Floods in Kazakhstan: National Guard assists with flood relief efforts
Images | Kazakh National Guard's press service
Over 1,200 military more from the National Guard of Kazakhstan are deployed to assist with flood rescue in the country’s west and north, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The local population remains in danger amid devastating floods. Evacuation of people from flood-hit areas and rendering them necessary assistance are still priority tasks.
The risk of recurrent flooding is high in West Kazakhstan and Atyrau regions. The National Guard military help evacuate people from flood-stricken districts, build barriers with sandbags to stop water and reduce flood damage, deliver humanitarian aid to evacuation centers, and ensure law and order to prevent looting.
As of now more than 3,000 officers and sergeants, soldiers, and military students are deployed in flood relief operations countrywide. Since the flood outbreak, they evacuated 1,644 people to safer places, laid 462,000 bags full of inert materials, and delivered 110 tons of humanitarian assistance.
125 pieces of equipment of the National Guard were dispatched to battle floods.
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President joins Taza Qazaqstan campaign, reiterates importance of careful attitude to nature
Images | Akorda
Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev joined a clean-up event in one of the districts of the Kazakh capital held on Saturday morning as part of the nationwide Taza Qazaqstan campaign, Kazinform News Agency has reports citing the Akorda press service.
Volunteers, youth, participants of the upcoming 5th World Nomad Games, members of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve joined the citywide clean-up effort. Some 430 seedlings of linden tree were planted as part of the event.
President Tokayev took the opportunity to talk to the participants of the campaign and once again reiterated the importance of fostering careful attitude to environment and nature.
He stressed that the ongoing Taza Qazaqstan campaign is not a one-off event. On the contrary, according to him, it is here to stay.
We must take good care of our common home - Kazakhstan. No guests or investors will show up in a country where there is no cleanness," said the President, adding that Kazakhstan should always be clean and beautiful. The same, in his words, applies to small towns, districts, and villages.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on Kazakhstanis to abide by law and order and combat vandalism.
We should be proud of our country and treat everything, be it a street, a yard or an entrance of an apartment building with care," he said.
The Head of State also inspected the Botanical Garden and expressed his gratitude to residents who had taken part in the Taza Qazaqstan campaign.
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300 bln tenge is allocated for spring field and harvesting works
Images | Depositphotos
Starting from April 29, Baiterek Holding will launch a new program of preferential financing in the amount of 300 billion tenge (around $678 million). The program is aimed to support the agro-industrial sector in conducting spring field and harvesting works, reports Kazinform News Agency.
According to the program, Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund JSC will provide guarantees in the amount of 85% of the loan for farmers who have problems with collateral security. This measure is taken for the first time and helps strengthen food security and stabilize prices for products on the domestic market.
Moreover, farmers affected due to the floods situation and last year drought, will receive 5% per annum funding through the Agrarian Credit Corporation.
Chairman of the Board of Baiterek Rustam Karagoishin emphasized that the holding will increase financing of agriculture in accordance with the instruction of the Head of State.
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Kazakh defense minister suggests developing agr’t on confidence-building measures for all SCO member states
Images | Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The meeting of the ministers of defense of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization took place in the Kazakh capital of Astana under Kazakhstan’s presidency of the Organization, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Attending the meeting were the defense ministers of the SCO member states, Secretary General, director of the SCO RATS Executive Committee and Belarusian minister of defense.
The current issues of international and regional security were discussed as well as the steps towards developing cooperation between the defense ministries were defined in a traditionally friendly and constructive way.
During the event, it was noted that the SCO is not a military and political bloc and that military cooperation does not target other countries. The meeting’s aim is to strengthen confidence-building measures in the military sphere, coordinate efforts against challenges and threats to regional security. In this regard, the need to continue the holding of the Peaceful Mission joint military anti-terrorist drills was noted.
With the aim to promote the activities of armed forces of the member states of the Organization, the defense ministers reached agreement to develop cooperation between the military historic museums.
In his speech, head of the Kazakh defense ministry colonel-general Ruslan Zhakssylykov drew attention to the historic aspect of the Organization.
If we go back to the origins of the SCO, it is necessary to note that Agreement on Confidence Building in the Military Field in the Border Area, as of April 26, 1996, (Shanghai Treaty) and the Agreement on Mutual Reduction of Military Forces in the Border Areas as of April 24, 1997 (Moscow Treaty) are the basis of the Organization’s creation, said Zhakssylykov.
The Kazakh minister put forward a proposal to develop and adopt an agreement on confidence-building measures for all SCO member states, providing for voluntary mutual visits of military units, provision of information on holding major military drills, management and structure of defense departments.
Following the meeting, a protocol and a number of documents regulating cooperation as well as a joint communique were signed.
A joint statement by the Kazakh defense minister and the SCO Secretary General was made.
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25,000 people still battling spring floods in Kazakhstan
Images | Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Official Spokesperson of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry Askar Sharip reported mass media about the flood control efforts launched in Kazakhstan, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to him, civil protection services continue tackling flood consequences and assisting the population in Atyrau, Aktobe, West Kazakhstan and North Kazakhstan regions.
Flood situation in the West Kazakhstan region has already stabilized. Flooded summer houses are being monitored. Emergencies employees and policemen are patrolling the flooded areas," he said at a briefing in the Central Communications Office in Astana today.
In his words, the emergency staff of Aktobe and Turkistan regions were sent from the West Kazakhstan to Atyrau region to help in flood relief efforts in the villages located on the Zhaiyk (Ural) river bank.
He said that water level changes on the Zhaiyk river are monitored in Atyrau region. Bank protection works were launched along the river in Atyrau to prevent flooding.
Water was pumped out from 6,082 residential buildings and 2,584 households in the North Kazakhstan, Atyrau, and Aktobe regions.
35,122 people have already returned their homes, while 8,520 are staying in the evacuation centers.
Emergency and rescue works involve more than 25,000 people and 3,000 vehicles, 638 water pumps, 268 boats and 14 aircraft.
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Head of State Tokayev meets Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun
Images | Akorda
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting with Minister of National Defense of China Dong Jun, Kazinform News Agency cites Akorda.
Welcoming Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, Tokayev noted his contribution to the strengthening of good-neighborliness, friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation.
The Head of State stressed that the Kazakh-Chinese relations are at the highest level of eternal all-round strategic partnership. As Tokayev said, Kazakhstan and China share the common views on the key issues of regional and international security on the multilateral track.
Our countries maintain a constructive dialogue and provide mutual support within the UN, SCO, CICA. We commend and back China’s global development initiative, the global security initiative and the global civilization initiative. I believe that they will positively contribute to the strengthening of the modern architecture of global security, said the Kazakh President.
For his part, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun thanked the Head of State of Kazakhstan for the hospitality and noted the high level of preparation for the meeting of the defense ministers of member states of the SCO in Astana.
During the meeting, the sides expressed interest in developing peacekeeping, educational and military technical cooperation.
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President to personally monitor all-out efforts to restore housing, infrastructure affected by floods
Images | primeminister.kz
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev vowed he will personally monitor all-out efforts to help restore housing and infrastructure in the regions of Kazakhstan affected by colossal floods this spring, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
In his address to an April 25 meeting of the People’s Assembly of Kazakhstan, President Tokayev announced mass reconstructions planned in the flood-affected regions in the upcoming months.
The Government, according to the Head of State, is bending every effort to make sure everyone affected by the floods will get compensated.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out that those affected by floods will be given a chance to relocate to more economically attractive areas.
He also reminded that well-known Kazakhstani billionaires and entrepreneurs who had made generous donations to help restore flood-hit regions will monitor how their funds are spent and distributed.
The Government will also lend a helping hand to small and medium-sized enterprises and agrarians in the regions hit by the natural disaster in order to ensure smooth sowing campaign.
I would like to reiterate that no one will be left without the support in such difficult moment. The Government will fulfill all obligations," emphasized the Kazakh leader.
Ensuring wellbeing of all citizens is the key goal of the Government, he stressed.
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