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Official Statements:


President Nursultan Nazarbayev Received Japan’s Supreme Decoration, the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum

The program of the official visit to Japan by Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev was started with his meeting with His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor met Nursultan Nazarbayev at the Southern Gates of the Imperial Palace. This was a sign of the respect of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor to Kazakhstan’s leader and also the demonstration of the fact that Japan attaches a special importance to its relations with Kazakhstan.

The Heads of state had a tête-à-tête meeting and exchanged views on actual international problems and ways of intensifying the bilateral economic cooperation.

During the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that Kazakhstan was impressed with Japan’s achievements in social and economic development. Kazakhstan initiated the implementation of its program for industrial-innovative development and cooperation with technologically advanced Japan could be very helpful in this matter.

Kazakhstan’s President announced that taking into account the great personal contribution of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor to strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations he signed a decree awarding Kazakhstan’s Supreme Decoration, the Altyn Kyran Order upon His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor also announced that for the outstanding contribution to the disarmament process, global initiatives on strengthening international security and peace, tolerance and international harmony President Nursultan Nazarbayev was awarded Japan’s Supreme Decoration, the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev invited His Imperial Majesty the Emperor to visit Kazakhstan.

 

President Nursultan Nazarbayev Met Chairmen of the National Diet of Japan in Tokyo

This afternoon, Kazakhstan’s President met with Speaker of the House of Representatives (Lower House) of the National Diet of Japan Yohei Kono.

At the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that Kazakhstan attaches a special importance to the development of political contacts between the two countries including parliamentary ties. Contacts between the two legislatures assist to broadening the whole range of bilateral relations and also to interaction within international parliamentary organizations. There are all necessary preconditions for raising bilateral ties between the two parliaments to a completely new level.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that the economies of Kazakhstan and Japan are mutually complementary to each other, because Kazakhstan has vast natural resources and Japan possesses high technologies. Politicians of the two countries have to work on strengthening economic ties.

Yohei Kono very high appreciated Kazakhstan’s policy in the area of nuclear disarmament. “Our dream is to completely eliminate weapons of mass destruction,” the Speaker of the Lower House of the National Diet underscored. “We are ready to work together on this matter. I completely support your view,” the President added.

On the same day, Nursultan Nazarbayev met with President of the House of Councilors (Upper House) of the National Diet of Japan Satsuki Eda.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that Kazakhstan wishes to establish good relations with Japan and has made a great progress in this matter. Kazakhstan is interested in the Japanese experience in parliamentary and legislative work.

The President expressed deep gratitude for Japan’s assistance in resolving the most important for Kazakhstan problems of Semipalatinsk region and the Aral Sea. Currently, there is an interesting situation in Japan’s Parliament. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party occupies a majority of seats in the Lower House. Meanwhile, the opposing Democratic Party of Japan dominates in the Upper House.

In this regard, Satsuki Eda underscored that the two parties and the two cameras of Japan’s parliament have the same view concerning relations with Kazakhstan – intention to cooperate.

Issues of developing bilateral economic cooperation and interaction in the areas of education, health care and culture were discussed at the meeting.

 

Japan’s Business Community Is Interested to Develop Cooperation with Kazakhstan

President Nursultan Nazarbayev met with representatives of Japan’s business elite who are interested in developing cooperation with Kazakhstan.

CEOs and Board Chairpersons of globally known Japanese companies including Sumitomo Group, Marubeni Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Company, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Mitsui Group, Itochu Corporation and Inpex Corporation attended the meeting between President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Akira Amari.

At the meeting, the President noted that the intensity of Kazakhstani-Japanese economic partnership remains low and does not correspond to the economic potentials of Kazakhstan and Japan.

“Kazakhstan’s economy is dynamically and stable developing. The market of the neighboring countries is about 50 million people. Japanese corporations should reconsider their strategies based on sales of services and equipment and focus on direct investing. We are ready to offer land plots, feedstock and other support. Our interest is to establish innovative enterprises in Kazakhstan and we will support such projects,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

Kazakhstan calls Japan’s entrepreneurs to participate in various projects on developing processing industry, machinery, energy, transport and communications industries, construction and pharmacy.

Kazakhstan has vast territories that could be used for growing wheat, rice, and for animal husbandry. “This is especially important in the context of the high food prices,” the President said. Kazakhstan’s national development institutions including Kazyna, Samruk and KazAgro were established for maintaining direct investment cooperation.

Kazakhstan intends to develop its own nuclear energy industry and is ready to consider Japan’s suggestions and rich experience in this area. In this regard, it is very important to ink intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the area of useful usage of atomic energy, which must become the major document for interaction in this matter.

“We have to cardinal reconsider the format of our interaction. First of all, we could strengthen the Kazakhstani-Japanese Committee for economic cooperation. We are offering to raise its status by including representatives of Japanese state bodies to the Committee. It would be great if the Committee was headed by ministers,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

 

Reception for Kazakhstan’s Delegation and Japan’s Business Elite Was Held Within the Official Visit by President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Tokyo

Addressing the reception’s attendees, Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that centers of not only global manufacturing, but also of world consumption are gradually sliding into developing markets including Asian ones.

Almost two thirds of large transnational companies plan to develop their business in Asia including Kazakhstan. Because of the raising competition for access to energy sources, technologies and markets, there is a clear trend of merging and uniting. This process can be traced in Kazakhstan. If the total amount of deals on purchasing Kazakhstani enterprises was equal to 700 million dollars in 2004, last year the market of merging companies was over 9 billion dollars what made ten percents of the national GDP.

These figures demonstrate that investors look for new opportunities to invest and find them in Kazakhstan, because of the better conditions that were created there.

The President called Japanese entrepreneurs to invest in Kazakhstan.

“You can use our country as an initial port for entering the large markets of neighboring countries including Russia, China, Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan and Caucasian region. According to our estimations, the market of neighboring countries can be over 500 million people,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said. President had a number of bilateral meetings with top managers of various Japanese companies.

 

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev Met Japan’s Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda

Prospects of developing Kazakhstani-Japanese cooperation were discussed at the meeting.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stated that the stands of the two countries coincide on many actual important issues of international policy.

The President very high evaluated the outcomes of the talks, which open new opportunities for interaction in policy and economy, technology and cultural humanitarian areas for the two countries. At a press briefing, Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that the intensification of Kazakhstani-Japanese cooperation is a matter of time in strategic perspective.

In their joint Statement, Kazakhstan’s President and Japan’s Prime Minister confirmed their intention to fruitfully develop political dialogue.

Promising areas of economic interaction were outlined during the talks. Our country is interested in cooperation with Japan in the areas of high technologies and attracting Japanese investments in Kazakhstan’s economy.

The President expressed the firm intention to offer Japanese companies, which are ready to come to Kazakhstan’s market and to invest to high-tech technological manufactures, the strong support of the state.

Japan’s entrepreneurs can take part in projects in developing processing complex, machinery, energy, transport and communication infrastructure, and construction industry.

As an example, Nursultan Nazarbayev talked about cooperation between Kazakhstani Kazatomprom and Toshiba Company.

Memorandum to the project of convention between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Japan on preventing double taxation and preventing taxation avoidance in relation to income taxes and Memorandum on mutual cooperation in the area of developing trade and investments were signed within the visit.

The President also noted that Kazakhstan considers the possibility of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.

“We all believe that Kazakhstani-Japanese strategic partnership has a shining future and will develop in the way of sincere friendship and mutual understanding,” Kazakhstan’s President said.

Nursultan Nazarbayev also visited the manufacturing complex of Toshiba Corporation and viewed the center for developing elevators, control monitoring room and locomotive division.

Date of issue: 2008-06-25


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