Event — Symposium

The Challenges of the post-Soviet Transition in Kazakhstan

This conference brings together policy-makers, journalists, academics, and diplomats to discuss the experience of post-Soviet transition and the possibilities and impediments for the transition process in Kazakhstan, one of the most important post- Soviet countries.

In 1991 the eight republics of former Soviet Central Asia and the South Caucasus region embarked on two transitions: from command to market economies and from authoritarian to democratic political regimes. The countries have experienced varying degrees of success on both fronts: some have achieved remarkable success in liberalizing their economic and political systems while others still have economic and political systems reminiscent of the Soviet era.

This conference is part of the Energy Programme Asia-IIAS project "The impact of East and South-East Asian Energy Supply Strategies on the Caspian Region and the Persian Gulf" (Coordinator Dr M.P. Amineh).


Venue
The symposium will be held in the:
University Council Room
Academic Building (Entrance of the Hortus Botanicus)
Rapenburg 73, Leiden

There are no parking facilities on Rapenburg. We suggest that you travel by train. If you come by car, please park at Parkeerterrein Haagweg. There is a free shuttle bus service from Haagweg to the city centre and back.

Participants are expected to take care of their own lunch. Coffee, tea, drinks and snacks at the reception are provided by the IIAS.


The Programme
09.30-10.15 Registration and Coffee
10.15 – 10.30 Welcome by Prof. W.A.L. Stokhof [Director IIAS]
MORNING SESSION
10.30 – 12.00
Panel One

Energy (Oil and Gas) and Economic Development in post- Soviet Kazakhstan
Chair:
Prof. Dr. Coby van der Linde [Director Clingendael International Energy Programme: CIEP]

“Energy complex of Kazakhstan: priorities and basic perspectives of its development.”
Mr. Nurlan Ospanov [Director of the Department of international economic relations of the Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning, Coordinator of the National Bureau of TASIS]

“China’s Energy Supply Security and Kazakhstan”
Mr. Xiaoning Wang [Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons]

“Competitiveness of the Economy of Kazakhstan and its integration to the World Economy”
Mrs. Zhanar Aitzhanova [Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Republic of Kazakhstan]

Discussion

12:15 – 13:45 Lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION

Panel Two
14.00-15.30
Politics and Economy in post-Soviet Kazakhstan
Chair:
Dr Mehdi P. Amineh [EPA-IIAS]

“Foreign Policy of Kazakhstan – modern challenges. European Union-Kazakhstan – strategic partnership”
Mr. Alexey Volkov [Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kazakhstan]

“Dutch and EU foreign policy priorities regarding Kazakhstan”
Anthony van der Togt [Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands]

“Transition in Uzbekistan and its Challenges”
Mirzohid Rahimov [Visiting Research Fellow, IIAS]

Discussion

Coffee break
15.30-15.45

Round table discussion

15:45 – 17: 15
The Challenges of Economic Reform and Political Democratization in Contemporary Kazakhstan

Chair:
Prof. Dr. Gerd Junne [Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam]

“Consecutive Realisation of Democratic Reforms”
Mr. Yermukhamet Yertysbayev [Political Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan]

“Political Impediment for Democratization in Kazakhstan”
Mr. Drs. Gideon Shimshon [Webster University, Leiden]

17.15-18.30
Reception for participants and invited guests


 


Information and registration
International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)
Marloes Rozing
P.O. Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
t +31 (0)71 527 2227
f +31 (0)71 527 4162
m.rozing@let.leidenuniv.nl
 



With Special Thanks to
THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
IN BRUSSELS

 

Conference Report

On Friday, 8 April 2005, the Energy Programme Asia (EPA) - International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), Leiden, the Netherlands, and the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Brussels, Belgium organized a symposium entitled: “The Challenges of the post-Soviet Transition in Kazakhstan”, University of Leiden, Academy Building, University Council Room, Rapenburg 73, Leiden.

The conference was the second out of a number of conferences to be held in Europe and Asia as part of the Energy Programme Asia, an IIAS research programme managed by Dr. Mehdi Parvizi Amineh. The Energy Programme Asia provides cutting edge research and publications on the impact of East and Southeast Asian energy supply strategies for the Caspian Region and the Persian Gulf in the 21st century. The EPA was initiated at the International Institute for Asian Studies in cooperation with the Clingendael International Energy Program (CIEP), Waseda University Tokyo, and the Beijing Normal University.

The conference brought together policy-makers, journalists, academics and diplomats to discuss the state of affairs in Kazakhstan, one of the five littoral states of the Caspian region (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan). Kazakhstan has the second largest oil resources in the former Soviet Union, which are important for its economic development. It is also the second largest oil producer in the former Soviet Union. The main question addressed in this conference was: What are the links between economic and political reform in Kazakhstan, as one of the most important post-Soviet countries in transition?

The eight Republics of the former Soviet Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) and South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) in 1991 embarked on political and economic reforms: from a planned to a market economy, from an authoritarian political regime to a democratic one. They have had varying degrees of success on both fronts. Some countries have had remarkable success liberalizing their economic and political systems. Others continue to have economic and political systems reminiscent of the Soviet era. Kazakhstan, as the largest and one of the most important of the newly formed Central Asian Republics is an interesting case study to look at explanations for the divergent outcomes of political and economic reform in countries with similar cultures and similar institutional starting points.

Today, in the interconnected world of global markets it has become apparent that those countries that are able to find the right formulas for both political and economic reform are likely to be successful in their overall political and economic development while the others will fall behind in their development efforts.

The conference brought together policy-makers, journalists, academics and diplomats to discuss the state of affairs in Kazakhstan, one of the five littoral states of the Caspian region. The focus of this conference was looking at what the links are between economic and political reform in Kazakhstan.

Market economies and democratic governance are closely related concepts. they mutually reinforce one another. A common conception is that the shortest path to market economy and democracy are parallel and complementary. Empirically, there is not much support for this conclusion. For example, how is it that some Latin American countries have been relatively successful with democratization but less successful with economic reform, while some South East Asian countries have been quite successful with economic reform but less with democratization? How is it that there is a direct connection between market economy and democratization theoretically, while empirically this connection is much more varied and complex?