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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, power safety, transport corridors as effectively strengthening cooperation inside Central Asia and increasing the area’s cooperation with outdoors companions.
“I might 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 deal with in mid-March. When it was all put collectively, it grew to become clear the proposed amendments must do with the 30% plus of the articles of the Structure, which means that one third of the Structure must be modified,” Vassilenko instructed New Europe in a video interview throughout his go to to Brussels on Might 16.
“So, the president then determined essentially the most democratic solution to get his proposals authorised could be to place them for a vote to the individuals. Underneath our regulation, it might be doable to go these amendments in parliament, however the president determined that they’re so vast ranging, deep and significant that they require the consent of the complete voters. The earlier referendum in Kazakhstan befell in 1995 when the Structure below which we lived for 27 years had been authorised. Additional amendments to this Structure have been launched via parliament however once more this time the president’s choice was that these amendments have been so vast ranging and deep that they require the consent of the complete voters,” Vassilenko mentioned.
“The expectations are that the individuals would, after all, debate this supply from the president. The entire bundle is put ahead for the individuals to vote on,” he mentioned, explaining that it’s a sure or no vote. “Underneath our regulation, 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 legit. Proper now, the problem is to persuade the those who that is the prospect for the individuals to vote on the way forward for their nation,” the deputy international minister mentioned.
In accordance with him, there’s a sense that these amendments are appreciated by the individuals, that folks would need to assist that. He famous that there’s a problem that there may be some complacency and a few individuals might resolve that there isn’t a level in going and voting as a result of there may be such a large assist 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 elucidate the which 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 Impartial 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 subsequent spherical of the elections, we are able to take them under 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 shall be elected via the celebration lists and 30% of the seats shall be crammed via single vote constituencies. As much as realize it’s a 100% celebration listing proportional system,” Vassilenko mentioned. “However on the regional meeting degree the breakdown goes even additional in the direction of strengthening the reference to the voters, which means that fifty% of these seats shall be crammed via the celebration lists and 50% shall be crammed via direct vote and even on the decrease degree the election shall be totally made via the person constituencies, with out celebration lists,” he added.
In accordance with Vassilenko, the native assemblies in areas will now have a alternative 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 can change and they’re going to have a real alternative between the 2 choices thus once more having a much bigger say in how the areas during which these assemblies are created are run. There’s additionally a larger effort to devolve extra duty for amassing and utilizing the taxes. Proper now, there are six classes of taxes which are collected by native authorities and spent regionally. It will improve to 13 classes of taxes that the native authorities will acquire 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 deal with 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 just isn’t open for becoming a member of by international locations that aren’t members of the Council of Europe however there’s a chance to use the provisions, the rules outlined on this constitution in our nationwide laws, and the work is being completed 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 current months particularly the highest precedence, high consideration by all officers is given to connectivity, to transportation, to discovering many various routes to move items between Central Asia, between China after which Central Asia and Europe,” he mentioned.
One other essential space of rising cooperation is crucial uncooked supplies. Vassilenko famous Kazakhstan has fairly a great variety of deposits and it may be companions for the European Battery Alliance and European Uncooked Supplies Alliance, and there may be potential for excellent cooperation on this space.
One other space is the inexperienced power and there are a number of initiatives supported by the European Union however applied by European corporations to develop renewable power sources in Kazakhstan in addition to to supply inexperienced hydrogen, he mentioned.
Furthermore, schooling is all the time a precedence. “We, after all, are enthusiastic about additional increasing this cooperation via the Horizon 2020 program,” he mentioned.
Additionally, on Kazakhstan’s precedence listing is to extend and enhance the situations for individuals’s mobility. That is an space which is supplied for in Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Settlement (EPCA) which states that the EU and Kazakhstan will assist larger 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 in the course of 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 increase this cooperation between logistics corporations, nationwide transportation corporations of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey”.
On March 31, 4 international locations – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan – signed a quadrilateral assertion on the event of the Trans-Caspian Worldwide Transport Hall, aimed toward strengthening cooperation and rising the transit potential of the international locations alongside the hall. “Nationwide railway corporations pledged to work collectively to strengthen this cooperation. There’s quite a lot of work that must be completed 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 comparable preparations with the Russian and Belarussian railway corporations below the United Transport and Logistics Firm with Kazakhstan. Three railway corporations established a joint firm and for the previous 9 years it labored very effectively 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’s additionally the choice to move cargo throughout the Caspian Sea. We’ve two ports, Aktau and Kuryk, on the Caspian Sea; their throughput capability is 27 million tons, but it surely has not been utilized in full. It has been used solely possibly as much as 20%-25% of its capability. So, there may be potential to make use of and increase these alternatives and have extra choices to export items,” he mentioned.
Requested how Kazakhstan can contribute to EU power safety, Vassilenko instructed New Europe there’s a German-Swedish firm Svevind which is planning to construct photo voltaic and wind energy stations to supply about 45 MW of electrical energy. “Moreover, they’re a way more bold mission, and their purpose is to supply from this electrical energy inexperienced hydrogen after which export it to Europe. So, we’ve quite a lot of potential not simply in batteries and important uncooked supplies however in producing inexperienced hydrogen. It requires quite a lot of effort, quite a lot 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 all the time been of the place that multilateral diplomacy particularly is the way in which to forestall issues from occurring 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 international locations. “In Central Asia correct, we’ve all the time advocated for stronger regional dialogue between the 5 international locations. Since 2018, such a dialogue has been launched at a really excessive degree. Three such conferences of the leaders of 5 international locations befell starting with the one in Astana in 2018. We’re now a way more bold plan of cooperation between the 5 international locations. It contains cooperation in numerous areas, however the safety cooperation is dealt via different establishments which I discussed already akin 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 number of the international locations in Central Asia are CSTO members akin to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Others are usually not. For us, the principle concept, the principle purpose is to strengthen throughout the board cooperation amongst 5 international locations – financial, commerce, political – in order that we resolve these issues that exist between the international locations. They all the time exist, we’ve a giant problem with managing water assets which have gotten more and more scarce in our area, for instance. So, once more, our concept is to proceed with this dialogue among the many 5 international locations of Central Asia,” Vassilenko mentioned.
“We additionally assist numerous dialogue codecs between the 5 international locations of Central Asia and different worldwide actors. For instance, EU-Central Asia dialogue or Central Asia Plus One, which 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 international locations need to interact 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 accomplice, and completely different scopes, completely different historical past, some are fairly new akin to those with China and Russia, others akin to with america, is now six years outdated, 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 need to strengthen cooperation in Central Asia, inside Central Asia after which we need to strengthen cooperation of Central Asia with outdoors companions,” Vassilenko mentioned.
He famous that apparently the EU is the most important buying and selling accomplice as a bloc not only for Kazakhstan but in addition for different international locations in Central Asia. “Our neighbors in Central Asia stand for very restricted commerce quantity between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and different international locations in Central Asia. So, we need to increase commerce inside Central Asia as a result of there may be nice potential, and this commerce has not lived as much as its full potential within the 30 years of our impartial life the place we sought industrial companions, funding companions past the area. Secondly, we need to increase commerce between our area and Central Asia and that is the place the EU World Gateway program is useful or the EU Technique on Central Asia is helpful,” Vassilenko mentioned.
He added, “So, there may be framework, there’s a political focus within the EU about learn how to increase its cooperation with Central Asia. We’re working collectively to make it a actuality”.
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