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 Kazakhstanin
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.
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