All the way to Saty, a village located south east of Almaty, strings of horses appeared left and right of the road, often scattered like insects on the backs of the hills. They grazed in peace, shook their tails and pricked their ears in alert, a spasm sometimes running across their flanks.

In the fall I traveled to the Almaty Region in Kazakhstan to explore some of its natural treasures, learn more about its nomadic ancient traditions. The horizon was clear and expansive, only the velvety plains and the ragged surface of the mountains were constant companions. I felt as if I had landed on a friendly asteroid or a verdant planet in a distant galaxy.

Saty is one of the first villages in Kazakhstan to adopt the model of Community Based Tourism (CBT), in which the village families join efforts with tour operators to offer food and board, entertainment, arts and crafts workshops, all of it conducted by the local community. It’s a way to get everyone involved and develop a sense of belonging and caring for their place of origin. The Kazakh government has invested in the improvement and extension of the highways and roads so that convenient access from cities such as Almaty can bring not only tourism to the region, but also goods and services.

Inside a yurt, the traditional nomadic home of the Kazakh nomadic people, I enjoyed typical songs performed by a music teacher from the local school who played the dombra, a traditional string instrument, as well as a dance by young girls and boys. One thing that caught my attention about the yurt was the center of the ceiling which has a circular shape and is called Shanerak. It is, symbolically, the most important part of the dwelling and its shape means union. Union of the family but also of the nation. A family-size yurt can be disassembled in about 2 hours by people familiar with its structure, which has a weight of approximately 350 kilos. The yurt can be transported on the back of either one camel or a couple of strong horses.

It is believed that the horse was originally domesticated by the Scythians, a group of peoples living in this area of Central Asia as far back as the 11th century BC. The Scythians were so deft at horse riding that some scholars have entertained the possibility that the myth of the Centaur, created by the Greeks, found its origin in this part of the world.

At the table I tried the manties (dumplings filled with vegetables or spiced meat), as well as tomato and cucumber salad. There was also Kurt, which is made from dried salty cheese and has a very sour taste. Several kinds of sweets we offered for dessert including irimshik and zhent which are sweets made with a mix of millet flour, curd and sugar.

After dinner, when everyone had gone to bed, I went for a walk near the compound where the cabins stood, and even if the cold air gave me a runny nose, I stopped for a moment under the moonlight and filled my lungs with the smells of the night, a blanket of peace falling over me. Only the murmur of the Chilik river could be heard.

On the voyage I encountered landscapes of sheer dramatic beauty. The turquoise waters of the Kaindy lake with its solitary trees standing like frozen sentinels draw an image I will never forget. Formed after an earthquake in 1887 which destroyed a natural-formed dam upstream, the lake holds a snapshot of nineteenth century Kazakhstan: the trunks of the trees still standing in the middle of the lake’s waters date from a time when the Russian Empire still lay claim to these lands.

Not far from Kaindy, one can also visit the Kolsai lakes. Found only a few kilometers from the border with Kyrgyzstan, the three Kolsai lakes are at altitudes of 1700, 2500 and 2800 meters respectively. One can reach the first one by car and from there, hiking to the second lake would take about two and a half hours. A final stretch of two hours would be needed to reach the final one. Horses for rent are also available on site during the high season.

To reach Saty and the lakes, travelers can either rent a car in the city of Almaty or contact a tour operator. At this time, bus transport services are still being planned and developed. To Almaty I flew via Istanbul where I was able to see the brand new airport. “It’s a city within a city,” told me a flight attendant from Turkish Airlines when I asked her about it. The ceilings are high and stylized, and they look like the inner skeleton of a futuristic beast. During my couple of hours layover, I saw droves of people walking by, shopping for souvenirs, slurping soda, and in the maelstrom of so many passengers plenty had difficulty finding a seat. But despite its monumental size, the place was kept impeccable by the cleaning services team.

On the drive back to the city of Almaty I saw shepherds on horses looking after their sheep. On the face of the hills, they seemed like tiny fluffs of cotton pinned to the surface. Not far from them attentive dogs barked. They ran back and forth like short-tempered foremen. Far away into the distance I saw the silhouette of two solitary horses, and I wondered why they were so isolated from any other string of horses. After a moment I saw one of them raise its front legs and mount the other one. They had become a single shape.

The largest city in the country, Almaty is nevertheless full of trees and green areas. Because Almaty lies at the foot of the mountains, several streams run through the city — the melted snow feeds the Bolshaya Almatinka, Malaya Almatinka and Esentai rivers. There is a legend stating that in the 19th century, men could only get married after having planted a dozen trees. Not for nothing is Almaty also referred to as the Garden City.

On a day trip from Almaty, I visited a Kazakh Ethno Village called The Huns where I was able to know more about the nomadic traditions. I saw horse riders, both men and women, demonstrate acrobatic tricks and traditions. For instance there is Kyz Kuu, or “Girl chasing”, a game where the horseman can either steal a kiss or get a whipping from the horsewoman.

There are also simulated man to man fights while they ride their horses. Travelers can visit the Ethno Village for half a day or spend the night. There are yurtages (yurt + cottage) for those wanting additional comfort, and guests can choose to go on a horseback riding tour, relax in the steam room, follow masterclasses on “how to be a nomad”, or simply wander around and enjoy the sweet fragrance from the apple tree orchards. The juicy Aport, which is a mix of Russian and Kazakh varieties, grows in these fields.

Also on the outskirts of city, I visited a falconry where I learned about the Golden Eagle and why it is the national symbol of Kazakhstan. Nomadic tribes saw the need to protect their herds from the attacks of wolves and began taming and training eagles. Young eagles would be trained to hunt wolves by the neck or at least deter them from getting near the livestock. For centuries the tradition has passed on and thus the eagle symbolizes the nomadic culture of the country.

On the last day, I visited the Green Bazar (Zelionyj), which sits close to the intersection of Pushkin Street and Zhibek Zholy Avenue. Inside I tried dried apricots and figs and different nuts offered by chatty sellers, many of them Uzbek or Tajik, whose hands are always full of dried fruits for every passerby.

One can find pickled vegetables (carrot, peppers, cucumbers) as well as honey and many different kinds of dairy products, including the famous kumis or fermented horse milk. Before leaving I glanced one last time at the stands full of fresh fruits and vegetables all of them streaked by the mid-morning sunlight and I took with me the sounds, the smells, hoping to be back again in Almaty.

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Since its independence, in 1991, the Kazakh economy has developed fast. During the meeting, the diplomat remembered how, 8 years ago, it was difficult to look to the Belgian and European model and to try to implement it in Kazakhstan. 8 years later things have changed. A new generation is leading the country, and it is ready to implement worldwide experiences and to be more open to new foreign investors.

In his opening speech, Kosherbayev mentioned the effort that the Kazakh government is making to attract potential investors. The National Company “Kazakh Invest”, which provides a “one-stop-shop” for investors, supplying them with assistance and information. The deputy minister also remrked that the Astana International Financial Centre is now operational. A financial hub guided by principles, norms, and precedents of England and Wales`s law and standards of the leading international financial centers. Also the weaknesses of the center Asia country have been pointed out, such as the leak of state guarantees or the long waiting time that is necessary to register new products.

Belgian companies in Kazakhstan

Twelve  representatives of the Belgian businesses were invited to share their expectations of a possible collaboration with Kazakhstan. Many of them already have Kazakh partners, and agreements were made with the deputy minister to ease their projects.

The fields where Belgian companies are more present in Kazakhstan are agriculture, new technologies, healthcare and energy. The Belgian Kazakhstan’s partners are the two export and foreign investment agencies, AWEX of Wallonia and FIT from Flanders. Every two years, these agencies introduce Belgian enterprises to Kazakhstan and organise business missions to the country.

In the last 28 years, the Belgian investments in the Kazakhstan economy amounted to €7.1 billion. 2018 has been a crucial year. In fact, compared to 2017 Kazakhstan’s foreign trade turnover with Belgium increased by 58% and amounted to €414million. However, according to Kosherbayev the Belgian-Kazakh relation is not at its full potential yet.

At the moment, 74 companies with Belgian capital have invested in Kazakhstan, between them Carmeuse, the mining company based in Louvain-la-Neuve, and Orfit industries, which deals with thermoplastic innovation, both present at the roundtable.

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Semipalatinsk (current Semey), a region in the northeastern steppe of Kazakhstan, was selected by the Soviet Union in 1947 as the main test location for its nuclear weapons program. The first test took place in 1949, with the fall-out spreading to nearby villages and settlements. Seventy years later, nuclear tests are still taking place elsewhere in the world and the global arsenal is estimated at more than 15,000 nuclear weapons. However, the legacy of nuclear testing and nuclear weapons is nothing but destruction and human suffering.

Between 1949 and 1989, a total of around 456 nuclear tests took place at the Semipalatinsk test site with a total force of around 2600 times the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The consequences were so disastrous for the local population and the region (more than one million people were exposed to radioactivity with all the horrific consequences) that Kazakhstan, led by First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, voluntarily renounced its nuclear arsenal following the implosion of the Soviet Union and is actively committed to a nuclear-free world until today.

Thanks to the efforts of First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan has rapidly gone from the possessor of the fourth in the world in its destructive power nuclear arsenal to the leading country in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Under his leadership, from the day of independence, our country has been persistently striving to achieve the goal of a nuclear-free world, as well as to turn it into the main task of the mankind in the 21st century.

It is in this context, as Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium, that I am addressing you today. After all, today is the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. The memorial day was set up in 2009 via a UN resolution at the initiative of Kazakhstan to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on 29 August 1991. The purpose of the memorial day is two-fold. Not only do we attempt to raise general awareness of the adverse effects of nuclear testing and do we emphasize the need for a stop to nuclear testing as a means of achieving a nuclear-free world. Today we also reflect on the human suffering as we commemorate the victims of nuclear tests, wherever they were conducted.

In an era of geopolitical upheavals and rising international tensions, the fight for a world free of nuclear weapons has become even more important. My country is firmly convinced that a general and complete nuclear disarmament and the abolition of nuclear tests are essential conditions for a safer world.

To this end, we created a real nuclear-free zone with our neighboring countries, under the so-called Semipalatinsk treaty. This means that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have agreed not to produce, acquire, test or possess nuclear weapons. In addition, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, my country set up the Low Enriched Uranium Bank with the aim of safely supplying the world with low-enriched uranium which is used to produce fuel for civilian purposes. Furthermore, Kazakhstan contributed to the adoption of The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iran’s nuclear program by providing that country with natural uranium for civilian energy use.

Other countries possessing nuclear test sites followed the example of Kazakhstan and ceased functioning of their nuclear test sites, which, in turn, paved the way for the adoption in 1996 of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Kazakhstan is actively committed to the entry into force of the CTBT which prohibits all nuclear explosions in any environment, both for military and civilian purposes. To date, 184 countries have signed the treaty, but it has unfortunately not entered into force because certain countries (with considerable nuclear capabilities) have not yet ratified the treaty.

In 2012, during the international conference “From the Prohibition of Nuclear Tests – to a World Free of Nuclear Weapons”, held on August 29, 2012 in Nur-Sultan, an initiative to establish The ATOM Project (Abolish Testing. Our Mission) was announced by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The ATOM Project is an international campaign designed to inform the international community about the dangers and consequences of nuclear weapons tests both for the environment and, above all, for humanity.The goal of this project is to achieve real, permanent change by uniting global communities in the fight to finally eradicate nuclear weapons testing and, ultimately, to free the world from nuclear weapons.

Within the framework of the Project, anyone who opposes nuclear weapons can sign an online petition to governments around the world urging them to permanently abandon nuclear tests, achieve the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and thus take an important step towards building a world free from nuclear threats.

Goodwill, courageous initiatives, voluntary moratoria and a strong international consensus against nuclear testing – however important – do not outweigh a globally legally binding ban on nuclear testing.
The test location of Semipalatinsk is a scar from a previous trauma. It is a trauma that we Kazakhs will never forget. But it is a scar that continues to inspire us to work with our friends on a future without nuclear tests, and ultimately a world without nuclear weapons.

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Tokayev’s successful election was already predicted by political analyst Stephen Bland speaking at the Brussels Press Club some 2 weeks before the event, who called it more of a “coronation” of the state-preferred candidate for President rather than an election.

Bland had been speaking at a seminar investigating the work of NGOs in Brussels which have been used as front organisations representing the vested interests of oligarchs, without any proper transparency concerning the origin of their funding. One such organisation is the Brussels-based Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) run by Lyudmyla Kozlovska and her husband Bartosz Kramek. According to Bland there are proven financial links between ODF and the Kazakh fugitive oligarch and convicted fraudster Mukhtar Ablyazov.

Bland has thoroughly researched the history of the Kazakh oligarch now living in exile in France, and was the editor of the book “Wanted Man”, published recently by Brussels-based author Gary Cartwright which tells the story of Ablyazov.

Bland says that the ODF has been linked to lobbying activities in the name of “human rights” whereby they represent a number of extremely wealthy fugitives, mostly wanted for money laundering in Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and other countries, presenting them publicly as persecuted members of the political opposition.

Kozlovska has in the past enjoyed personal support from individual members of the European Parliament, such as Anna Fotyga MEP and Julie Ward MEP, but according to Bland these politicians have now sought to distance themselves from her and her organisation.

What is clear is that much of the funding for ODF is paid through shell companies, often transferred by PayPal and Western Union making it more difficult to investigate a clear audit trail. Two of the shell companies used for this purpose are Kariastra Ltd and Silk Road Ltd.

ODF’s fugitive oligarch sponsor Mukhtar Ablyazov did attempt in 2017 to fund political opposition in Kazakhstan (the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK)), but the party he established was declared an extremist organisation last March by the Kazakh courts, for inciting social discord and making public calls for the seizure of power.

It is not clear whether the ODF or Ablyazov have been involved behind the scenes in funding any of the civil protests and demonstrations that have followed yesterday’s elections in Kazakhstan. Similarly, Bland did not have any information regarding ODF’s involvement in the funding of any individual MEPs or their parties in last month’s European Parliament elections.

At the time of writing it remains to be seen whether the EU will continue to uphold Poland’s request to ban ODF’s Kozlovska and Branek from entering the Schengen zone, which they requested in August 2018 on the grounds that they allegedly posed a threat to the national security of Poland, because of a public call by Branek to bring down the Polish government.

But what is clear is that both the Kazakh and the EU authorities will need to continue to co-operate closely in monitoring the use of fake news by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the pursuit of their clients’ agendas, including potentially disruptive intervention against their political opponents.

Incoming President Tokayev has many important tasks on his agenda to promote Kazakhstan’s transition to democracy and keep the economy stable and dynamic. One area which should command his priority attention, as the population becomes more international in its expectations is the promotion of independence of the media and the freedom of speech. The EU institutions in Brussels should also provide supportive assistance to Kazakhstan’s emerging democracy in this regard, to include the identification and elimination of rogue NGOs like ODF.

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Meanwhile, at the Astana Opera, acting President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, exercised his democratic right to cast his vote and responded to questions from local and international media.

“We are committed to involve the youth in the decision-making of our country,” he said. “Today is an important day for our country as the whole world witnesses the unfolding of a democratic process.”

More than 8,000 polling stations were deployed across the country to accommodate for the nearly 11 million Kazakh citizens eligible to cast their vote on Sunday, including 1.5 million new voters who have turned 18 since the last election in 2015.

In the capital, despite the constant drizzle, thousands of people stood in line, plenty of them with their children, before entering the voting booths.

“I’m impressed by the organization of the electoral process here,” said Valeriu-Andrei Steriu, a member of the Romanian Parliament and observer in Nur-Sultan. “I noticed facilities for both, hearing- and seeing-impaired people. Definitely something to be learned from in other parts of the world.”

The Central Asian nation invited more than 700 international observers to witness the historic day, including 350 from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR), and 350 from other international organizations, such as the Central European Initiative (CEI), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“We have not noticed any abnormalities in any of the polling stations we visited,” reported Mr. Simon Kozaidze, Member of the Georgian Parliament and observer in Nur-Sultan. “If there were any issues we would of course include them in the protocol and minutes of our reports.”

Another observer, Mr. Daniel Alan Witt from the US, noted that no foreign cyber intervention had been reported. « We asked the parties and the candidates, ‘Do you have any concerns about foreign interference?’ And they said no. Given what’s been going on in the world, you’ve got to be vigilant. But no one was expressing concerns. »

On Saturday June 8th, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roman Vassilenko, spoke with the international press about the importance of the elections as the young nation continues its building process via democracy. “For us it’s important that all the people in Kazakhstan exercise their right to choose who their leader is.” He talked about the “multi-vector” foreign policy he expected to see after the election, with continued good relations with the country’s “near and far” neighbors. When asked about the main challenges ahead he said, “It’s not a country without its flaws and difficulties – we all know about them – for example corruption, lack of development in rural areas. These ought to be the areas of focus for the government.”

On Sunday, some peaceful demonstrations took place in the cities of Almaty and Nur-Sultan. When asked about them, the candidate representing the business community, Ms. Daniya Yespayeva from the Zhol party, said she did not yet know the origin of the demonstrations but that she supposed they were linked to social and economic mobility in the country. “I hope the next president, whoever it turns out to be, addresses this issue,” she said.

According to news agency AFP, several protesters were detained, as well as some journalists who were later released. After casting his vote, Mr. Tokayev replied to the media, “I believe presidential elections are not meant to be a battleground. They are not an excuse for confrontation.”

There were a total of seven candidates running up for the Presidency of Kazakhstan. The preliminary exit polls in the early hours of Monday morning showed Mr. Tokayev with 70.13% of the votes, and Amirzhan Kossanov in second position with 15.39%.

Updated: June 10th

On the morning of Monday, June 10th, the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a press conference for local and foreign media to present the preliminary results of the Presidential elections held on Sunday June 9th.

The members of the committee reported on the number of polling stations (more than 8,000 across the country). They also provided details about all the facilities offered in different polling stations to ease the voting process fo physically impaired Kazakh citizens.

Preliminary voting results per region (oblast) and major city were provided, candidate by candidate. A list of all the requests for information and clarification received by the CEC were also noted and briefed upon.

The same day, in the afternoon, acting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, welcomed the media in one of the rooms of the beautiful Presidential Palace or Ak Orda. He began by congratulating the other six candidates.  “I am committed to a mandate of truth for the next five years, » he said, in front of more than 100 journalists. He was grateful to the international observers who had witnessed the many aspects of the election process in Kazakhstan.

When asked about the countries involvement in China’s Belt and Road initiative, Tokayev noted that China would not be able to develop the project without close collaboration with Kazakhstan.  “We are open and we are promoting foreign investment, » he said. « We have 300 billions of investment from abroad. In July there will be an important meeting with investors. The business climate is good”.

Mr. Tokayev  finished the press conference by stating that he planned to conduct an open communication policy holding Q&A sessions with the media as frequently as possible.

The President’s first trip abroad will be to Kyrgyzstan on June 14th, followed by a trip to Tajikistan on June 15th.

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The former Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to US President Trump spoke on Friday May 24th at the XVI Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, during a panel discussion entitled: Crisis of Trust – Global Power Balance. Wearing hiking shoes and frayed khaki pants, Bannon affirmed that the political elites had “gutted” the working class people for decades. “People around the world are saying ‘We’ve had enough.’”

When asked about the trade spat between the US and China he stated that China had no real leveraging power to negotiate with the US. “Companies like ZTE and Huawei, we can take them out of business in 30 days.”

Before flying to the the Central Asian country, Bannon met with right-wing and populist leaders in Europe with the goal of forming a unified nationalist European movement. “I see the rise of nationalism as something positive,” he said. “It unites people.”

An immediate refutation came from Mark Siegel, Head of NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. ”Nationalism is not meant to unite, it’s meant to divide. It’s an ideology of us versus them. How can that be positive?” He went on to explain that there are valid reasons why people are concerned about immigration but that it all comes down to “economical factors.” He stressed that it is unproductive to use fears triggered by xenophobia and racism for the purpose of boosting popularity among voters.

For Mr. Siegel it is difficult to articulate a meaningful statement about current US Foreign Affairs policy because “there is none.” He criticized President Trump for pulling out from many international agreements, including the nuclear deal with Iran, which required large amounts of time and effort by several countries. “He just ripped it up,” Siegel said, and added that he’s not surprised that these days many countries fear entering into any kind of negotiation with the US when there is a high risk that the President “will just walk away.”

Former British politician and hardliner Brexiteer, George Galloway, blamed the EU institutions for much of the problems faced by the working class in England. “Why would someone in the rust-belt of England vote for the status quo? The EU club and its elites are done.” But he remained vague, seemed almost at a loss, when it came to specify what EU legislation had affected the UK. “I’m a working class person, more or less like Steve Bannon. We’re tired of the elites.” He seemed to enjoy giving the same line as an answer, which he repeated several times, saying that the EU doesn’t care if the “workers’ lunch is stolen by China.”

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, a former EU Commissioner, conceded that reforms were indeed necessary within the EU institutions, namely: a qualified majority instead of a unanimity vote, and a smaller Commission, but she was firm when refuting Galloway’s argument stating that, “It was the UK policy not the EU policy that had made the people in the rust-belt worse off.”

Among the participants the opinion was divided regarding Bannon’s presence in the Eurasian Media Forum. Some applauded Kazakhstan’s long-standing will to create spaces for debate, as well as the Forum’s organizers’ vision for bringing speakers from both sides of the political spectrum, hoping to bridge differences and foster dialogue. But others expressed mixed feelings, even concern. “It’s offering him a platform to amplify his populist ideas,” said a German journalist who preferred to remain anonymous. “It’s a very noble initiative by the leaders of Kazakhstan to have a forum like this and try to fight the forces of polarization. But if one side is already convinced of its ideas and does not even try to listen, what do you accomplish? It’s a very fine line.”

The Eurasian Media Forum was first held in Almaty in 2002, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C., and over the course of its sixteen editions it has hosted more than 7,000 participants from over 60 countries, a formidable success for the Forum’s organizers. This year, Kazakhstan Minister of Information and Social Development, Dauren Abayev, read President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s address to the attendants. President Tokayev’s words expressed that one of the threats the world faces is unauthorized access to digital data and the waves of disinformation which have proved a destructive influence on electoral processes. “I am committed to a fair and democratic election,” read Mr. Abayev, “and I therefore welcome the representatives of the mass media to the elections that will take place on the 9th of June.”

Throughout the three day event journalists from the world over posed tough questions to the panelists but at no time was the weight of silence felt as uncomfortable as when Eurasianet correspondent, Joanna Lillis, brought up the fact that the authorities had been blocking internet access to users. ”What is the point of holding a conference on the media without discussing this,” Willis asked.

One of the panelists, Alexander Aksyutits, Head of Salem Social Media, failed to see any problem because “everybody knows about the use of VPN’s,” while Natalia Antelava, CEO of Coda Story in Georgia, thought it was an important question and wished to see some of the local journalists say more “about the situation in Kazakhstan.”

During another session entitled Consumption Crisis, an unflattering light was cast over Europe in terms of environmental protection when Jazmín Acuña, Editor of El Surtidor in Paraguay, mentioned that El Chaco region is under great pressure from farmers who want to expand their grasslands to export meat to Europe. “The threat is two-fold,” said Acuña. “Europe wants to buy not only the meat but also the wood from the felled trees.” She went on to explain that the situation in El Chaco has entered a perverse cycle because the products are being presented to European importers as having followed the necessary regulations but in truth the regulations related to sustainability in Paraguay are “from a different era” and are in urgent need of revision.

During the Eurasian Media Forum several Masterclasses were offered by experts in the field covering topics such as Environmental Journalism, Film Production, Mobile Journalism (MoJo), among many others.

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Former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Juan Manuel Santos explained Colombia’s pioneer role in shaping the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while reminding that Colombia was the first country to turn the 17 SDGs into law and to regionalise them. “The latter is very important for large countries, such as Kazakhstan, whose regions have different conditions,” he noted. “We must make many more people aware of the urgency with which we have to act. »

“We lost 20 years of time to implement sustainable policies between the two Rio Summits despite the fact that our survival depends on this. This week the temperature in the Arctic Circle reached 29 Celsius degrees,” stressed Professor Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University. “We should think ahead in a generational scale instead of living from tweet to tweet. The quarterly GDP accounts are meaningless if we don’t have long term perspective in terms of debt and environmental devastation. We should not look at shallow indicators but at the quality of life.”

“For Kazakhstan, which is at the heart of Eurasia, the Belt and Road Initiative is very important. But we have to find ways to make it a green sustainable development initiative instead of constructing more coal plants under this banner,” Sachs concluded.

The Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank Shixin Chen stressed the role of regional organisations in supporting the implementation of the SDGs. “We can help countries to reform their policies to build up public management capacities and to boost technological progress,” he said.

The Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana highlighted the need to transform economies to more diversified models in the region and to make them less dependent on oil, gas and minerals.

“Kazakhstan has a huge potential due to its geographic location at the centre of the sub-region connecting not only several countries in the region but also Europe to the rest of Asia. This strategic location could be developed as a transportation or connectivity hub. This is the direction where the Kazakh economy is going,” she said.

She also highlighted that Central Asia could hugely benefit from the from ASEAN’s initiative of global energy interconnection development cooperation (GEIDO), which foresees an interconnected grid of renewable energy.

“To accelerate the progress of the Asia and the Pacific region in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030, strategically targeted investments, a deeper economic integration and trade facilitation measures will be needed,” she added.

The President of PlaNet Finance, Jacques Attali, who was the initiator of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, highlighted that the top 14 countries in terms of SDG performance were in Europe, Sweden constituting a good example. “But there is a major flaw in the SDG mechanism: It doesn’t take into account the spill-over effects of imports,” he argued. “If we think in terms of global impact, the results for importing countries, such as Germany and France, are much worse.”

Referring to the Global Positive Index, taking into account different factors, such as democracy, demography and transparency, Attali underlined that, “the capacity of OECD countries to take care of the next generation is diminishing. No investment should be done without an impact analysis for future generations. »

Haukur Hardarson, Chairman and Founder of the Arctic Green Energy Cooperation, pointed out that 80 percent of the energy used for the heating and cooling of cities is generated from fossil fuels, which is responsible for environmental pollution and public health damage. “This will be more problematic in the future as the urban population is increasing. Due to the fact that solar and wind energy cannot be stored, geothermal energy could solve this problem,” the Icelandic speaker put forward.

Suggesting that SDGs should be applied to businesses, Dinara Seitjaparova, Financial Director of Almaty International Airport, gave an example of her enterprise, which reduced 30 percent of emissions by investing in equipment to increase visibility during the landing of planes in foggy weather and thus managed to avoid extra miles to land in other airports.

More than 460 politicians, businessmen, Nobel prize winners and top representatives of international organisations spoke in the forum, which was organised for the 12th time this year. Some 5600 participants representing government, private, NGO and media sectors from 74 countries joined the deliberations of the event, which now competes with the likes of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

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In front of a full hall at the EXPO Congress Center in the city of Nur-Sultan, Largarde pointed out that while 75% of the global economy experienced growth in 2018, the indicators for 2019 show that 70% of the world’s GDP is “slowing down.”

“I’m not suggesting that there is a recession,” she said, “but this is a delicate moment for the world.” The growth expectations for 2019 are currently set at 3.3% with hopes of seeing them go up again to 3.6% in 2020, an expectation that rests, however, on additional financial tightening, as well as an easing of the recent trade tensions between international players, namely China and the US.

She highlighted that the kind of sustainable growth the world needed was the one that could “lift the prospects of women, young people, the poor, and those who live in rural areas,” which would include the offer to secure the well-being of future generations.

With regards to women’s well-being and the fulfillment of their potential in Kazakhstan, she was pleased with the 65% of female participation in the work force, both in the public and private sectors, which is the highest percentage in the region, and “a benchmark in Central Asia.”

Lagarde pointed out that the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) region will continue to “play a key role” in stimulating economic growth, which so far has been close to 4% across the region, she reported.

Within the context of the 2019 Astana Economic Forum, the IMF’s Managing Director also met with Finance Ministers and Governors of Central Banks of the CCA region and Eurasian Union countries. This year, the Eurasian Economic Union celebrates its 5th anniversary, a unifying project that was first envisioned 25 years ago by Kazakhstan’s First President, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Representing Georgia, a key player in the CCA region, Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stood behind the podium and extolled the vision of Kazakhstan’s leaders for the prosperous development of the whole CCA region, and asserted that the country is one of Georgia’s “most important partners.” A roadmap for an agreement to increase trade between the two nations was signed the same week. Bakhtadze underlined that Georgia is the only country in the region to have a Free Trade Agreement with the EU and China, and one of the first countries to join the Belt and Road initiative. “We are determined to keep this pace,” he said.

Known as the “Davos of Central Asia”, the Astana Economic Forum has brought together leaders and business experts from all around the world to debate and try to find solutions to the world’s economic and social challenges. The first editions took place in 2008 and this year the focus of the Forum was shaped around one axis: Inspiring Growth – People, Cities, Economies. All of these topics were explored in detail, with all their facets and inter-dependencies, over the course of two days and across more than fifty panel discussions and round tables.

Some of the luminaries and world leaders attending this year’s Forum included the 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Economics and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, Paul Romer; UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Åsa Regnér; Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Jeffrey Sachs; UN’s Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana; former Vice Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Stanley Fischer; UNDP’s Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, Mirjana Egger; Nobel Peace Prize winner, Rae Kwon Chung; Harvard Professor of Economics and former Chief Economist at the IMF, Ken Rogoff, among many others.

In Paul Romer’s keynote speech, he regretted the fact that for many years, the majority of economists and politicians believed in the “fiction of a minimal state” as the ideal model. These days some companies are becoming so powerful that governments can no longer “make nor enforce laws” when it comes to such firms. In Romer’s view, an ideal government is narrow in the tasks it chooses to take on — leaving plenty of leeway for the market to act — but is strong enough to enforce the law every step of the way and for everyone. It is paramount to make sure that “big companies will do the best for everyone, not just for the few.”

The Nobel laureate finished his speech by warning the audience about the biggest risk the world faces now, which is that if leaders can’t deliver a narrow yet powerful government, the will of the people might morph into a blind desire “for a strong leader instead of a strong government. And history shows how dangerous that can be.”

The trade spat between China and the US was subject of constant discussion throughout the Forum. Former Vice Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Stanley Fischer, stated that the US President is trying to do by imposing tariffs is not a “trivial change in policy.” He recalled how the US imposed tariffs in the 1930’s during the great depression, a contrast with the expansion of global trade right after the war, from about 1946 and until 2006. “My point is that we just don’t know what the effect of those tariffs would have been if World War II had happened.”

He shrugged off the attacks that President Trump has been conducting against the US Federal Reserve on the basis that the risk of inflation in the US is “a myth.” Fischer noted that if the Fed had reduced interest rates by 100 basis points, as President Trump had wanted, the consequences would have been severe. “The Fed won’t do it. They know it would be a mess.”

During the panel discussion about the current state of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Columbia Professor, Jeffrey Sachs, called the public’s attention to the fact that just this past week, the temperature in the Arctic reached 29 degrees Celsius. “The deterioration is happening a lot faster than we thought. We are already in a dire situation.”

He expressed concern over the fact that politicians seem to be fixed on the idea “of short term results,” not for the future that is needed. “The current political system does not align with our human needs because it is very ‘present oriented.’

Sachs restated the importance of the SDGs because the “is what really matters. Education, a safe climate, biodiversity, ending inequalities. “We need to end the existing bias in politics and business. Politicians and business incumbents -the fossil fuel industry, for instance- they need to redefine themselves, adapt sustainable models. It is long overdue.”

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The election has been called by current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev after the surprise resignation of the First President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on March 19^th. Tokayev, chairman of the Senate at the time, replaced Nazarbayev as stipulated by the Constitution. President Tokayev could have remained in his position until the end of Nazarbayev’s term, in April 2020, but after consulting with the Constitutional Council, he chose to hold a snap presidential election on June 9^th, 2019. “In order to ensure social and political stability, provide confidence, and address socio-economic development issues, it is necessary to remove any uncertainty,” Tokayev stated.

Kazakhstan has invited international observers to attend the election: 350 observers from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) and 350 observers from other international organizations, including the Central European Initiative (CEI), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In total, 700 international observers have confirmed their attendance.

The nomination of presidential candidates ended on April 28th, and the list of 7 candidates is as follows:

• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was nominated by the ruling Nur Otan Party, a centrist party that supports a multi-vectorial foreign policy and focuses on support to disadvantaged social classes, protection of private property and the development of the middle class when it comes to internal policy. Tokayev is an experienced diplomat, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice-Prime Minister, Prime Minister and Vice-Secretary General of the UN.

• Sadi-Bek Tugel was nominated by the Uly Dala Kyrandary republican movement.

• Amangeldy Taspikhov was nominated by the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, a republican trade union association.

• Daniya Yespayeva was nominated by the Ak Zhol Kazakhstan Democratic Party, which represents the business community and is the successor of the Alash movement, dating back to the Russian revolution of 1917.

• Toleutai Rakhimbekov was nominated by the Auyl (Eagle) Social Democratic Party. It is a public association that advocates for traditional Kazakh values, such as the spirit of the Steppes.

• Zhambyl Akhmetbekov was nominated by the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan.

• Amirzhan Kossanov was nominated by the Ult Tagdyry national patriotic movement.

President Tokayey has reassured the international community and the markets reiterating that the international obligations of the country will be respected. He affirmed that the foreign affairs policy of the country remains intact, multi-vectorial and peaceful, with a continued focus on the development of international partners.

Ambassador Kuspan told the media that the cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union has been “very fruitful,” and noted that the EU is a strategic partner for the Central Asian country. The EU is the number one foreign investor in Kazakhstan, in addition to being an important trading partner. These links have been further strengthened after an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) was signed in 2015, which was meant to deepen the relations between Kazakhstan and the EU. The agreement is scheduled to be “ratified very soon.”

An ever-growing focus has been given to inter-regional cooperation, namely between the EU and Central Asian nations, such as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In the years following the fall of the Soviet Union, each country tried to forge its own independence path but now the moment is ripe for increased regional cooperation in Central Asia. “This is a time of a renaissance in the region,” said Ms. Kuspan. “We believe cooperation in the region is key, and the partnership with the EU can help us further develop the links among nations.” An example of such inter-regional cooperation is a tripartite joint project where young Afghan women are receiving education in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU occurs at different levels. There is an annual dialogue at the level of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which has taken place 11 times so far. An additional dialogue, focused on security, has been conducted on five occasions, the 6th scheduled to take place in Brussels on May 28th. In 2007, the EU adopted a strategy for Central Asia, a new one being scheduled to be discussed in May, with the aim of it being ratified by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in June.

Ambassador Kuspan noted that despite the stagnating oil prices, the devaluation of the Kazakh currency, the tenge, in addition to the side effects of the sanctions against Russia, Kazakhstan achieved economic growth of about 4%. Kazakhstan ranks 28th in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index in 2018, and it ranks first in the area of protection of minority investments.

“We are trying to move away from a model of exporting raw materials, to one where we export added-value products. And for that we need modernization and investment in infrastructure,” she said.

First President Nazarbayev attended the One Belt One Road Forum in Beijing in April and pointed out that in the past 10 years, Kazakhstan invested 10 billion USD in transport infrastructure across the country. This included 3,000 km of railways as well as 12,000 km of highways, either new or modernized. Two important ports in the Caspian Sea (Aktau, Kourig) have been modernized and large amounts of goods are shipped to Baku, Azerbaijan, Iran and further on.

“We cooperate a lot with the European Investment Bank,” said Ms. Kuspan. “They are interested in investments linked to renewable energy and sustainability, which are priorities for Kazakhstan not only in transport but in every domain.” Kazakhstan is one of the top 10 grain exporters in the world and hopes to export its beef to the EU following the ratification of the EPCA.

When asked about specifics regarding the number of voters, Ms. Kuspan reported that the approximate number of people in voting age (18 or older) is 12 million. Voting is not mandatory in Kazakhstan. “About 200 Kazakh nationals are expected to vote in Brussels,” she said. “Some will come from Luxembourg, others from the Netherlands.”

During the election campaign, which officially started on 11 May, the state is expected to give an equal amount of subsidies to each candidate. The Election Law also foresees an equal speaking time on national television and radio. A televised presidential debate is also expected to be held for the first time ever.

The Ambassador to Belgium ended the press conference by addressing a question about climate change, stating that all candidates will “include this critical issue in their political platforms.”

This is important given the disastrous Soviet environmental heritage left in Kazakhstan, including the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, the Polygon (a highly radioactive site used by the Soviet military, which was closed by Nazarbayev upon independence in 1989), and the drought of the Aral Lake.

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The cyclists represent a cross section of the country’s extraordinarily diverse society, and consist of an Uighur, a Tatar, a Korean, a Russian, and two ethnic Kazakhs. Their slogan for the trip is “Beibitshilik Jáne Birlik”, or “Peace and Unity”, highlighting the two main virtues that the trip is aiming to promote.

“We want to demonstrate a spirit of friendship and tolerance,” said Aigul Kuspan, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium. “Kazakhstan is a country with more than 130 different nationalities: in addition to the groups represented here, we have Poles, Germans, Chechens, people from the Baltics, as well as many other groups and nationalities. But we want to show the world that we are all, ultimately, part of the same Kazakh family.”

Mr Yerbolat Sembayev, deputy chief of mission at the Kazakh embassy, agreed: “This trip is a good way to demonstrate our national unity to everyone in Europe.” He then added: “It’s also good that the cyclists are trying to give a picture of Kazakhstan to the European people.”

During the event both words and gifts were exchanged between the cyclists and Robert Moerman, president of Royale Amicale Cycliste Uccle, a local cycling club. “I really like what they’re doing,” said Mr Moerman. “They’re helping to open people’s eyes to a country that really isn’t that well known here in Belgium.”

The cyclists’ journey – which is taking place during Kazakhstan’s ‘Year of the Youth’ – began on the 29th of April in London, just before Kazakhstan’s ‘Day of Unity’ on May 1st: a national holiday celebrating cultural understanding between the country’s various ethnic groups.

After passing through Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw, Minsk, and Moscow, the cyclists are scheduled to finish their trip in Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana), the capital of Kazakhstan, on the 6th of July – also known in Kazakhstan as the ‘Day of the Capital’, another important national holiday which honours the heritage of the country’s capital city.

During the trip the cyclists will be sleeping in tents and hostels, and will frequently be sharing photos and video footage of their experiences on social media.

Interestingly, none of the six participants are professional cyclists. “They are just regular Kazakhs, regular amateur cyclists, and regular people,” said Magzhan Sagimbayev of the Kazakh Geographic Society, the main institution responsible for organising the trip (with support provided by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan).

“It’s a wonderful experience,” said Dilmurat Rakhmatulayev, one of the cyclists. “In fact, it’s a dream come true: going travelling, seeing these capital cities, seeing these countries. Of course it’s physically tough, but it’s also very fun. And it’s all gone well so far.”

His fellow cyclist, Azamat Atantay, agreed, before adding: “The beauty of cycling is that you meet regular people. In a car you mostly just stay in your own space all the time, and you usually move through places far too quickly to get a feel for them. On the other hand, if you’re walking, you really don’t see too many different things. Cycling is just right. You see a lot, but you still get the chance to interact with normal people.”

He continued: “What’s most important to us, though, is that we’re a peaceful country. While we’re on this trip, we want to share our experience of peace with others.”

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