Larry King, known around the world for his interview program on CNN, was in an unlikely venue this past week -- Kazakhstan -- where he moderated at the Eurasian Economic Forum KAZENERGY 2011.
The website zakon.kz cites Mr. King as admitting he knew little about Kazakhstan before his visit. King said he had lunch the previous week with Kazakhstan's ambassadors to the U.S. and UN who acquainted King with some of the details their country.
It was less clear what King knows about energy issues, even though he was visiting the "oil baron" country, which is also the world's leading producer of uranium.
Mr. King met with Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Masimov during a conference lunch and photos showed King autographing a copy of his book for the Kazakh premier. King said he wanted to interview Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, but that proved impossible during his visit to Kazakhstan.
King also reportedly said he was surprised musician Sting pulled out of a concert earlier this year in Kazakhstan in a sign of support for striking oil workers in the western part of the country.
The website tengrinews.kz quotes King as saying: "Why did Sting say there was no democracy here? What does a strike have to do with democracy?
In America there's democracy and strikes go on all the time." King continued, "The fact that there are strikes means there's democracy."
-- Bruce Pannier
The website zakon.kz cites Mr. King as admitting he knew little about Kazakhstan before his visit. King said he had lunch the previous week with Kazakhstan's ambassadors to the U.S. and UN who acquainted King with some of the details their country.
It was less clear what King knows about energy issues, even though he was visiting the "oil baron" country, which is also the world's leading producer of uranium.
Mr. King met with Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Masimov during a conference lunch and photos showed King autographing a copy of his book for the Kazakh premier. King said he wanted to interview Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, but that proved impossible during his visit to Kazakhstan.
King also reportedly said he was surprised musician Sting pulled out of a concert earlier this year in Kazakhstan in a sign of support for striking oil workers in the western part of the country.
The website tengrinews.kz quotes King as saying: "Why did Sting say there was no democracy here? What does a strike have to do with democracy?
In America there's democracy and strikes go on all the time." King continued, "The fact that there are strikes means there's democracy."
-- Bruce Pannier