Bet is placed on technological independence of the country – expert on Kazakh President’s state-of-the-nation address
In the expert’s view, the Address for the first time included a combination of an industrial program and a new social economic order. Concrete mechanisms for the development of an entire set of industries from agro-industrial holdings to mining enterprises coupled with research institutes based on concrete market financing in order to raise the standard and quality of living of the population.
«Kazakhstan has always been the richest country of the region with the highest gold reserves per capita. Possessing rich raw materials, manufacturing and knowledge-intensive production lacked development. Now, a bet was placed to ensure technological independence of the country, presenting military and food sovereignty. Such a policy is very important. By creating small- and medium-class manufacturing Kazakhstan is to flood with goods of different degree of processing necessary for industry and people of the entire region thanks to its resources. This is the path to technological independence of the entire Central Asia. It is not easy, but what’s important is that there are raw materials, political will, funds, as well as relatively protected markets as a non-formal Central Asian union is being formed,» believes the political scholar.
Noting the importance of the issue touched upon in the address – the issue of affordable and quality water resources, the expert positively assessed the establishment of the new Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in Kazakhstan.
«Water is the key threat in Central Asia in the next 50-70 years. The region is to have sufficient water resources given rational and targeted use. The sector requires new mechanisms for effective use of water facilities such as construction of powerful dams with water saving technologies, introduction of drip irrigation systems, new types of seeds with the help of scientific studies, and growing crops using less water. All this requires capital-intensive investments as well as ensures political and economic unity of the region, its connectivity. The realization of the set tasks in the water management sector needs to rest on a separate ministry with qualified specialists.
We hope Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is to funnel serious funds in coming years in the project of construction of Kambaratinskiy hydropower plant-1 and a number of other projects for the entire Central Asia to conserve and accumulate water in autumn-winter periods to provide drinking and irrigation water in spring seasons in the region,» concluded the expert.