SPONSORED SECTION FOREIGN AFFAIRS LIVE “Kazakhstan In A Changing Eurasia” Investment Forum: The Council on Foreign Relations, New York City, October 4th 2018 From left to right: Stuart Reid, Managing Editor, Foreign Affairs; Kairat Kelimbetov, Governor of Astana International Finan- cial Centre; Susan M. Elliott, President & CEO, National Committee on American Foreign Policy; Todd Levy, President of Europe, Eurasia and Middle East Explo- ration and Production, Chevron On January 2018, the White House From right to left: Gideon Rose, Editor of Foreign Affairs and welcomed H.E President of Kazakhstan, Askar Zhumagaliyev, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, for a meeting with U.S President Donald Trump. In a joint statement titled “enhanced stra- tegic partnership for the 21st Century” at the Council on Foreign Relations. assets, investment in non-oil sectors of both leaders reaffirmed bilateral busi- Presided by Gideon Rose, editor of the economy to the revival of the Great ness ties, deepening trade, innovation Foreign Affairs, this timely initiative Silk Road initiative, as well as innova- and ever-growing cooperation. examined how the country is planning tion as a driving force across Kazakh- As a follow up, Foreign Affairs maga- to future proof its economy, attract stan’s economy. zine organized the “Kazakhstan in a investment and strengthen its institu- Opening the event, Thomas Firestone, Changing Eurasia” investment confer- tions. Topics covered issues ranging Partner, Baker & McKenzie maintained ence on October 4th in New York City from the privatization of government a Q&A fire chat with Kazakhstan’s 1 SPONSORED SECTION Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Askar Zhu- magaliyev who mentioned, “My mis- sion is to ensure the implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of our countries in the White House. Now is the time to build on the posi- tive trends currently emerging for both countries and move towards innovation and knowledge projects. Over the past few years, Kazakhstan has completed a large-scale reform program, which has improved the business and investment climate, as well as integrate our coun- try into regional and global trading.” Economic reforms enacted under the Complex Privatization Plan for 2016-2020 are aimed at improving the Todd Levy, President of Europe, Eurasia and country’s business and investment cli- Middle East Exploration and Production, Chevron mate through measures that eliminate red tape and improve intellectual prop- erty protections. The idea behind the According to Susan M. Elliott, President of investing in human capital. Further changes is to use common law princi- & CEO at the National Committee on easing worries of Western investors is the pals in commercial law to foster best American Foreign Policy, Kazakhstan has sentiment expressed by Todd Levy, Presi- practices in corporate finance. Gov- “maintained low business risk,” sustained dent of Europe, Eurasia and Middle East ernor of the AIFC, Kairat Kelimbetov, healthy diplomatic relations with the Unit- Exploration and Production at Chevron, called it the “Dubai model.” ed States, and recognizes the importance that tensions between the U.S., E.U. and The Council on Foreign Relations 2 SPONSORED SECTION Russia have not impacted business prac- Electric and Hans Timmer, Chief Econo- state assets and consider possibilities for tices of foreign entities in Kazakhstan. mist for Europe and Central Asia, World establishing joint ventures at the three The Innovation panel gave an overview Bank, discussed how digital optimization special economic zones in Kazakhstan. of the key challenges and opportunities and the generation of massive amounts “The Samruk-Kazyna Fund has the larg- arising as traditional industries such as of new data is changing the way in which est portfolio of high-quality assets of Ka- agriculture, energy, mining, manufactur- value and profit is created. zakhstan worth 74 billion US dollars and ing and transport are disrupted. Huschke In addition, Nurlan Rakhmetov, Man- covering several companies across vari- Diekmann, General Manager of Trans- aging Director of Samruk-Kazyna JSC, ous sectors of economy. In the present portation Digital for Europe, CIS-Russia, encouraged prospective investors to par- year, we plan to finish the privatization North Africa & Middle East for General ticipate in the “Privatization Program” of of 50 assets that include large, medium and small companies,” said Nurlan Rakhmetov, respon- From left to right: Roland Nash, Senior Partner, Verno Capital and David A. Merkel, Managing Director, Summit sible for overseeing all the International Advisors; Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council privatization for Samruk- Kazyna. The leadership of the Fund pointed out that all as- sets were properly prepared before entering the market. In particular, it was facilitated by the Transformation Program of groups of companies of Samruk-Kazyna. Following the panel session, several B2B meetings with American and international investors and other strategic partners were held as part of the forum. Bilateral B2B meetings 3 SPONSORED SECTION H.E. Erzhan Kazykhanov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States of America An Interview With Erzhan Kazykhanov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States of America The future of trade in Asia could Strategically located between East and that the vision for engaging the world in re- depend heavily on what becomes West, Kazakhstan was historically inter- creating the ancient Silk Road was present- of China’s expansive One Belt, linked with major communication routes ed by President Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan in One Road initiative, which calls and paths of trade that are known today September 2013. This initiative was sup- for massive investment in and as the ancient Silk Road. Experts argue that ported by President Nursultan Nazarbayev development of trade routes in the route along Kazakhstan’s vast land car- who has been a strong champion of Eur- the region. How can Kazakhstan ried more than just merchandise and pre- asian integration and increased economic capitalize on such initiatives? cious commodities. Connecting eastern and connectivity since the very early days of the What policy innovations and pri- western markets, spurring immense wealth, country’s independence. Five years since vate-sector initiatives are needed and fostering innovation, intellectual and the launch, Belt and Road Initiative set the if Kazakhstan’s manufacturers cultural exchange, made Kazakhstan one stage for a sprawling network of railroads, are to compete globally and fully of the epicenters of the first waves of glo- highways, gas and oil pipelines, cities and integrate global value chains? balization. It is therefore not a coincidence investments in modern infrastructure to re- 4 SPONSORED SECTION vive the hugely successful ancient Silk Road strategy included the issue of non-prolifera- Recognizing this positive trend in Ka- with a 21st century strategy and outlook. tion of weapons of mass destruction. This is zakh-American relations and upon the what makes the adopted document unique. formal invitation from the White House, In the past several years, the coun- Furthermore, in line with its commitments President Nursultan Nazarbayev made an try’s foreign policy has proven effec- to promote global peace and prosperity, Ka- official visit to Washington, DC early this tive in balancing international inter- zakhstan continues to play a major role in year to meet President Donald Trump, Vice ests as Kazakhstan continues to forge stabilizing Afghanistan. Acknowledging that President Mike Pence and a large number its path in international and regional only an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned pro- of America’s top business executives. organizations. What have been the cess will bring stability and security, Kazakh- Distinctively, these meetings cemented our most significant foreign policy suc- stan remains at the forefront when it comes country’s commitment to foster our coopera- cesses during your tenure and how to consolidating international efforts. tion in many areas of mutual interest, such do you see Kazakhstan’s role on the Last month, the nation’s capital of As- as global politics and regional integration, global stage in the coming years? tana hosted the Regional Conference on defense and security, trade and investment, Indeed, Kazakhstan is a textbook example Empowering Women in Afghanistan, which strategic energy dialogue, cultural and hu- of how a multi-ethnic nation – the ninth larg- produced a powerful and inclusive effort manitarian links, and people-to-people rela- est country in the world – can live in peace aimed at elevating voices and perspectives tions. Most importantly, this high-level com- and stability as well as secure a major stand- from across all sectors and levels to stress mitment was reflected through the adoption ing on the international arena, thanks to its the importance of full engagement of wom- of the milestone document entitled, “United balanced and multi-vector foreign policy. en in the reconciliation process, as well as States and Kazakhstan: An Enhanced Strate- As the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, in the social and economic life of Afghani- gic Partnership for the 21st Century,” which the newly independent Kazakhstan stan. The US firmly supported this initiative not only outlines the goals and priorities of emerged overnight as the fourth-largest by sending top State Department officials, our bilateral agenda but also sets a long- nuclear