National Youth Forum Focuses on Education, Entrepreneurship; Boxer Serik Sapiyev: Without Loss, There Can Be No Victory; Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulates Donald Trump

1. A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION / WWW.MFA.GOV.KZ
ISSUE NO. 486 / FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016
NationalYouthForumFocuseson
Education,Entrepreneurship
Also InThe News
In Focus:
Foreign Policy Priorities
BoxerSerikSapiyev:WithoutLoss,
ThereCanBeNoVictory

2. NationalYouthForumFocusesonEducation,Entrepreneurship
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Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is quoted as saying
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the
premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”
No doubt Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev agrees with his
words.
The President addressed the National Youth Forum Dec. 1, noting
not only the importance of education and entrepreneurship, but the
opportunities provided by the government to stimulate both. The
more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, professionals, scientists, students,
actors,athletesandyouthorganisationleadersfromcitiesandregions
were invited to the Palace of Independence for the event.
“The main focus of my policy has always been about the present
and future of the younger generation. Today, every young citizen of
Kazakhstan has opportunities to be educated, find a job, create a
family and have a house,” said Nazarbayev.
Held every other year, the forum offers attendees the chance to
compare yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s accomplishments. They
celebrated youth and youth policy achievements, discussed Mangilik
Yel values and expressed their vision of the future.
Nazarbayev has repeatedly stressed Kazakhstan is striving to be
classified among the world’s 30 most-developed countries and
joining the exclusive list will require transitioning to a knowledge-
based economy. The move is key to sustainable growth and the
number of researchers and scientists has increased since Kazakhstan
declared its independence.
The captive audience was reminded of the high quality of Kazakh
universities. The nation’s colleges must create the same environment
for innovation as other leading international institutions and
Nazarbayev noted the University, which bears his name, offers a
world-class education.
“We already have the first successful examples in the country’s
leading universities. We should extend this experience. This is the
task for the Ministry of Education and Science, heads of universities
and the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs,” he said.
Education is effectively demonstrated beyond the campus and
the President indicated 55 projects from young entrepreneurs
have received favourable government-backed loans this year. For
those choosing to begin their careers with established companies,
Participants at a Dec. 1 Youth Forum
employment and development opportunities are available in tourism,
construction, public services, light industry and agriculture. Students
wishing to enter the trades also receive support with free education
and guaranteed employment through the Professional Education for
All and Employment Road Map 2020 (ERM) state programmes.
Those in attendance are equally attuned to the importance of
sustainable growth of the environment. Nazarbayev noted 250,000
young people have planted nearly 50 million trees on 150,000
hectares through the Zhasyl El (Green Nation) labour brigades.
The forum also addressed existing problems and possible solutions.
The portion of the population with only a primary, secondary or
general education and the share of unproductive employment
among the self-employed are both high, said Kazakh Centre for
Workforce Development President Daulet Argandykov. Jobs will be
needed to accommodate the expected population growth to 24.5
million by 2050 and the new Productive Employment Development
Programme will improve the quality of the labour force.
“The first objective of the programme is the creation of an effective
system of obtaining marketable professional qualifications and
skills, as well as trainings, based on the demand from employers. It
is clear that it is impossible to create a large number of wage jobs in
rural areas, so we will also continue to develop entrepreneurship,” he
added.
Theprogrammewilltrainabout21,000workers,provideshortcourses
for another 26,000-30,000 individuals and offer free support to
graduates who were unable to enroll in educational institutions. The
centre will also create a single online job search and staff selection
digital platform.
Argandykov noted certain areas have shown improvement in the last
10 years. Unemployment has decreased by 47 percent to 4.9 percent,
the number of economically-active people has increased 11 percent,
new employees rose by 1.5 million and the number of unemployed
and self-employed has declined. More than 700,000 people have
recently been involved with ERM 2020.
Employment issues are handled by the Ministry of Healthcare and
Social Development together with mayors’ offices. Additional
information is available at www.enbek.kz

3. BoxerSerikSapiyev:WithoutLoss,ThereCanBeNoVictory
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It was boxer Serik Sapiyev’s losses that forged him into a champion, he
told Kazakhstanskaya Pravda recently.
Sapiyev’s first coach, Aleksander Strelnikov, remembers him as a
normal kid. “He was middle height, maybe less. Nimble, fast, less than
28 kilos. Sapiyev was no different from other guys”, he said. “There
were difficulties in his family, and his father sent him to boarding
school. At that time, the kid was far from any success.”
Sapiyev’s storied career began in the Abai boxing school. His first
successes were made sweeter by the chance they provided for the
young man to help his family.
“I achieved my first humble success in the championship of Abai city,
when my brother and I took the top places. What made this moment
so memorable? In those times, we had financial difficulties, but we
earned some money in that championship and gave it to our parents.
Mom and Dad were really happy,” he said.
Unable to pay to participate in championships outside his region,
Sapiyev didn’t dream of becoming a nationally recognised athlete. But
with university out of the question, as he couldn’t afford the fees and
missed out on scholarships, he threw himself into his training.
“I admit that I had to make myself work, and Strelnikov did well. Even
when I won, he could find mistakes. At the same time, he gave credit
as well. When I won the youth championship of Kazakhstan in the
17–18 age class, I believed in myself. This happened in Astana in 2001,”
the boxer explained.
Whenhetooksecondplaceinthe2003Kazakhstanchampionship, he
knew he had real potential. “I realised then that I can move forward. I
got more serious with my training. The coaches found me promising,”
he recalled.
His path was not without hurdles. The young boxer faced unfair
selections, he says. “I won three tournaments, but a boxer who lost
to me in the finals went to the world championship. Later I found out
that the decision was made beforehand, and no one even considered
my candidacy.”
He went on to fight in Azerbaijan and Russia, gaining experience. He
won the Military World Cup, then the Kazakhstan Cup.
As his career progressed, he learned the value of hard work, as well
as the importance of fighting smart. By the 2008 Olympics, Sapiyev
had twice been world champion in his weight class and was a favorite
to win Olympic gold. The world was shocked when he lost in the
quarterfinals to Thai boxer Manus Boonjumnong.
Fans were disappointed; angry online commentators dismissed him.
Sapiyev thought of retiring.
“I had a talk with Sapiyev. He said ‘that’s it, I give up on boxing.’
Later, people asked me what I said to re-convince him. Actually, our
President Nursultan Nazarbayev convinced him during his meeting
with sportsmen. He said, ‘Serik, I know you can”, Strelnikov recalled.
“I often remember that Olympics in Beijing. Serik was the strongest
in his weight class. In 2007 he dominated in all his fights. Then he
lost. Nevertheless, thanks to the President he did not lose his path –
the path of a future Olympic champion. I think without that loss we
probably would not have the victory.”
Despite receiving a lot of support, he wanted to give up, Sapiyev said.
“I wanted to quit, and to become professional. But [Strelnikov] did a
lot of work. He is the closest person to me. We went through losses
and victories.”
Revitalised, Sapiyev went on to bring home gold on his second try, at
the 2012 London Olympics. He credits the victory to his coach and his
temperament. “I am a leader and I want to win”, he said.
Sapiyev now heads the Astana Arlans sports club. He considers its
victory in the World Boxing Series in 2015 a personal success.
“I achieved my first humble success in the
championship of Abai city, when my brother
and I took the top places. What made this
moment so memorable? In those times, we
had financial difficulties, but we earned some
money in that championship and gave it to our
parents. Mom and Dad were really happy.”
Boxer Serik Sapiyev

4. InFocus: Foreign Policy Priorities
to increase installed solar capacity in Mexico from 67 MW to 1,300
MW by the end of 2018, making Mexico the strongest market in Latin
America.
In Peru, 54 percent of electricity comes from renewable energy
sources (RES), specifically hydroelectric power, with plans to increase
the figure to 60 percent.
Colombia has launched the El Quimbo hydroelectric power station
with a capacity of 400 MW. The country has also become known for
its first solar vehicle created by a group of Colombian students and
professors at EAFIT University in Medellin.
At Chile’s invitation, the EXPO 2017 Secretariat and Kazakh Embassy
in Brazil have participated in joint alliance activities and the expo
commissioner held a presentation Oct. 17 in Santiago. The sides
noted the relevance of the expo’s future energy theme and discussed
the progress of construction projects as well as opportunities for the
countries’ participation.
EXPO 2017 will be held June 10-Sept. 10 in Astana. More than two
million visitors totalling five million visits are expected and organisers
have been developing more than 3,000 cultural and entertainment
events.
Welcoming Investment
Kazakh FM, Minister of Investment and Development brief
diplomatic corps on Nurly Zhol, Silk Road Economic Belt
initiative
KazakhForeignMinisterErlanIdrissovandMinisterofInvestmentand
Development Zhenis Kassymbek briefed the country’s diplomatic
corps Nov. 30 on the common points of Kazakhstan’s Nurly Zhol
economic policy and China’s Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.
Air Astana President Peter Foster, high officials from the Ministry of
National Economy, KazAvtoZhol and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy made
additional presentations. More than 80 representatives of foreign
embassies and missions, including 50 ambassadors and heads of
international organisation offices, also attended.
According to the speakers, both projects seek to create conditions
for trade facilitation, transit transportation and developing a
reliable transport and logistics infrastructure. Integration will create
a multiplying effect to develop a wide range of industries and
unimpeded trade across the Eurasian continent. The projects also
involve a significant expansion of bilateral cooperation in investment,
transport and tourism.
“Implementation of the Nurly Zhol programme will ensure the
connection of the Kazakh regions to the Western Kazakhstan –
Western Europe – China – Iran intercontinental routes and will turn
Kazakhstan into a major Eurasian transport and logistics hub that
will connect the North with the South, the East with the West, the
countries of the European Union, the Middle East and the Southeast
Asia,” said Idrissov.
Read full text here: astanatimes.com
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Strengthening UN & Int’l Security
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulates Donald
Trump
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated Donald
Trump on his election as President of the United States and wished
him success in implementing his electoral programme during their
Nov. 30 telephone conversation.
In turn, President-elect Trump congratulated Nazarbayev on the
25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence, as well as underlined
the success achieved by the country under his leadership.
The sides shared views on the issues of stability and security in
Central Asia and the entire world.
Nazarbayev noted Kazakhstan is ready to continue the fight for
a nuclear-free world together with the international community.
Trump concurred.
“There is no more important issue than the nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation to be addressed in a global context,” said Trump.
In addition, Nazarbayev noted his colleague’s comments on the three
key areas in which US-Russian cooperation could be deepened – the
fight against terrorism, settling the Ukrainian crisis and strengthening
global nuclear security.
Trump noted he is very optimistic about the prospects of developing
cooperation between Washington and Moscow.
The leaders declared their determination to take friendly Kazakh-
American relations to a new level, including trade and economic
partnership. Trump voiced interest in arranging a bilateral meeting in
the near future. (akorda.kz)
Hosting Astana Expo 2017
Chilean MFA confirms Pacific Alliance participation in EXPO
2017
The Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently confirmed the Pacific
Alliance will participate in EXPO 2017. Chile, Columbia, Mexico and
Peru will open a joint pavilion, bringing the tally of participating
countries to 111.
The theme of the EXPO is Future Energy and the Pacific Alliance is
exploring the possibility of widespread renewable energy usage. Chile
frequently incorporates solar into its energy use and the country’s
Catama Solar plant generates 2.62 GW (gigawatt) of energy per year.
More than $5 billion is expected to be invested in Mexico in new
wind farms and a combined-cycle plant. The facilities are expected
Back to Contents

5. Also InThe News...
• Nazarbayev congratulates new president of Uzbekistan
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated
Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his election as President of Uzbekistan,
sending him a telegramme of congratulations Dec. 5, the Akorda
press service reported. “I am confident that you will continue
the large-scale transformations contributing to strengthening
stability and security in our brother nation, Uzbekistan,” he wrote.
Nazarbayev stressed that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan together can
giveanewimpetustodevelopingtheirownstrategicpartnershipsas
well as to expanding cooperation among all the countries of Central
Asia.Nazarbayevdrewattentiontotheexistingpotentialofbilateral
and regional cooperation and underlined his willingness to engage
in constructive dialogue in political, trade, economic, cultural
and humanitarian spheres. He invited Mirziyoyev to visit Astana
at any convenient time. In addition, the sides held a telephone
conversation, during which Nazarbayev and Mirziyoyev exchanged
views on international issues and regional security. Nazarbayev
wished good health and great achievements to Mirziyoyev, as well
as peace and prosperity for all of Uzbekistan. (akorda.kz)
• Nazarbayev meets with deputy prime minister of Russia
President Nursultan Nazarbayev held a meeting with Deputy Prime
Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin Dec. 2. The sides discussed the
progress of the countries’ joint work on developing the Baikonur
Cosmodrome, as well as issues of defense and armaments. “We
already discussed the issue of setting up joint ventures in the
defense industry. To this end, we have established a separate
ministry,” Nazarbayev said. Rogozin reported on a new project
called Baiterek.“This project aims to create a conceptually new
rocket, new space technology and to modernise the old complex.
If a legal framework for the project is agreed upon by the two
presidents, the project will encourage the development of Baikonur
city and the old complex,” Rogozin said. (akorda.kz)
• New privatisation plan approved
A government commission has approved the Samruk Kazyna
Sovereign Wealth Fund’s plan to privatise major national companies
in Kazakhstan through initial public offerings (IPOs) beginning this
year, head of Samruk Kazyna Umirzak Shukeyev announced Dec. 6.
“Air Astana plans an IPO in late 2017 or early 2018, depending on
market conditions. The deal is already agreed with the second
shareholder. As a result, the fund will retain only blocking minority
ownership, which is equal to 25 percent plus 1 share of voting shares.
On top of that, 51 percent of shares must remain in the hands of
domestic investors under the intergovernmental agreement,”
Shukeyev said. According to him, Kazakhtelecom is already 49
percent privately owned. It is planned to prepare it for an IPO at the
end of 2018. A quarter of Kazatomprom shares will be sold in the
first half of 2018 and a quarter of KazMunayGas shares will be sold
by the end of 2018. An IPO of Samruk-Energo is planned for 2019.
“Up to 49 percent of Kazpost shares will be sold in 2019. Kazakhstan
Temir Zholy will be sold only after its financial recovery in 2020,”
the head of Samruk Kazyna said. Shukeyev reported that Samruk
Kazyna is also preparing Qazaq Air and Tauken-Samruk for IPOs.
“As of today, corresponding decisions were made for 153 companies
of 216 companies of Samruk Kazyna and they will be transferred
to a competitive environment,” Minister of National Economy
Kuandyk Bishimbayev said. Those include 20 companies listed
among Kazakhstan’s top 65 major companies and 133 second-tier
companies. Bishimbayev said the companies will be listed not only
at the Astana International Financial Centre, but also on exchanges
in London and Hong Kong. (astanatimes.com)
• Kazpost offers new services to rural resident
Kazpost is offering new services to residents of rural settlements
that will allow them to purchase electronic tickets for domestic
flights and spare parts for cars made in Kazakhstan online.
Customers can get their goods in any of Kazpost’s 2,000 post
offices. “Kazpost is actively diversifying its portfolio of services.
More than a year ago, we successfully launched the sale of railway
tickets through our post offices. Recently, we started to sell tickets
for EXPO 2017. As of today, we are working on software integration
with service providers and debugging sales mechanisms. We are
coming closer to our mission: connecting villages and cities, trying
to saturate the rural department with services that were previously
available only to city dwellers. Now, villagers don’t need to go to
a city to buy tickets,” said head of Kazpost’s press service Bairam
Azizov. (inform.kz)
• New spacecraft assembly and test complex to be finished next
year
Construction of a new spacecraft assembly and test complex is
expected to be completed in 2017, according to the Kazakhstan
Gharysh Sapary Company President Marat Nurgozhin. “The most
important project to us is the creation of a spacecraft assembly and
test complex, which will be equipped with modern technologies.
At present, all technological equipment made in countries such
as France, Belgium, Germany and the United States is already in
Astana and in the first quarter of next year the installation at the
respective test sites will begin. We will do everything necessary
to complete a spacecraft assembly and test complex by 2017 and
the National Space Centre’s ‘heart’ will work,” he said. The work
employs the most advanced technologies ever used in the local
construction industry. For example, there serious difficulties in
building the rehabilitation acoustic chamber, but it was completed
in September. The percentage of local production has increased
throughout construction. “In the course of the project it was
decided to increase the proportion of local production from 10
percent to 55 percent, which will include the full cycle of creating a
spacecraft. It will be implemented at the expense of the established
special design-technological device with pilot production of the
individual components. Without waiting for the overall production
process, we have begun to establish test sites,” said Nurgozhin.
(astanatimes.com)
• Official Winter Universiade ticket office opens with launch
ceremony
Almaty held an opening ceremony for the official ticket office of
the 28th World Winter Universiade 2017 at the Mega Alma-Ata
mall Dec. 2. The event was attended by the ambassadors of the
Universiade, including famous sportsmen, artists, well-known
bloggers and TV presenters from Kazakhstan. The ticket office
will provide services to different groups of society, including
disadvantaged ones. The office sells tickets at special rates for
veterans, disabled people, children and students. Package and
corporate sales are also available. According to President of the
Directorate for Preparing and Holding the Universiade 2017 Nail
Nurov, a universal ticket office is a requirement of the times, as
well as very important stage in the Directorate’s work. “We tried to
consider all suggestions, modern requirements and standards for
a major event. We created a single ticket office where people can
carry out any procedures of purchasing and registering without
any difficulties. We hope that it will provide speed and comfort for
all future guests of the Universiade,” Nurov said. Tickets are also
available in Almaty State Circus, the National Palace and Meloman
stores. Official sites for ticket sales are www.almaty2017.com, www.
fisuticket.com and www.kassir.kz. On Oct. 25, websites including
ticketon.kz, zakazbiletov.kz, bilet.meloman.kz, biletiastana.kz,
koncertyastana.kzstartedtosellthetickets.TheWinterUniversiade
will be held Jan. 29 to Feb. 8. More than 2,000 athletes from 57
countries are expected to take part in the event. (almaty2017.com)
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