GOVERNMENT: Government of Kazakhstan revises national budget

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov paid a working visit to Russia last week. He met with Head of Government of Russia Dmitry Medvedev within his trip. The interlocutors discussed the relevant issues of bilateral trade and economic relations including cooperation in financial, transport and transit, oil and gas and energy spheres. Besides, they considered the current and future issues of cooperation within the framework of the EEU.

First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev held a telephone conference on the issues of preparation of central and local executive bodies for the flooding period of 2016. B. Sagintayev stressed that it was necessary to take measures to avoid the situation that happened in March-April 2015, when people of Karaganda, Akmola and other regions suffered from flooding. The regional administrations were given instructions to daily monitor the flooding situation and ensure control of it. Besides, the regional administrations have to inform people about what to do and how to act in case of the emerging threat of flooding.

Minister of National Economy Yerbolat Dossayev informed that the forecast of the GDP growth for 2016 was reduced in Kazakhstan. The forecast was changed due to the forecasts of experts in the sphere of oil and gas. A 2.1 percent growth was possible in case of the 40 dollars a barrel price. Now, when the price is 30 dollars a barrel the GDP growth is expected to be at the level of 0.5 percent. The inflation rate is expected to be at the level of 6-8 percent in 2016. The industry sector will see a production decrease, but the agriculture sector is expected to have a rise.

Nevertheless, the revised version of the national budget for 2016 included increased transfers from the National Fund. The expenditures of the national budget with the consideration of all the needs will make 8 266.8 billion tenge, which is a 600.2 billion tenge increase compared to the initially approved budget.

Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anarbek Karashev paid a working visit to Austria. He held talks with Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria Michael Linhart and other representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria.

The sides focused on cooperation of the two countries in bilateral and multilateral formats, relevant international issues and development of cooperation within the UN, OSCE in the format of the EU-Central Asia in particular. The issues of cooperation in the sphere of air links and simplification of the visa regime between Kazakhstan and Austria were considered at the meetings as well.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Romania Daulet Batrashev visited the biggest industrial and agricultural region Timis, which is located in the southwest of the country.

Jointly with the Trade and Industrial and Agricultural Chamber of the region a conference on investment opportunities of Kazakhstan, advantages of doing business in Kazakhstan and future development of the trade and economic interaction between the regions of the two countries was organized.

The head of the Trade and Industrial and Agricultural Chamber of Timis region informed that the Chamber would form an economic mission featuring representatives of the main companies of the region and send to Kazakhstan.

As a result of the visit, a number of Romanian companies expressed their readiness to expand their business in Kazakhstan. In particular, "Azur" and "Scandia" companies revealed their plans to launch production of their products in Kazakhstan.

Deputy Minister of healthcare and Social Development Yelzhan Birtanov also informed that Kazakhstan began to develop a new healthcare system based on the service of public health. The international experience in this sphere will be taken into account when developing the service of public health. This service will be based on the currently functioning sanitary and epidemiological service. Besides, a great emphasis will be placed on prevention of non-infectious diseases.

Besides, according to him, the system will focus on attraction of private investments in future. The public-private partnership will be the pillar of the system's functioning.