WEEKLY REVIEW. EurAsEC Interstate Council; the XXI plenary session of the Foreign Investors? Council; President?s meetings with Akims; Meetings with Chevron CEO and the CSTO Sec General

The President had a telephone conversation with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Also such events as the EurAsEC Interstate Council in Moscow and the XXI plenary session of the Foreign Investors? Council in Kostanai have taken place this week. During the meeting with the Government the President of Kazakhstan discussed the issues of execution of the anti-recessionary program. He urged to invest more effort into the preparation of harvesting activities. The President noted that following the results of the first half of 2009 it has become possible to equalize the economic growth rates. From month to month the rates have not worsened. Moreover, they are improving. Following the results of the first half of 2009, there is an opportunity to equalize the economy. Such an opportunity has emerged due to execution of the anti-recessionary program. The financial sector has stabilized, small and medium business received the government funding, construction revived, roads are constructed, schools and hospitals are repaired within the Road map. This week the President has also signed the Law on amendments to the housing and utilities acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The new law is supposed to strengthen the state protection of the civil rights in the housing relations, to better the quality of utilities services and living conditions and to improve the management of condominium facilities. At the meetings of the President with the akims of the South Kazakhstan region, Astana city and Kostanai such issues as the process of realization of the Antirecessionary program, Road Map project, the process of work at the Shardarinskiy reservoir, socio-economic development of Astana, the Capital?s Day celebration, the locomotive assembly plant ?Locomotive-leasing?, construction of administrative buildings of ?KTZh? National Company and LUKOIL Company, construction of a 30000-seat covered stadium and scientific research institute of emergency medical service, the XXI plenary session of the Foreign Investors? Council (FIC) were discussed. After that the President has received Chairman of the Supreme Court Mussabek Alimbekov, who reported on the current status of administration of justice in Kazakhstan, measures on raising the level of professional qualification and responsibility of judges, and ensuring of transparency of legal proceedings. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Chevron Corporation David O'Reilly informed the President of the results of Tengizchevroil activity. Through the project of expansion of operations the company plans to increase oil output up to 24 million tons per year. The corporation?s investment plans in Kazakhstan, including development of Atyrau polyethylene pipes plant and construction of steel plant were discussed. This week the Kazakhstan President also received the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Nikolai Bordyuzha. N.Bordyuzha informed of the process of preparation to the coming session of the CSTO on June 14 in Moscow. Signing of the Agreement on the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces of the CSTO will be the main event of the summit. The Agreement specifies the order of formation, preparation and mobilization of the common group of the Organization, designed to counter security threats in the CSTO responsibility area. The Head of the State stressed the importance to ramp up the collective potential due to persisting challenges of the stable development of the CSTO member states, especially in the Central Asian region. Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed condolences to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and all French people for the ?Air France? plane crash victims. The two presidents also discussed the prospects of the Kazakh-French cooperation. The parties noted that the volume of trade between the countries has increased tenfold during the last five years and reached USD 6.2 bln. The two leaders spoke for the importance of the future official visit of the French President to Kazakhstan in autumn this year. June 12 the XXI plenary session of the Foreign Investors? Council under the President of Kazakhstan started its work in Kostanay. The Head of the State opened the session introducing the new members of the Council - Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Peter Voser, Executive Vice President for Europe, CIS, Middle East and Africa of Mitsubishi Tetsuro Terada, Director General of RUSAL UK Oleg Deripaska, President of TeliaSonera Lars Nyberg, Chairman of the Kazakh National Bank Grigory Marchenko, Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan Kuandyk Bishimbayev. Kazakhstan Minister of Industry and Trade Asset Issekeshev reported on realization of the Protocol of the XX plenary session of the Foreign Investors? Council. Kazakhstan Minister of Economy and Budget Planning Bakhyt Sultanov noted that dynamical development of Kazakhstan?s economy allowed to create conditions for successful functioning of the traditional resources of financing. This week the EurAsEC Interstate Council was held in Moscow. During the Council Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov held meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors CEO of Gazprom Alexey Miller and ?Sberbank Rossii? CEO German Gref. At the meeting with D.Medvedev parties discussed the issues of bilateral Kazakhstan-Russian cooperation, in particular, economic interaction expansion between the two countries. The Prime Minister congratulated Dmitry Medvedev on success of the St.Petersburg International Economic Forum and the World Grain Forum. While the meeting with Alexey Miller the parties paid special attention to the issues of interaction in the sphere of energy and joint implementation of infrastructural projects. During the talks to German Gref the issues of the current situation in the world financial markets were considered. The parties exchanged opinions on the issues of bilateral cooperation in the banking sector and activation of Sberbank?s work in Kazakhstan. During the EurAsEC Interstate Council the Kazakhstan Prime Minister also said that from a consultative body the EurAsEC has turned into the organization able to influence the economic development on the Eurasian continent. The Prime Miniser of Kazakhstan paid a two-day official visit to Belarus this week. Following the results of the talks with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergey Sidorsky it was planned to sign a number of bilateral documents. The Kazakh Prime Minister met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. At the meeting with Alexander Lukashenko the status and prospects for development of the bilateral Kazakh-Belarusian relations in the trade-economic sphere were discussed at the meeting. The Kazakhstan Prime Minister informed A.Lukashenko of the decision to set up a common customs space between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. The Belarusian President noted that the establishment of the common customs space will become good start for the crisis overcoming. Within the framework of the visit the Kazakh Prime Minister also surveyed Atlant CJSC and Belarus Automobile plant. K.Massimov took part in an opening of a memorial plate to writer Mukhtar Auezov.