Kulibayev does not foresee slowdown of Kazakhstan economy in 2012

Timur Kulibayev does not expect a slowdown in Kazakhstan’ economy in 2012, Tengrinews.kz reports from the conference of Kazakhstan’s National Economic Chamber Soyuz Atameken. “Our budget incomes quite strongly depend on the profits from oil and gas sector. The forecasted oil prices in 2012 are quite high. That’s why I think that there is no big fears on a sharp drop (of the economic growth),” chairman of Atameken’s presidium Timur Kullibayev said on February 22. First deputy chairman of Soyuz Atameken Rakhim Oshakbayev said that ensuring fast economic growth requires improving business-climate, and in the Common Economic Space as well. “It is a very big opportunity for Kazakhstan. It is still not being used to the full. This is a healthy competition of three jurisdictions (Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus) and right now the task of the government and Atameken (as a representative of entrepreneurship and an effective partner of the government) to ensure more competitive business-climate. This will allow us to increase the forecasts on the GDP growth,” Oshakbayev said. He gave an example of Georgia, that is ranked 12th in the World Bank’s rating of business management. Kazakhstan is 47th in this list and Russia is 120th. According to Oshakbayev, Atameken takes Georgia’s position as a challenge.