WEEKLY REVIEW: Kazakhstan's initiatives on green economy development garner support of global community
Within the framework of his working trip to Almaty city on Tuesday, December 3, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Akhmetov surveyed the pace of implementation of the Program on demolition of unrepairable residential houses. The Premier was informed that in line with the program the city administration alloted land plots in seven districts of Almaty, where new apartment blocks will be erected. It is planned to rehouse people from the dwellings that have been condemned to their new ones in the upcoming three years. In general, 55 ramshackle residential houses or 563 apartments are believed to be demolished.
Prime Minister Akhmetov also attended the 1st ever Almaty Investment Forum the same day. During his speech at the event, he noted that there are nearly 8 000 companies with foreign capital in Kazakhstan. These are big transnational companies featured into the Fortune 500 and Global 2000 lists. According to the Premier, the memorandums of cooperation were inked with Toyota and Peugeot companies on car assembly in Kazakhstan this year.
On Wednesday, December 4, Kazakhstan's Minister of Environment and Water Resources Nurlan Kapparov told the investment forum "Renewable energy in Kazakhstan" in Astana, a tariff for electricity generated by wind stations at 19 tenge per kilowatt will be set in 2014. Electricity generated by solar stations will make 29 tenge or 14.5 eurocents per kilowatt. As for small hydropower plants and biogas plants, the tariff will total 14 tenge or around 7 eurocents and 27 tenge and around 13.5 eurocents per kilowatt respectively.
The Minister elaborated that electricity generated by renewable sources is more expensive than that produced traditionally, however, the situation is to change dramatically in the nearest future. Mr. Kapparov is confident, the Government will take all necessary measures to ensure that electricity generated by renewable sources will not affect the cost of tariffs for the population. Development of renewable energy sources sector in Kazakhstan will create a new promising and competitive segment in the national market.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Akhmetov paid a visit to a specialized public services center that registers automobiles and issues driving licenses in Astana.
Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Kazakhstan Tamara Duissenova visited Mangystau region on Wednesday, where she met with youth of the region and akims of the rural districts and towns to talk about new aspects of the state program "Roadmap of Employment-2020", as well as local entrepreneurs who received government support under that program and took part in a fair that brought together manufacturers from every corner of the region.
The Minister informed those present of ample opportunities offered within the program. "If one gets a loan under that program, he or she will have a right to file an application to the nearest employment center, map out design and estimate documentation at the expense of the republican budget and spend up to KZT 3 million on required equipment for his/her business," Minister Duissenova explained.
On Thursday, December 5, the session of the Cabinet focused on the preparation of Kazakhstani athletes for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.
The Head of the Government Serik Akhmetov stressed sports achievements at the Olympic Games add to the image and prestige of Kazakhstan and all countries in the world.
Chairman of the Agency for Sports Affairs and Physical Culture Tastanbek Essentayev told the Government session Kazakhstan expects to collect medals in six sports at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi: skiing, biathlon, freestyle mogul skiing, speed skating, figure skating and snowboarding. He highlighted the men's ski racing team as the most promising. Kazakhstan enlisted help of 17 foreign sports experts in order to prepare its national team for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed received recently appointed Minister of Culture of Tajikistan Shamsiddin Orumbekov on Thursday. The sides touched upon the deepening of multilateral ties within the framework of international organizations.
On Friday, December 6, within the practical conference on the Kazakh-Latvian cooperation "Transition to 'green economy' by introducing ecologically friendly technologies" in Riga, the Latvian side signed the Charter on support of the "Green Bridge" Partnership Program initiated by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The same day Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov met with his colleagues from Finland and Croatia on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial meeting in Kiev. The bilateral meetings paid utmost attention to the support of Kazakhstan's stance over the temporary seat on the UN Security Council, participation in the EXPO-2017 event in Astana, attraction of investments and new technologies and simplification of visa regime.