Trump unveils plan for immigration reform
U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a plan on Thursday to reform the nation's immigration system, intended to favor high-skilled immigrants and restrict family-based migration.
U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a plan on Thursday to reform the nation's immigration system, intended to favor high-skilled immigrants and restrict family-based migration, Xinhua reports.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said that his plan aims to create a "fair, modern and lawful system of immigration for the United States."
The biggest change we make is to increase the proportion of highly skilled immigration from 12 percent to 57 percent, and we'd like to even see if we can go higher," Trump said. "This will bring us in line with other countries and make us globally competitive."
We cherish the open door that we want to create for our country. But a big proportion of those immigrants must come in through merit and skill," said the president, noting that immigrants, under the plan, will also be "required to learn English and to pass a civics exam prior to admission."
According to the White House, the proposal would tighten family-based migration to focus on allowing nuclear families who migrate to the United States, rather than extended family members.
Currently, about two-thirds of the 1.1 million people allowed to migrate to the nation each year are given green cards granting permanent residency because of family ties.
Trump's plan, which does not add protections to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients, is expected to draw little support from Democrats who have railed against the administration's lack of support for so-called "Dreamers," who were brought to the United States as children by undocumented parents.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed the proposal as "condescending," signaling that Democrats would not support legislation that does not include a pathway to citizenship.
They say family is without merit are they saying most of the people that come to the United States in the history of our country are without merit, because they don't have an engineering degree," Pelosi asked at her weekly press conference on Thursday.
The speaker also told reporters that Democrats have yet to receive a formal briefing on the administration's plan.
The effort, championed by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, also focuses on beefing up border security.
Trump has claimed that the nation is being overrun by migrants and asylum seekers and sought to build a wall along the southern border with Mexico by declaring a national emergency so as to bypass Congress and unlock billions of U.S. dollars in funding.
The president traveled to New York City for a private fundraiser Thursday afternoon.
Source: Kazinform News Agency
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For the First Time in the History of Bilateral Relations National Kazakh Music was Played in Cuba
Images | Kazakh MFA
The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Cuba at the Havana theater "la Sala de concieros Igasio Cevantes" organized a concert dedicated to Kazakh and international classical music for local audiences and foreign diplomatic missions to the host countries. Thus, in the distant island of Cuba, national Kazakh music was played for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
The world-famous Kazakhstani violinist Yevgeniy Dyo and his American colleague violinist Veronica Mercedes Pazymino Jurkiewicz performed on stage in front of the audience. They arrived in Havana from the United States at the special invitation of the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Cuba Andrian Yelemessov.
The musicians performed Kazakh national music and famous kuis - "Karakemer" by Kuat Shyldedayev, "Gakku" by Ibyrai arranged by Evgeny Brusilovsky, "Eligai" by Latif Hamidi, "Ak Sisa" by Zhayau Musa, "Zhezkiik" by Akhmet Zhubanov, "Ayttym salem Kalamkas" by Abai, "Boz Aigyr" by Evgeny Brusilovsky, "Aria" by Akhmet Zhubanov, solo in the opera "Kozy Korpesh Bayan Sulu", classical works "Etudes Caprice" by Henryk Wieniawski, "Allegretto" by Charles Auguste de Berio, "Duet for Two Violinists" by Reinhold Glier, as well as other foreign composers Carlos Gardel "Por Una Cabeza", Jacob Gade "Tango "Jealous", Astor Piazzolla "Libertango". The audience was given a brief explanation of each Kazakh national music and kuis.
The musical compositions performed, including Kazakh national music and kui, had a very positive impact on the audience, aroused sincere gratitude and interest in Kazakhstan.
The cultural event allowed Cuban viewers located at a significant geographical distance from Kazakhstan and representatives of foreign diplomatic institutions accredited in the Republic of Cuba to get to know the national music and musical traditions of our country better.
Dr. Yevgeniy Dyo is currently the Vice President and Chairman of the Association of Korean Musicians in Philadelphia. Since his debut with the Kazakh State Orchestra at the age of nine, he has performed in the CIS countries, Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Kimmel Concert Center, Tchaikovsky Hall, Vienna Mozarteum, Meerson Hall, Presidential Hall of the Astana Philharmonic, the Vatican and South Korea, as well as at the UN headquarters. He has received numerous awards, including the main prize, at national and international competitions.
Veronica Mercedes Pazymino Jurkiewicz is a versatile musician in Philadelphia as a violinist and viola player. She performs folk and traditional music of various genres in the ensembles "Bismuth String Quartet", "Arkany Ensemble of New Music" and "Choral Artы of Philadelphia". Teaches both violin and viola at "Friends Select School and Movemakers Philly".
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Kazakhstan and Cyprus Hold Second Round of Political Consultations
Images | Kazakh MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan hosted the second round of political consultations between Kazakhstan and Cyprus, focusing on the current state and future prospects of bilateral relations, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
Roman Vassilenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and Andreas Kakouris, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus co-chaired the consultations. Discussions covered a wide range of topics, including political, trade and economic cooperation, the expansion of the bilateral legal framework, as well as key issues on the international and regional agenda.
Deputy Minister Vassilenko highlighted Kazakhstan’s view of Cyprus as a valuable and reliable partner within the European Union and expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to strengthen ties both bilaterally and multilaterally.
Permanent Secretary Kakouris underscored the significance of regular high-level interactions between the two countries’ foreign ministers, referencing their recent meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last September and the OSCE Ministerial Council past December. He noted that the recent opening of the Cypriot Embassy to Kazakhstan marks a significant step toward enhancing bilateral cooperation across various sectors.
As a result of the meeting, both sides agreed on developing a schedule for future engagements to ensure the effective implementation of prior agreements.
On the same day, the Cypriot delegation met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Bakayev to exchange views on developments within international and regional organizations.
Both parties stressed importance of resolving the conflicts through peaceful means exclusively, based on the principles of international law.
For reference: From January to November 2024, trade between Kazakhstan and Cyprus reached 7.1 million US dollars, a fivefold increase compared to the same period in 2023. Exports from Kazakhstan amounted to 6.1 million dollars, while imports totaled 1 million dollars. Since 2005, Cyprus has invested more than 4.8 billion dollars in Kazakhstan, reflecting the growing economic partnership between the two countries. In Kazakhstan there are more than 370 companies with Cypriot capital.
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Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Continue to Develop Allied Relations and Strengthen Strategic Dialogue
Images | Kazakh MFA
At the invitation of the Kazakh side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Zheenbek Kulubaev paid his first official visit to Astana, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the talks, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Zheenbek Kulubaev discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, priority areas of political, trade-economic, investment, water-energy, transit-transport and cultural-humanitarian interaction. They expressed mutual commitment to deepening of alliance on the basis of friendship, brotherhood and good-neighborliness.
The Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan emphasized that due to the political will of the Heads of State, Kazakh-Kyrgyz relations have been brought to a qualitatively new level of interaction. In particular, following the official visit of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, the Treaty on Deepening and Expanding Allied Relations between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan was signed, a number of economic, cultural and humanitarian events were held, aimed at comprehensive strengthening of the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
Kyrgyzstan is not only a reliable ally for us, but also a good neighbor and a brotherly nation, with which we are linked by centuries-old ties of friendship, common spiritual values and common Turkic roots," said Nurtleu.
For his part, Minister Kulubaev reiterated that today the relations between the two countries have reached a qualitatively new level, having acquired the character of deepened allied relations.
The heads of the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan reviewed in detail the implementation of the agreements reached during the 6th High Interstate Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic, held in Astana on April 19, 2024. They agreed to continue to assist in further expansion of inter-parliamentary and intergovernmental relations.
The parties emphasized the importance of expanding economic cooperation. Today Kazakhstan is among the three largest trade partners of Kyrgyzstan. Thanks to the measures taken, in recent years the bilateral trade turnover has steadily exceeded 1.5 billion US dollars. In the context of the implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level, the ministers agreed to promote the increase of mutual trade up to 3 billion US dollars. In this context, they noted the importance of launching the Industrial Trade and Logistics Complex on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border, expanding the nomenclature of bilateral trade turnover, holding regular business forums and trade missions, as well as further developing interregional ties.
Particular attention was paid to the creation of favorable conditions for the business communities of the two countries. Kazakhstan has invested more than 1.3 billion dollars in the Kyrgyz economy.
The ministers noted the significant potential for cooperation in the spheres of energy, transportation, logistics, including the prospects for the implementation of joint projects. They expressed readiness to promote the development of fruitful cooperation in these areas.
The issues of deepening cultural and humanitarian ties, which are the basis of strong and long-term relations between the two states, were discussed in a separate item.
Last year, the Days of Culture of Kyrgyzstan and a number of large-scale events were held in Kazakhstan with great success, including joint concerts, movie days, forums of youth and elders. This year it is planned to hold cross-cultural movie days, as well as the 3rd Kazakh-Kyrgyz Youth Forum.
The Kazakh side reported that the KazAID will continue to conduct educational courses for young diplomats from Central Asian countries, as well as academic exchange of students and professional development of teachers of medical universities. In this regard, the Kazakh side invited the Kyrgyz side to take an active part in these programs.
During the meeting, the ministers "compared the notes" on topical issues on the regional and international agenda. They reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation within the framework of such multilateral structures as the UN, SCO, CTG, CIS, CSTO, CICA, as well as mutual support in promoting international initiatives of the two states.
The foreign ministers elaborated on the development of regional cooperation, joint efforts to strengthen peace and stability in Central Asia, interaction within the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. In this context, they expressed their readiness to further strengthen inter-ministerial interaction, including within the framework of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Program of Cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries for 2024-2026 adopted last year.
During the official visit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic ZheenbekKulubaev was also received by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
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Issues of Cooperation with the Turkic Investment Fund were Discussed at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry
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Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu received the President of the Turkic Investment Fund Bagdad Amreyev, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the meeting, the head of the Fund presented the results of work for 2024, noting the successful launch of operational activities of the Organization. Special attention was paid to the plans for 2025, which include expansion of the project portfolio, development of infrastructural and economic ties, as well as support for small and medium enterprises in Turkic countries.
Minister Nurtleu emphasized the importance of the Fund's activities as a key instrument to promote sustainable development and economic cooperation within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States.
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Italian Ambassador Warmly Thanked For His Successful Mission in Kazakhstan
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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Republic of Kazakhstan Marco Alberti on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission in Kazakhstan, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the meeting Deputy Minister expressed deep gratitude to Italian diplomat for his efforts to strengthen Kazakh-Italian strategic cooperation, emphasizing the significant contribution to organizing the official visit of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Italy last January, as well as intensification of trade and economic relations (since 2021 the trade turnover has increased from 10 to 17 billion US dollars).
The fruitful work of the Ambassador in conducting visits to Kazakhstan by members of the Italian Government, opening the Italian Cultural Center in Almaty, building up an active dialogue in the field of higher education, launching direct flights between Italy and Kazakhstan, as well as a number of other important events was also noted.
For contribution to the development of bilateral relations, Marco Alberti was awarded the Letter of Appreciation from President of Kazakhstan along with the "Barys" badge.
In turn, Italian Ambassador conveyed gratitude to the Kazakh side for its continuous support and warm welcome, and expressed hope for the ongoing strengthening of Kazakh-Italian strategic cooperation.
At the end of the meeting, Deputy Minister wished his interlocutor success and new heights in his future endeavours.
Italy is one of the largest trading partners of Kazakhstan with a share of 14.4% in the total volume of foreign trade turnover in 2023.
In January-October 2024, bilateral trade reached 17.4 billion US dollars (exports - 16.4 billion, imports - 1 billion).
Since 2005, the volume of foreign direct investment from Italy to Kazakhstan has amounted to over USD 7.6 billion.
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