Dear AmCham Members,

You are invited to the Astana September Business Roundtable (6:00pm) followed by a Sundowner (7:00pm) on Wednesday, September 22  in the Sary-Arka Meeting Room of the Radisson SAS Astana Hotel.  

Registration begins at 5:30pm.

Speakers:     1)  Drina Karahasanovic, Regional Representative, International Red Cross and Red Crescent for Central Asia (IFRC)

                      2) Augustine Gill, Regional Representative for Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Pakistan,, American Red Cross (ARC)

Topic:                     Red Cross and Red Crescent Humanitarian Relief Efforts in Kyrgyzstan (IFRC)

                                                    Disaster Prevention Strategies for Central Asia (ARC)

Buffet and drinks will be sponsored by Conoco Phillips  and BG Kazakhstan. Admission is free of charge.

To register for the event, please call +7-727-258-79-38/39/40 or email info@amcham.kz no later than 5 pm September 21.

Member companies are welcome to bring promotional materials (brochures, leaflets, calendars) to the event.

We look forward to seeing you!

Please join us for our next online webinar focused on agribusiness opportunities in Kazakhstan for U.S. companies. Feel free to share this email with colleagues and clients who may be interested as well.

Agribusiness Opportunities for U.S. Business in Kazakhstan

Organized by AmLaw Group and Grata Law Firm
With the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Participation is free, but space is limited.
September 22, 2010
11 am EDT (U.S.)/9 pm Almaty

Register by going to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/334371742

     Nikita Khrushchev may not have made the right decision in trying to plant corn in the Kazakh steppes, but he was a visionary in one respect: the great agricultural potential in Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan government is increasingly focusing its efforts on diversifying the economy beyond extractive hydrocarbons and minerals, and agribusiness is high on the list.

     U.S. companies are increasingly becoming aware of the opportunities, although lack of information and transparency has hindered market entry thus far. Similarly, the Kazakhstan government is actively promoting these opportunities as well: a large government delegation headed by the Kazakhstan Minister of Agriculture will be visiting the United States the week of September 12th for consultations in Washington D.C. as well as the Big Iron trade show in North Dakota.

     Join us for this webinar as we work to bring down those barriers and discuss the market opportunities for equipment and service exporters and investors. Kazakhstan businesses are eager to apply the latest technology and know-how to create a modern agribusiness sector. What are the regulatory liberalizations intended to attract foreign investors and strategic partners? What areas are most promising for equipment exports and investments? And learn about the largest delegation of Kazakhstani companies coming to an agribusiness industry event in September and what they'll be looking to buy from U.S. firms.

Event Agenda:
* Welcome and Introduction by Charles Raether, Managing Partner, AmLaw Group, Washington, D.C.
* Presentation of legal regulation issues by Arlan Yerzhanov, Partner, New York office of Grata Law Firm
* Summary of Big Iron Event and Agribusiness Success Stories from North Dakota: Presentation by Larry White, International Agribusiness Manager, North Dakota Trade Office

* Presentation by Anuar Kurzhikayev, Embassy of Kazakhstan

* Roundtable discussion of market opportunities in agribusiness among presenters

* Q&A among presenters and participants

AmLaw Group (www.amlawpro.com) is a boutique law firm based in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area that specializes in corporate law, cross-border trade and investment, and business immigration. In addition to assisting foreign firms entering the U.S. market, AmLaw Group supports U.S. companies with their outbound transactions and investments overseas with a particular focus on markets in Eurasia, primarily Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. AmLaw actively works with the financing side of international transactions and is an originator for OPIC finance and political risk insurance products. AmLaw also actively practices in the area of business immigration with an emphasis on investor visas for foreign investors seeking permanent residency in the U.S.

Grata Law Firm (www.gratanet.com/en) is the largest independent law firm in Kazakhstan with offices and professionals throughout Central Asia and the Caspian region. GRATA offers legal services across a wide range of areas including natural resources, construction, infrastructure, telecom, banking and finance, taxation, intellectual property, corporate and commercial, among others.
More than 90% of its clients are foreign companies and investors. The firm has more than 80 qualified attorneys in 10 offices in 6 jurisdictions. In addition, it maintains successful rep offices in London, Istanbul, and now New York. The Grata New York office is headed by Mr. Arlan Yerzhanov, Partner, who has more than 13 years of legal experience and Ms. Zulfiya Akchurina, Associate. The firm has been recognized by international ranking organizations including Chambers and Legal 500.

Charles Raether, Esq.
Managing Partner
AmLaw Group
Tel. +1 (202) 642-4950
Mobile: +1 (703) 967-4855
charles@amlawpro.com
www.amlawpro.com