VZCZCXRO2677
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHTA #2190/01 3560827
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 220827Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7039
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 2269
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1632
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 1261
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2333
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USTRANSCOM SCOTT AFB IL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFAAA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 1827
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY 1677
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2927
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 2632

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 002190 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/RPM, EEB 
PLEASE PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EPET MARR SENV OSCE EU CH RS
KZ 
SUBJECT:  KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON LOGISTICS 
CENTER FOR AFGHANISTAN, THE OSCE, OTHER KEY ISSUES 
 
ASTANA 00002190  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but Unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) President Nursultan Nazarbayev gave his annual 
summing up to the diplomatic corps on December 22.  Since he 
broke no new ground on any issue, we are reporting only 
excerpts from his presentation about issues of special 
interest to Washington readers. 
 
-- AFGHANISTAN:  Kazakhstan fully supports U.S. and its NATO 
partners' efforts to bring stability and development to 
Afghanistan because it is in Kazakhstan's national interest 
to do so.  In addition to Kazakhstan's already announced $50 
million program to provide academic and technical education 
over five years for 1,000 Afghans, Kazakhstan reiterated its 
offer to provide a logistics center to support U.S. and 
coalition troops in Afghanistan.  (COMMENT:  We believe this 
is the first time Nazarbayev has made this offer public.  END 
COMMENT.) 
 
-- OSCE:  Kazakhstan has prepared for its 2010 chairmanship 
with utmost seriousness, and will balance all three OSCE 
dimensions.  For the security dimension, Kazakhstan will 
promote the Corfu Process -- Russia's desire for a new 
European Security Treaty is only one of many proposals. 
Likewise on security, Kazakhstan will emphasize 
counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and border security, 
especially in Afghanistan.  For the economics and 
environmental dimension, Kazakhstan will give priority to 
transit and transportation and the Aral Sea, as well as 
initiate a dialogue on energy security.  For the human 
dimension, Kazakhstan will uphold the OSCE's traditional 
commitments and will pay special attention to religious 
tolerance and ethnic non-discrimination. 
 
-- MAJOR PARTNERS:  Kazakhstan attaches special importance to 
China's soft loans of $13 billion during the 
economically-difficult 2009.  The loans will be used solely 
for development.  Kazakhstan also considers its relationship 
with the European Union a priority and is certain that its 
"Path to Europe" policy will yield concrete results. 
(COMMENT:  Nazarbayev had very little to say about Russia, 
except in the context of the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan 
Customs Union.  His comments about the United States were in 
the context of Afghanistan and energy cooperation.  END 
COMMENT.) 
 
-- CUSTOMS UNION:  The Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs 
Union is an historic achievement that will not preclude WTO 
membership in the future.  Other CIS countries will be 
welcome to join the customs union eventually, but will need 
to undertake the long procedure to harmonize their laws and 
regulations with the customs union. 
 
-- ENERGY:  Kazakhstan will continue its energy cooperation 
with the United States and Russia, while it seeks to 
establish new routes for the export of its hydrocarbon 
resources, especially to China and elsewhere.  Because of the 
surge in oil production expected for 2014, Kazakhstan is 
continuing seriously to pursue the Kazakhstan Caspian 
Transportation System and other routes to Europe. 
 
-- CLIMATE CHANGE:  Kazakhstan fully supports the Copenhagen 
conclusions and will work to modernize its technologies and 
to reduce emissions. 
 
DOYEN ASKS FOR DIPLOMATIC CLUB BUILDING 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The doyen of the diplomatic corps, Azerbaijan's 
Ambassador Latif Dandilov, gave the official response, noting 
 
ASTANA 00002190  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
that all but seven of the bilateral and multilateral 
diplomatic missions accredited to Kazakhstan have now moved 
from Almaty to Astana.  Because of the size of the diplomatic 
community -- over 50 missions -- he asked President 
Nazarbayev to donate a building in Astana for a Diplomatic 
Club. 
 
PROTOCOL PRECEDENCE 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Presidential protocol reserved the front row of the 
middle section of the audience for, from President 
Nazarbayev's right to left, the ambassadors from Ukraine, the 
United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan (the doyen), Russia, and the 
United States. 
 
NAZARBAYEV LOOKED HALE AND HEARTY 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Although some continue occasionally to speculate 
about Nazarbayev's physical health and mental acuity, he 
strode firmly to the platform and looked perfectly fine.  He 
seemed a bit bored with his prepared remarks, but once he 
finished them and began his extemporaneous comments, he 
became much more animated, for example, joking that the seven 
"hold out missions" in Almaty should move to Astana soonest. 
"It's much more healthy here in Astana than in Almaty -- with 
our temperature today of (-23 F), there can't possibly be one 
germ or microbe left alive in this city!"  Following the 
official convocation, Nazarbayev spent 45 minutes in the 
receiving line at the not-extravagant buffet, and had 
personal words for each ambassador and international 
representative.  He told the Ambassador he was especially 
grateful for the tone of the recent letter from Secretary 
Clinton, and he asked the Ambassador to extend his personal 
invitation to her to visit Kazakhstan at her earliest 
convenience. 
HOAGLAND