France, Kazakhs Ink Military Transit, Energy Deals

ASTANA: Kazakhstan agreed on Tuesday to allow military equipment to fight the French forces in Afghanistan to pass through its territory, and signed a series of energy accords during a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Faced with criticism over its human rights record, Kazakhstan gained a measure of support for Sarkozy, who said he discussed the matter with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, but do not come to “give lessons”.

France is one of Western countries to woo Kazakhstan, a giant of the former Soviet republic rich in oil and gas resources and strategic location bordering China and Russia – long the dominant regional power – to the north of Afghanistan.

Nazarbayev said that the transit agreement signed on Tuesday governing the movement of military equipment and personnel to provide the service of French forces from NATO in neighboring Afghanistan. Kazakhstan is situated between Russia and three smaller nations of Central Asia bordering Afghanistan.

“We need to Kazakhstan to resolving the crisis in Afghanistan and Iran, and establish new relations with our Russian friends in the fight against extremism,” Sarkozy said.

On energy, an agreement with an estimated value of $ 1 billion was signed to formalize the acquisition by French firms Total and GDF-Suez of a 25 percent abroad Khvalynskoye natural gas project on the field in the Caspian Sea. The field is being developed by Russian oil giant, Lukoil, and is expected to start operations in 2016 and produce up to 3 trillion cubic feet (9 million cubic meters) of oil per year.

Kazakhstan also awarded a consortium of French companies to agree to participate in building a major pipeline of 2 billion U.S. dollars that connects the large Kashagan oil field in the Caspian Sea. Energy supplies through the route is transported across the Inland Sea by tanker to Azerbaijan and westward to Europe, bypassing Russia.

Both West and Central Asian nations are ready to ease Russia’s control over oil and gas export routes in the region.

“This is a very important project that will become the main artery for transporting Kazakh oil to Europe,” Nazarbayev told reporters.

Other trade agreements include an agreement to create a joint venture between the state of the two countries, nuclear energy utilities for the production and marketing of fuel for nuclear power plants.

Kazakhstan is about to become the world’s largest supplier of uranium, but in recent years has been in touch with business partners in Russia, Japan and China in a bid to ensure they can participate in all stages of fuel cycle nuclear production.

Thales of France signed a 100 million euros ($ 150 million) contract to supply radios for the army of Kazakhstan that the company hopes to bring a larger euro, 2 billion ($ 3 million) project to supply communication equipment to the military of Kazakhstan – a market dominated by Russian suppliers.

“All these deals are in the strategic interests of our two nations,” Nazarbayev said at a meeting of officials and investors.

Sarkozy’s visit came as Kazakhstan has faced growing criticism over its human rights record before 2010 his chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a leading trans-Atlantic security and the body of democracy.

Human Rights Watch said this week that Kazakhstan has repeatedly flouted the basic democratic freedoms and has been slow to implement reforms in line with its commitments to the OSCE.

But Sarkozy, the first French leader to visit the former Soviet nation since 1993, mounted a spirited defense of the next president of Kazakhstan to the OSCE.

“When it comes to this part of the world can not do budgets, but you should try to understand what is happening,” said Sarkozy. “The optimal way to solve problems – and there are problems, I have discussed with the president – not necessarily to come and give lessons.

Nazarbayev dismissed criticism of rights in his country and the history of democracy.

“Our main objective is to strengthen our independence, boost our economy, improve people’s lives and gradually approaches the civilized world by adopting all the values of freedom and democracy that exist in the Western world,” said Nazarbayev.

Tags: Energy Deals, France, Kazakhs, Military Transit