Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ALMATY3902
2005-10-28 07:04:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
US Office Almaty
Cable title:  

KAZAKHSTAN: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON

pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ALMATY 003902 

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN (JMUDGE),EB/TPP/BTA/EWH
(ELUFTMAN),INR/REA, INR/B
COMMERCE FOR CENTRAL ASIA DESK OFFICER DSTARKS
PLEASE PASS TO USTR DIRECTOR FOR EURASIA PBURKHEAD

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAIR ELTN PGOV PREL KZ ECONOMIC POLITICAL
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON
TRANSPORT MINISTER

REF: 04 ALMATY 5014

UNCLAS ALMATY 003902

SIPDIS


DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CACEN (JMUDGE),EB/TPP/BTA/EWH
(ELUFTMAN),INR/REA, INR/B
COMMERCE FOR CENTRAL ASIA DESK OFFICER DSTARKS
PLEASE PASS TO USTR DIRECTOR FOR EURASIA PBURKHEAD

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAIR ELTN PGOV PREL KZ ECONOMIC POLITICAL
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON
TRANSPORT MINISTER

REF: 04 ALMATY 5014


1. (U) Summary/Background. Ambassador Ordway called on
Kazakhstani Minister of Transport and Communications Askar
Mamin on October 21 in Astana. The Ambassador and the
Minister discussed the GOK's attempts to attract
international air traffic to Astana, development of rail and
road infrastructure, and the prospects for aircraft
purchases by Kazakhstan's national airline, Air Astana.
Mamin's comments reflect a much more pragmatic approach than
that of his predecessor (Reftel).


2. (SBU) Askar Uzakpayevich Mamin, 40, was appointed
Minister of Transport and Communications on August 26.
He joined the ministry as a vice-minister in August 2000
and became the first deputy in 2003, holding the latter
post until his appointment as minister. From 1996 to 2000,
he served as a deputy in the Astana akimat to current chief
of the Presidential Administration Adilbek Dzhaksybekov.
Mamin replaced Kazhmurat Nagmanov, minister since 2002, who
was named a presidential adviser. Mamin was accompanied by
Deputy Minister Yerlan Koshanov, Chairman of the Civil
Aviation Committee Almatbek Mambetov, and by
Malika Nigmatullina, Director of the Department for
International Cooperation and daughter of the prominent
parliamentarian Yerlan Nigmatullin. End
Summary/Background.

--------------
Softer Line on Flights to Astana
--------------


3. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Mamin about the state of play
concerning the GOK's demand that international airlines re-
route their service to Kazakhstan through Astana. Mamin
answered that the GOK has had some success, pointing to
Turkish Airlines' opening service to Astana October 20 and
to Austrian Airlines' apparent decision to do so in the near
future. He also expressed the hope that agreements would be
reached with Lufthansa and KLM. He said that the GOK was
ready to offer a scheme of five flights to Almaty per week
and two to Astana; and would even consider allowing the
airlines to keep their daily flights to Almaty.


4. (SBU) The Minister also said that Air France and KLM had
expressed interest in providing service to and from Atyrau,
and that the proposal was under consideration. The
Ambassador observed that in both situations (Almaty/Astana
and the putative Atyrau flights) the market would be the
surest determinant of what would work.


5. (SBU) The Minister also confirmed that Air Astana is
interested in expanding its fleet. The expansion could well
be effected through a combination of buying and leasing up
to eight Boeing 737 or 787 aircraft (the current fleet
includes 757 and 737 model aircraft). The Minister did not
rule out purchasing Airbus, but did not suggest that the
idea of switching manufacturers has much support in the
Ministry or at Air Astana.

--------------
A Different Tack on Infrastructure
--------------


5. (SBU) The Ambassador asked Mamin about the status of the
well-publicized proposal to build a railroad across
Kazakhstan with the intention of providing an alternate
shipping route for goods from China to Europe via
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. (Note: The project had
been a priority for the previous Minister (Reftel),however
most observers, particularly from the international
financial institutions the GOK hoped to partner with,
thought it seriously flawed. End Note.)


6. (SBU) Mamin said that he had shared his "significant
doubts" about the project with President Nazarbayev. Among
other things, Turkmenistan's unresponsiveness to the plan
and the mountainous terrain of the prospective route in Iran
render the plan basically unexecutable in the foreseeable
future.



7. (U) Mamin did, however, tell the Ambassador that he is
interested in adding rails to create a cross-country Russian-
gauge route from the Dostyk (Druzhba) border post in the
east to the city of Aktau. The completed railroad would
span 2,000 kilometers. Mamin envisions that the project
will be financed, at least in part, through a bond issue.
He expects that the project will take ten years.

--------------
Comment
--------------


8. (SBU) Mamin's views across the spectrum of issues he
discussed with the Ambassador were pragmatic, realistic and
a welcome change from those of his predecessor. His remarks
appeared, without explicitly saying so, to confirm the
general impression that the GOK is backing away from its
fixation on making Astana the only way in or out of
Kazakhstan for airline passengers.


9. (U) Minimize for Dushanbe considered.

ORDWAY


NNNN