From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri May 19 2000 - 10:56:01 EDT
Kazakh head to sign documents during Russia visit in June
Text of report by the Kazakh news agency Interfax-Kazakhstan on 19th May
(Reissuing supplying omitted passage at customer request. The full text of
the item follows:)
Astana, 18th May: Russia and Kazakhstan will sign a political declaration
during Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's visit to Moscow on 19th-20th
June, the Russian ambassador to Kazakhstan, Yuriy Merzlyakov, told Kazakh
Prime Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev at a meeting.
Merzlyakov said the two sides understood the need to "make the most" of the
Kazakh head of state's visit to the Russian Federation.
The ambassador said that during the visit the foreign ministries of the two
countries would sign an agreement on opening consular establishments in
Uralsk (west Kazakhstan) and Astrakhan (Russia).
Tokayev expressed hope that prior to Nazarbayev's visit the signing of an
agreement on setting up a Kazakh-Russian joint venture with the Unified
Energy Systems [UES] joint-stock company of Russia would be completed. All
agreements in principle on setting up the joint venture have been reached,
Tokayev said.
Merzlyakov said that Moscow was glad that Russia's Gazprom and UES were
actively working in the Kazakh market. However, the diplomat noted, many
Russian companies are interested in involvement in the privatization of a
number of Kazakh power and metallurgy enterprises.
Thus, Russia's Magnitogorsk Metal Plant expresses interest in the purchase
of shares of the Sokolov-Sarbay Mining Association (SSMA, northern
Kazakhstan). In addition, Russian companies are interested in involvement
in the Zhayrem Dressing Plant of Kazakhstan.
Merzlyakov expressed regret that the Kazakh national airline, the Air
Kazakhstan Group, and Russia's Aeroflot had failed to carry out the accord
on strategic partnership they had signed. The Russian air company has not
as yet started plying the Moscow-Almaty route. The prime minister noted in
this connection that this was a commercial issue and no agreement had been
reached with Aeroflot on the frequency of flights.
Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 1805 gmt 19 May
00
BBC Mon CAU 190500/** JF/KA
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