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KAZAKH PRESIDENT NAZARBAYEV OPENS MAJOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN

ASIA SOCIETY’S INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE JUNE 14-16, 2005

(Almaty, Kazakhstan – June 14, 2005) – Asia Society today opened a major international business conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev delivered the keynote address during this evening’s gala opening dinner, which was attended by more than 400 people. The high-level gathering, titled “Kazakhstan Draws a New Wave of Investment: Strategies for Diversification and Sustainable Growth,” will examine the country’s emergence as a global economic player and its potential to promote Central Asia as a strategic destination for investment and a bridge for trade between East Asia and the West. The conference is held at The Regent Almaty, The Ankara in Kazakhstan and continues through June 16.

Over the next two days, speakers and delegates will address the following topics: building a sustainable base for a diversified market economy and friendly investment climate; identifying strategic sectors beyond energy for diversification; financial sector strength as an engine for diversification; managing resource revenue and balancing energy opportunities; the growing importance of Central Asia as a global energy provider; building economic partnerships in Central Asia through regional cooperation; and prospects for building new business alliances with Asia.

“As one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, Kazakhstan is ripe for a new wave of foreign investment,” said Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, Chairman, Asia Society Board of Trustees. “At the same time, energy and security concerns have heightened the strategic importance of the Central Asian states. By convening this major international business conference in Almaty, Asia Society is raising the profile of Kazakhstan and Central Asia to challenge the world’s leading multinationals to help promote and participate in the region’s economic growth.”

“Kazakhstan has made significant strides integrating with the global economy," notes Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai. "This event – the first conference Asia Society has held in Central Asia – will examine ways to diversify Kazakhstan's resource-based economy that are critical to its emergence as a new destination for foreign investment."

Conference speakers from the Kazakh government include Kassymzhomart Tokaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Vladimir Shkolnik, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources; Kairat N. Kelimbetov, Minister of Economy and Budget Planning; Sauat Mynbayev, Minister of Industry and Trade; and Zhanar Aitzhanova, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade. Other confirmed speakers include Richard C. Holbrooke, Vice-Chairman, Perseus LLC and Chairman, Asia Society; Dariga Nazarbayeva, Chair, Eurasian Media Forum; George Soros, Founder and Chairman, Open Society Institute and Chairman, Soros Fund Management LLC; John Ordway, U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan; Martha Brill Olcott, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Pan Guang, Director, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Director, Institute of Eurasian Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences; and Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

The conference is co-organized by the Government of Kazakhstan, Asia Society and the Eurasian Media Forum, in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Eurasia Group, European Business Association of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Foreign Investors Council Association, United Nations Development Programme, and U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Association. Information about the conference is available on the web at: www.asiasociety.org/kazakhstan.

Asia Society is America’s leading nonprofit, nonpartisan public education organization dedicated to broadening understanding of Asia and of U.S.-Asia relations. The Society presents a wide variety of educational programs on Asian contemporary affairs and cultures for professional audiences, including business executives, foreign affairs specialists, the media and the general public. The Asia Society's Business Programs provide a leading forum for executives to meet the policy makers and business leaders who shape the Asia Pacific business environment. Asia Society is headquartered in New York, with regional centers in Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Manila, Melbourne and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.asiasociety.org.

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