The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, after participating in the meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Dushanbe, arrived in Shymkent. This was reported by the press service of Akorda.

The Head of State got acquainted with the activity of the Shymkent Refinery LLP PetroKazakhstan Oil Products. The plant specializes in the manufacture of petroleum products that meet the environmental standards of K-4 and K-5. As a result of modernization, the company increased the volume of oil refining up to six million tons per year.

During the visit, Nursultan Nazarbayev heard the information about the work of Atyrau and Pavlodar refineries, and the current situation in the oil market of Kazakhstan.

After listening to the reports, the President of Kazakhstan focused on the importance of using environmentally friendly fuels and ensuring their accessibility for the population.

"We produce buses using gas as fuel. It is necessary to increase the volume of their production. This will stimulate the national economy and reduce the damage to the environment. In addition, the gasification of transport is beneficial for the owners themselves," the Head of State said.

Then the Head of State visited the centre for social services, which houses the service centre for the population, the employment centre, the migration service and the registry office. The Centre is focused on rendering public services in digital format, both for citizens and for foreign investors.

During the visit the President of Kazakhstan heard the report on implementing digitalization projects in various sectors of the economy, including the agro-industrial complex, education, housing, health, transport and security.

Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized the importance of implementing the digitalization program in the context of improving the quality and efficiency of providing public services to the public.

"Shymkent is becoming a big metropolis. New projects are being implemented here. Hard workers of Shymkent are the key to the city’s successful growth. The most important direction of work is small and medium business. For its rise it is necessary to provide appropriate support," Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

In addition, the Head of State got acquainted with the plans for the development of housing and social infrastructure of the city. The information on reconstruction and building of city facilities was reported.

The meeting on the Shymkent city's social and economic development was also held.

Speaking before the city's core group, the Head of State stressed that Shymkent, after gaining the national status, faces new tasks demanding modern approaches and a coordinated strategy.

"Having become the third metropolitan city in the country with a population of over one million people, Shymkent needs to modify its growth model, just as Astana and Almaty have done earlier. A number of attractive projects are being actualized in the city, even more are in the schedule. Therefore, today we require discussing further ways of Shymkent’s development and determining the strategy," the President of Kazakhstan said.

Nursultan Nazarbayev paid special attention of the conference attendees to separate issues of Shymkent’s new self-presentation.

"Shymkent is set to become a powerful economic centre of Central Asia, a large and attractive metropolis with comfortable conditions for its residents and guests. The updated strategy for the city’s development is to be oriented towards the formation of a large industrial, innovative, tourist, trade and logistics centre in this region," the Head of State underlined.

The President of Kazakhstan noted the importance of supporting small and medium-sized businesses in the city, as well as the development of clusters and enterprises in the field of light industry, construction, pharmaceuticals and medical services.

In addition, Nursultan Nazarbayev pointed to the need to improve the quality of education in higher educational institutions, creation of modern innovation centres, following the example of Nazarbayev University and the Park of Innovative Technologies.

The Head of State has also dwelled on the issues of strengthening the city's international relations in the context of developing its tourist potential.

"Shymkent should become a principal magnet  of tourism. Therefore, the city must develop in a consistent manner in all directions. It is also critical to build up international cooperation. Through the example of interregional forums held jointly with the Russian Federation, you need to go through the perspective and plan out a similar cooperation with Uzbekistan. The government together with the city administration should draft an action plan of international level, which will be held in Shymkent," the President of Kazakhstan said.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the issues of conceptual development of the city using "smart technologies."

"It is challenging to prevent violations of architectural and town-planning regulations, to stop chaotic development and reduce the construction of one-storeyed houses. In addition, old dilapidated housing should be demolished and there should be effective utilization of the available area for construction of modern parks, sports grounds, multi-storey residential complexes and business centres," Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

In conclusion, the Head of State dwelt on the issue of building social infrastructure in the city, including kindergartens and schools, medical institutions and residential buildings. To this end, the President of Kazakhstan instructed to use the PPP mechanisms and conduct a broad awareness campaign on 7-20-25 Program.

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