+21° / +13°C WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2018 No 12 (150) www.astanatimes.com Astana is great achievement of the Kazakhstan increases entire nation, President Nazarbayev says number of military personnel in UN missions abroad endum in Western Sahara (MI- By Abira Kuandyk NURSO). “Extending the number of Kazakh ASTANA – Kazakh legislators military observers and staff officers recently approved the sending of in UN missions will not only con- dozens of military observers from tribute to strengthening international Kazakhstan to join UN missions security but will also enhance the in the Middle East and Africa to credibility of Kazakhstan as a re- fulfil international obligations in sponsible member within the inter- maintaining peace and security, national community in the context Defence Minister Saken Zhasuza- of our country’s activity as a non- kov announced as he presented a permanent member in the UN Secu- relevant request from the head of rity Council,” said Zhasuzakov. state at the June 15 joint session of The UN leadership has praised Kazakhstan’s Parliament. Kazakh military personnel and ex- President Nursultan Naz- pressed interest in receiving more arbayev introduced sending 40 military observers. Therefore, it Kazakh Armed Force officers was proposed to expand the geog- as military observers and staff raphy of participation of the Ka- officers to join United Nations zakh Armed Force officers in UN missions in the Middle East, the missions as military observers and United Nations Peacekeeping full-time officers, he noted. dependence, chaos was unravelling to say that we virtually started the port area could put official visits by Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), The question of sending a peace- By Arsen Omarkulov in our economy. That was the time construction of the new state with foreign leaders at risk. Over these the United Nations Military Ob- keeping unit from the Kazakh when the inter-country economic the construction of the new capital. years, we have witnessed how much server Group in India and Pa- Armed Forces to join the UN mis- In a recent interview with promi- ties that had developed over many We understood that after Kazakh- Almaty has grown and without its kistan (UNMOGIP), the United sion in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was nent journalist Sauytbek Abdra- years [within the former Soviet Un- stan gained its independence, the unresolved environmental prob- Nations Interim Force in Leba- also studied and considered, said khmanov, Kazakh President Nur- ion] were being torn apart, enter- new capital of the new state must lems, it was difficult to imagine its non (UNIFIL) and the United Zhasuzakov. sultan Nazarbayev talked about the prises could not sell their products; meet the new requirements of our further condition if it kept the status Nations Mission for the Refer- Continued on Page A3 birth, formation and development of as a result, in some places people times. The intensification of interna- of the capital. Astana and the capital’s 20th anni- did not even receive their salaries tional relations, the considerable ex- On the threshold of independence, versary, which the country will cel- for six months straight. pansion of financial, industrial and we had to solve three problems. The ebrate in the coming days. It seemed that people who had commercial ties within and outside first one was building an independ- suffered for 70 years from Com- the country, as well as the compli- ent state; second, switching from a Our capital’s anniversary is ap- munist ideology would not accept cation of the country’s governance, planned to a market economy and France, Kazakhstan proaching. It’s time to tell us about any ideology. It was a time when required an increase in the tasks of third, transitioning from totalitari- the unique history of Astana. How it was not about creative work, but the capital and their improved qual- anism to democracy. Solving each was this idea actually born? mere existence, that was an acute ity. From this perspective, we began of these problems required tremen- I was sure from the very be- problem; heads of families were to look at [the former capital city of] dous effort. Moreover, at that time committed to boosting ginning that the relocation of the left without work and women had Almaty differently. there were many people who were capital would play a huge role in to feed their families trading every- First of all, we started thinking keen to test our young independ- strengthening Kazakhstan as a new where with big bags in their hands. about whether the status of the new ence. That is why it was necessary independent state. Why? Understandably, at the time when nation’s capital corresponded to the to take concrete steps to strengthen cooperation in education, On the one hand, the capital is even construction of a residential geopolitical position of the country our independence. just an administrative centre of a house was considered a great event, and the high criteria put forward There was another reason why state. How can its transfer, reloca- let alone the construction of a city, by the global situation. Machiavelli Almaty could not remain the capital innovation, envoy says tion and even construction from the idea of relocating the capital was wrote about the expediency of lo- of the new state. In the city that was scratch impact the strengthening a surprise for everyone. cating a country’s capital in its cen- formed for many years as the capi- arbayev Intellectual Schools of independence? Although, at tre. The newly gained independence tal of the Soviet Socialist Republic, By Assel Satubaldina (NIS) chain and we are almost the time there were a lot of peo- What was the main reason be- let us see the many problems that there was always an atmosphere about to complete the selection ple who held the same opinion. hind this idea? could possibly occur because of Al- of the tough policies of that time. ASTANA – To mark the 25 years of students for preparatory class- Why are there no people left who As I said, the main sign of inde- maty’s location on the outskirts of Moreover, the very fact that the of diplomatic relations and 10 years es in France. These (prepara- doubt the correctness of this de- pendence is the ability to decide the country, far from other regions President’s and the government’s of strategic partnership reaching tory classes) are not like in Ka- cision today? Because our inde- your own destiny for yourself. The of our vast homeland. offices were located in the former a milestone in June, Kazakhstan zakhstan. This is called classes pendence began to acquire a truly ability to conduct an independent In addition to complex geopoliti- building of the Central Commit- and France are seeking to expand préparatoires in French (Class- existing affiliations with new ones full-fledged character precisely policy, having the opportunities for cal reasons, every person knew that tee of the Communist Party caused es Préparatoires aux Grandes on the horizon. Education and in- after the adoption of this decision, this. Astana, built in the heart of the city was located in a basin, which some unusual feelings from the psy- Ecoles),” he added. novation are among key areas, ac- after concrete steps to implement Eurasia, is the independent choice meant that every year the air was chological point of view. Almaty Although only six Kazakh stu- cording to French Ambassador to it were taken. of the Kazakh people. Astana is a being heavily polluted, construc- was unable to handle the new geo- dents will be selected this year Actually, those who doubted my bridge erected by the country into tion was hindered by the mountains, political role that it gained. Kazakhstan Philippe Martinet. to participate in the project, it is proposal were also partly correct. the future, a symbol of a new soci- and there was no territory for further Of the 310,000 foreign students an opportunity to immerse in one Why not? When we just gained in- ety. It would not be an exaggeration expansion. Frequent fogs in the air- Continued on Page A2 studying in France, only approxi- of the most competitive environ- mately 600 are Kazakh. ments, as the workload in such “Education is very important to schools is considered among the us,” he said in a recent interview world’s highest. NIS, among the with The Astana Times. top schools in Kazakhstan, are also “Starting this year, we have part of the project. World Bank Group: human capital, been working with the Naz- Continued on Page A8 diversification can be drivers of growth diagnostic to identify the future ar- in the financial sector. There has carefully crafted, and there’s no By Zhanna Shayakhmetova eas of cooperation. been a lot of consolidation in the overspend, the inflationary pres- AIX appoints Chief “The first one is human capital. financial sector and I believe the sures are within reason, Muller ASTANA – The World Bank It is not about the access to educa- processes are not yet completed,” said. (WB) is supporting Kazakhstan’s tion or health. It is about the qual- he said. “We are advising the govern- course towards diversified growth. ity of education, the quality of the The key question is how banks ment to be careful to manage well Executive Officer, Over 25 years of cooperation, the health services. We hope to con- have been adjusting to having non- both the fiscal side and the finan- WB has provided loans for 46 pro- tinue on helping Kazakhstan to ac- performing loans on their balance cial side of the economy in a way jects totalling more than $8.1 bil- quire the skills needed for a mod- sheets.