U.S. ASSISTS IN DEVELOPING KAZAKHSTANI INDUSTRIAL PARTNERSHIPS
Today, during his visit to Almaty, Kazakhstan, U.S. Secretary of Defense
William Perry announced three industrial partnership awards aimed at assisting
Kazakhstan convert its former Soviet weapons of mass destruction production
facilities to commercial joint ventures. The three projects announced today
and a partnership award announced in February brings to four the number of U.S.
joint ventures thus far in Kazakhstan.
The projects total $36.9 million in investments. Through the Department of
Defense (DoD) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, the U.S. government
will contribute $14.7 million to these projects. The four U.S. firms involved
will contribute a total of $21.2 million.
The following awards were announced by Secretary Perry today:
-- Approximately $4 million will be provided Kras Corporation, Fairless Hills,
PA., for a joint venture with Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Center to convert a
former nuclear weapons testing facility to a printed circuit board
manufacturing plant.
-- Approximately $3 million will be provided Byelocorp Scientific, Inc., New
York City, for a joint venture with Kazakhstan partner Gidromash to convert a
former missile and aircraft systems production facility to the manufacture and
distribution of valves and pressure vessels for cryogenic materials and gases.
-- Approximately $2.7 million to Allen & Associates International, Washington,
D.C., for a joint venture with Kazakhstan partner Biomedpreparat to covert a
former biological warfare and production facility to a vitamins,
pharmaceuticals and antibiotics manufacturing, packaging and distribution
concern.
In February, the Department announced that it would provide $5 million to AT&T,
Whippany, NJ., to convert a Kazakhstani military/industrial company,
Kazinformtelecom, into an international telecommunications company.
According to Secretary Perry, CTR program assistance to Kazakhstan for defense
conversion is a win, win, win situation. Such assistance helps reduce the
threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; assists Kazakhstan
in building a peaceful, commercially viable market economy while reducing its
excess military industrial capacity; and promotes opportunities for U.S.
industry's entry into a potentially large market for consumer goods and
services.
