2008 working schedule of Kazakh President

ASTANA. January 15. KAZINFORM. The year 2008 was rich in bright and many-dimensional events for Kazakhstan. Extremely concentrated was working schedule of the Head of the State, which reflected the whole pallet of social and political life of the country. Here Kazinform covers information presented by Chief of the Kazakh Presidential Chancellery Makhmud KASSYMBEKOV on the foreign policy part of the President's working schedule in 2008 with reference to official mass media of Kazakhstan to show its tightness at large.

Within the foreign political activity the Head of the State took part in 11 multilateral summits: CIS (three sittings), Eurasian Economic Community, Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the World Economic Forum, the 17th annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, meeting of the Central Asia leaders, informal meetings of the heads of the states within the celebration of Astana ten-years anniversary and in resort area of Burabay, Akmola region, as well as in the eight international forums, which were held in our country and abroad: the III Council of Foreign Ministers of CICA, VII Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, forum of Muslim and Western countries ?Common Peace: Progress through Diversity? and others. The interaction within the interstate unions of the Commonwealth of Independent States was characterized by the highest intensity. Thus, within 2008 three CIS summits were held: two informal high level meetings ? on Feb. 22 in Moscow and on June 6 in Saint-Petersburg, as well as the summit held on Oct. 6 in Bishkek. The main theme of discussions during the meetings of the heads of the CIS member states were issues of implementation of the Concept of Further Development of the Commonwealth, as well as the progress of development of the draft CIS Economic Development Strategy until 2020, package of food sacurity measures, priority directions of cooperation development in the sphere of transport until 2020. On Sep. 5 the Head of the State participated in the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council. The problems within the CSTO area of responsibility and ways to solve them were considered there. Besides, the participants summarized the results of implementing the decisions made within the Minsk (2006) and Dushanbe (2007) sessions of the Collective Security Council. In October in Bishkek N. Nazarbayev took part in the sittings of the Council of the CIS states? heads, Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and meeting of the heads of the Central Asian states. The issues of establishment of the Customs Union and Single Economic Space within the EurAsEC, according to the Action Plan on customs union formation until 2010 were on the agenda of the sitting of the EurAsEC Interstate Council At the meeting of the heads of the Central Asian states the issues on water economy, power supply and food in the region, as well as activity of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) were discussed. On Dec. 19?21 in Burabay resort area of Akmola region, the Head of the State held an informal summit of the presidents of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The meeting resulted in agreements on formation of Rapid Deployment Force within the Collective Security Treaty Organization, establishment of joint fund for assistance in overcoming the consequences of the world financial crisis and creation of a high-tech center for joint development and implementation of innovation projects. In the course of the summit Kazakhstan and Russia signed Joint Action Plan for 2009?2010. Besides, the President paid special attention to participation in work of other international and interstate forums. Thus, on May 18 N. Nazarbayev took part in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East (Davos), which was held in a resort area of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Among the attendees were 15 heads of the states and governments, about 80 ministers, important businessmen and public figures from over 60 countries of the world, including special representative of the Quartet on the Middle East Tony Blair, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. In June the Head of the State opened the work of the 17th annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Astana. Making a speech before the participants, N. Nazarbayev said that ?the key issue of today?s agenda of OSCE is its adaptation to the new international reality?. In its turn ?the decision about Kazakhstan?s chairmanship in the OSCE in 2010 has pushed our country to the development of a special program ?Road to Europe?. The program reflects our interest in closer interaction with European countries in the sphere of power supply, transport transit, technologies transfer, education, humanitarian collaboration?. Within the session the President of Kazakhstan held bilateral meetings with President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Goran Lennmarker, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities K.Vollebaek, as well as the delegation of the US Congress headed by Alcee L. Hastings, the Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Within the regular sitting of the Council of the heads of the SCO member states held on Aug. 28 in Dushanbe N. Nazarbayev drew attention of his counterparts to the necessity of extension of trade and economic cooperation, creation of a single power space, development of transport communications, provision of food safety, mechanisms of prevention of natural disasters and mitigation of their consequences on the territory of the SCO member states. As for the line of bilateral relations the President opened the year by official visit to the Sultanate of Oman on March 15?16. The issues of mutual cargo transportations to the Persian Gulf and back, extension of Oman?s investment in strategical branches of Kazakhstan, as well as participation in activity of such international initiatives of Kazakhstan, as CICA and Congress of World and Traditional Religions? Leaders were on the agenda. Early June the Kazakh leader paid official visit to France, where he met with President N. Sarkozy, Prime Minister Francois Fillon, Speakers of the Parliament Houses Christian Poncelet and Bernard Accoyer, Ex-President of France Jacques Chirac. The President visited aerospace company ?Toulouse? in Cannes. He also met with representatives of business circles of France. A very important document - the Strategic Partnership Treaty between Kazakhstan and France ? as well as ten agreements and contracts aimed at development of bilateral cooperation in various spheres of economy were signed upon the results of the visit. For the contribution in development of Kazakh-French cooperation N. Nazarbayev was awarded with France's highest award - the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. At the end of June the President paid official visit to Japan. Within the visit Mr. Nazarbayev held meetings with Emperor Akihito, Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono and House of Councilors President Satsuki Eda, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akira Amari. Also, taking into account a huge interest of Japanese entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan, N. Nazarbayev met with the management of well-known companies ? ?Sumitomo Corporation?, ?Marubeni Corporation?, ?Toshiba?, ?Kansai Electric Power?, ?Tokyo Electric Power?, ?Mitsui?, ?Itochu?, ?Mitsubishi?, ?Inpex? and discussed the issues of their participation in the projects of development of processing complex, machine building industry, energy, transport and communication infrastructure, construction, pharmacy of Kazakhstan. For the contribution into nuclear disarmament, initiative of strengthening the international peace and security, tolerance ad interethnic consent Emperor Akihito personally awarded the Head of our state with Order of the Chrysanthemum. At the end of July and early August the Head of the State paid official visit to Spain, where he had a meeting with King Juan Carlos I, negotiated with the heads of the leading Spanish companies ?Telefonica? (telecommunications), ?Iberdrola? (electric power), ?Indra? (information technologies), ?Dragados? (construction and infrastructure), ?Talgo? (railroad transport) on the issues of realization of the major projects in Kazakhstan in the spheres of alternative power supply, construction of automobile roads, high-speed railroad communication, tourism. N. Nazarbayev took part in the opening ceremony of the Day of Kazakhstan within the world exhibition ?Expo-2008? in Saragossa. On August 6 Kazakh President?s official visit to Mongolia took place. In the course of the meetings with President of Mongolia N. Enkhbayar, Chairman of Parliament D. Lundeejantsan and Prime Minister S. Bayar the issues of long-term trade and economic cooperation in the sphere of establishing joint ventures, mutual supplies of industrial and agricultural products, development of joint transit and transport potential were considered. N. Nazarbayev also met with representatives of the Kazakh Diaspora in Mongolia. Just after the visit to Mongolia the Head of the State went to China, where he took part in the celebratory ceremony of opening XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and met with Kazakhstan?s Olympians. Besides, the President held meetings with Chairman of the People?s Republic of China Hu Jintao, Russian Prime Minister V. Putin and President of Korea Lee Myung Bak. On August 12 N. Nazarbayev paid a short-term working visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he negotiated with President K. Bakiyev on some issues of regional and bilateral cooperation. In its turn Kazakhstan received the heads of 12 foreign states: Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, UAE, Germany, Latvia, Qatar. During the year the President received prime ministers of nine foreign countries: Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Korea, France, as well as the member countries and observers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, who arrived at Astana in October to participate in the sitting of the SCO Premiers? Council. In 2008 Kazakhstan was also visited by many representatives of foreign organizations, political and business circles. The Head of the State had telephone negotiations with the presidents of Russia, Israel, Latvia, the US president elect B. Obama and others. In the end of the year the President by tradition met with the foreign diplomatic corps, accredited in Kazakhstan. It is to be noted that credentials were presented to ambassadors of 20 countries. Alongside taking into account Kazakhstan?s qualitatively new position in international arena - forthcoming chairmanship in six international organizations ? CICA, OSCE, OIC, SCO, EurAsEC and TURKSOI, the Head of the State defined a number of tasks before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the enlarged sitting on November 19.