The annual Doing Business in Kazakhstan report, a comprehensive guide prepared by CS Almaty, is now available on-line.  Please visit our market research website for access to the complete report.

On June 24, the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce and the Embassy in Astana joined the Government of Kazakhstan, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, the U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Association, Atamekent, and the Forum of Entrepreneurs in launching a new bilateral Public-Private Economic Partnership Initiative.  Recognizing that one of the keys to success in the global economy is the establishment and maintenance of private sector linkages, this initiative will help to cement business relationships and other productive connections between the U.S. and Kazakhstani private sectors through joint activities with U.S. and Kazakhstani policymakers who are working to achieve economic diversification and policy reform.

The Partnership will encourage economic diversification and growth of the Kazakhstani business sector while assisting in the development of transparent laws and regulations governing business and trade practices.

On December 13, Ambassador Ordway and CS Almaty hosted a signing ceremony at the US Embassy in Astana for Lockheed Martin Transportation and Security Solutions and their local buyer, Kazaeronavigatsia. The contract to modernize the Aktybinsk air control center, worth $14 million, was the culmination of CS Almaty's and Lockheed Martin's hard work together. The signing ceremony was the first commercial contract to be signed at the Embassy's new building on Astana.

Starting on August 20, 2007, almost all shipments originating from the U.S. were held by Kazakhstani customs as a result of an amendment to the Kazakhstani Customs Code that required importers to provide a Shipper's Export Declaration (SED). As savvy US exporters know, the SED is a confidential Census Bureau document, and U.S. exporters are prohibited by law from disclosing it.

Working jointly with the U.S. Embassy in Astana, the State Department, and Customs and Border Patrol, over a two-month period CS Almaty and Washington-based Department of Commerce staff advocated on behalf of U.S. shippers, urging the GOK to repeal the law and allow U.S. shipments through.  The multi-agency group prepared letters from the Census Bureau and Customs to the Ministry of Finance and Kazakh Customs; advised US firms on the legality of providing the SED and how to proceed with future shipments to Kazakhstan; and regularly liaised with other effected countries and monitored local customs to provide intel on the movement of goods. As the issue escalated, CS Almaty, the Embassy and the interagency group continued to keep up the pressure, making calls to the Kazakh Ambassador in Washington, organizing a DOC roundtable of private firms for the visiting Vice Minister of Finance, raising the relevance of the issue to WTO accession via USTR, and holding negotiations with the Ministry of Finance and Kazakh Customs.  Finally, after two months of constant action, during the week of October 22 Kazakh Customs added the U.S. to a list of countries that are exempt from providing the SED, allowing the flow of US goods into Kazakhstan.  Later in November, the law requiring the SED was repealed by President Nazarbayev, relieving any further problems US firms faced with shipments from Europe and Asia.