CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 02/2019

LE MONDE KAZAKHSTAN | INTERVIEW
H.E. Kairat Sarybay
“Stability enables further economic development.”
The Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan
comments on political, social and economic reforms
in Kazakhstan, the New Silk Road and economic
cooperation with Austria.
Interview: Robert Winter
PHOTOS: RALPH MANFREDA
CD: On March 19 th , President Nursultan Nazarbayev
voluntarily relinquished his powers as the
Head of State of Kazakhstan. Were you surprised
about the announcement?
Kairat Sarybay: President Nazarbayev
was the President of the country for almost
30 years. Many people were surprised about
his decision. But the step was well planned.
Mr. Nazarbayev will still be responsible for
various state matters. This is very important
since Kazakhstan goes through a period of
transition. President Nazarbayev did the
preparations for a solid development of our
country. He laid the foundations of the new
state during some of the most difficult geopolitical
times, following the collapse of the
Soviet Union. But now, the time has come
for a new generation to take care of further
improvement of our country.
What are the most important issues that
Kazakhstan will address?
Political culture needs to be further improved.
Democracy requires a solid basis to
meet the needs of the population. The rule
of law is important. Stability enables
further economic development.
Kazakhstan‘s middle class is growing. This
also has a positive impact on social stability.
But there is still a need to change people’s
behaviour. The population got used to the
state and the government being responsible
for a wide range of decisions. Our citizens
were used to living in a paternalistic system.
That was about to change. The people
of Kazakhstan must be encouraged to take
more responsibility for themselves. People
in need of social support will continue to
be supported. In addition, the state must
create the conditions to meet the labour
needs of those who can work.
H.E. KAIRAT SARYBAY
Kazakhstan has published a plan for further
reforms. What are the details of this plan?
There are five institutional reforms on our
agenda. Kazakhstan’s government administration
has to become more efficient. The
quality of public service sectors has to improve.
Furthermore, it is very important to improve
the compliance of the rule of law and
property rights, to bring back the trust in
police force, justice system and prosecution
attorneys. It is crucial as well to strenghten
anti-corruption policies. Another aspect is to
further create a favourable business climate.
What steps are planned to strenghten the
economy?
Economic reforms should lead to an increase
of diversification. Oil, gas and minerals
are very important for Kazakhstan’s economy.
We are already among the top 50 most
competitive countries in the world. We
hold the 28 th position in the World Bank‘s
Doing Business Ranking. We are the
world‘s number one producer of uranium,
among the top five of rare and non-ferrous
metals producers, as well as being in the
top ten in terms of oil production. There is
a lot of coal, so electricity is cheap to produce.
But the wealth of mineral resources
also has disadvantages, because the motivation
to become active in other areas is
low. This is why we have to encourage people
to make small and medium enterprises
more efficient and profitable. There is a
large number of such companies in Kazakhstan.
Around 60 percent of the total
workforce is active in this sector. But the
result is not sufficient as small and medium
enterprises generate only 35 percent of the
gross domestic product.
How can the situation be improved?
Improvements are only possible with a high
number of active citizens. We need better
relations between public authorities and citizens.
Back in the Soviet Union era, the
state made all the decisions so the citizens
had to stick abide by them. Nowadays, the
citizen must become the centre of attention.
Political parties, social organisations or
NGOs must be more active. It is all about
diversifying the social landscape now.
How important is the New Silk Road?
Very important. Kazakhstan plays a prominent
role as a junction of the Silk Road.
What measures are taken in the improvement of
the education sector?
First, President Nursultan Nazarbayev initiated
a scholarship programme despite a
difficult economic situation. The name of
the programme is Bolashak, which means
„Future“. It enabled young people to study
at the world‘s best universities. To this date,
the number of graduates has reached
around 20,000. Some of them have become
governors or ministers. The programme
has been running for almost 25 years. Human
capital is enormously important. The
development in the education sector is rapid.
We have to follow the trend.
What about the universities in your country?
In the past, some young people were sent
out into the world. Ten years ago, a Nazarbayev
University based on the western model
was opened. It is located in the capital
city Nur-Sultan. Each faculty has a partner
university, among them the universities of
Cambridge, Berkeley and Singapore. Scholarships
are now focused on educating students
within Kazakhstan. Now the goal is
to maintain a university in every regional
capital according to the same model. We
have a total of about 100 private and state
universities. At least 15 of these universities
should be raised to a higher standard. We
also want to attract students from countries
such as Central Asian and Caucasus regions
as well as Russia, China and Mongolia.
Which international companies are active in
Kazakhstan?
General Electrics produces locomotives,
Alstom produces electric locomotives and
Eurocopter produces helicopters. These are
just a few examples. Companies that are active
in Kazakhstan can serve the markets of
Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus region
and China. That is why we invest a lot in
transport infrastructure. The railway network
is being expanded, new motorways
are being built and the fiber optic network
is being expanded as well. We also have a
very good developed network of pipelines.
Are Austrian companies active in your country?
OMV, for example. Every third litre of petrol
and diesel in Austria comes from Kazakhstan.
We are working intensively with
Borealis to build a petrochemical complex
in Kazakhstan. This is an important investment
programme. Doppelmayr is also active,
as well as Gebrüder Weiss, Andritz, Frequentis
and Herz Armaturen. There are
around 50 small, medium-sized and large
Austrian companies that are very active in
our market.
What can Austria contribute to the economic
development of Kazakhstan?
Austria can offer us technology. Funding is
not particularly important. Know-how
transfer and access to markets are a key. We
want to establish a centre for solar energy in
south Kazakhstan. China is nearby and can
serve as a producer of solar panels. Austria
can supply its know-how in this regard.
was born in Almaty in 1966. He finished his studies of
Linguistics and Oriental Studies at the Leningrad
University in 1988. Mr. Sarybay, who is a father of four
children, serves as Kazakhstan‘s Ambassador to Austria
since 2014.
Kairat Sarybay, Ambassador of
the Republic of Kazakhstan to
Austria, during the interview
with Cercle Diplomatique.
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