Kazakhstan’s Deputy International Minister Roman Vassilenko talked to New Europe in an unique interview a couple of state-wide referendum on June 5 on the adoption of amendments to the Structure that can decide the way forward for the Central Asian nation, areas of strategic cooperation between the European Union and Kazakhstan, vitality safety, transport corridors as nicely strengthening cooperation inside Central Asia and increasing the area’s cooperation with outdoors companions.
“I’d say that the referendum comes as a logical step for President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev who has put ahead 4 packages of political reforms from 2019 since he grew to become president and who put ahead very wide-ranging reform proposals in his state-of-the-nation handle in mid-March. When it was all put collectively, it grew to become clear the proposed amendments need to do with the 30% plus of the articles of the Structure, that means that one third of the Structure must be modified,” Vassilenko advised New Europe in a video interview throughout his go to to Brussels on Might 16.
“So, the president then determined probably the most democratic solution to get his proposals authorized can be to place them for a vote to the individuals. Underneath our legislation, it will be potential to go these amendments in parliament, however the president determined that they’re so broad ranging, deep and significant that they require the consent of the complete voters. The earlier referendum in Kazakhstan befell in 1995 when the Structure beneath which we lived for 27 years had been authorized. Additional amendments to this Structure had been launched via parliament however once more this time the president’s resolution was that these amendments had been so broad ranging and deep that they require the consent of the complete voters,” Vassilenko mentioned.
“The expectations are that the individuals would, in fact, debate this supply from the president. The entire package deal is put ahead for the individuals to vote on,” he mentioned, explaining that it’s a sure or no vote. “Underneath our legislation, a minimal of fifty% of the voter turnout is required for the referendum to develop into legitimate. Additionally, a minimal of fifty% and above is required for the choice of the referendum to be official. Proper now, the problem is to persuade the folks that that is the possibility for the individuals to vote on the way forward for their nation,” the deputy overseas minister mentioned.
In accordance with him, there’s a sense that these amendments are preferred by the individuals, that folks would wish to help that. He famous that there’s a problem that there may be some complacency and a few individuals might resolve that there is no such thing as a level in going and voting as a result of there’s such a large help for the amendments, and they’re going to supposedly go anyway. “So, the complacency is principally the opponent of the referendum, and we have to, as a authorities, as a state to clarify the that means of those amendments, the significance of those amendments for the individuals and the significance of the vote for the referendum,” Vassilenko mentioned.
Kazakhstan has invited worldwide observers from quite a few organizations together with Commonwealth of Unbiased States (CIS), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Group of Turkic States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, in addition to the Workplace of democratic establishments and human rights (ODIHR) of the Group of Safety and Co-operation of Europe (OSCE). “We hope all these organizations observe the referendum, assist us enhance the electoral course of thought their observations, via their suggestions so once we come as much as the following spherical of the elections, we are able to take them into consideration,” Vassilenko mentioned.
Strengthening native self-government
“As a part of these reforms we’re speaking in regards to the strengthening of the Mazhilis (decrease home) of Parliament and its powers and starting with the way in which the Mazhilis is created. In accordance with the proposed reform, 70% of the Mazhilis can be elected via the social gathering lists and 30% of the seats can be stuffed via single vote constituencies. As much as understand it’s a 100% social gathering record proportional system,” Vassilenko mentioned. “However on the regional meeting degree the breakdown goes even additional in direction of strengthening the reference to the voters, that means that fifty% of these seats can be stuffed via the social gathering lists and 50% can be stuffed via direct vote and even on the decrease degree the election can be absolutely made via the person constituencies, with out social gathering lists,” he added.
In accordance with Vassilenko, the native assemblies in areas will now have a selection between the 2 choices provided by Kazakhstan’s President as head of the area. “Up till now they principally vote on only one particular person that’s proposed by the president, however this may change and they’re going to have a real selection between the 2 choices thus once more having an even bigger say in how the areas through which these assemblies are created are run. There may be additionally a higher effort to devolve extra duty for amassing and utilizing the taxes. Proper now, there are six classes of taxes which might be collected by native authorities and spent regionally. It will enhance to 13 classes of taxes that the native authorities will accumulate and use the cash collected regionally with out sending to central authorities,” he mentioned.
Requested if Kazakhstan is wanting on the EU mannequin, Vassilenko reminded that Tokayev, in his state of the nation handle on March 16, put ahead a proposal for Kazakhstan to contemplate becoming a member of the European Constitution of Native Self-Authorities. “Sadly, this Constitution will not be open for becoming a member of by nations that aren’t members of the Council of Europe however there’s a chance to use the provisions, the ideas outlined on this constitution in our nationwide laws, and the work is being achieved to do exactly that,” Vassilenko mentioned.
EU-Kazakhstan strategic cooperation
Turning to EU-Kazakhstan cooperation, Vassilenko mentioned the muse for relations between Brussels and Nur-Sultan is the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Settlement which entered into full drive on March 2, 2020. “It covers 29 areas of cooperation however in latest months particularly the highest precedence, prime consideration by all officers is given to connectivity, to transportation, to discovering many different routes to move items between Central Asia, between China after which Central Asia and Europe,” he mentioned.
One other necessary space of rising cooperation is crucial uncooked supplies. Vassilenko famous Kazakhstan has fairly an excellent variety of deposits and it may be companions for the European Battery Alliance and European Uncooked Supplies Alliance, and there’s potential for excellent cooperation on this space.
One other space is the inexperienced vitality and there are a number of initiatives supported by the European Union however applied by European firms to develop renewable vitality sources in Kazakhstan in addition to to provide inexperienced hydrogen, he mentioned.
Furthermore, training is at all times a precedence. “We, in fact, are involved in additional increasing this cooperation via the Horizon 2020 program,” he mentioned.
Additionally, on Kazakhstan’s precedence record is to extend and enhance the situations for individuals’s mobility. That is an space which is offered for in Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Settlement (EPCA) which states that the EU and Kazakhstan will help higher individuals’s mobility. “As of the start of this yr, we restored the visa free journey for residents of all EU member states which was suspended throughout the two years of the pandemic. Now we wish to see some progress on the visa facilitation for Kazakh residents to the European Union. We don’t ask for visa free journey, however we ask for some facilitating preparations for issuing the visas, and it is a precedence for Kazakhstan,” Vassilenko mentioned.
Turning to the Trans-Caspian Worldwide Transport Route, Kazakhstan’s Deputy International Minister mentioned, “That’s one of many points that’s being mentioned proper now on learn how to strengthen and develop this cooperation between logistics firms, nationwide transportation firms of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey”.
On March 31, 4 nations – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan – signed a quadrilateral assertion on the event of the Trans-Caspian Worldwide Transport Hall, aimed toward strengthening cooperation and growing the transit potential of the nations alongside the hall. “Nationwide railway firms pledged to work collectively to strengthen this cooperation. There may be loads of work that must be achieved to synchronize the efforts. It has to do with tariffs, it has to do with provision of rolling inventory, of locomotives, of scheduling, et cetera.
There’s a very profitable instance that we have already got of getting related preparations with the Russian and Belarussian railway firms beneath the United Transport and Logistics Firm with Kazakhstan. Three railway firms established a joint firm and for the previous 9 years it labored very nicely to move cargo from China, from Central Asia throughout Kazakhstan, throughout Russia and Belarus into Poland, after which additional to Germany and different locations. We wish to replicate that with the Center Hall,” Vassilenko mentioned.
“Happiness is having a number of choices for transporting your items. There may be additionally the choice to move cargo throughout the Caspian Sea. We have now two ports, Aktau and Kuryk, on the Caspian Sea; their throughput capability is 27 million tons, however it has not been utilized in full. It has been used solely possibly as much as 20%-25% of its capability. So, there’s potential to make use of and develop these alternatives and have extra choices to export items,” he mentioned.
Requested how Kazakhstan can contribute to EU vitality safety, Vassilenko advised New Europe there’s a German-Swedish firm Svevind which is planning to construct photo voltaic and wind energy stations to provide about 35 Gigawatt of photo voltaic and wind vitality to energy a 20 Gigawatt electrolysis plant to provide a minimum of 2 Million tons of inexperienced hydrogen per yr. “Moreover, they’re a way more bold venture, and their objective is to provide from this electrical energy inexperienced hydrogen after which export it to Europe. So, we have now loads of potential not simply in batteries and important uncooked supplies however in producing inexperienced hydrogen. It requires loads of effort, loads of funding however that is one thing that’s already being labored on,” he mentioned.
Central Asia cooperation
Requested about safety points in Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s Deputy International Minister mentioned his nation has at all times been of the place that multilateral diplomacy particularly is the way in which to stop issues from taking place after which resolve them in the event that they exist. He reminded that Kazakhstan is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Group and the Convention on Interplay and Confidence-Constructing Measures in Asia (CICA) which now brings collectively 27 nations. “In Central Asia correct, we have now at all times advocated for stronger regional dialogue between the 5 nations. Since 2018, such a dialogue has been launched at a really excessive degree. Three such conferences of the leaders of 5 nations befell starting with the one in Astana in 2018. We’re now a way more bold plan of cooperation between the 5 nations. It contains cooperation in numerous areas, however the safety cooperation is dealt via different establishments which I discussed already equivalent to Shanghai Cooperation Group, and CICA.
I must also point out the OSCE, however I must also point out the Collective Safety Treaty Group. A few of the nations in Central Asia are CSTO members equivalent to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Others usually are not. For us, the primary thought, the primary objective is to strengthen throughout the board cooperation amongst 5 nations – financial, commerce, political – in order that we resolve these issues that exist between the nations. They at all times exist, we have now an enormous problem with managing water assets which have gotten more and more scarce in our area, for instance. So, once more, our thought is to proceed with this dialogue among the many 5 nations of Central Asia,” Vassilenko mentioned.
“We additionally help numerous dialogue codecs between the 5 nations of Central Asia and different worldwide actors. For instance, EU-Central Asia dialogue or Central Asia Plus One, that means america, or Central Asia Plus South Korea or Central Asia Plus India or Central Asia Plus China or Central Asia Plus Russia. In different phrases, these are the codecs the place outdoors companions of the 5 nations wish to have interaction with the area as a area, and we welcome these platforms as a result of they’ve completely different angles, completely different focuses relying on the worldwide companion, and completely different scopes, completely different historical past, some are reasonably new equivalent to those with China and Russia, others equivalent to with america, is now six years previous, with the European Union it’s a lot older, rather more established. With Japan or South Korea, they’re much extra established and has been in existence for much longer. To sum up, first we wish to strengthen cooperation in Central Asia, inside Central Asia after which we wish to strengthen cooperation of Central Asia with outdoors companions,” Vassilenko mentioned.
He famous that apparently the EU is the biggest buying and selling companion as a bloc not only for Kazakhstan but additionally for different nations in Central Asia. “Our neighbors in Central Asia stand for very restricted commerce quantity between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and different nations in Central Asia. So, we wish to develop commerce inside Central Asia as a result of there’s nice potential, and this commerce has not lived as much as its full potential within the 30 years of our unbiased life the place we sought business companions, funding companions past the area. Secondly, we wish to develop commerce between our area and Central Asia and that is the place the EU World Gateway program is helpful or the EU Technique on Central Asia is beneficial,” Vassilenko mentioned.
He added, “So, there’s framework, there’s a political focus within the EU about learn how to develop its cooperation with Central Asia. We’re working collectively to make it a actuality”.
