Skolkovo's Study Focuses on Islamic Economy in Eurasian Region
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+19° / +11°C WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018 No 16 (154) www.astanatimes.com Central Asian leaders hold first Aral Sea summit Skolkovo’s study since 2009, agree to develop action plan focuses on Islamic economy in Eurasian region ship banks or ‘Islamic windows’ By Zhanna Shayakhmetova that provide Sharia-compliant loans, deposits and investment op- ASTANA – What is the real size portunities. We organise various of the Islamic economy phenome- halal exhibitions where domestic non? Why are Islamic economy and halal-certified producers showcase its ecosystem an important theme? goods to be exported to Muslim What Eurasian country has the consumers worldwide. We intro- most Islamic financial assets and duce new educational courses on holds the leading position in terms Islamic law and Islamic finance, of the quality of its ecosystem? prepare qualified halal-certifiers Skolkovo Institute for Emerg- and record success stories of Mus- ing Market Studies (IEMS) re- lim tech start-ups.” leased Islamic Economy – the The global Islamic economy is Fastest Growing Large Economy, worth more than $2.2 trillion with a Eurasian-focused report provid- a projected growth rate of more ing information about one of the than 7 percent annually until 2022. most promising phenomena in the According to the report, more region. To learn more about the than one-third of the Eurasian pop- study, The Astana Times spoke ulation is Muslim. They are cus- with IEMS Eurasia lab head tomers for halal goods and servic- Gaukhar Nurgalieva. es and entrepreneurs who have the In a preview of the report, Presi- potential to enter the halal market. dent of the Skolkovo Moscow “Therefore, the Islamic econo- School of Management Andrei my has established itself in Eura- Sharonov said, “Eurasia is destined sia, while the ecosystem to sup- Photo credit: akorda.kz. Photo credit: to become one of the meaningful port it (institutions, human capital fishing enterprises have opened As dramatic changes continued, tions (UN) is being considered. centres of Islamic economy” with and awareness) is still evolving. By Elya Altynsarina improving the social, economic the original level of water salinity Earlier, following the initiative a diverse ethnical, linguistic, reli- In some countries it has reached conditions in the area. of 10 grams per litre rose to ap- of Tajikistan, the UN General gious and cultural composition. a more advanced level, while in ASTANA – Kazakh President The summit participants, includ- proximately 100 grams/litre in the Assembly declared 2018-2028 “Тhe economies in Eurasia others it is less developed. For in- Nursultan Nazarbayev urged an ing the five presidents of Kazakh- remaining part of the lake, thus the International Decade for Ac- are more Islamic than we think,” stance, Azerbaijan leads the Eura- Aug. 24 summit of the heads of stan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turk- harming the public health and at- tion “Water for Sustainable De- said Nurgalieva, emphasising the sian region in terms of the level of the founding states of the Inter- menistan and Uzbekistan, agreed mosphere: today the deserted basin velopment”; the Government of main message of the report. “We Islamic economic development. national Fund for Saving the Aral to examine the role of the organi- releases up to 80 million tons of Uzbekistan hosted the Central already have functioning partner- Continued on Page A4 Sea (IFAS) in Turkmenbashi city, sation’s executive bodies and, in a poisonous salt into the atmosphere Asian International Environmen- Turkmenistan to reorganise the press conference after the summit, – one can find its particles carried tal Forum in Tashkent in June, IFAS to better protect the environ- said it is necessary to bring the is- by dust storms in the territory of while Kyrgyzstan jointly with UN mentally-damaged water body. sue to the global community, con- Western Europe and the peaks of agencies developed the Strategic “It is time to automate the man- tinue raising awareness at the UN, Himalayas. Action Programme for the Chu agement, distribution, the ac- funds and financial institutions in- The IFAS was established with and Talas River Basins. Minister says counting and monitoring of water volved in supporting the IFAS. the support of Central Asian states Commending these actions, the resources and its quality; it is as It was also specified that water and has a mission to “coordinate President of Kazakhstan invited relevant as ever to establish the In- consumption needs to be reduced cooperation at national and in- participants to the Oct. 10-12 ternational Water and Energy Con- by 50-60 percent by applying ternational levels in order to use Eighth Session of the Meeting of industrial production sortium of Central Asia (…), and drip irrigation, and it was recom- existing water resources more ef- the Parties to the Convention on consider the permanent deploy- mended that salt-resistant crops be fectively and to improve the en- the Protection and Use of Trans- ment of the Executive Committee planted to improve environmental vironmental and socio-economic boundary Watercourses and Inter- of IFAS in one of our countries,” conditions and to develop new situation in the Aral Sea Basin,” national Lakes in Astana. growing five percent stressed Nazarbayev. types of feed for livestock. according to the organisation’s Other than these initiatives, un- Sarybai Mining Production Asso- He said the summit, the first The meeting initiatives and website. til now, the Syr Darya Control and By Abira Kuandyk ciation [known under its Russian since 2009, is a landmark event agreements were stipulated in the “Thanks to IFAS’s active en- Northern Aral Sea (NAS) Project acronym SSGPO], the largest iron of an international scale and will summit communiqué that will gagement with international part- helped to improve ecological and ASTANA – Minister for Invest- ore enterprise in Kazakhstan’s increase regional water resource serve as the basis for an action plan ners, the region today receives environmental conditions in the ments and Development Zhenis mining industry. The increase in cooperation. to be drafted by the Turkmen side. substantial assistance from the delta area: the water level has re- Kassymbek reviewed the nation’s the extraction of non-ferrous metal “We defined new priorities and The Aral Sea used to be the global community and internation- mained at 42 metres since 2010; industrial production at the Aug. ores is associated with an increase tasks here. The solution of these is- fourth largest saline lake in the al financial institutions,” said Naz- water salinity continues decreas- 14 government meeting saying in- in the production of copper ore sues is of fundamental importance world until the third quarter of the arbayev. “Our joint efforts contrib- ing and flora and fauna are being dustrial production has increased at Kazakhmys Corporation LLP, for ensuring the sustainable devel- 20th century when the Soviet Un- uted to the fund’s observer status restored. 5.1 percent based on the results of Kopper Technology LLP and the opment and prosperity of Central ion diverted water from the two in the UN General Assembly.” On the summit sidelines, Naz- the first seven months of the year, production of bauxite at Aluminum Asia. Therefore, all this requires main rivers flowing into the lake – According to Nazarbayev, the arbayev met with Turkmen reported primeminister.kz. Kazakhstan JSC,” he added. from us coordinated joint actions. Amu Darya and Syr Darya – to ir- trans-boundary water resources in President Gurbanguly Berdimu- The hike, which includes a Among the processing indus- For my part, I want to assure you rigate agricultural lands to produce Central Asia are the common her- hamedov to discuss cooperation 5.4-percent increase in mining and tries, metallurgy grew 3.6 percent, that Kazakhstan has been and re- mostly cotton. itage and property of the peoples following the recent signing of the 4.9-percent increase in manufac- chemicals by 10.9 percent and me- mains a consistent and reliable The diversion reduced the lake’s of the region, and all countries are Caspian Sea Legal Status Conven- turing, has been observed in the chanical engineering output by 16 partner in the issues of regional size thirtyfold, significantly dam- seeking common solutions. tion, which opens up the possibil- country’s 14 regions, said Kass- percent. Furniture and light indus- cooperation,” said Nazarbayev. aging the region’s ecosystem, flora Currently, at the initiative of ity, according to the two leaders, ymbek. try production rose 5.2 percent and Nazarbayev added that in the and fauna. The damage is consid- Turkmenistan, a programme for for a joint roadmap in the field of The volume of non-ferrous met- 2.3 percent, respectively, accord- Kazakh part of the Aral Sea the ered one of the world’s largest en- the countries of the Aral Sea un- transportation, transit and regional al ores extraction increased by 3.1 ing to Kassymbek. climate is getting better; several vironmental disasters. der the auspices of the United Na- security. percent, while iron ore extraction The nation reached the projected rose 7.4 percent. figure for transport, with a volume “The growth in the extraction index of 104.9 percent for the pe- of iron ore stemmed from the in- riod. Italian artist motorbikes through 11 countries, creased activities at the Sokolov- Continued on Page A4 finds ‘surprising hospitality’ in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan in 10th place “I dedicate the physical effort of By Zhanna Shayakhmetova the journey to women who strug- gle every day in silence to assert at 2018 Asian Games ASTANA – Rosaria Iazzetta their dreams. My idea is to show started a motorbike journey to bat- that regardless of the continents on tle her own fears, but, in fact, her which women live and the cultural courage and enthusiasm has in- history of the country born, there is spired thousands of people she has a need for a woman to contend and met during the trip.