US embassy cable - 05ALMATY3902

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. 
 
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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. 
 
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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. 
 
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Comment 
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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 
 
 
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