Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, hosted its first international exhibition called "Karaotkel (‘Capital’) 2000," that gathered representatives from over 90 enterprises from the 16 regions of Kazakhstan, regions of Russia (Omsk, Tumen, Samara, and Nizhny Novgorod), and even from Kyrgyzstan. The mayor of Astana with the assistance of "Atakent-Expo" an international exhibition company organized the exhibition. The overall goals of the exhibition were to show the wide range of products that are currently produced by Kazakhstan’s enterprises. It was to prove that Kazakhstan is fully capable of providing for its domestic needs, and that Kazakhstan’s industrial capacity is able to spur the national economy.
The exhibition opened on in Astana, on the day known as the "Day of the City" the day Astana was proclaimed the new capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 1998. Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Tokaev officially opened the exhibition with positive statements regarding the outlook of Kazakhstan’s economic situation. The high point of the exhibition was a visit from President Nursultan Nazerbayev, who visited almost all the enterprises represented at the exhibition, looked over their displays and information, and personally spoke with many of the representatives regarding their business activities.
The Northern Kazakhstan Region was represented by 10 enterprises from all different branches of the nation’s economy. Among the representatives were the five former defense plants of Petropavlosk, now converted to produce a wide selection of consumer goods and oil refining products. The exhibition was an excellent opportunity for the country to see the newly acquired potential of the five former defense plants. The organizer of the Northern Kazakhstan Regional Delegation was the Northern Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry that has repeatedly proven their skill in bring together the enterprises of the region for representation at exhibitions, trade fairs, and business meetings.
Despite all the difficulties in Kazakhstan’s market transition process, industries have been able to rebuild and operate under harsh conditions. Each region of Kazakhstan presented their best enterprises able to supply the market, decrease the amount of imports, and strengthen the overall economy. In a short conversation with the enterprise representatives of the Northern Kazakhstan Region, Prime Minister Tokaev spoke of the important role that Kazakhstani industry is currently playing, and will play in the revival of the national economy. The Prime Minister also confirmed that the government of Kazakhstan will promote and support this industrial revival because any major transformation in society will rest upon its strong economic foundation.
Andrei Emelin