Astana calling no.453

1. A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ
ISSUE NO. 453 / FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
Global Politics, Economics
Discussed at Eurasian
Media Forum
FMCallsforEngagementNotIsolation
toSolveGlobalProblems
Also InThe News
EXPO2017CommissionerSeeks
ParticipationofAPECCountries
In Focus:
Foreign Policy Priorities
Kazakh, Uzbek Presidents
DiscussTrade, Energy in
Tashkent

2. GlobalPolitics,EconomicsDiscussedatEurasianMediaForum
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Astana ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 453 / 2 Back to Contents
More than 400 Delegates from over 50 countries discussed the global
economy and social developments at the 13th Eurasian Media Forum
(EAMF) in Astana April 21-22.
The forum’s 30 speakers and participants included international
politicians, economists, journalists and public organisation
representatives.
At the opening ceremony, EAMF Organising Committee Chairperson,
Kazakhstan’s Deputy rime Minister Dariga Nazarbayeva read a
message to the forum participants from Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev.
“The Eurasian Media Forum has become one of the leading platforms
for dialogue. Here we discuss the most topical issues of the modern
world, a new paradigm of development and the future,” it was said in
the address.
According to Nazarbayeva, “Today, humanity is entering an era of
unprecedented test. What will be the new world and our common
futuredependsoneachofus…Theopendiscussionofworldproblems
at the EAMF for finding a balanced solution will be an invaluable
contribution to the peace movement,”
The forum’s first panel discussion was dedicated to the global
economy and was attended by Former Afghan President Hamid
Karzai, member of the Federation Council Committee for Economic
Policy of Russia Dmitry Mezentsev, former British Foreign Minister
Jack Straw and Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre
Kairat Kelimbetov.
Mezentsev said the EAMF forum has become a globally important
event noted Kazakhstan’s 100 nationalities living in harmony as a
positive political and economic example.
Former British Foreign Minister Shaw noted Britain’s collapse in the
steel industry and shared his vision on facing this reality.
“If there were a more strategically sensible approach by OPEC to
see an increase in the oil price that, in turn, will turn to rebalance the
international economy and reduce the overall level of risk. And maybe,
therefore, seeing the trend growth of the world economies improving
which, in turn, would improve the commodity prices as well,” he said.
Kelimbetov said that Kazakhstan has a good opportunity to diversify
Kazakhstan’s economy beyond commodities.
“President Nazarbayev started this reform many years ago. In 2001,
we created a sovereign fund … and we have already $64 billion dollars,
which is a kind of reserve for future generations. We follow many
groups of countries who have joined to more flexible exchanges or
inflation targeting regimes following the Russian example … The most
important thing is the reforms started by President Nazarbayev. We
call it the National Plan - 100 Concrete Steps, which sets the reforms
on how to improve the investment climate and how to improve the-
always-opportunity to do business in Kazakhstan. Part of this is a
creating of financial clusters in two years … New financial centres will
be based here,” he said.
In addition to economics, former Afghan President Karzai praised
Nazarbayev’s peace-keeping efforts.
“Above all, I am happy to be in Kazakhstan once again. The country
has common culture with us. This is the country that has helped us
for the last 13 years and made a huge contribution to the development
of the country. President Nazarbayev has always been a friend of
Afghanistan and a kind partner in re-building of Afghanistan,” said
Karzai, noting Kazakhstan has provided many scholarships to the
Afghan students to study in Kazakhstan.
Karzai also praised Nazarbayev’s initiatives on global nuclear
disarmament and asked all to join the effort.
“President Nazarbayev started this reform many
years ago. In 2001, we created a sovereign fund
… and we have already $64 billion dollars, which
is a kind of reserve for future generations. We
follow many groups of countries who have joined
to more flexible exchanges or inflation targeting
regimes following the Russian example … The most
important thing is the reforms started by President
Nazarbayev. We call it the National Plan - 100
Concrete Steps, which sets the reforms on how
to improve the investment climate and how to
improve the-always-opportunity to do business
in Kazakhstan. Part of this is a creating of financial
clusters in two years … New financial centres will be
based here.”
- Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre
Kairat Kelimbetov
International speakers at the recent Eurasian Media Forum in Astana

3. Kazakh,UzbekPresidentsDiscussTrade,EnergyinTashkent
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President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev travelled to Tashkent
April 14–15 on a working visit to meet with President of Uzbekistan
Islam Karimov.
The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in trade and
economy, water and energy, and transport and logistics, as well as
in cultural spheres. They also discussed current international issues,
including international security questions and preparations for the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit set for Tashkent
in June.
Nazarbayev commented on the historically positive relations
between the two countries and the friendship between their peoples.
“Over the years of independence, we have preserved those good
relations we had before, and they even became closer. In this regard,
our meeting as a meeting of the two presidents of two neighbouring
countries is important. I am proud of my friendship with you and
the friendship between Kazakh and Uzbek nations. The goal is to
strengthen these mutual relations [and] trust and pass it all on to the
next generations,” Nazarbayev said, according to the Akorda press
service.
Karimov also lauded the friendship, respect and support he said
existed between the two nations. Nazarbayev’s visit is important for
“synchronising watches,” he said, and understanding each other’s
positiononbilateralcooperationandinternationalissues.Theleaders
had a chance to discuss pressing issues, develop complementary
approaches and boost the potential for cooperation in various
spheres.
According to the Agency of Statistics of Kazakhstan, trade turnover
between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan amounted to $2.09 billion in
2013, 5.5 percent higher than in 2012. From January–June 2014, trade
turnover amounted to $1 billion. Kazakhstan mainly exports oil and
refinedoilproducts,productsofthemillingindustry,grain,ferrousand
non-ferrous metals, inorganic chemical products and food products
to Uzbekistan, including more than 1 million tonnes of high-grade
flour from Kazakhstan’s grain fields and about 500,000 tonnes of oil
products. Kazakhstan imports gas, cotton fibre, chemical products
and plastics, fertilisers and fruits and vegetables from its southern
neighbour.
The two countries take similar positions on regional and global
security issues as well as their own political, economic and social
development,theleadershighlightedduringthetalks.Theyreiterated
their support for the quick restoration of peace and stability in
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev (right) and President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov
Afghanistan and noted each other’s contribution to rehabilitating
Afghanistan’s economy.
Nazarbayev thanked his counterpart for Uzbekistan’s support of
Kazakhstan’s bid for a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security
Council for 2017-2018, the Akorda reported.
Nazarbayev and Karimov also stated that the water resources of
trans-boundary rivers in Central Asia are a “joint asset of the region’s
peoples.” Water issues in the region have long been contentious.
The entire region’s stability and prosperity depend on the “sensible
and just” use of these resources, they said, and they called on other
Central Asian governments to adhere to universally accepted norms
of the international water law fixed in the UN conventions.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed 173 bilateral documents,
including the 1998 bilateral Treaty of Eternal Friendship and the 2013
bilateral Agreement on Strategic Partnership.
According to Review.uz, 151 enterprises working in Kazakhstan use
capital from Uzbekistan, while 206 enterprises operate in Uzbekistan
with the participation of capital from Kazakhstan, including 171 joint
enterprises.
Creative teams from the two countries regularly visit one another
for cultural and artistic performances. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
recently completed the programme of cooperation in culture for
2013–2015 arranged by the Ministry of Culture and Information of
Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Uzbekistan. In
2012, the states celebrated 20 years of diplomatic relations with a
number of events, including a gala concert in Tashkent.
“Over the years of independence, we have
preserved those good relations we had before,
and they even became closer. In this regard, our
meeting as a meeting of the two presidents of
two neighbouring countries is important. I am
proud of my friendship with you and the friendship
between Kazakh and Uzbek nations. The goal is to
strengthen these mutual relations [and] trust and
pass it all on to the next generations.”
- President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev

4. FMCallsforEngagementNotIsolationtoSolveGlobalProblems
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A historic opportunity is being squandered, Foreign Minister of
Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov recently wrote for The Diplomat.
The end of the Cold War “was also a time of hope that the mistrust
which had divided our world would give way to a new era of
peace, stability and cooperation,” he wrote. But now, the world is
witnessing “growing instability, conflict and fear,” as well as the rise
of international terrorism, he said, citing statements by President
of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in Washington in March. The
world has failed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, material and
knowledge, and the leadership shown by Kazakhstan and a few other
countries in the early 1990s by giving their our nuclear arsenals has
not been followed.
With tensions re-emerging between the world’s main powers, the
world is seeing a rise in proxy conflicts and economic sanctions,
Idrissov wrote. To counter this, Nazarbayev has challenged world
leaders with a manifesto, “The World. The 21st Century,” that urges
real action toward peace and dialogue. Without such action, the
world risks plunging again into global conflict, the President said, and
this conflict will have no winners.
The manifesto, aimed at preventing war, calls for real progress
towards arms reduction and the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Suggested steps to achieve that goal include a global agreement to
prohibit the deployment of lethal weapons in space, on the seabed
and in international waters, and should be coupled with an outright
ban on the development of new weapons of mass destruction. Other
necessary actions include strengthening and extending existing
peace and nuclear weapons-free zones, in particular, creating one in
the Middle East.
ThePresidentalsourgedtheeliminationofmilitaryblocs.Ratherthan
fallingbacktoolddivisions,effortsshouldbeincreasedtoendregional
conflicts and defuse tensions. This must be matched, internationally,
with steps to reverse the “short-sighted dismantlement” of arms
treaties.
Paramount among all these actions, Nazarbayev said, is the need to
tackle the root causes of war – inequality. “Equal and fair access to
infrastructure, resources and markets for all nations” is what we must
base a conflict-free world upon, he said.
Iran’s reintegration into the world community will help resolve
simmering tension and active conflicts, The Astana Times writes in
a recent editorial. “Throughout history, Iran has played a pivotal role
in our world,” the paper notes. The isolation of such a potentially
powerful nation was damaging not only for its citizens, but for the
whole world, it said. The region’s gravest challenges couldn’t be
solved without Iran’s engagement, and its economic isolation has
meant stifled growth and prosperity for all. “The global economy
faces enough problems without erecting new barriers to trade and
expansion.”
For that reason, Kazakhstan has made every effort, within the rules
set by the international community, to help bring about the end of
Iran’s isolation, including building connective infrastructure, hosting
rounds of negotiations and providing natural uranium to the country
(in exchange for Iran giving up its highly enriched uranium).
“What is now crucial, as sanctions are progressively lifted, is to re-
integrate Iran quickly into the global economy. This will provide a
major boost to the whole region and to global trade, the paper says.
How to encourage and support this reintegration was on the
agenda of Nazarbayev’s trip to Tehran this month, another sign of
the deepening political and economic relationship between the
two countries. Economic issues will certainly be on the table, as will
international and security questions. “But whether the challenges are
economic or political, the world has a much better chance of making
progress towards solutions with Iran’s involvement rather than
isolation.” And what is true of Iran must hold true for the rest of the
world: the solution must be engagement, not division.
For that reason, Kazakhstan has made every effort,
withintherulessetbytheinternationalcommunity,
to help bring about the end of Iran’s isolation,
including building connective infrastructure,
hosting rounds of negotiations and providing
natural uranium to the country (in exchange for
Iran giving up its highly enriched uranium).
Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov

5. EXPO2017CommissionerSeeksParticipationofAPECCountries
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With EXPO 2017 still more than a year away, commissioner Rapil
Zhoshybayev is continuing to encourage nations and organisations
to present their advances in future energy at the Astana event.
Eighty-one countries and 14 international associations have officially
confirmed their participation and he and his delegation met in early
AprilwithmembernationsoftheAsia-PacificEconomicCooperation
(APEC).
The tour began April 4 in Malaysia, where Zhoshybayev and Chief
Secretary Ali Hamsa discussed cooperation in fields including green
technology, the involvement of local companies in the international
specialised exhibition and attracting Malaysian tourists to vacation in
theKazakhcapitalnextyear.Malaysiahasexperienceinimplementing
public-private partnerships and assessing their efficiency and
subsequent commercialisation and Hamsa noted the exhibition will
serve to improve the scientific base and Kazakhstan’s image in the
global arena.
The expo planners also met with representatives of GreenTech
Malaysia, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, Malaysia
External Trade Development Corporation, Malaysia Investment
Development Agency, Petronas (Malaysia’s state oil and gas
company) and Sustainable Energy Development Agency.
Singapore has been actively developing its green energy sector,
allocating $3.4 billion from the country’s budget to the industry, and
Zhoshybayev and representatives of the island city-state agreed
EXPO 2017 would be an excellent platform to display the expansion.
The group also spoke with the National Association of Travel Agents
Singapore (NATAS) on sharing tourism experiences, attracting the
cooperation of its operators and opening direct flights between the
countries. The meeting ended with the signing of a memorandum of
tourism cooperation.
TherelevanceoftheexpowasnotedinAustralia,whereZhoshybayev
met with the leadership of the Departments of Foreign Affairs and
Environment and Parliament Legislative Council, Victoria Ministry
of Trade Deputy Secretary Jay Meek and representatives of the
Canberra and Melbourne business and academic circles.
Australia has been developing its alternative energy sources in
accordance with the nation’s Energy Efficiency Act 2006, with the
government aiming to reach 23 percent of renewable energy capacity
by 2020. Involving Victoria’s research centres and companies in the
expo would strengthen cooperation between the countries and
transition that cooperation to a new level and Meek noted his state’s
businesses are ready to share their green energy expertise.
Zhoshybayev also visited Monash University, which has campuses
that unite scientific and research centres, colleges and learning
communities involved in developing the region’s green economy.
University scientists emphasised the relevance of the future energy
topic and importance of the initiative by Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev to establish a centre to develop green technologies and
investment projects based on EXPO 2017 and under UN auspices.
Simplifying the visa regime and opening an Australian Consulate
General in Kazakhstan were among the topics covered with Deputy
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ric Wells. Zhoshybayev expressed
gratitude to the Australians for their support in his nation’s bid to host
next year’s expo and Wells indicated confidence the country would
hold a well-coordinated event. A memorandum of cooperation was
subsequently signed with Swagman Tours, one of Australia’s leading
travel agencies, in the hope of promoting Kazakhstan as an attractive
tourist destination.
ThedelegationconcludeditsAsiaPacificjauntwithatriptoIndonesia,
meetingwiththecountry’sMinisterforEnergyandMineralResources
Sudirman Said, EXPO national pavilion commissioner Rida Mulyana,
Information and Public Diplomacy Director General Esti Andayani
and leading entrepreneurs.
Zhoshybayev provided updates on the progress and practical
preparations for the exhibition and highlighted a range of
opportunities in the field of renewable and alternative energy. Said
noted Indonesia has potential benefits in hydro, solar, biomass and
geothermal power, adding his government is seeking to increase
renewable energy capacity up to 25 percent by 2025.
The governmental parties and businesspeople participated in an
EXPO 2017-themed roundtable where they considered in detail the
organisational and technical aspects of the exhibition. Indonesia
subsequently signed a participation agreement, becoming the 44th
state to confirm its participation in the event in such a way.
Kazakhstan’s Commissioner of EXPO 2017 Rapil Zhoshybayev (left) and Indonesian Commissioner of EXPO 2017 Rida Mulyana

6. InFocus: Foreign Policy Priorities
Welcoming Investment
World Bank considers participating in Centre-West road
construction
cording to Deputy Minister of National Economy Aydar Arifkhanov,
the World Bank could take part in the construction of the Centre-
West road worth $1.1 billion.
“The Centre –West is the road on which currently we are holding
negotiations with the World Bank. The talks did not reach concrete
agreement yet, but today we have the technical foundation, design
and estimate documentation,” Arifkhanov said.
Arifkhanov added that under the draft law “On ratification of
the Agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan and
the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on
Establishment of Offices in Kazakhstan” the amount of tax relief in
respect of the Bank’s employees could reach 30 million tenge per
year.
“In the new agreement, we envisage that the regulation will also cover
the citizens of Kazakhstan. This is due to the fact that the Almaty
office will become regional and will cover the entire Central Asian
region. The office in Astana will be only for country issues; it will
focus on the interaction between the World Bank and Kazakhstan,”
he explained.
On Jan. 21, the government of Kazakhstan and the World Bank agreed
to establish of offices in Kazakhstan during the World Economic
Forum in Davos.
Read full text here: http://primeminister.kz/news/show/21/mbrr-
mozhet-prinjat-uchastie-v-stroitelstve-dorogi-«tsentr-zapad»-
aarifhanov-/18-04-2016?lang=en
Investment and development ministry to auction 101 areas of
subsoil use
The Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan
announced a new auction for realisation of 101 areas of subsoil use,
which will be held in June, stated Minister Asset Issekeshev at the
seventh mining forum MINEX Central Asia.
“Today, the total area of the contact territories is 137,000 square
kilometres. Taking into account large territories of Kazakhstan’s
mineral resources there is a real potential to open up to dozens of
large deposits by 2020,” Issekeshev said.
According him, national company Kazgeologiya already attracted 10
major investors into the sector. (primeminister.kz)
Calling
Astana ASTANA CALLING / ISSUE 453/ 6
Strengthening UN & Int’l Security
Kazakh UN Mission in New York hosts presentation of United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific
The presentation of activities of the United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (UN ESCAP) was held
at the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN in New York
April 13. UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary
of ESCAP Shamshad Akhtar made a presentation for Permanent
Representatives of the UN member states on the outcomes of key
ESCAP meetings conducted over the past month in preparation for
the ECOSOC Forum, namely the first High-level Follow-up Dialogue
on Financing for Development in Asia and the Pacific, and the Asia-
Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development. Akhtar also briefed
the audience on ESCAP’s efforts to advance Asia-Pacific regional
economic cooperation and integration.
Read full text here: http://www.mfa.gov.kz/index.php/en/
last-news/6279-escap-highlights-asia-pacific-priorities-for-
implementation-of-2030-agenda-ahead-of-ecosoc-financing-for-
development-forum
Hosting Astana Expo 2017
Bolivia to demonstrate scientific, industrial capabilities at
EXPO 2017
Bolivia plans to share its scientific and industrial potential at EXPO
2017, said Commissioner of the EXPO 2017 national pavilion of the
country Walter Clarems Endara Vera.
“We plan to introduce Bolivia to the world at EXPO 2017. Not many
people know about our country’s traditions, its potential. EXPO 2017
is a platform where countries will show their achievements in the field
of energy efficiency and green technologies,” Vera said.
Vera noted that Astana could be a place, which will gather all the
best cutting-edge technology in the field of new energy and energy-
efficiency programme. (inform.kz)
Bloomberg division to hold ‘Future of Energy’ summit at EXPO
2017
Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the International division
of the Bloomberg company, which provides information and advisory
serviceson issues ofenergy,financeandpolitics,planstoholdaglobal
summit, “The Future of Energy,” within the framework of EXPO 2017
in Astana. This summit is an annual event in the energy world, which
attracts key persons of the market, politics and economy, as well as
sums up and determines the trends in the industry. (expo2017astana.
com)
Back to Contents

7. Also InThe News...
• First meeting of Parliament Speakers of Eurasian Countries held
The first meeting of Parliament Speakers of Eurasian countries
took place in Moscow April 19. The theme of the sitting was inter-
parliamentary cooperation for common prosperity of Eurasian
countriesinthe21stcentury.”SpeakeroftheSenateKassym-Jomart
Tokayev headed Kazakhstan’s delegation. Tokayev noted that being
inthecentreofEurasia,Kazakhstanwasconcernedabouttheevents
taking place in the continent. According to him, mutual mistrust
and growing militarism along with other international threats to
international security pose a threat to the humankind. He drew
attention to the Manifesto of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan
Nazarbayev, “The World. The 21st century,” which provides a deep
analysis of the consequences of the spread of war. Tokayev noted
that about $2 trillion is spent globally for military purposes. It means
thattheparliamentsof somecountriesadoptbudgetsthatprioritise
military purposes over many development goals. Tokayev noted
that Eurasia was the foundation of the modern world, the largest
continent and home to one third of the population of the planet.
Eurasia accounts for more than 60 percent of global gross domestic
product and possesses major natural resources. Tokayev stressed
the important role of regional organisations in security, including
the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe),
SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) and CICA (Conference
on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia), as well
as the necessity of strengthening economic cooperation for the
benefit of the people of Eurasia. (parlam.kz)
• IInvestment agency to present Kazakhstan’s pharmaceutical
companies in Vietnam
National export and investment agency KAZNEX INVEST is
planning to hold a presentation of Kazakhstan’s pharmaceutical
companies in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Aug. 11-13. Vietnam is
a country with a developing economy and more than 90 million
people, and needs large amounts of consumer goods, engineering
products, energy and raw materials. The free trade zone agreement
between Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries and
Vietnam provides opportunities for more economic cooperation,
in particular developing foreign trade and increasing exports to the
Vietnamese market. “Kazakhstan’s producers have an interest in
the Vietnamese market. Jointly with the Association of PharmMed
Industry of Kazakhstan, we selected the best participants, who are
the leaders in export of their products to the [Commonwealth of
Independent States] countries. We plan to present the chosen
companies at the MEDI-PHARM EXPO 2016 exhibition in Ho Chi
Minh. I am sure that as a result of this national stand, medicines
produced in Kazakhstan will be accessible in drugstores of Vietnam
… as well as Southeast Asia as a whole,” representative of KAZNEX
INVEST Armana Bekbasova said. (kaznexinvest.kz)
• Farmland will not be sold to foreigners, National Economy
Ministry representative says
Agricultural lands will not be handed over to foreigners’ and
Agricultural lands will not be handed over to foreigners’ and
repatriates’ private ownership, but will only be leased for 25 years
said representative of the National Economy Ministry Bauyrzhan
Smagulov. According to him, the country’s Land Code has been
recently amended. As per the new document, agricultural lands
will be sold to individuals and legal entities at the auctions. The
purchase of leased lands will be much easier henceforth with the
introduction of some preferences for leaseholders. The procedure
of changing designated purpose of a land parcel will be simplified
too. Smagulov also informed that about 97 million hectares of
agricultural land in Kazakhstan are in a long-term lease and only 1.2
percent of the lands are privately owned. State agricultural lands are
not involved in market turnover. (Kazpravda.kz)
• Shardara hydro plant to be fully upgraded by late 2017
Kazakhstan will complete the modernisation of the Shardara hydro
power plant by late 2017, it was announced after the visit of head
of the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund Umirzak Shukeyev
to the facility. The project for the modernisation of the plant is
being implemented by Samruk-Energy company, which is part
of the Samruk-Kazyna group of companies. Modernisation of all
four hydraulic units of Shardara will make it possible to increase
its installed capacity by 26 percent and improve productivity
and operation safety.Despite the ongoing modernisation work,
Shardara is still running. It produced 465.3 million kilowatt hours
of electricity in 2015. The plant is located on the Syr-Darya River
in southern Kazakhstan close to the border of Uzbekistan and
Kyrgyzstan, where the mountains fade into the wide plains around
the Aral Sea. The Shardara reservoir covers an area of 900 square
kilometres with a total storage volume of 5.2 cubic kilometres. The
hydro plant is of utmost importance to secure stable power supplies
to the south of Kazakhstan and is vital for the irrigation of the same
area. (inform.kz)
• Lake Burabay makes top three destinations in CIS
Online travel service Travel.ru ranked top three resorts most visited
by Russian tourists in the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS). The top five features are Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan), Lake
Burabay (Kazakhstan), Lake Naroch (Belarus), the Caspian Sea
(Baku, Azerbaijan) and Lake Sevan (Armenia). The ranking is based
on the data about the number of hotel rooms and apartments pre-
booked at resorts for summer 2016. (inform.kz)
• Made in Kazakhstan fair to be held in Astana Mall
The National Agency for the Development of Local Content,
NADLoc, invites people to visit the “Made in Kazakhstan” fair
scheduled to be held in the Astana Mall shopping centre April
23-24. “More than 60 companies from all over the country will
represent their products made in Kazakhstan. The prices will
be below market prices. The fair will be held for the second
time and the number of participants has increased significantly
compared to 2015,” the report said. The variety of products will
be very wide, including women’s and men’s clothes and footwear,
textile, household chemicals, cosmetics, toys, souvenirs and food
products. In early 2015, President Nursultan Nazarbayev launched
the nationwide Made in Kazakhstan campaign. It aims to support
domestic producers, raising public awareness of the goods
produced in the country. The initiative was supported by state
bodies, national companies, nongovernmental organisations and
youth movements. (nadloc.kz)
• Kazakhstan Fashion Week held in Almaty
The 18th season of Kazakhstan Fashion Week (KFW) took place
in Almaty April 20. Fashion designers from Kazakhstan, Georgia,
Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine brought their newest collections
to the city. Five promising designers, mostly participants of the
Open Way contest, debuted at the KFW this season. In total,
24 fashion brands demonstrated their creations to KFW guests
during the three-day event. KFW is the largest fashion platform in
Central Asia. Fashion designers from Kazakhstan, China, France,
the U.K., Germany, Georgia, Italy, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, the
Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Romania, the U.S., Uzbekistan, and
Ukraine participated in it in past seasons. (inform.kz)
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