[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 144 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF MERUYERT SAUDABAY, MINISTER-COUNSELOR AT THE EMBASSY 
                   OF KAZAKHSTAN TO THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 1, 2014

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Meruyert Saudabay, born in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Meruyert graduated from 
George C. Marshall School in Ankara, Turkey. After high school, she 
moved to Sydney, Australia where she studied for one year at the 
University of Sydney. She continued her studies in London Richmond 
University where she studied law. Meruyert obtained her LLM from 
Georgetown University Law Center.
  Meruyert's career began in London's Chevron Corporate office. Her 
portfolio included merger and acquisitions. She was a member of a 
leading legal team during the Chevron Texaco merger. After returning to 
Astana, Kazakhstan, Meruyert worked for Kazakh National Oil and Gas 
Company (KazMunaiGas) in the Business Development division.
  After earning her LLM degree, Meruyert joined communications services 
firm ``APCO'' where her focus was on Russia and the firm's business 
development in the Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) countries.
  In 2009, Meruyert began her long-anticipated diplomatic career 
following in her father's footsteps. Meruyert's father--His Excellency 
Kanat Saudabayev--is a prominent international political figure. He was 
the first Ambassador ever from an independent Kazakhstan. He served as 
Kazakhstan's Ambassador to the United States from 2000 to 2007. In 
2007, President Nursultan Nazarbayev promoted him to the position of 
Secretary of State. In 2009, he was appointed Secretary of State-
Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2010, during Kazakhstan's Chairmanship 
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Mr. 
Saudabayev held the position of Chairman-in-Office.
  I have known the Honorable Kanat Saudabayev for nearly 15 years. He 
is my dear friend and brother and has been since we met and began 
working side-by-side when he was appointed Kazakhstan's Ambassador to 
the United States. His daughter is my daughter, and Meruyert has made 
us both proud.
  As Meruyert puts it, ``I have worked in multinational corporations. I 
have experience in lobbying. But my highest honor has been to put my 
time to use for the benefit of my country.'' In her position as 
Minister-Counselor at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United States, 
Meruyert serves her country with distinction. I commend her for her 
tireless efforts in promoting U.S.-Kazakhstan relations. Meruyert 
carries forward the vision of President Nazarbayev, who is also my 
friend.
  I applaud President Nazarbayev for changing the course of history and 
renouncing nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan inherited the world's fourth-
largest nuclear arsenal after gaining independence from the Soviet 
Union in 1991 but President Nazarbayev immediately and boldly renounced 
these weapons and transferred them under great security by means of an 
unprecedented joint program with experts from Kazakhstan, Russia and 
the United States.
  President Nazarbayev headed this heroic effort because, for more than 
40 years prior to Kazakhstan's independence, the Soviet Union used 
Semipalatinsk in northern Kazakhstan as a test site to detonate more 
than 500 nuclear explosions. More than one million people were exposed 
to radioactive fallout.
  I continue to call upon the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to recognize 
President Nazarbayev's contributions to world peace as no other world 
leader has done so much to safeguard humanity from the terrible dangers 
of nuclear terrorism.
  I also thank Minister-Counselor Meruyert Saudabay for standing with 
her father and me and many others in strong support of President 
Nazarbayev's mission to modernize and balance the Nuclear Non-
proliferation Treaty.
  I extend to Meruyert my highest and kindest regards and, for the 
unwavering support they provide to her, I especially thank Meruyert's 
family including her husband Daulet Orynbayev and their daughter Ayah; 
her sister Aray; her brother Ermek Saudabayev, his wife Altynai, their 
daughter Merey and son Nurbol; her brother Yerbol, his wife Elaine 
Bekmyrza and their daughter Amira; and her father and mother Kanat 
Saudabayev and Kullikhan Saudabayeva. I wish each of them the very best 
and I thank them also for the support they have always extended to me.

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