Opening the meeting, Maulen Ashimbayev congratulated everyone on the upcoming national holiday – Republic Day, emphasizing that the Day of Adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty has become a symbol of the revival of centuries-old statehood.
During the session, the Senate reviewed the Law “On the Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Cooperation in the Field of Ecology and Environmental Protection”.
As noted by the deputies, the Agreement aims to enhance cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in environmental protection. In particular, joint actions in this area include activities such as preventing and monitoring air, water, and waste pollution, preserving biodiversity, protecting ecosystems from degradation, preventing sandstorms, and many others. Moreover, the Agreement provides for the development of joint measures to improve the ecological situation in the Aral Sea basin.
At the same time, according to the norms of the international document, joint research work will be conducted in the field of environmental monitoring. Alongside this, regulations for information exchange regarding the state of the environment in the border territories of the Parties will be established, including mutual notification and necessary measures in response to emergencies that have a transboundary impact on the environment.
Furthermore, the senators voiced their parliamentary inquiries.
Sultanbek Makezhanov raised the issue of the growing national debt and expressed the need for improved management of financial resources.
Andrey Lukin pointed out violations in the implementation of the "Comfortable School" project. According to the senator, there is an urgent need to tighten control over project documentation, as well as to ensure public monitoring of the construction process and identified violations.
Yernur Aitkenov believes that the high tax burden on the waste collection and processing sector hinders the transition to a "green" economy, therefore he proposed to introduce relevant legislative amendments to the Tax Code and develop a unified state policy on waste management.
Zakirkhan Kuziev outlined a number of measures aimed at addressing the problems faced by Kazakh beekeepers to prevent a decline in product quality and a slowdown in the sector's development. The deputy suggests adopting national standards for honey identification and implementing an electronic traceability system for products from producer to consumer.
Arman Utegulov criticized the Ministry of Agriculture for its lack of adequate control in the veterinary sector, which poses risks to food security. In this regard, the senator proposed to optimize operations in the fields of sanitation, veterinary medicine, and food safety by consolidating the overall functions under a single government agency.