Tag: Kazakhstan

  • Why does Ukraine dissipate its strategic equipment amidst the war?

    Why does Ukraine dissipate its strategic equipment amidst the war?

    govenment spending

    Recently, a number of official sources have published the information confirming that the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has purchased a multi-channel VARAN complex from Seven Hills LLP. The VARAN system is mainly known for wiretapping phones, intercepting and jamming any radio signals. Nothing could seem extraordinary at first glance, given the deal value at modest 340K tenge (800 USD).

    However, regardless the most possible scenario that the supply is going to be on a regular basis, it is not the prices that draws attention to the deal, but the sides involved in it. The manufacturer and chief executor of the contract is the Ukrainian company Ualeks (www.ualeks.com) that produces similar equipment for the Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

    One may wonder why such important and needed equipment in the war-torn country is being sold abroad, and why do the Ukrainian authorities allow it? Needless to say, that Ukraine has been fighting desperately with almost no resources of its own. The aid from the Western countries that was generous at first months of the special military operation is now very limited, as the United States may no longer support Kyiv due to many other strategic operations it is pursuing in the Middle East.

    Ukraine is better to tight up the belts and concentrate on its national tasks rather than search for blur profit and support by former CIS countries in return of technologies. At the moment, Ukraine needs them more. Unless the country’s government is only interested in getting quick money and short-term profit.

  • Kazakh Diaspora in Turkey

    Kazakh Diaspora in Turkey

    Posted on November 8, 2011 by ok4u2bu

    Over 20 thousand Kazakhs live in Turkey today. The Kazakh diaspora in Turkey originates from the migration wave of 1930, when 18 thousand Kazakhs moved to India and Pakistan, and later in 1952 they moved to Turkey. The migration was caused by different reasons: political, economic and religious.

     

    The majority of Kazakh immigrants live in Istanbul.

    Back then they had to choose between the USA and Turkey, and they chose the latter due to the similarity of culture and traditions of Turkey and Kazakhstan.

    Turkish government helps the immigrants assimilate by providing them with land, housing and cattle, granting citizenship, and releasing them from military service for a 5-yeear-period.

    This professor of history, born in Turkey, belongs to an intellectual elite of the diaspora. He represents the third generation of his family which lives in this country.

    At first he studied programming but his wrestle with question of where Kazakhs came from and where they go to, made him turn to history.

    His wife is from India. They have three daughters and a son, who have to attend Kazakh language classes to be able to speak it. Unfortunately, by this time most Kzakhs living in Turkey have forgotten it.

    Lunch time.

    Kazakh friends. This woman is 77.

    This mosque was built by Kazakhs in 1975.

    Names of the leaders of the migration are inscribed on this stele.

    On the way to the elder’s house.

    This man was born in 1921. He says that when they were young, they were brave and it helped them survive at those difficult times.

    He also wrote a book where he described the migration of Kazakhs to Turkey.

    This villa belongs to a Kazakh, whose grandfather migrated to Turkey in 1953.

    In one of the letters written by the grandfather, the man read about precious stones left in Kazakhstan, which he later found.

    His first business was plastic materials production, then he began producing paper building materials and so on and so forth.

    His villa reminds him of the lifestyle they have in Kazakhstan.

    He was presented with a normand’s tent and decorated it with hand-made souvenirs from Mongolia and China.

    In this tent they celebrate holidays, such as wedding days of his children or birthdays…

    Elders.

    This musician travels around Turkey and European countries and plays traditional Kazakh music together with his band.

    When Kazakhs moved to such cities as Ankara and Izmir, they developed a new industry there – dressing skin and tailoring leather goods.

    Some Kazakhs have their own tailoring shops…

    … like this family.

    This woman sews and embroiders bedclothes for newly weds.

    This man is a lawyer and his wife is a dentist. They visit Kazakhstan as often as they can.

    This woman has been making national ornaments for 17 years.

    And 90-year-old man sends his best regards to Kazakhstan and people who live there now.

    Location: Turkey

    awayfromhomephotos 19

  • Europe nears gas pipeline accord

    Europe nears gas pipeline accord

    aEuropean governments are due to sign an agreement on the Nabucco gas pipeline on 13 July, the European Commission has announced.

    The Nabucco pipeline will bring Central Asian gas to western Europe via Turkey and the Balkans, bypassing Russia.

    Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria – the pipeline’s five transit countries – will sign the accord.

    The pipeline – which will compete with new rival Russian pipelines – should be operational by 2014.

    Germany is also a member of the consortium but the pipeline will not cross Germany.

    “I can confirm that the Commission has received an invitation to the signing ceremony of the intergovernmental agreement on the Nabucco pipeline on July 13 in Ankara,” a European Commission spokesman told a news briefing.

    Russian concerns

    Plans for the Nabucco pipeline come as European Union states are keen to reduce their reliance upon Russian gas because of Russia’s numerous price disputes in recent years with Ukraine.

    These rows have seen Gazprom temporarily cut supplies to Ukraine, which in turn has reduced Russian gas deliveries to western Europe that are piped through Russia’s neighbour.

    Work on Russian pipelines, which will bypass Ukraine, are underway.

    The major sources of gas for Nabucco are expected to be Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

    Azerbaijan has already promised Gazprom, the Russian state gas company, priority when it comes to buying gas.

    BBC