Nine o'clock supplement about Kazakhstan and its business and political relationship with Romania

INE ’CLOCKN SUPPLEMENTS

23 years since Independence: Kazakhstanbuilds up its ambitious and deserved future

Every year, on December 16,the Republic of Kazakhstan andthe Kazakhs all over the world arein celebration. This holidaymarks the independence ofKazakhstan declared onDecember 16, 1991 through theadoption of the ConstitutionalLaw following the collapse of theSoviet Union. On this day, theKazakhs all over the worldsolemnly celebrate their inde-pendence, proudly honoringtheir historical past, the nationalvalues and symbols, but alsolooking faithfully to a blossomingfuture.

Kazakhstan IndependenceDay is marked by festivities in thepresidential palace and all overthe country. People dress up intraditional clothes, yurts (tradi-tional tents) are set up in manyvillages where local delicacies areserved.

In a world with a fast chang-ing architecture, facing new chal-lenges and threats, the 23 rdanniversary of the Independencefinds the country embarked on avery ambitious and challenging

road drawn up two years ago bypresident Nursultan Nazarbayevwhen he has launched“Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy”.Called “Eternal Kazakhstan”, thismilestone visionary project marksthe beginning of a new era in thehistory of this nation, with thegoal to shape and develop a coun-try able to join the group of themost 30 developed countries inthe world.

“Over the last 23 yearsKazakhstan has accomplished agreat deal. We have created ourown successful model of develop-ment. Every citizen is immenselyproud of their country. They havefaith in tomorrow and believe inthe future of Kazakhstan. 97 per-cent of our citizens recognize thestability of their social-economiccondition and its continuousimprovement year to year.

Today the achievements ofour country are the national prideof every citizen. Strong and pow-erful countries are formed onlong-term vision and stable eco-nomic development.

continued on page 12

“Today between Kazakhstan andRomania there is a consistent intensifica-tion of political dialogue, dynamic devel-opment of bilateral trade-economic, cul-tural and humanitarian ties, as well ascoordination of efforts between the twocountries within the UN, OSCE andother international organizations.

Bilateral relation between our coun-tries is evolving rapidly and continuously

in the right direction. I will just add tothis the fact that “KazMunayGasInternational” (former Rompetrol) invest-ment is the largest foreign investment ofKazakhstan outside our borders and wehave the plan to continue and develop ourinvestment into Romania.

I will reiterate the fact that theMemorandum between the RomanianState and “KMG International” is creatinga bilateral investment fund of up to onebillion dollars that will dramaticallyincrease and diversify the investments ofKazakhstan into Romanian economy, cre-ating a solid base for our ever-developingbilateral relations.

If we add to this, the reality that ourpolitical dialogue is based on a perfectunderstanding and our recent history ispaved with moments that are marking ourbilateral friendship such as: the Romaniansupport for Kazakhstan Chairmanship atOrganization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE), the highlevel presence of Romanian President andPrime Minister at the OSCE summit inAstana 2010 and we have a dynamic viewof this relation.

Continued on Page 11

H.E. Mr. Bogdan AURESCU, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs:

“Cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Kazakhstan

has been steadily growing” “On 16 December Kazakhstan cele-

brates its National Day and this year - theanniversary of 23 years of Independence ofthe State.

It is an auspicious moment and offers mea great opportunity to highlight the excellentrelations between Romania and theRepublic of Kazakhstan, currently definedby the terms of the Declaration ofPartnership and Cooperation signed by thePresidents of our countries in September2003.

In its 22 years of bilateral diplomatic rela-tions, the cooperation between Romania andthe Republic of Kazakhstan has been steadilygrowing and achieved outstanding overallresults. The economic ties have continuouslystrengthened, on a solid basis and with prom-ising prospects for the future. The high-levelpolitical dialogue is systematic and substan-tial, economic exchanges are expanding whilecultural and scientific relations are equallydeveloping on an upward trend.

Romania was, throughout these 22 years,a constant supporter of the Republic ofKazakhstan as part of its efforts to emphasizethe importance of Central Asia region on theinternational arena. Thus, Romania has sup-ported and promoted initiatives and projects

launched by Kazakhstan at the multilaterallevel, with regional impact. One such exam-ple is Romania’s support for Kazakhstan’staking over the Chairmanship-in-Office ofthe OSCE and for hosting in Astana theOSCE Summit organized in 2010. Thebilateral cooperation within the UnitedNations framework is equally rich and diver-sified.

Continued on Page 7

H.E. Mr. Daulet BATRASHEV, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Romania:

“Kazakhstan-Romania bilateral relation is evolving rapidly and continuously

in the right direction”

S P E C I A LPAGE 6 NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

President Nursultan Nazarbayev about the future of Kazakhstan

Remarks near Ulytau Mountains, Zhezkazgan city.

First of all, I do think that thisis a very historic moment forZhezkazgan, as well as this city thatis connected to the name of thefamous Kazakh scientist and geolo-gist Kanysh Satpayev and copperdeposits. So much copper and orehave been extracted for the last 50-60 years, and all these mineralresources began to run out.Accordingly Zhezkazgan started tocome across with these issues, andthe welfare of the city began todeteriorate.

This is a natural issue. It wasSoviet period time, when largemineral deposits and each powerstation began to appear near townsand villages. Therefore, first,Zhezkazgan always remained onthe railway deadlock, it has alwaysbeen a problem, secondly, duringthe Soviet period, all railway werebuilt northwards towards Russia,while the construction of railwaylines in the east-west direction toconnect cities was not included inthe plans of Russia and the SovietUnion. No one could even imaginethese things.

Nowadays, since our economybegan to grow, we have allocated2,75 million dollars for the con-struction of these rail routes with alength of 1,200 km. It is very easyto say, but in terms of significance,it will be used at least in the next 50and 100 years.

When I was flying in the heli-copter, I was looking at thisabsolutely clean land and did noteven notice a single sparrow. Thereare no people in this clean land,because there are no jobs, nohouseholds for the people. Thisrailway will give a life to the region,people will have an opportunity tofind jobs, they could send andreceive mails. To extend the life ofthe factory, there are some sort ofpillars under the ground, which arerich for ore, and to extract the orewhich has villages above it, theground beneath them could col-lapse. Due to this, the state haveallocated 250 million USD, and6,000 houses in bad condition havebeen moved to good new builthouses, and now we will extract200 million tons of ore, 2 millionof copper, which means that thiswill give a life for the factory for thenext 20-30 years. Furthermore, iffurther exploration works will becarried out, then there may be newdeposits.

It is very vital to know your his-tory. Future of a nation who doesnot know its history is difficult.Nowadays, we make a lot of effortsto get to know our history. One ofthese histories is ULYTAUMountains. When I was searchingfor a place for future capital, I cameto Ulytau. This is truly a historic

center of the Kazakh nation. Butfrom a modern point of view, youcan see for yourself, there is nothinghere. No roads, no water, no air-port. Nothing! For construction,this place would require a lot ofmoney and, ultimately, it is theinappropriate place for the capitalof the country. But it is a sacredplace, and so it will remain.Construction of railroads and high-ways is underway. In the future, itwill be a place attractive for tourists,people will come here to honor thememory of our ancestors.

Generally speaking, to tell thetruth, we are the nation that couldhave lost its language and religion.During the Soviet time, there wasstrict russification process. The sta-tus of Kazakh language was verylow, but in general, for our nation,country and people, our history,culture and customs we can showonly through our language. Forexample, we cannot translate somepoems of Abai from Kazakh intoRussian, English or another lan-guage, it is impossible because ithas its own features, therefore, if welost language, we may lose thesefeatures. As for religion, since wegained our independence, we aregetting back our religion. Now youcan notice that Kazakhs havealways been close to religion. Manypeople are religious, lots ofmosques are being built, we arepreparing people who are preach-ing religion. And this is right, wehave to maintain our religion andtraditions. We all need these.Nevertheless, nations which con-sider their religion is the only goodfaith face many challenges now.There are some nations that divideMuslim religion for Sunnis andShiites which sheds bloods now.There are many Catholics that atwar with each other. Therefore, it isvery important to respect other reli-

gions, study and know them, andthen they will respect Islam.

The state undertakes all meas-ures and provides all opportunitiesto let the people to study Kazakhlanguage. It is written in theConstitution that the state languagein our country is Kazakh. There isnobody that prohibits speakingKazakh, no one interferes with theKazakh language. We need to speakKazakh, and have to respect this lan-guage. There are some intellectuals,writers, cultural figures complainingthat our language has becomeorphan, cannot get up off its kneesduring the years of independence. Ifyou think you are unhappy, you willbe so. If a man says that he is happy,then he will be happy. We will notchange if we constantly insist thatwe do not have it. No need to cre-ate a panic, we must use the Law“On languages” to speak Kazakh,we have to communicate freely inown language and show this exam-ple to others.

Annually in Kazakhstan over100,000 children graduate fromschools, 80,000 of whom study inKazakh language.

At every school, Russian oranother, studying of the Kazakhlanguage is mandatory. Any schoolkid in grades 6-7, for example, nowcan speak both Kazakh andRussian, and even English. This isour concern for the language.

For the moment, we are tryingto translate international universalwords into Kazakh. For example,international word “piano” "wastranslated as “Kuisandiq”. It doesnot correspond to the meaning.Another international word “com-poser” was translated as “Sazger”.“Saz” gives a different concept. Bythinking that we must move awayfrom the Russian language, we takeit from Turkish, from Arabic, fromPersian, and thus spoiling the lan-

guage. We must enrich the lan-guage by international terms, andthere is nothing bad about it andshould not be this scared. The statelanguage is not in danger, the lan-guage grows and gets richer, and ithas a great future.

There are 6,000 languages inthe world, 10 percent of which aredying annually.

Seventy percent of the world’spopulation use English. Because itis the language of science, educa-tion, medicine, culture and media.Of course, you can live without theknowledge of the English language,but you will be deprived of theknowledge which allows you to getthe language. Without this knowl-edge, we put an obstacle to ourfuture development and growth.So, how can we develop to boostthe economy, to enter the top 30developed countries, if our people,our young people do not speakEnglish?

I believe that tri-lingual policyis right. Among this, our nationallanguage is competitive. If weknow these three languages, thenwe get a great opportunity. This iswhat we need to understand.

The number of Kazakhs isgrowing, as well as the impact ofour language. In the record keepingsphere, Kazakh language is beingused, and no one interferes with it.In addition, there are many otherethnic groups who speak Kazakh.We must appreciate their own lan-guage.

Kazakhstan is in the centre ofthe world map, and we have noaccess to ocean.

For shipping goods by the trainwe pay for every single kilometer todeliver it to the Black Sea, we payto ship it to China, Russia, Europe,therefore, our oceans are the terri-tories of Russia and China. If weconsider these countries as oceans,

then we can feel ourselves as if nearthe ocean. So it is very important totrade with them.

As for the disadvantages ofKazakhstan’s participation in theEurasian Economic Union is amanifestation of dilettantism.Thanks to creation of theEconomic Community betweenKazakhstan, Russia and Belarus,the cost of goods delivery on theterritory of the member countriesof the Union have become cheaper,and, therefore, the Kazakh prod-ucts to become more competitivein the global market.

This union is only an econom-ic union, not a political one. Allmembers have an equal voice andeverything is decided by consensus.Kazakhstan is always right to secedefrom the union if it would pose athreat to independence.

The union has a lot of advan-tages and there are no argumentsfor pessimism. In addition, thestrengthening of trade and eco-nomic relations with the neighbor-ing countries will strengthen oursecurity, as the stable political situa-tion is beneficial for trading part-ners’ territories.

The western sanctions relate tomany sectors of the economy of theneighboring state. Maybe someRussian factories will not be able towork in full force. This means theycannot buy our raw materials to theextent in which bought earlier, andhere we may have difficulties.

Russia undertakes retaliatorysanctions and bans the import ofcertain foodstuffs from the West onits territory. In this regard, we areable to increase export of foodproducts to Russia, including fruitsand vegetables, meat and so on.

In general, direct Western sanc-tions against the RussianFederation do not relate toKazakhstan. This year we plan tosolve the problem of joining theWTO. We plan to continue thedevelopment of relations with theEU, and to conclude new agree-ments on cooperation.

Time will put everything in itsplace. Therefore, I do think thatKazakhstan’s future is bright,because we are a peaceful country,we are not an enemy to anybody,and we have no enemies, and haveno external enemies.

My dream is to makeKazakhstan the eternal state, so Iproposed the idea of “Mangilik El”(Eternal Nation), and we do every-thing to become an Eternal Nation.

I believe today’s younger gener-ation are patriots of their countrywho are able to develop ofKazakhstan in future. I dream of abright future for Kazakhstan. Ihope our children and grandchil-dren will live better.

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S P E C I A L PAGE 7NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

H.E. Mr. Petru LIFICIU, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Galati:

“This honorific consular relationship is an opportunitywindow between Romania and Kazakhstan”

“In august 2012 I had thegreat honor to be nominated asHonorary Consul of theRepublic of Kazakhstan inRomania.

The Republic of Kazakhstanhas developed immensely in thelast decades and I believe this isbecause their President, HisExcellency NursultanNazarbayev, has devoted all of histime and energy in creating thebest strategy for his country -complex, well-designed, coveringall essential aspects needed for aneconomy to flourish.

With the help of their longterm plan “Kazakhstan 2050strategy”, they want to makeKazakhstan one of the 30 mostdeveloped countries in the world,and I’m absolutely sure that hewill achieve this goal in the nearfuture.

By 2030 Kazakhstan will be arole model for all developingcountries, it will become the“leopard” of Central Asia, theKazakh snow leopard, giftedwith western elegance multipliedby an advanced developmentlevel, with Eastern wisdom andtenacity.

I deeply admire PresidentNazarbayev, a strong and wellprepared leader who can takecontrol and guide the state'seconomy on the right track, aleader who has firm opinions onglobal issues, a man whose visionis involved in all areas. He knowshe has to make investments in alleconomic departments, that acountry needs to develop itstransport, energy, industrial andsocial infrastructure in order togrow.

As the Honorary Consul ofthe Republic of Kazakhstan inRomania I feel that I have notonly the honor to occupy thisposition, but also the responsibil-ity to help improve the bilateral

relations, to bring investmentsfrom Kazakhstan to our country,because we have so much to offerand so many areas that can bedeveloped. I have also tried toopen the way for companies andbusiness men from our countryto reach the Kazakh market. OurRomanian furniture is extremelyappreciated, constructions andinstallations are also importantareas in which the two countriescan collaborate.

Opening the HonoraryConsulate of the Republic ofKazakhstan in Galati, my hometown, was a very proud momentfor me. It was truly a joyous andexciting occasion, to see so manyimportant people come togetherto celebrate this strengthening ofeconomic and cultural relations.I was joined there by many sup-portive people, such as theCharge d'affaires of the Republicof Kazakhstan in Romania, themayor of Galati, presidents ofcounty councils, prefects andsub-prefects of counties, mayorsof different villages, representa-tives of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs.

I was able to organize in col-laboration with the Embassy ofKazakhstan many events thatbrought together business menand companies from both coun-tries.

I led a delegation ofRomanian businessmen inKazakhstan where we took partat the Astana Forum and at theWorld Anti-Crisis Conferenceand we had a meeting with Mr.Anuar Akhmmetzhanov, DeputyGovernor of the KaragandaRegion.

We took part at the JointCommission for Economic andScientific-Technical Cooperationand the Romania-KazakhstanEconomic Forum, with 25Romanian companies and 35

companies from Kazakhstan.We also organized the semi-

nar “Kazakhstan- the best cli-mate in Central Asia” and theEconomic Mission in Astana andAlmaty, in partnership with theAssociation of Employers in theConstruction Field in Romaniaand with the Ministry ofEconomy.

There have been numerouseconomic and cultural actionsand I’m very proud that I can saythat I played a part in helpingstrengthening the relationsbetween the two countries.

We have organized economicseminaries to inform Romanianbusinessmen about the manybenefits and opportunities thatthe Kazakh market has to offer.

For example, Kazakhstan isthe second place in the world inregards of reserves of uranium,chromium, plumb, zinc, thirdplace in the world in manganese;5th place in cooper, and in top10 in the world at coal, iron,gold and 11th place in the world

at proven reserves of oil and nat-ural gases.

The Republic of Kazakhstanhas created an economic environ-ment that is extremely friendlyand welcoming for foreigninvestors, with low taxes and sub-sidies from the Government.

Kazakhstan is the heart ofEurasia. All main routes passthrough its territory. In the nextfew years it will become a majortransport hub between Europeand Asia with a most comfortableenvironment for investors.

Another important projectthat the Honorary Consulate hascollaborated on with the authori-ties in Kazakhstan was trying tofacilitate the exchange of studentsand teachers from the two coun-tries. The Karaganda StateMedical University has signed amemorandum of understandingwith several medical universitiesin Romania: “Victor Babes” inTimisoara, “Ovidius” inConstanta, “Lucian Blaga” inSibiu, “Iuliu Hatieganu” in Cluj

Napoca. the Univeristy in Oradeaand in Targu Mures. I would beextremely happy and proud to seeour students study abroad inKazakhstan, but also see Kazakhstudents come here, because wehave good academic centers andwell prepared professors.

I visited the Republic ofKazakhstan many times, and eachtime I was pleasantly surprised,every time I discovered some-thing new and interesting that Ibrought back to Romania, I metquality people that love theircountry and believe in theirfuture.

I’m very happy that I can saythat I have a very good relation-ship with all of my friends fromthe Embassy of Kazakhstan. Wecollaborate very well, we havecommon goals - to open a wayfor further and better coopera-tion between our countries.

Kazahstan is mainly known inour country because of the acqui-sition of Rompetrol byKazMunayGaz, but the countryhas many more other things tooffer, economic, political and cul-tural aspects. Astana is a verybeautiful city that has grown anddeveloped very much in the lastyears. Occasion

The Kazakhstan we knowtoday is a state that was createdfrom zero, that has known adevelopment unlike any othermodern country. I think it canbe an example for many – if youhave a good leader with a goodlong-term economic strategy,and people that love their coun-try and work for its future, thatamazing things can and willhappen.

This honorific consular rela-tionship is an opportunity win-dow between Romania andKazakhstan, and we should makethe best of it and learn from theirwisdom.”

“Cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Kazakhstan has been steadily growing”

Continued from Page 5The Universal Expo Astana

2017 and Romania’s participa-tion with a national stand maygenerate additional businessopportunities that could benefitthe freight transport potentialbetween Central Asia andEurope which could maximizethe shortest and most profitabletransit over the Black Sea.

In recent years we have wit-nessed a number of positivedevelopments that brought ourrelations to a new qualitativelevel. Among them I would men-tion: KazMunaiGaz Company’spresence in Romania; upgrading

the diplomatic level of represen-tation of Kazakhstan in Bucharestto Embassy; the recent appoint-ment of the first KazakhstaniAmbassador to Romania, H.E.Mr. Daulet Batrashev. They alltestify to the willingness to fur-ther develop the bilateral rela-tions and to the prospects tomake best use of the untappedpotential for cooperation.

Romania and Kazakhstanrelations are close to a partner-ship with strategic value.Kazakhstan remains amongRomania’s most important part-ners in Central Asia, both inpolitical and economic terms.

Even if our economies have beenaffected by the global economiccrisis, we still maintain a healthytrade partnership. For Romania,it is an unparalleled trade rela-tionship in the region, with a vastpotential to bring diversity to thecurrent oil-based imports fromKazakhstan.

With the Protocol of cooper-ation between the Black Sea portof Constanta and the Caspianport of Aktau signed in 2007 wehave a solid framework for devel-oping cooperation between thetwo ports and overall the trans-port cooperation.

Kazakhstan remains a valu-

able partner for the EuropeanUnion within Central Asia. Iwant to take this opportunity tocongratulate the KazakhstaniDiplomatic Service for conclud-ing the negotiations on a newlegally-binding frame betweenthe European Union andKazakhstan, embodied in aPartnership and CooperationAgreement.

In view of enhancing traderelations with the EuropeanUnion, Kazakhstan’s main trad-ing partner, Romania has been aconstant supporter ofKazakhstan in actively pursuingaccession to the World Trade

Organization. All these elementsshape up an optimistic outlookfor our bilateral relations andambitious prospects of strength-ening the relations betweenRomania and Kazakhstan.

On the occasion of theNational Day of the Republic ofKazakhstan, it is my pleasure toconvey, through this way, onbehalf of the Romanian Ministryof Foreign Affairs and on myown behalf, heartfelt congratula-tions alongside with best wishesof progress, prosperity and well-being for the Kazakh people.

Happy anniversary to theRepublic of Kazakhstan!”

S P E C I A LPAGE 8 NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

Azamat Zhangulov, Vice-President of KMG International:

“We are 7 % of Romania’s foreign direct investment”

There are permanent dis-cussions about your offer tobuy the shares owned by thestate – 26.69 per cent, atPetromidia in Navodari.How are things going?We, as buyers, expressed all

our commitment and our firmdecision to acquire the shares.The Romanian Government,though, has a lot of proce-dures to pursue. There are sev-eral steps to be followed by theGovernment, starting withapproving a strategy for priva-tization, then approving thetender for consultancy, thenapproving the launch of theprivatization procedure. Andall of these need constantinvolvement from all theGovernment. And, due to theelections, all of these gotdelayed, because they hadother priorities in the cam-paign. But there is progress ontheir side as well. We are nowlooking forward to the privati-zation decision to be pub-lished.

How long do you predict itwill require them to pub-lish that decision?There are many things that

are difficult to predict. Such asthe formal steps of the proce-dure or the oil prices. Buttechnically, each step requiresfrom a few weeks to a fewmonths. After the privatisa-tion is published, we have 30days to place our bid and weintend to do it immediately.

By buying Rompetrol sevenyears ago, you have becomequite familiar with theRomanian market. Howdid you find this market atthe time of the acquisition?If we ran an analysis of dif-

ferent markets around theBlack Sea region, I think thatRomania is one of the bestmarkets possible. There are afew arguments to support thisstatement. First of all,Romania has perhaps thebiggest potential of economi-cal growth in Central –Eastern Europe. Also,Romania has naturalresources, worth exploiting,and human resources, educat-ed, young and reasonably

paid, unlike the rest ofEurope. There is also infra-structure potential, as well asenergy-producing potential.Therefore, Romania gives usplenty of opportunities, com-pared to other countries, as,despite the low rate of foreigninvestment, Romania showsstable growth and was notcrushed by recession like othercountries.

How does Kazakhstanrelate to Romania?We have identified

Romania as a important part-ner, not only because of thesefactors, but also because of thedirect access to the Black Sea,which gains us access to seaports and other facilities. Wesee that this country will grow,and this also means a growthin consumption. We identifiedthe necessity to build new gasstations as new roads are builtand the transportation, under-developed so far, has started toshow its potential. A hugedevelopment opportunity isalso represented by the build-ing of a road that connectsEurope to China and thatpasses through Kazakhstanand Azerbaijan. Romania maybe placed on this route andrepresent an access way toEurope, but it has to use itspotential. This transportationpotential could be a consider-able point of growth andregeneration for Romania’seconomy.

What are the challenges ofthe Romanian market,from your point of view?The main challenge relies

on the low rate of foreigninvestments. Awarenessshould be raised regardingRomania’s investment poten-tial. There is the need for astrong investment policy, clearand understandable for anyinvestors. In Kazakhstan, byexample, we have a ForeignInvestment Council, chairedby the President of the coun-try, and it is working efficient-ly with companies all over theglobe. They meet two times ayear to discuss any issues thatmay have been appeared in theforeign investment policy.

This is why the foreign invest-ment rate is quite high.

Other issues are related totaxes, efficiency of differentbodies of the Government andof the legal system. These canbe improved, in my opinion,to immediate positive effect inforeign investments inRomania.

One year ago, youannounced the intention toopen 100 new gas stationsin Romania. How arethings going on?Our investments depend

on the memorandum wesigned with the Government,as all these plans depend onthe Government. Our slow-down depends on them. Forthis year, we will be launchingthis year four or five gas sta-tions, on our own. We are alsoworking on two new projects,the cogeneration plant and theMidia facilities, with aninvestment of USD 130 mln.These projects are in the stageof design, not in that ofimplementation yet.

Which are your financialresults for this year?The year is not accom-

plished and we are still wait-ing for the data, but I estimatean increase of 50 % compared

to last year. We have reachedthe highest figures in theentire history of Rompetrol.This is the result of our heavyinvestment, made a few yearsago. This year, despite of allissues, our investment wasabout USD 130 mln. If weconsider that the total value offoreign investments inRomania is about USD 2 bln,we may say that we are 7 % ofRomania’s foreign directinvestment.

Also, we have launched afew performance-enhancingprograms for our retail. Wesimplified our procedures toprovide the best practices andthe results are obvious.

What is the company’s posi-tion regarding socialresponsibility?We have one of the best

platforms in Romania for CSRprograms. There is an openand very transparent selectionprocedure for causes that needhelp. Many projects have beenlaunched this way. There is alist of all our projects on thesite impreunapentrufiecare.ro,and they are all important, notjust moneywise, but also dueto the benefit we may offersimple people, by sponsoringprograms such as OvidiuRo orSMURD.

We also assume socialresponsibility to our employ-ees, providing them some ofthe best social packages inRomania, much better thanthe national legislationrequires.

Is the drop in the price ofoil good news for you, or isit bad news?There is no direct link

between the price of oil andthe profitability of the refin-ing industry. It may seem so atfirst sight, but given the com-plexity of the processing, it isnot. Yet, quotations for oilproducts are going sometimeslower than the quotations foroil, which is a risk. A massivedrop in the oil price can createa huge fluctuation on the mar-ket, and this makes us verycautious. These periods of lowprices give us the opportunityto review our portfolio andpostpone certain projects. Icompare it to fasting. Fastingis very healthy.

Has the Ukrainian crisisaffected your business inRomania?KMG was not directly

affected by problems inUkraine. We had no participa-tion in Ukrainian refinerieseither. There were no exportsof crude oil to Ukraine,because Ukrainian refinerieswere not working at fullcapacity and needed smallamounts of imported oil.Rompetrol exported oil prod-ucts to Ukraine, and theseexports have not changed inamount after the crisis started.On the contrary, due to thedecrease of production, thecountry will need to importand will consume. And we areconfident that we will be a keysupplier. So, I do not see thecrisis affecting us in any way.

How do you think yourpresence in our countryinfluenced the relations ofKazakhstan and Romania? Very positively, I think.

The level of diplomatic rela-tions has systematicallyimproved, and also has thenumber of diplomats presentin both countries. Second,there’s a constant exchange ofvisits at high level. Third, aKazakh – Romanian BusinessCouncil was launched lastyear, actively supportingmutual investments. And, eco-nomically, a whole new worldof investing possibilities isopening up right now.

By Lorena Lupu Contributing editor

Young, handsome and successful! AzamatZhangulov, Vice-President of KMG

International (formerly The Rompetrol Group), thecompany that represents Kazakhstan’s greatestinvestment in Romania is an excellent portrait of thebusinessman as a young man. Highly energetic,despite of the early hour, Mr. Zhangulov seems tolook forward to each day as a new opportunity for anachievement and enthusiastically declares that hiscompany is the best in its domain.

S P E C I A L PAGE 9NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

EXPO 2017: The World Comes to KazakhstanOne of the largest interna-

tional expos of the decade iscoming to the capital ofKazakhstan. On Nov. 22,2012, the 156 member nationsof the InternationalExhibitions Bureau (BIE) metin Paris and decided by anoverwhelming majority vote of103 countries that EXPO 2017will be held in Astana. “This isthe greatest achievement at theinternational level ofKazakhstan’s independence.”

EXPO 2017 is a recognizedexpo, also referred to as aninternational specialized expo,and is part of the World’s Fairsystem. Recognized expos aresmaller versions of theUniversal expos commonlyreferred to as World’s Fairs.Recognized expos centeraround a particular theme andare held between World’s Fairs,which occur every five years.Kazakhstan has chosen thetheme “Future Energy” to pro-mote and discover sustainable,global energy solutions.

Hosting recognized expos,like hosting universal World’sFairs, World Cups or theOlympics is a major coup forany nation. The events bringhundreds of millions of dollarsin revenue and immeasurableinternational exposure to theculture and economy of thehost nation. Countries launchmajor multi-year lobbyingefforts to convince theInternational ExhibitionsBureau that their nation cap-tures the zeitgeist of themoment and is best suited torepresent the world and thechosen theme. BenjaminLoring, deputy director ofCeres, the Center for Eurasian,Russian and East EuropeanStudies at GeorgetownUniversity in Washington,D.C., sees Kazakhstan’s successin winning the competition tohost EXPO 2017 as the logicalnext step in the process of inte-grating that nation and the restof Central Asia into the globalcommunity and economicmarket place after long eras ofbeing cut off as part of theRussian Empire and the SovietUnion. “This region of theworld has been very poorlyunderstood outside its immedi-ate environs in the past,”Loring told EdgeKz.“However, the last 20 yearshave seen a gradual opening ofthe region to the global econo-my and to the world communi-ty. This will be one more stepin that process.”

EXPO 2017 will last threemonths, include representa-tives from approximately 100countries and is expected todraw three to five million visi-tors, which would make it thelargest international gathering

of this kind Central Asia hasseen. It will be held duringAstana’s 20th anniversary asthe nation’s capital and cele-brate the emergence of inde-pendent Kazakhstan and thewider region as the energy andcommunications hub ofEurope, Asia and the MiddleEast since the collapse of com-munism. “Traditionally, EXPOexhibitions have been held inNortheast Asia, Europe andNorth America,” BIE SecretaryGeneral Vicente GonzalezLoscertales said. “Holding anexhibition in the new (CentralAsian) region, which is thebridge between East and West,in a young country, which hasdeveloped very good relationswith European, Middle Easterncountries, former Sovietrepublics, as well as with allcountries of the Central Asianregion is an additional advan-tage, which also strengthensthe position of Astana.”

In the 222 years since thefirst international industrialexhibition was held in Praguein 1791, no World’s Fair, orrecognized exhibition, has beenheld in Central Asia. The onlyone to be held in the territoryof today’s 12 nations of theCommonwealth ofIndependent States that wereformerly part of the old SovietUnion took place in NizhnyNovgorod in Russia in 1875.And never in the 84-year histo-ry has the host city been cho-sen by such a large majority ofvotes.

“EXPO would not have hadany great significance if it wereto be held in Liege,” Britishfinancial analyst MartinHutchinson, a contributor tothe New York Times, the WallStreet Journal and Asiaweek,and author of thePrudentBear.com financialcolumns, told EdgeKz. “Thatcity, like the rest of Belgium,has been at the heart ofWestern European trade andcommunications routes formany centuries. However,

Kazakhstan has spent the past20 years emerging on to theglobal scene after its past histo-ry in the Soviet Union.”

President Nazarbayev’s owncomments reinforce that senti-ment. “This will be a turningpoint for Kazakhstan: It willstart a whole new chapter ineconomic development,” thepresident said. “I want toemphasize the importance ofthe fact that for the next fiveyears the whole world will betalking about Kazakhstan,” thepresident said, adding thatexpos offer the opportunity toshowcase and advance the lat-est technological, scientific andcultural achievements.

EXPO 2017’s FutureEnergy theme will promoteefforts to find sustainable ener-gy solutions to meet growingglobal demand. Kazakhstan’schoice of the topic reflects therecognition by the country’sleaders and policymakers thateven its vast reserves of naturalenergy resources are ultimatelyfinite and that eventually thecountry, and the rest of theworld, will have to make thetransition to alternative energysources and greener economies.

Zhanar Aitzhanova, whohas led Kazakhstan’s negotiat-ing team to enter the WorldTrade Organization, seesEXPO 2017 and its green ener-gy theme as pointing the worldinto new directions of growthand development for the com-ing century. “Today, the worldneeds new, environmentallysafe, pathways for develop-ment. Kazakhstan has alreadyset its course towards a greeneconomy. We consider that adiscussion about future energyis one of the most universaldiscussions of our time, whichis precisely why we have chosenit as the central theme forEXPO 2017,” she said. Evenbeyond energy, the expo willexpand Kazakhstan’s globalcooperation with industrial-ized, developing and less devel-oped countries. Government

leaders are focusing especiallyon developing nations aroundthe world south of the equatorand looking forward to a newera of expanded developmentprograms with them.

The event will also be aboon for Astana, which has hada successful track record overthe last years of hosting majorinternational events, includingthe December 2010 56-nationsummit of the Organizationfor Security and Cooperationin Europe and the AsianWinter Games in January-February 2011. Both were thefirst major gatherings of theirkind in Central Asia. They alsoprovided Astana’s municipalgovernment, police and servic-es the experience and confi-dence to tackle hosting EXPO2017.

Astana Mayor believes thespirit and energy of his shiningnew capital will ensure the suc-cess of the EXPO. “Astana isthe place where the energy ofthe youth sets the rhythm ofthe city,” he said.

Astana’s unique locationshould also significantly boostthe likelihood of a successful

and well attended event.“A total of 2.5 billion peo-

ple live in close proximity toour country. It’s only a three-hour flight from the capitalcity of India, a five-hour flightfrom the capital of China and athree-hour flight to Moscow. “

The EXPO will turn Astanainto a showcase for the latestglobal developments in theenergy sector and will trans-form it into a hub for develop-ing alternative energy solutionsacross Central Asia.

“The recognition, incomeand interest the expo is expect-ed to generate will also be feltbeyond Astana”, says PresidentNazarbayev.

“For us, the EXPO has tobecome a mega-project whichwill benefit each and everyregion,” the president told arecent gathering in Astana ofmayors and governors fromaround the country. “This willgive a powerful impetus to theinnovative development of thecountry.”

“The national pavilionsthat will be built to house theEXPO will be retained forfuture use, including as a labo-ratory science park for theintroduction of new technolo-gies in Kazakhstan”, he said.

EXPO 2017 will provideKazakhstan a unique opportu-nity to showcase the achieve-ments it has made and the cul-ture it has developed sincegaining independence from theSoviet Union.

“EXPO 2017 will promoteKazakhstan all over the world.The exhibition defines agendafor the world economic devel-opment,” said Nazarbayev.

And judging from its effortsto win the expo and its plansfor hosting it, the countryplans to take full advantage ofthat opportunity.

S P E C I A LPAGE 10 NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

Kazakhstan 2050: Charting a nation to prosperity and global significance

By Professor Dr. Anton CARAGEA We are living through difficult

and boisterous time. A period ofrapid changes in world economicand political system, a time of pow-erful crisis that is shaking the funda-ments of national states and ofnational economies and is puttingunder strain the social protectionand all the values of economic neo-liberalism.

In this chaotic period, just a fewnations are allowed the luxury ofeconomic and political long timeforecast and predictability: Chinaand United States are creating andproposing to their people and for-eign partners a long term vision ofdevelopment and national state-hood construction.

In a time of peril and un-certi-tude, when even a short time eco-nomic prediction is considered haz-ardous, just a few nations are havingthe will to act as beacons of lightsand direction for their region.

In 17th of December 2012Kazakhstan had enter to this selectclub of nations, conscientious oftheir role and position in the conti-nental and world stage by present-ing an ambitious, realistic and wellcarved plan for future ofKazakhstan until 2050.

By the voice of his President,Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstanhad created the prototype of a longterm, healthy and stable construc-tion model for the country, theregion and the world.

KAZAKHSTAN 2030: WEATHERING THE STORM ANDCREATING A NATION.

Kazakhstan it is not at the firststep in a managed transitiontowards a stable and democraticsociety and a powerful economy.

In 1997 Kazakhstan had alreadycarved the landmarks of his aston-ishing development by the presi-dential strategy- Kazakhstan 2030.

Far from being just a windowdressing, the strategy for 2030 hadproved to be a perfect way for chart-ing Kazakhstan after the independ-ence in the incertitude of nationbuilding and construction of aviable economy.

The program had allowedKazakhstan to tap into nationalreserves of oil and gas, to gush outof the enclave country status via thereconstructed Silk Road of energyand trade, to create a modern econ-omy, not depending only on energyresources, to build a huge potentialof national intelligence and to fosterthe economy of knowledge, thebase for a XXI century reliableeconomy.

The long string of economicsuccesses was accompanied in theinternal sphere by political stability,based on democratic and open soci-ety values, the protection of nation-al and religious minorities.

In the area of external policy,Kazakhstan had gather the powerfullaurels of a successful reform projectcarried out during hisChairmanship of Organization forSecurity and Cooperation inEurope. An impressive success wasalso the unprecedented two yearChairmanship of Organization ofIslamic Conference that trans-formed Kazakhstan in a leader ofdialogue between Islam andWestern world.

The latest major diplomaticachievement of Kazakhstan was theproposal of building an area of secu-rity and cooperation in Europe andAsia, launched in September 2012,in Astana, at CICA Conference byPresident Nursultan Nazarbayev.This latest proposal makesKazakhstan the promoter of an all-inclusive, intercontinental dialogue,that could transform the politicallandscape of XXI century.

In the end, Kazakhstan 2030had proved to be not only a success-ful strategy for Kazakhstan, but alsoan example for all the countries ofthe world on how a nation by thesole fact of building himself, canbecome a regional and world signif-icant player.

THE MAIN PILLAR OF KAZAKHSTAN2050: UNDERSTANDINGOF XXI CENTURY.

In its world acclaimed book:The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, thefamous Lawrence of Arabia had

mentioned that: the most impor-tant, but also decisive part of a planis to be in line with the necessity ofhis time.

Kazakhstan 2050 starts by out-lining the fundaments of the worldin XXI century. A period of change,of accelerating history, of economic,political and ecological challenges, aworld completely different from theworld of XX century.

Instead of training to force thereality to enter in the realm of pos-sibility, Kazakhstan 2050 is offeringa realistic and practical assessmentof the necessities of today world andof the available solutions.

Fallowing his long term tradi-tion, Kazakhstan understands thatcreating a success story and offeringsolutions to the world is the bestway to serve not only his interest,but also to add value to his place inthe world.

KAZAKHSTAN 2050: GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLEOF KAZAKHSTAN.

Kazakhstan had become in thelast 20 years an abode of peace, inter-ethnic and inter-religious under-standing in a troubled world. One ofthe explanation is undoubtedly theeconomic success that made theKazakhstan not only one of thefastest growing economy in theworld, but also a top investor destina-tion in the world economy statistics.

Kazakhstan 2050 is providingthe basis for this healthy economyto continue his growth process.Investing in social protection and

creating a strong internal demandare key factors for a stable rate ofgrowth. Modernizing the economicpotential, investing in new tech-nologies are policy that will insurethe world competitiveness ofKazakhstan national economy andthe creation of a knowledge basedeconomy are also a profitable longterm investment.

The modern economy is basedon technological transfer andKazakhstan is becoming a champi-on in modernizing the basis of hiseconomy via technology transferand more important, Kazakhstaneducational system mixed with theaccent on entrepreneurship in eco-nomic development is creating thebase for a managerial revolution,that will put Kazakhstan among thetop economy`s of the world in termof creativity and intelligence incor-porated in economic production.

Extremely interesting it is alsothe concept of a Kazakhstan patri-otism. Instead of playing the card ofnationalism or chauvinism,President Nursultan Nazarbayev iscalling for the tradition, languageand equality to blend into a newand successful Kazakh: a personwell educated, wealthy , healthyenjoying the benefits of a modernstate and administration and a stateof the art medical system.

Kazakhstan is promising to putat the core of his foundation planfor 2050 the individual and hischances to prevail in a complex XXIcentury.

FROM KAZAKHSTAN TO THEWORLD. FROM WORLD TOKAZAKHSTAN

One of the keys of Kazakhstannational and international successwas understanding that Kazakhstancould not evolve alone in the world,but always must stay in touch andbe an intricate part of the worldevolutions. There are many exam-ples that support this conjecture inKazakhstan two decades of inde-pendence story.

Kazakhstan economic miraclewas built on partnership with west-ern companies and oil extractiontechnology, but also on politicalnegotiation with Russia on CaspianSea exploration.

The Astana Expo 2017 will alsobe a proof of the lesson of mutualprofit that Kazakhstan is offering tothe world. Kazakhstan manage-ment of energy, the lessons of ecol-ogy and energy for a future, of envi-ronment protection, are going to bebeneficial for the world economyand for the generations to come.This is just a new illustration of theKazakhstan concept of successfulquest for global significance.

Kazakhstan economic develop-ment had transformed the countryin a major player in the develop-ment of Asia and Europe.Kazakhstan 2050 promises to con-tinue this wise policy: fromKazakhstan to the world, fromworld to Kazakhstan, creating asynergy that could only beneficialfor all the world nations.

Now the lessons of Kazakhstan2050 are available for everybody: anexample of a society of free peoplebuilding a country for the future,not in isolation or competition, butin harmony with the world nations.In the concert of nationsKazakhstan is ushering in a newtone: a tone of hope.

(Source: antoncaragea.word-press.com. Professor Anton Carageais expert in international relation,diplomat , historian and theDirector at the Institute forInternational Relations andEconomic Cooperation of Romania.)

Astana plans to be the smartest city worldwideBy Alex MANNHEIMER

Astana plans to rank first in theworld’s “smart cities” ranking,Akim (Mayor) of Astana AdilbekZhaksybekov said at the “SmartAstana-2014” Conference Nov. 19.

“President Nazarbayev set atask to build and improve Astanaas a smart city, which meets allinternational standards,” he said.“Toronto ranks first in the rank-ing. Astana ranks 21st now. Soour task is to share the first placewith Toronto. I hope we willachieve this.”

The mayor expressed confi-dence that Astana will be anadvanced, intelligent, innovativecity in the world.

“All resources will be used forthis,” he said. “The processes willbe innovative, while technologies– available to all layers of thepopulation.

“The measures and real proj-ects will testify to the growthpotential and provide peoplewith an opportunity to use betterservices,” he said.

(Source: kashagan.today) PHOT

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S P E C I A L PAGE 11NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

Did you know that...?LOCATION:

Kazakhastan is located in the centre of the Eurasian continent.Total Area: 2 million 724,9 thousand square kilometersComparative Area:Ninth largest in the world, equivalent to the size of WesternEuropeFour times the size of TexasFive times the size of France

BOUNDARIES:l The total length of overland borders - 13,200 km. The

Republic of Kazakhstan shares its longest borders with Russia,7,591 km and China, 1,783 km.

l Kazahstan is the 9th largest country by size in the worldand the largest country that doesn’t have access to the ocean.

l The country is a melting pot of ethnic diversity, in partbecause Stalin deported many different ethnicities here duringhis rule. There are more than 131 different ethnic groups livingin Kazakhstan. Kazakhs are about 65% of the population, upfrom 40% in 1991.

l The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana, in the centralNorthern region of the country. It’s a relatively new city with afancy, over-the-top skyline! Astana – the name of the capital ofKazakhstan – means “capital city”.

lThe primary city of Kazakhstan is Almaty, in the SE. It’sa scenic city with snow-capped mountains on the horizon,beautiful buildings and modern conveniences.

Continued from Page 5We in Kazakhstan noted the

enthused support of Romaniatowards His Excellency PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev’s initiativefor creating a platform of securityand cooperation in Europe andAsia, based on the models ofOSCE and ShanghaiOrganization that could be bene-ficial to Romania, Kazakhstanand the world.

Concluding, I will underlinethe fact that Romania andKazakhstan are starting their jour-ney on the road for a strategicfriendship based on our commonpolitical vision, economic inter-ests and common foreign policyprinciples.

Kazakhstan of today envisagesbecoming the main economichub on the new Silk Roadbetween Europe and Asia,between the emerging markets ofChina and the developed Europe.The new Silk Road will boosttrade, commerce and will betterand faster connect the land mass-es of Europe and Asia and willbecome not only a viable eco-nomic initiative, but will also gen-erate work places, will help peoplerip benefits and have a better stan-dard of life and by this we willenjoy in our regions political sta-bility and prosperity.

I would like to emphasize anew concept launched byKazakhstan under the name of«Silk Wind» project, by launchingcontainer train “China –Kazakhstan – Caspian Sea –Caucasus – Turkey – Europe. Thiseconomic concept build by ourcountry within the framework of

the diversification of transportand transit routes, was discussedat the conference “TransEurasia2014”, during the past VII AstanaEconomic Forum in May 2014,when we have started building aninternational investors consensusin bringing to light this “SilkWind” transnational project.

This commercial and eco-nomic initiative was completed inthe political arena by PresidentNazarbayev’s appeal for a betterdialogue and a common dialoguebetween Europe and Asia knownas the Conference on Interactionand Confidence-BuildingMeasures in Asia.

This is clearly marking thefact that Kazakhstan foreign poli-cy strives not only for economicdevelopment and facilitating cre-ation of trading corridors betweenEurope and Asia, but also strivesfor political dialogue, for creatinga climate of understanding, dia-logue, avoiding tensions and con-flicts and creating a platform fordialogue between the countries ofAsia and Europe.

Our country’s initiative isbased on our successfulChairmanship of Organizationfor Security and Cooperation inEurope for 2010 and on ourprominent track records as mem-bers of the Shanghai CooperationOrganization and the EurasianEconomic Union.

We are proposing our experi-ence in dialogue and fosteringinternational organization in theservice of world peace and devel-opment, and we hope that theworld is noting this Kazakhstan’seffort.

I would like also to observeour efforts in promoting religiousdialogue and better understand-ing. Necessary to note our suc-cessful two-year presidency ofOrganization of IslamicCooperation, in difficult times,when we helped the Islamic worldto concentrate on culture, educa-tion and Islamic heritage as unify-ing factors, as bricks of a betterunderstanding of Islam in theworld.

However, Kazakhstan was notonly satisfied to preserve its reli-gious legacy but was activelyinvolved in the research for anopen and continuing dialogue ofreligions and traditional religiousleaders. At the initiative ofPresident Nursultan Nazarbayev,the Astana Religious Conference– CONGRESS OF LEADERSOF WORLD AND TRADI-TIONAL RELIGIONS – hasbecome with the support andpresence of all world religiousleaders, the most impressive andefficient world conference thatestablished rules and points forinter-religious dialogue. PresidentNazarbayev brought together rep-resentatives of religious denomi-nation from all continents and allcorners of the world, in an openand long-standing dialogue. Thefact that this series of meetingscontinues to be held continuouslyfrom 2003 is self-expressing.

Our basic ideas where to usethis rostrum is to make a state-ment of peace, concord and toler-ance as stable principles of humanexistence, to obtain the achieve-ment of mutual respect and toler-ance between religions, confes-

sions, nations etc. and to opposeto the use of religious believes ofpeople for fostering conflicts.

I hope that our ideals developfurther and CONGRESS OFLEADERS OF WORLD ANDTRADITIONAL RELIGIONScontinues to be a solid landmarkin the world of religions.

Besides, I want to remind thatKazakhstan was the first countryin the world to voluntarily relin-quish our atomic arsenal, left afterthe dissolution of Soviet Union,according the Decree from 1991of H.E. President NursultanNazarbayev.

We have, by our own accord,accepted the dismantling ofnuclear warheads, the evacuationof material that could be used fornuclear armament and we havestopped nuclear experience in theSemipalatinsk nuclear test site.

These are valuable contribu-tions of Kazakhstan to a secureand safer world, a world withoutnuclear weapons and in 2012 atSeoul Summit, we have offered toshare our experience to help othernations to embrace the concept ofa nuclear weapons free world.

In our bilateral relations, wehave to foster our political dia-logue, to develop the economicalpresence of Kazakhstan inRomanian economy on the tem-plate of the success that isRompetrol experience.

We are determined also tohelp Romania balance the bilater-al trade with Kazakhstan and wehope that Romanian productsfind their way to Kazakhstan mar-ket. World renowned Romanianproducts like Romanian wine,

agricultural products, high qualityindustrial products, furniture thatis having a long tradition of pres-ence on our market are just a fewof the Romanian manufacturedproducts that we will be happy tosee on our internal market.Moreover, I tell the future busi-ness partners of Kazakhstan not toforget that our country is the cen-ter of a free-tax zone in all Eurasiathrough the Customs Union sotheir products find their way notsolely to Kazakhstan, but toRussia and Belarus as well.

We are speaking often aboutthe fact that Romania mustbecome the hub for Kazakh prod-ucts to be spread across Europeand this is equally true forRomanian goods and services thatcan take advantage of our relaxedlaws and regulation and tax freezones and make Kazakhstan thebridge head in conquering, withtheir products, all of Asia.

I would like to conclude bysaying to the Romanian peoplethat you will always have inKazakhstan a proven friend, andall that we have built in our bilat-eral relation from economiccooperation, to foreign policyand to diplomacy, must be com-plemented by people to peopleinteraction.

Kazakhstan is much morethan just a normal developedcountry, it is also a country ofwonderful people, of breathtakingscenery and scenic spots, it is awonderful place to visit and toemerge in it.”

“Kazakhstan-Romania bilateral relation is evolving rapidly and continuously in the right direction”

S P E C I A LPAGE 12 NINE O’CLOCK • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

Kazakhstan at a glancel The chimney of Ekibastuz

GRES-2 is the highest in theworld (420 meters)

l Kazakhstan is home to theBaikonur Cosmodrome, theworld’s first and largest spacelaunch facility. The first artifi-cial satellite (Sputnik 1) and thefirst man (Yuri Gagarin) weresent into space from Baikonurcosmodrome

l Almaty has a brand-newMetro System that opened in2011. There are currently sevenstations and they are all individ-ually decorated and designed.Very fancy for a subway! It wasabout 50 cents per ride foradults (all destinations are thesame price).

l Apples are reputedly tooriginate from Kazakhstan andthere are still wild apple forests inthe country.

l Horses were first domesti-cated on the territory of thepresent Kazakhstan

l Half of Lake Balkhash,one of the largest lakes in theworld, consists of fresh water,the other half of the salt water.

l Medeo is the highestmountain skating ring in theworld. Highlands and puremountain water to make the icecontribute to achieving highperformance in speed skating,170 world records were set here.

l In 2009, Kazakhstan tookthe first place in the world in theproduction of uranium (14020tons); in 2011, the country pro-duced 19450 tons of uranium(35% of world production).Kazakhstan has the secondlargest uranium reserves in theworld.

l Russian word for money(“dengi”) comes from the Turkicword “tenge” – the name ofnational currency of Kazakhstan

l Kazakh means “wanderer”or “independent.”

Continued from Page 5Strategy “Kazakhstan - 2050”

is a modernization path for allareas to provide sustainablegrowth. It is a big challenge,which will test and strengthen ourcountry, our unity, our courageand our efforts. Our commonduty and responsibility is toimplement the strategy flawlesslyand overcome this test withoutfailures,” underlines the address tothe nation of the President of theRepublic of Kazakhstan,Nursultan Nazarbayev, fromJanuary 17, 2014 .

The same presidential addressemphasizes that Kazakhstan ofthe 21st century is a country cre-ated from scratch in just twodecades by talented, hardworkingand tolerant people! “This is ourcreation in which we take hugepride! It is our great creation thatwe wholeheartedly love!

We’ve adopted Strategy-2050so that Kazakhstan’s people canhold firmly in their hands thehelm of the country's future.Today, many successful countries– China, Malaysia and Turkey –follow their long-term strategies.Strategic planning is a ‘numberone’ rule in the 21st century,because no wind will be favorableunless a country does not knowits route and destination harbor.Strategy “Kazakhstan 2050”, as aguiding beacon, allows us to solveour people’s everyday issues, whilealso keeping our priority aims inmind. This means that we shouldimprove the life of our nation notin 30 or 50 years’ time, but do soevery year. The Strategy is a pro-gram of concrete practical actions,

which on a daily basis willimprove our country and the lifeof every citizen of Kazakhstan.However, everyone must under-stand that, in market conditions,we must work effectively, ratherthan wait for “manna from heav-en”. The government’s task is toprovide all conditions for this.

I am convinced that the pros-perous future of our homelandlies among developed countries.Achieving this ambition will unitethe people of Kazakhstan forever,”also says President Nazarbayev’saddress to the nation dedicated tothe steps to be followed by thecountry to achieve the goals of the“Kazakhstan 2050” Strategy shap-ing the ambitious future of thecountry.

“We are united by our nation-al idea – Mangilik El (EternalNation), making its way to theindependent development of“Nurly Zhol”. To follow this pathwe need to work hard, and tounite our efforts on the way to abrighter future. The EternalNation is a unifying force and aninexhaustible source of energy. Itis the basis for not only the“Kazakhstan 2050” Strategy, butalso the strong ideological foun-dation of Kazakhstan’s Statehoodin the 21st century! The EternalNation is itself the source of a newKazakhstan Patriotism. It is agreat principle for the entire soci-ety of Kazakhstan,” President ofthe Republic of Kazakhstan,Nursultan Nazarbayev, told in hisrecent address to the nation onNovember 11, 2014.

“Today, as we respond to the

challenges we face, I proclaimKazakhstan’s New EconomicPolicy “Nurly Zhol” (The BrightRoad). This is what I devote mystate-of-the-nation address for2015. The policy will have acounter-cyclical character and willbe aimed at continuing structuralreforms in our economy,” addedMr. Nazarbayev.

As a leader in the Central Asia,the Republic of Kazakhstanmakes a considerable contribu-tion to strengthening of theregion’s stability. The country hasachieved big successes on theinternational scene and has con-stantly increased its visibility,image, credibility and prestige inthis respect. The evidence of thisis Kazakhstan’s OSCEChairmanship in 2010 conductedwith great success and bigachievements.

Due to its geo-strategic loca-tion, the Republic of Kazakhstanis an outstanding political actorand respected voice in the regionbut also at international level,with core priorities in its foreignpolicy directions oriented towardsdeveloping and strengtheningstrategic and comprehensive part-nerships with its big and impor-tant neighbours Russia andChina, with the other neighboursfrom Central Asia, with theUnited States and with theEuropean Union.

One of the won bets ofKazakhstan in terms of increasingmore its international prestige,image and fame in the world willbe the hosting of Expo 2017 inAstana, a revolutionary project for

which huge financial resourceshave already been allotted by theKazakh authorities to successfullyachieve it.

The Republic of Kazakhstan isan industrial country with miningoperations being one of the mainsources of its economic growth.The country’s mineral raw materi-al base consists of more than 5000deposits which expected value isestimated at tens of trillion USdollars. The country holds firstplace in the world with regard toexplored reserves of zinc, tungstenand barite, second - silver, leadand chromites, third - copper andfluorite, fourth - molybdenum,sixth - gold.

Kazakhstan also has consider-able reserves of oil and gas, whichare concentrated in its westernareas. Nowadays the countrybelongs to the group of theworld’s leading oil-producingstates with volumes amounting tomore than 80 million tons of oiland gas condensate a year.According to plans the annualextraction will be increased to 120million tons by 2020. At presentKazakhstan is in 9th place in theworld with regard to confirmedreserves of oil. Besides that, thecountry is in 8th place by thereserves of coal and 2nd place bythe reserves of uranium.

“Kazakhstan owns a territoryso vast it would tire the wings of abird to fly over it. Thus, this planrequires huge funds and hardwork. There is a saying: “If youwant to know a nation’s prosperi-ty look at its paths.” Road con-nections are of high importance,

not only for travel, but also for thetransportation of goods,” under-lined President Nazarbayev in hismessage to the nation, recallingthe focus put by the Governmenton building modern highwaysand railroads aimed at strengthentrade and economic ties betweenthe regions.

“Over the past 22 years of oursovereignty and development wehave formed our core values, theyare the foundation of our coun-try’s future and unite all the peo-ple of Kazakhstan. They are nottaken from mystical stories or the-ories. These values are the embod-iment of Kazakhstan’s Way, whichhas withstood the test of time,”President Nazarbayev pointed outin his message addressed to thenation on January 2014.

The stable growth of allbranches of the Kazakh economy,the international recognition, thepolitical stability serve as a basisfor prosperity of the Kazakhstanisociety that looks with optimismto a great future ahead.

Summing up: A glorious pastand a rich cultural heritage andpatrimony behind, valuablehuman potential, huge naturalresources, vision of its leaders anda lot of ambition and effort of avery talented and hard-workingpeople with incommensurablecreative potential. This is thetoday’s Kazakhstan, a country thatfollows its challenging pathtowards a well deserved future inthe modern highly-competitiveand fast changing world.

23 years since Independence: Kazakhstan builds up its ambitious and deserved future