experts, soon Almaty will become the centre of the region. And they chose the southern capital as a place for representative office - Central Asia and Caucasus.
According to a Kazakhstan expert, the opening of Amadeus office in Kazakhstan is an important event in the republican tourist business, as it may bring it to the new quality level.
Bulent Arkunlar, the General Manager in Turkey said now Kazakhstan would be able to get into the international world market. That means a higher service level and widens the access of Kazakhstan agencies to the tourist products of the world market.
Emre Bitik, the General Manager in Central Asia and Caucasus stated Amadeus had the great database, reserving system as well as powerful computer programs to monitor tourist operations. Any person having an access to Internet may receive the latest information to book tickets, to reserve hotels and rent car all over the world. This is very useful to people from periphery, where there are no tourist agencies, hence no information.
Alexei Syrykh, the Marketing Manager of the Russian representative office said that two-thirds of the Russian tourist market worked used the Amadeus database. Despite domination, the company plans to widen its operations in Russia, especially in regions. Online tourist services make this possible.
According to Mr. Syrykh, the tourist business will attract foreign tourists to Kazakhstan, as from this moment Kazakhstan included in the Amadeus list and the information on the country is available in 120 countries. This is very important to establish the external tourism.
From the author: Kazakhstan possesses huge natural resources and wonderful nature as well. One American every summer brings a small group of tourists from the USA to travel in the Zailisky Alatau mountains. May of them want to come back next year. In his opinion, the only thing impeding the inflow of foreign tourists into Kazakhstan is a low level of service and absence of any information on tourism in Kazakhstan.
After Amadeus came to our market the second problem is settled: Kazakhstan included in the list and information of its tourist resources available in many countries. It is time to establish the corresponding infrastructure.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
© 1998 IPA House. All Rights Reserved.