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Kazakhstan: Central Asia
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In terms of business customs, Kazakhstan is more European than Asian. It is customary to shake hands and call people by their first names at business meetings, as well as at informal get-togethers. However, men generally do not shake women's hands in company. Business attire is generally a suit and tie for men and a suit or business dress for women. Small gifts--pens, company logo pins, memo, and books--are frequently given at the end of an initial meeting as a token of appreciation. Business cards are the norm, often in both Russian and English.
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Kazakhstan is a significant transit route for Afghan grown and produced opium and heroin. Most of this northern flow is aimed at the growing domestic drugs market in Russia, but Central Asia is becoming a transit route for some Afghan heroin trafficked to Europe across the Caspian Sea and through the Caucasus. There is ... increasing evidence of international crime gangs working in Kazakhstan, often with contacts in Germany and the Baltic States. The Central Asian Republics recognise the drugs threat but have only a limited capacity to tackle it. Drug seizures in Central Asia increased tenfold between 1995 and 1999 and almost tripled between 1999 and 2000. Porous borders and ineffective border management hinder the counter-narcotics effort, but the European Commission, OSCE, UN, IOM and US Government are implementing border projects.
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Kazakhstan, along with Kyrgyzstan and Belarus, signed an economic cooperation pact with Russia in 1996. In 1997 the capital was moved from Almaty to the more centrally located Astana (formerly Aqmola). In 1999, as Kazakhstan's economy worsened, the government agreed to sell some of its stake in the vast Tengiz oil field. In Sept., 2003, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement to create a common economic space. Parliamentary elections in 2004 were criticized by foreign observers as biased toward the government, and the main moderate opposition party accused the government of tampering with the vote. Following the collapse of the government in neighboring Kyrgyzstan in 2005, the parliament passed a series of repressive measures intended to prevent a similar popular revolt in Kazakhstan.
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Due to its size, Kazakhstan holds substantial leverage over the other Central Asian states. Relations with Russia have been relatively good despite some tensions. The United States and other Western powers have criticized undemocratic policies of the Kazakh government. Kazakhstan has played a vital role in U.S.-led efforts to combat international terrorism.
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The Republic of Kazakhstan is situated between Russia and China, giving it a rich culture and history. Because of its location in Central Asia, its multicultural population of nearly 15 million is composed mainly of people of Kazakh descent (a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes, giving natives a Eurasian look) and Caucasians. There are nearly 80,000 orphans in Kazakhstan, many of which are true orphans or have parents who were not able to care for them. The orphanages are in most major cities as well as their outlying regions. Both Eurasian and Caucasian children are available for adoption. Kazakh orphanages generally house anywhere from 30–70 children with approximately 5–8 children per caregiver.
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The Jewish Congress of Kazakhstan was created in December 1999, and businessman and philanthropist Alexander Mashkevich was named its president. In March 2002, Mashkevich ... assumed the presidency of the new region-wide Euro-Asian Jewish Congress.
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