Kazakhstan Sweep – 110414

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  Abay Tasbulatov has been reappointed the commander of the Republican guard of Kazakhstan, while Aslan Musin and Amanzhol Zhankuliyev have also been reappointed to their posts as head of the president's administration and director of Kazakhstan's foreign intelligence service, Syrbar, respectively, Interfax reported April 14.
  

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  The upper house of the Kazakh parliament on Thursday ratified an agreement opening new transit routes for U.S. planes carrying military personnel and equipment to Afghanistan. The agreement was reached on November 12, 2010 in Washington by U.S. President Barack Obama and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.
  

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  The State Agency for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (the Financial Police) of Kazakhstan have approached President Nursultan Nazarbayev asking him to relieve some of the judges in the Supreme Court of their duties. The Financial Police is also carrying out an investigation against the deputy head of the secretariat of the criminal supervision committee of the Supreme Court, Mr Sarsenov, who extorted $150,000 from the director of Gaz Sinegoriye LLP in exchange for a decision in his favor. This official has faced charges and has been arrested, Mr Kozhamzharov said.
  

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  "We have recently completed construction of a plastic pipe facility and embarked on building a plant for production of valves," he said at a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Thursday in Akorda. Chevron head also pledged investing into a wind power farm and contributing to development of renewable energy sources in Kazakhstan.
  

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  India and Kazakhstan are poised to consolidate on their strategic partnership as they are expected to sign an inter-governmental framework agreement on civil nuclear cooperation and some other pacts when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh undertakes a visit there on Friday. Singh, who will travel to Astana from here as part of his two-nation tour, will also discuss with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev ways to enhance two-way trade and forging closer physical connectivity.
  

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  In the first quarter of 2011, the gross volume of agricultural products (services) output in Kazakhstan totaled 175.05 bln KZT (1204.75 mln USD), and increased by 1.8% compared to the same period of 2010, stated the Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
  

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April 14, 2011 0515 GMT

Abay Tasbulatov has been reappointed the commander of the Republican guard of Kazakhstan, while Aslan Musin and Amanzhol Zhankuliyev have also been reappointed to their posts as head of the president's administration and director of Kazakhstan's foreign intelligence service, Syrbar, respectively, Interfax reported April 14.
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Kazakhstan ratifies agreement with U.S. on Afghanistan transit

http://en.rian.ru/world/20110414/163524449.html

10:39 14/04/2011

The upper house of the Kazakh parliament on Thursday ratified an agreement opening new transit routes for U.S. planes carrying military personnel and equipment to Afghanistan.

The agreement was reached on November 12, 2010 in Washington by U.S. President Barack Obama and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"By providing access to new transit routes, Kazakhstan is providing valuable support to the international effort to defeat violent extremism in Afghanistan and to ensure Afghanistan's and the region's security," a joint statement released after the deal was reached said.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) currently has some 130,000 soldiers in Afghanistan.

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Financial Police ask president to dismiss a number of Supreme Court judges

http://www.interfax.kz/?lang=eng&int_id=10&news_id=4219

Astana. April 14. Interfax-Kazakhstan – The State Agency for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (the Financial Police) of Kazakhstan have approached President Nursultan Nazarbayev asking him to relieve some of the judges in the Supreme Court of their duties.

“The Financial Police have sent a letter to the president requesting resignation of the following judges of the Supreme Court: Almaz Tashenova, Sailaubek Djakishev, Marlen Kamnazarov, Marziya Baltabai, Bakhytzhan Zhakupov, Maksut Abilkair.

These judges have failed to comply with the requirements the law specifies for judges.

The prosecutor general has launched a criminal investigation into the facts revealed by the Financial Police,” Aslan Musin, the head of the president’s administration, told a Wednesday meeting of the Senate in Astana.

“Having read the letter of the Financial Police and taken into consideration the recommendations of the Supreme Court Council, the president has now proposed that you should relieve the mentioned judges of their duties,” he said.

“Earlier the Prosecutor General’s Office sanctioned special investigations against the judges of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan to ascertain that Ms Tashenova, the chair of the Supreme Court’s committee for civil and administrative cases, and Mr Djakishev, a judge of the Supreme Court, had abused their power in favor of JSC Fikarel and, thus, committed a corruption crime causing the republic damage worth 212 million tenge in the form of illegal remuneration. Based on the findings, the prosecutor general opened a criminal case against Ms Tashenova and Mr Djakishev in accordance with Article 307.4 (power abuse leading to severe damage),” Kairat Kozhamzharov, the head of the Financial Police told the meeting.

Current FOREX rate is 145.38/$1.

“Besides, Supreme Court judges Baltabai, Abulkhair and Kamnazarov are also found to have committed corruption crimes. They have repeatedly violated the citizens’ rights and acted in conflict with the state’s interest by making decision in favor of private persons, by establishing unauthorized contacts with the parties to trials and their representatives, by interfering in the investigation processes, by lobbying the interests of pseudo-entrepreneurs,” Mr Kozhamzharov said.

The Financial Police is also carrying out an investigation against the deputy head of the secretariat of the criminal supervision committee of the Supreme Court, Mr Sarsenov, who extorted $150,000 from the director of Gaz Sinegoriye LLP in exchange for a decision in his favor. This official has faced charges and has been arrested, Mr Kozhamzharov said.

The Senate has made a decision to relieve the six judges of the Supreme Court of their duties, according to a reporter of Interfax-Kazakhstan.

According to the Constitution, the chair and judges of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan are appointed and dismissed by the Senate following the proposal of the Kazakh president, which the president makes based on the recommendations of the Supreme Court Council.

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Chevron kicks off construction of a valve plant in Kazakhstan

http://www.interfax.kz/?lang=eng&int_id=10&news_id=4220

Astana. April 14. Interfax-Kazakhstan – Chevron starts building a plant to produce section isolation valves in Kazakhstan, said Chevron chairman and CEO John Watson.

"We have recently completed construction of a plastic pipe facility and embarked on building a plant for production of valves," he said at a meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Thursday in Akorda.

Chevron head also pledged investing into a wind power farm and contributing to development of renewable energy sources in Kazakhstan.

Watson briefed the president on the company's initiatives aimed at professional development and training of Kazakhstan's personnel. "To date, Kazakh residents constitute 85% of our staff," he said.

As reported, in February a new production line has been put into operation at the Atyrau Polyethylene Pipe Plant (wholly owned by Chevron) to produce pipes for hot water supply and heating systems. The cost of the production line is $10 million, the production capacity is 2,000 tons a year.

Next year the company is planning to build a third line worth $5 million.

In 2011 Chevron also plans to begin construction of a plant for production of pipe fittings for utility services managing cold water supply, wastewater and gas distribution networks.

The Atyrau Polyethylene Pipe Plant supplies Most of the products to the domestic market, but also entertains options to sell products to companies abroad.

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/PM-to-visit-Kazakhstan-tomorrow-Nuke-oil-pacts-on-agenda/Article1-685149.aspx

Sanya, April 14, 2011

India and Kazakhstan are poised to consolidate on their strategic partnership as they are expected to sign an inter-governmental framework agreement on civil nuclear cooperation and some other pacts when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh undertakes a visit there on Friday. Singh, who will travel to Astana from here as part of his two-nation tour, will also discuss with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev ways to enhance two-way trade and forging closer physical connectivity.

The inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy will be among at least six pacts that the two countries are expected to sign during Singh's two-day visit as part of an endeavour to consolidate on the strategic partnership put in place in 2009.

India and Kazakhstan already have civil nuclear cooperation since January 2009 when Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Kazakh nuclear company KazAtomProm signed an MoU during the visit of Nazarbaev to Delhi.

Under the contract, KazAtomProm supplies uranium which is used by Indian reactors.

The inter-governmental agreement will broad-base the cooperation and is expected to cover aspects like research, technology transfer and exploration of uranium in Kazakhstan, which is known to have one of the richest reserves of the nuclear fuel that India needs in increasing quantity, sources said.

Construction of small and medium capacity nuclear plants could also form part of the agreement for which negotiations have been going on for nearly two years.

Ever since the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG) ended India's 34-year-old isolation in 2008 by giving a one-time waiver to have cooperation in civil nuclear field, it has signed such civil nuclear agreements with a number of countries including the US, France, Russia, Canada, Argentina and Mongolia.

However, while discussing the future cooperation in the nuclear field, Singh and Nazarbaev are expected to keep in mind the recent radiation scare in Japan after tsunami struck there and learn lessons from it.

During the visit, a pact will also be signed between state-run ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and Kazakhstan's national oil firm KazMunaiGaz JSC under which the Indian company will acquire 25 per cent stake in the Satpayev block in the Caspian Sea.

The pact will provide for exploration and production of oil from the Satpayev block which is spread over 1,582 sq km and is believed to have 1.75 billion barrels of reserves. OVL is expected to invest to the tune of USD 400 million in the block.

An agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty is also expected to be signed between the two sides.

Singh and Nazarbaev are also expected to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and a target could be fixed. Bilateral trade in 2010 was around USD 313.8 million, after an increase of around 23.8% over USD 253.4 million in 2009.

The two countries are also likely to firm up some exchange mechanism in the field of cinema as part of ways to increase cultural ties.

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Kazakhstan increased agricultural products output by 1.8%

http://www.agrimarket.info/showart.php?id=106550

04/14/2011 10:55

In the first quarter of 2011, the gross volume of agricultural products (services) output in Kazakhstan totaled 175.05 bln KZT (1204.75 mln USD), and increased by 1.8% compared to the same period of 2010, stated the Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Plant-growing commodities (services) production in January-March of 2011 totaled 3.65 bln KZT (25.12 mln USD).

According to data of the Agency, as of April 1, 2011, stocks of the main grains in the country totaled the level of 7.37 mln tonnes, including wheat – 6.73 mln tonnes, barley – 391 thsd tonnes, rice – 105.9 thsd tonnes, oats – 42.6 thsd tonnes, rye – 25.7 thsd tonnes, maize – 19.6 thsd tonnes.

Oilseeds stocks formed the volume of 200 thsd tonnes, including sunflower seed – 104 thsd tonnes, soybean – 21 thsd tonnes, rapeseed – 20.7 thsd tonnes.