Capital Of Kazakhstan

Oil and gas is the leading economic sector. Production of oil and gas condensate in Kazakhstan amounted to 51.2 million tons in 2003, which was 8.6% more than in 2002. Kazakhstan raised oil and gas condensate exports to 44.3 million tons in 2003, 13% higher compared to 2002. Gas production in Kazakhstan in 2003 amounted to 13.9 billion cubic meters, up 22.7% compared to 2002, including natural gas production of 7.3 billion cubic meters, Kazakhstan holds about 4 billion tons of proven recoverable oil reserves and 2 trillion cubic meters of gas. Industry analysts believe that planned expansion of oil production, coupled with the development of new fields, will enable the country to produce as much as 3 million barrels per day by 2015, lifting Kazakhstan into the ranks of the world's top 10 oil-producing nations. Kazakhstan's 2003 oil exports were valued at more than $7 billion, representing 65% of overall exports and 24% of GDP. Major oil and gas fields and their recoverable oil reserves ... [Read More]

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstani customs authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning export from Kazakhstan of items such as antiquities. Foreigners must complete a customs declaration upon entering Kazakhstan and may face fines upon departure if unable to produce certificates verifying legal conversion of foreign currency. Travelers are strongly encouraged to declare all valuables, including computers, video cameras, and mobile telephones, upon entry in order to avoid paying duty on those items upon departure. Tenge, Kazakhstan's currency, can be exported by residents of Kazakhstan (including foreigners) in amounts up to $3,000 without declaration and without written certification of the origin of funds. Residents exporting between $3000 and $10,000 Tenge must complete a customs declaration and prove the origin of the funds ... [Read More]

Joint Press Conference with President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan

During the years since independence, we have observed a good dynamic of bilateral cooperation with the United States based on the Charter of Democratic Partnership between our countries. Major American companies work in Kazakhstan today and make large investments. During 10 years of independence, out of the $40 billion that has been invested in the CIS, $13 billion has been invested in Kazakhstan. And one third of this money is from investments by American companies. So our economic cooperation has a very solid basis. The huge oil and gas resources of Kazakhstan and diversification of supply routes to world markets, in which we have actively cooperated with the Government of the United States of America, have yielded positive results. One happy event is the completion of the North Caspian oil pipeline (CPC). ... [Read More]

Kazakhstan

Government officials acknowledged the seriousness of the problem of police abuse and undertook some efforts to combat it, for example, by punishing violators through the criminal justice system. According to the Government, during the first 9 months of the year, courts considered 41 criminal cases, involving 63 law enforcement officers, for violations of citizens' rights. Of those cases, 19 law enforcement officers were convicted, with sentences ranging from fines to imprisonment. Human rights observers believed that these cases covered only a small fraction of the incidents of police abuse of detainees, which they characterized as routine.  Training standards and pay for police were very low, and individual law enforcement officials often were supervised poorly. Minimum pay for law enforcement during the year was $40 (5,600 Tenge) per month, while average salaries were $130 (18,288 Tenge). Law enforcement officers noted in 2001 that beatings by officials were common ... [Read More]

Kazakhstan: Finishing the Transformation

I would like to conclude with a brief thought on the importance of democratic reform for economic prosperity and integration. It is no accident that almost all of the world's most competitive economies are democracies. Only democratic societies can truly liberate every individual to make a unique personal contribution to national prosperity. Thus, the building of democracy is not only the key to long-term political stability, it is also a fundamental building block of competitiveness in the modern global economy. Political pluralism, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, are just as necessary for economic development as are sound fiscal policy or a friendly investment climate. A vigorous independent media is as vital as computer literacy in the information age. An open political system permits citizens to make decisions about the appropriate level of public investment in human capital, which in turn is a key to reducing income inequality and poverty. Citizens denied fundamenta ... [Read More]

Kazakhstan

The lower house (Majilis), consisting of 77 members, was elected directly in October 1999.  Under amendments to the Constitution passed in 1998, membership in the Majilis elected in 1999 included 10 new seats assigned proportionally to political parties based on the percentage of votes they received nationally (with a minimum vote threshold of 7 percent).  The other 67 seats were attributed by single mandate districts.  The upper house (the Senate) consists of 39 members, 32 of whom are elected directly by members of oblast and city parliaments; the President appoints the remaining 7 senators.  Elections were held in September 1999 for 16 Senate seats.  The election law requires candidates for both houses to meet minimum age and education requirements and to pay a nonrefundable registration fee of 25 times the minimum monthly wage of $500 (approximately 70,000 tenge).  This fee represented a 75 percent decrease over previous registration fees, which opposi ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

The only authorized means of shipment of an unloaded personal firearm to or from post is in your HHE.  The employee is responsible for obtaining any customs declarations and export forms that may be required by U.S. law.  Personal firearms cannot be sold or traded to host or third-country nationals, including members of other diplomatic missions.  However, such firearms may be sold or presented as gifts to other U.S. citizen members of the Mission with the prior written approval of the Chief of Mission.  For all required forms and details of the procedure, contact the RSO at Embassy Almaty. Currency, Banking, and Weights and MeasuresLast Updated:  3/31/2003 6:00 PM The Kazakhstani unit of currency is the tenge, which is divisible by 100. The rate of exchange is rel ... [Read More]

2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kazakhstan

In September, Aitkul Samakova, Chairwoman of the National Commission on Women and Family Affairs and Minister of Environmental Protection, reported that in 2003, over 25,000 crimes against women were officially reported to law enforcement and that the actual number of crimes was higher. In 2003 in the capital, Astana, on average 6 women appealed to police each day as a result of violence. In June 2003, the National Commission on Women and Family reported that 64 percent of women have been victims of violent crime. A 2002 MVD survey found that 52 percent of women had reported some form of domestic abuse, with the highest incidence in rural areas, and only 30 percent of domestic violence cases were prosecuted. Police often were reluctant to intervene in domestic disputes, considering them to be the family's business, unless they believed that the abuse was life threatening. The MVD stated in November 2003 that spousal rape incidents, in particular, increased each year for the past severa ... [Read More]

Assistant Secretaries Beth Jones and Lorne Craner Central Asia Trip (Taken Question)

Answer:   Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Beth Jones and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Lorne Craner traveled to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, November 10-14. Assistant Secretaries Jones and Craner met with senior government leaders in all four countries, as well as NGO representatives and students, to discuss the full range of bilateral and international issues on our common agenda, including the global war on terrorism. At each stop, they raised the importance of political and economic reforms and the need to respect human rights. They also met with local opposition leaders, NGO's, media representatives and human rights activists in each capital. While in Kazakhstan, Assistant Secretaries Jones and Craner dedicated a new embassy office in the new capital of Astana. In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan they attended the official opening of an independent printing press made possible by Freedom House. ... [Read More]

Project Information

The links below provide a pictorial view of some of our current projects in various lifecycle phases. Each link displays an Artist rendering (or projection) of the constructed building, a recent site photo, and the estimated percentage of completion for the entire project. Currently, our major construction efforts include: New Embassy Compounds (NEC), Newly Acquired Buildings (NAB), and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) projects. ...

Our capital construction program is extensive. The need to provide secure and safe shelter is more critical than ever in this time of terrorism attacks and threats. Tunis, Tunisia; Nairobi, Kenya; Kampala, Uganda and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are but a few of our newly constructed embassy compounds with a strong emphasizes on security. Currently, we have 22 new Embassies in the planning stage, 66 rehabilitation projects underway with 53 planned for FY03 and 55 Capital Security Construction projects in our Long-Range Overseas Building Plan (LROBP) through FY08. ... [Read More]