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The Economist, 08.07.2010, Kazakhstan's long-serving president
Centralasia Online, 08.07.2010, Khan-Shatyr tent complex opens in Astana
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The Economist, 08.07.2010, Kazakhstan's long-serving president


Happy birthday, Mr President

Still going strongman at 70

EARLIER this year Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, ordered his officials, on pain of dismissal, not to stage any festivities for his 70th birthday on July 6th. They should focus only on celebrating the city of Astana, which became the national capital in December 1997, but whose anniversary party Mr Nazarbayev later shifted to, by a remarkable coincidence, July 6th.

This year’s was a big bash, attended by several heads of state, including the presidents of Russia and Turkey. But the state-owned press, braving Mr Nazarbayev’s wrath, still managed to pay him tribute by publishing congratulatory letters sent by his peers, such as Bill Clinton, Nicolas Sarkozy and Shimon Peres.

Already last month the one-party parliament had bestowed on Mr Nazarbayev the title of “Leader of the Nation”, granting him special powers for the remainder of his life. Coincidentally or not, this new law was proposed less than two weeks after the violent overthrow of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, then president of neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. It includes immunity from prosecution and protection of all assets of the president’s family. Mr Nazarbayev opposed the bill, but failed to veto it, so it automatically became law.

The feeble struggle of this authoritarian post-Soviet leader, who has ruled with an iron hand since 1989, against becoming the centre of a personality cult provides a diverting spectacle. But in one respect, at least, he has put the Soviet past behind him. Free-market reforms have turned his oil-rich country, despite the plague of persistent corruption, into the economic locomotive of Central Asia.

Before independence in 1991, Kazakhstan had no history of separate nationhood, let alone entrepreneurship. Yet in 2002 America’s Department of Commerce granted it market-economy status. Buoyed by rising oil and other commodity prices and billions in foreign direct investment, the country grew at nearly double-digit rates between 2000 and 2007.

Kazakhstan was flying high until it was one of the first countries to be hit by the global financial crisis. Its banks were unable to refinance $45 billion in foreign debt. After harsh restructuring measures and imposing big “haircuts” on creditors, they have been re-emerging in spruced-up shape over the past few weeks. An ambitious diversification programme, to reduce dependence on natural resources and hence vulnerability to fluctuations in commodity prices, has been put in place.

Thomas Mirow, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, says the restructuring of the banking sector has been “remarkable”. And he draws attention to another positive feature: the attention the authorities have been paying to education and foreign-study programmes.

True enough, but Mr Nazarbayev himself looks in fine fettle and does not seem ready to make room for the younger generation. Formally, his term in office expires in 2012. By law, he can run for president indefinitely. But, as “Leader of the Nation”, everything is now in place to allow him to retire gracefully without fully handing over the reins.

The succession is a matter of guesswork. Mr Nazarbayev has so thoroughly sidelined potential rivals that there are fears of instability when he goes. Behind the scenes, several senior officials are already jockeying for position, including the prime minister, Karim Massimov, and the mayor of Astana, Imangali Tasmagambetov. Mr Nazarbayev’s two son-in-laws may also be interested in the throne. From autocrat it is but a short leap to dynast.

Centralasia Online, 08.07.2010, Khan-Shatyr tent complex opens in Astana


By Kapiza Nurtazina

Khan-Shatyr is the tallest tent structure in the world. [Official website of Khan-Shatyr complex]

ASTANA -- In Astana, the Khan-Shatyr (Khan's Tent) recreational and shopping complex opened July 6. The giant transparent tent honoured the 70th birthday of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the 12th anniversary of the founding of Astana.

The opening of the complex, designed by British architect Norman Foster, symbolically represented the end of Astana's frenzied construction.

Khan-Shatyr sounds a symbolic note in the composition of buildings erected along the Yesil River's left bank. Beginning at the Kazak Eli (Kazakh People's) monument and the Palace of Peace and Harmony, an imagined line threads a path through the Ak Orda presidential mansion to the Baiterek tower. The thread rises into the sky together with the silver needle of Khan-Shatyr, the tallest tent structure in the world.

Construction of Khan-Shatyr began in 2006 and was supposed to end in 2009. However, technical difficulties, such as necessary installation of drainage pipes and poor weather, slowed construction. Even now, construction fences remain, showing that construction isn’t totally complete.

Raising the three-layer tent that covers the complex's grounds was the most challenging part of building Khan-Shatyr, said Yerbol Yeleuov, director of the Khan-Shatyr company. The complexity of the tent made building the tripod on which the Khan-Shatyr dome rests a matter of painstaking attention to detail, he said.

"Nowhere in the world has an awning covering such a large area been built", he said. "The weather complicated matters, … but the covering atop a vacuum pillow that we used worked. Indeed, the hardest part of the construction was raising the awning and building it over all of Khan-Shatyr".

At 150m, Khan-Shatyr, is Astana’s tallest structure, but some are criticising the structure’s appearance.

"I like its volume and scale. But not when I consider the site they chose in Astana for it ", Astana sculptor Askar Yesdauletov said, "Furthermore, the covering looks too monotonous, like they're hiding some sort of design deficiency. Maybe they could have added some details or patterns to make it look more impressive".

The climate-controlled interior reminds visitors of European shopping centres. Restaurants, boutiques, cafes, bars, spas, a gym, a swimming pool, a cinema and playground for children are scattered on the grounds.

Landscapers have cultivated exotic tropical plants throughout the interior. They should thrive all year round, because the tent awning and the sunlight it allows will maintain a constant temperature. Swimmers and gym users can tan and exercise in any weather.

Already, crowds jam the 10,000 square metres of the complex in order to see this architectural and engineering feat. Visitors had different opinions.

"The new centre makes its own contribution to Astana's appearance and is quite extraordinary", raved a man who identified himself as Alibek, who came from Pavlodar for the festivities. "There's nothing Soviet about it. The interior is as classy as something you find abroad; it's not as banal as other Astana shopping centres like Mega and Aziya-park".

An Astana resident who gave her name as Svetlana was less impressed. "It's very well-built", she said, "but in many respects it resembles ... Mega and Aziya-park".

"It's hard for me to judge the quality of construction", said Murat, the Turkish owner of a small candy store inside Khan-Shatyr. "However, from a businessman's point of view, I can say it's a very attractive location, because we get a lot of visitors. I hope the centre lives up to expectations".

The structure cost more than US $300m, said Yeleuov, who wasn't certain of the exact amount. Factors that pushed up costs were the inability to finish on time and the need to hire foreign construction firms, he said. The complex might well be the most expensive structure built during Astana's prolonged construction boom, he said.

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