U.S. Ambassador William Moser: Living in Kazakhstan is a privilege for me!

- Mr. Ambassador, it is customary to start a conversation with diplomats with the question of relations between two countries. How do you assess the relations between our states? At what level are they now compared to the first years of 90s?
- This is a very good question. I want to point out that in 1991 we supported the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Kazakhstan. We were committed to this policy and acted within the framework of our principles which we adhere to at present. When I was here 20 years ago everyone praised the successful development of Kazakhstan. At that time I could not foresee what the further development of the country would be. Now I am truly amazed at what success Kazakhstan has achieved today.
Firstly, for me the capital city of Nur-Sultan is amazing. I have been here in 1997 when the capital city was just renamed. We rented the first office of the U.S. diplomatic mission on Delegatskaya Street. Recently I visited this street and it is difficult to recognize. Indeed, Kazakhstan is showing itself as a stable and strong country.
- At the dawn of diplomatic relations you were engaged in attracting American companies to the development of oil and gas sector of Kazakhstan. Can you tell us how the investment in this area was attracted?
- This is an interesting story. In 1990s American companies knew that Kazakhstan had large oil resources. They obtained this information from the Soviet sources. However, during the Soviet period the authorities did not seek to study and extract it. In the United States it was believed that investment in Kazakhstan and development of this sphere would provide great opportunities. Even today Tengizchevroil is the largest taxpayer in the country.
- How do you see partnership enhancement between Kazakhstan and the United States in the coming years? What areas are promising and require focused attention?
- I want to note two points. The first one is that two weeks ago I visited the city of Shymkent. The Central Asian Trade Forum was held there. We talked about how to increase trade among the Central Asian countries. The theme of this year's conference was agriculture.
The second one is how to assist the promotion of trade. The day after the AgriTech conference I visited an exhibition in Shymkent. We have a large AgriTech exhibition in Nur Sultan which involved six American companies. We consider that Kazakhstan’s potential in agriculture is huge. There are regions in the U.S. that suffer from cold weather conditions and it’s not new for us to grow crops in severe conditions. The United States uses the best technology to develop the agricultural sector.
- Please, tell us about the socio-cultural cooperation of our countries?
- I love culture. And I think that our socio-cultural programs are of paramount importance. There are a lot of them. I can’t talk about all of them. I would mention two.
First, Kazakhstan pursues a trilingual policy. The country wants to become a trilingual country after a certain time. And I believe that English is very important for modern Kazakhstan. It is significative for trade and development of commercial relations.
The second point is that we are teaching schoolchildren and students. We send schoolchildren to the U.S. for a year in order to teach them English. We are doing this in order to support the trilingualism policy of Kazakhstan.
- Judging by your social networks accounts you are actively traveling across Kazakhstan. Please, tell us about the tourist destinations in Kazakhstan you have already visited.
- I can’t but mention that I am travelling across Kazakhstan only with official purpose. Despite this there are certain memories that impress me. For example, I remember the moment I stood on the bridge between Europe and Asia in Atyrau. It was such a gorgeous moment: one of my legs was in Europe and the other one in Asia.
In summer I visited the city of Petropavlovsk. There are old houses and buildings. It was touching to see how Kazakhstan looked 200 years ago. Recently I visited Shymkent for the first time. I was struck by the energy of the city. I saw that people in Shymkent really want to work and achieve results.
And, in the end I should say that I always feel at home in Almaty because I have been living there for three years. I miss my children. They live in the U.S. Kazakhstan is an adventure for me. Living in Kazakhstan is a privilege for me!
- Thank you for the interview!