The SES and oil were undoubtedly the main topics of discussion during President Yushchenko’s two-day visit to Kazakhstan. While Kazakh leaders were keen on obtaining a more or less clear-cut response from Kyiv about its participation in the SES, Ukraine wanted to obtain assurances of “oil support” from the Kazakhs. Minister of Foreign Affairs Borys Tarasyuk issued unambiguous statements about the SES, emphasizing that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine will be examining the agreement about the “space of the four.” The president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, issued a few promising declarations about oil cooperation with Kyiv. The commentary below, written by the Kazakh ambassador to Ukraine, Amangeldy ZHUMABAYEV, reveals how his country views Viktor Yushchenko’s recent visit to Astana.
One of the most serious problems facing the Ukrainian government today is energy security. Kazakhstan is among the prospective suppliers of energy resources to Ukraine. On the other hand, cooperation in the oil and gas sector is equally important for Kazakhstan, which is seeking to diversify its export routes. It is common knowledge that transit potential is one of Ukraine’s most developed industries. Still, only 33 million tons of oil are transported across the territory of Ukraine, i.e., almost half as much as possible. Oil refineries are also under capacity. Our country is interested in Ukrainian oil and gas equipment, including hi-tech oil-refining lines. And, of course, I should point out the considerable potential for the joint utilization of Ukrainian oil pipelines and ports for transporting Kazakh oil. Here the Odesa-Brody pipeline can play a major role. President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan recently emphasized that our state is interested in extending this pipeline as far as Plock and Gdansk, an important Baltic port. The Kazakh side is prepared to take part in the construction as a shareholder. An agreement has been reached to set up a joint venture for building and possibly owning a 52-km parallel segment of the Odesa-Brody pipeline as well as an oil-loading terminal. Kazakhstan is also interested in taking over the Odesa Oil Refinery. The relevant ministries have been instructed to draw up concrete programs on this and other issues within a month.
Naturally, the two sides could not avoid discussing the prospects of integration in the post-Soviet space. Ukraine’s position on the SES is interesting. The two heads of state also touched upon cooperation in the field of space research, “resuscitation” of launching pads, and possibilities to use the Zenit launch vehicle at Baikonur. The two sides exchanged opinions on cooperation in nuclear power production and agreed to help each other join the WTO.
Special emphasis should be put on cooperation in culture and education, all the more so as Kazakhstan is home to a large Ukrainian diaspora that enjoys all-round support from the country’s leadership. All the regions have Ukrainian ethnic centers; there is a state-funded newspaper Ukrayinski novyny, and the first Ukrainian high school has been opened in the capital, Astana. An important item on the Ukrainian president’s itinerary was a visit to Mangistau oblast, the cities of Aktau and Fort-Shevchenko, where the famous Ukrainian bard, Taras Shevchenko, spent several years. This is further proof of the spiritual and cultural links between our two countries.
Now that the president of Ukraine has completed his visit to Kazakhstan, there is every reason to claim that this has laid the groundwork for the development and strengthening of further cooperation in all fields. Relations between our two states are developing with due account of our national interests; superb prospects beckon.
