Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry on statements of Italian politicians following deportation of Mr. Ablyazov’s wife

The anti-Kazakhstan campaign in Italian media that unfolded following the urgent deportation of Ms. Alma Shalabayeva, the wife of BTA’s ex-chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov, bears some signs of some interested parties involved, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing Zhanbolat Ussenov, a spokesman of the Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry, as saying July 5. “Everyone must have seen speculations over how the relationship between Kazakhstan and Italy might develop, over statements made by some public figures. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry has been approached by some media with questions on how the ties between the two nations will be developing given public statements made by Italian politicians (…) For the twenty-year-long period of bilateral relations, Kazakhstan and Italy have been fruitfully interacting across a wide range of cooperation; the cooperation has entered the level of strategic partnership. Kazakhstan still sees the partnership in the same vein”, Mr. Ussenov said. According to him, Kazakhstan has never received any formal information confirming that Italy regards the relationship with Kazakhstan as somewhat other than a strategic partnership. “Media reports of low estimates of Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Italy and of the bilateral relations as a whole reportedly made by some Italian politicians made the Kazakh side surprised (…) Kazakhstan and Italy enjoy a high level of cooperation. It’s a pity Italian media have unfolded an anti-Kazakhstan campaign which bears signs of a third party’s involvement”, the spokesman said. He emphasized “the country’s Foreign Ministry believes the media reports will have no impact on the bilateral relations of the two nations”. “At the same time we believe politicians and officials should be more responsible when it comes to public statements and assessments of bilateral relations and of other nations’ foreign policies. As far as the work of Andrian Yelemessov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Italy, is concerned, the Kazakh Ministry believes he had been properly performing his job duties. He exercised no illegitimate pressure on Italy’s law enforcement bodies or any other public bodies”, Mr. Ussenov assured. He also briefed on the Ambassador’s meeting with reps of the Italy’s Five Star Movement. “The Minister made it known to the fraction that Ms. Shalabayeva is under a recognizance not to leave Almaty as she is subject to investigation into allegedly illegal obtainment of fake passports for herself and some of her relatives. But she is free to move around Almaty. Almaty was her own choice”, he said. He also reminded that the Kazakhstan’s General Prosecutor Office had earlier announced that the country’s legislation allows Ms. Shalabayeva to ask for a permit to leave Kazakhstan on bail should she guarantee that she will be available for the country’s law enforcement bodies if need be over the investigation into illegal obtainment of fake passports. Earlier the Foreign Minister said that “unbiased information could be provided by depositors and creditors of BTA hurt by criminal activities of Mr. Ablyazov", the spokesman reminded. May 31 Ms. Shalabayeva was deported to Kazakhstan from Italy for holding an allegedly fake passport issued by the Central African Republic. Later Italy renounced the deportation order. Currently Ms. Shalabayeva is in Almaty with their six-year-old daughter.