Weekly review. N.Nazarbayev?s foreign travel. Development of President?s message at local level

Following the meeting, a number of documents between Kazakhstan and India had been signed, including the abovementioned Joint Declaration, Protocol on Accession of Kazakhstan to the World Trade Organization, Agreement on Principles between National Company KazMunaiGaz JSC and ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd., and Memorandum on Understanding between National Atomic Company Kazatomprom JSC and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. In particular, ?Kazmunaigaz? National Company and ONGC Mittal energy Ltd signed an Agreement on principles of exploration of Satpayev oil and gas deposit in West Kazakhstan. ?Kazatomprom? National Company and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) signed a Memorandum of mutual understanding and cooperation. As is known, Kazakhstan is a large producer of uranium. By 2010 ?Kazatomprom? plans to extract more than 15 thousand tons of uranium and in a year or two to join the world?s top uranium producers. In addition, Kazakhstan plans to build its first Atomic Power Plant. India in its turn has wide experience in this sector: from uranium production and its processing to construction of nuclear power plants. Speaking of the agreement, head of ?Kazatomprom? National Company said that "the signing of this mutually beneficial memorandum comes at an important time and is in line with the countries' intentions to expand the scope of business and political cooperation." In the field of joint struggle against crime the countries adopted a Treaty on extradition of the perpetrators of the crime. Head of ?Kazkosmos? National Space Agency Talgat Mussabayev signed a Memorandum of cooperation with his counterpart from Indian Space Research Organization. The countries also signed a Protocol on completion of negotiations on accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO. As is known over 280 Kazakh-Indian joint enterprises work in Kazakhstan today. Our country is the largest economic partner of India in the Central Asian region: more than half of commodity turnover of India falls at our country. Among such companies is Punj Lloyd. The company provides construction, engineering, and commissioning services and has worked for over six years in Kazakhstan. There are several projects like large and small bore pipelines for TCO Asset Development, KAM Pipeline for Petrokazakhstan, second generation project offsite and utilities for TCO/PFD International LLC, which have been successfully completed by Punj Lloyd Kazakhstan. At present, Punj Lloyd Kazakhstan is working on an export oil and gas pipeline project in Kashagan for AGIP KCO and mechanical work for Karachaganak Petroleum Operating BV (KPO) in the oil and gas sector. This company has always had high standards of health, safety, environment and quality and undertakes campaigns to create awareness on HIV/AIDS on the World AIDS Day on 1st of December every year at all its sites. But Kazakhstan is interested in more Kazakh-Indian joint enterprises. That is why at a joint business forum in Delhi the Kazakh President invited the Indian businessmen to invest in Kazakhstan, in particular, in IT-technologies, pharmacy, metallurgy, chemical industry and agriculture. Here, at the joint business forum our President also voiced his idea to establish common world currency instead of regional ones. According to N. Nazarbayev, all countries are experiencing the global financial crisis and at present nobody can answer the question concerning what the world would be after the crisis. Undoubtedly, it will be different. Many countries like Latin America and Arab countries speak today for establishment of their regional currencies. The CIS countries? leaders also think over such idea. In the President?s opinion, ?we will face great chaos if the world goes to such localization?. As a solution, Kazakhstan proposes to create common world currency. ?The countries of the world should agree on establishment of worldwide unit revenue for exchange of goods which will be adopted by the UN and controlled by relevant commissions?, N. Nazarbayev said. Two days after completion of an official visit to India, Kazakh President left for Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum ?Shaping the Post-Crisis World?in Davos, that is held on January 28-31. A working program of the Kazakh leader within the 39th session of the World Economic Forum was very intensive. President N. Nazarbayev held informal meetings with leaders of foreign companies entering the list of persons who wished to have business breakfast with the President. They are heads of companies that play an important role in international economy and work in oil and gas market, investments, oil chemistry and etc. They are Alpinvest Partners (the Netherlands), Severstal (Russia), Abraaj Capital (the UAE), The Blackstone Group (the USA), Daesung Group (the Republic of Korea), Mubadala Development (the UAE) and others. The President also met with Prince Andrew Duke of York. The Head of the State thanked him for the support of the Kazakh-British society and the Kazakh-British Technical University. N.Nazarbayev noted striving of the country to develop cooperation with Britain. The British investments to Kazakhstan formed USD 12 bln. Within a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was discussed. The Head of the State met with Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Within the meeting with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Thomas Mirow N.Nazarbayev emphasized that investments of the Bank are very important for the country, and we plan to work jointly in all directions of cooperation. Among the participants of the meeting were potential investors of the country and a number of companies like Arcelor Mittal, Shell, that work on our market. ?Total S.A.? Chairman Thierry Desmarest, ?Soros Fund Management? Chairman George Soros, ?Royal Dutch Shell? Chairman Jorma Ollila, potential investors from the USA, Great Britain, Korea, Germany, and the Netherlands also met with N. Nazarbayev. Prime Minister K. Massimov has also been out of Astana at the beginning of this week. At the weekend he started his tour of the regions to observe development of the President?s message at the local level. On January 24, K. Massimov went to Atyrau oblast. Here K. Massimov participated in a ceremony of launching construction of the first integrated petrochemical complex in Makat district of the region. The complex is included in the list of breakthrough projects of the country. It will specialize in production of polyethylene and polypropylene. Construction works will be completed by 2013. As the Prime Minister was informed, they will cover three stages. At the first stage a plant on processing of Tengiz purified gas will be built. At the second stage a plant on Kashagan gas processing will be launched. And at the last stage Karachaganak gas will be used. The total capacity of the production is to make 1 mln 250 thousand tons of products or 800 thousand tons of polyethylene and 450 thousand tons of polypropylene per year. The Head of the Government also surveyed new Blood Center and visited a sport and recreation complex of ?KazTransOil? JSC. K. Massimov also got familiarized himself with the course of construction of a bridge across the river Ural which will connect Zhilgorodok and Avangard districts and one more bridge across the Ural in the Aliyev street. Then the Prime Minister visited Kazakh-Turkish lyceum for 259 students. K. Massimov also participated in a ceremony of the deployment of construction of Agip KCO?s new office and surveyed a training centre of this oil company. After that the Prime Minister left for Aktau. In Aktau K. Massimov surveyed construction of a new terminal and runway at the Aktau International Airport. The construction is conducted by ?Turkuaz Invest? LLP on a concessional basis. The concession provider is Akimat of Mangystau oblast. The new passenger terminal will be provided with two telescopic escalators, automated security system, VIP and CIP halls, a cafe, a restaurant, shops, rooms for mothers with children, a chapel and a dinner-room. The total area of the terminal is 13 300 sq m. The capacity of terminal is to make 450-500 passengers per hour. According to the project KZT 3 751 000 000 is envisaged for its implementation. KZT 3 025 000 000 of investments has already been disbursed. The Head of the Government also got acquainted himself with a number of projects implemented in the region. These are ?Aktau Cement? and ?Kaspiy Munai Ondeu? plants and a project of ?Kazakhstan-Aktau? TV Channel which will allow to cover all remote districts of the oblast. Prime Minister got acquainted with a range of investment and social projects, held in the region.The Head of the Government approved projects on hundred-percent provision of the regional population with gas, drinking water, electricity, telecasting and installation of telecommunications by 2010. For the beginning of this year, the coverage of rural areas with electricity, telecommunications and telecasting is up to 100%, drinking water and gas ? 97%. This is the highest indexes of the Republic. The Head of the Government also got acquainted with the project on construction of the Caspian oil-refining plant. Its realization is scheduled in 2009-2012. Annual capacity of the plant is up to 1 mln tones of crude refining, took part in laying of the first brick of an asphalt cement plant in Mangystau region. ?KazMunaiGaz? National Company? JSC and ?CITIC Group? International Financial Group are the initiators of the project.Oil of Karazhanbas minefield will be used as a raw material for production of asphalt cement of improved quality in the sharply continental climate of Kazakhstan. By the order of ?KazMunaiGaz? Company and ?CITIC Group?, ?Shell Global Solution? Company has prepared two drafts of the project of the plant. In accordance with the project, the capacity of the scheduled production is up to 420 thousand of asphalt cement par year. The total cost of the project is up to USD 145 mln. Finally, the Prime Minister participated in the workshop on ?Application of mechanism of state-private partnership for the development of infrastructure of regions?. The main purpose of the workshop is discussion of opportunities for the development of state-private partnership in Kazakhstan, experience exchange on the implementation of concessionary projects and search for new possibilities for the development of state-private partnership on the regional level. Heads of a number of departments, reps of akimats of Atyrau, West Kazakhstan and Aktobe regions took part in the workshop. Within the session Chairman of ?Kazakh Center of State-Private Partnership? JSC informed the participants on the current state of the state-private partnership in Kazakhstan. The Director of the representation of Asian Development Bank in Kazakhstan briefed on the issues of investors attraction to projects of state-private partnership. Permanent Representative of the World Bank in Kazakhstan S.Shatalov told about risks management within the projects of state-private partnership under participation of local budgets.