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EBRD's shareholder representatives visit Kazakhstan
Representatives of the shareholders of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development begin a four-day visit to Kazakhstan on Sunday, 8 September. It will be the first visit by members of the EBRD's Board of Directors to Kazakhstan since September 1999. The Directors will meet with government and business leaders, as well as representatives of civil society, in Almaty and Astana.
The EBRD's Board of Directors represents the Bank's 62 public shareholders and approves all Bank projects. The goal of the visit is to learn more about the state of reforms and transition in Kazakhstan as the Bank prepares a new strategy for the country.
The delegation includes Directors Susumu Fujimoto, Japan; Laurent Guye, Switzerland/Turkey/ Liechtenstein/Uzbekistan/Kyrgyz Republic /Azerbaijan/FR Yugoslavia; Byung-Hwa Jin, Korea/Australia/ New Zealand/Egypt; John Kerby, United Kingdom; Heiner Luschin, Austria/ Israel/Cyprus/Malta/Kazakhstan/Bosnia and Herzegovina; Philippe Petit-Laurent, European Commission; Yuri Poluneev, Ukraine/Romania/Moldova/Georgia/Armenia; Enzo Quattrociocche, Italy; and Alternate Directors Robin Ritterhoff, United States; Marc Jullien, France; and Ayse Donmezer, Turkey/Switzerland/ Liechtenstein/Uzbekistan/Kyrgyz Republic/Azerbaijan/FR Yugoslavia.
The Directors will meet with Alexander Pavlov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, senior government officials, representatives of the international and diplomatic community, and investors. The delegation will also visit small and medium enterprises and meet with EBRD's local client banks.
At 31 July 2002 the EBRD had agreed to invest €801.6 million in 37 projects in Kazakhstan. Six are in the public sector: for railway track maintenance and commercialisation, power and transmission rehabilitation, reconstruction of Aktau Port, waste rehabilitation, development of the Almaty-Bishkek road, and improved operations at Atvrau airport. Recent private-sector investments include a proposed programme for lending against warehouse receipts for agribusiness companies, and extending credit lines to micro and small enterprises.
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