Almost 30 years have passed since the name of the Republic of Kazakhstan appeared on the world map. In a short period of time, the country has managed to loudly to manifest itself. But when it all started, it was very difficult.
The process of the collapse of the USSR was “launched” in the late 1980s. Kazakhstan was the last to declare independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union back in 1991.
On December 1, 1991, the first national elections of the President of the Kazakh SSR were held, in which 98.76% of Kazakhstani voters supported Nursultan Nazarbayev. On December 10, 1991, Nursultan Nazarbayev solemnly took the oath of office and began to work as the President of the young Republic, elected by the people. On the same day, the Supreme Soviet of the country decided to rename the Kazakh SSR to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The Constitutional Law “On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan” was adopted by the resolution of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan on December 16, 1991. Every year on this day, the country celebrates Independence Day. Independence Day in Kazakhstan even has a special status at the legislative level– it is the only national holiday; all the others have the status of public holidays.
In 1997, the Government of Kazakhstan moved the capital to Akmola (renamed Astana in 1998, and Nur-Sultan on March 23, 2019) from Almaty. Since 1999, our capital has been awarded the title of “City of Peace” by UNESCO.
The convenient location in the center of the Eurasian continent makes the capital of Kazakhstan an economically profitable transport, communication and logistics center, a kind of transit bridge between Europe and Asia.
30 years ago, we could not even dream that Kazakhstan would become one of the 50 most competitive countries in the world. In 2020, the World Bank increased Kazakhstan’s position in the “Ease of Doing Business” by 3 positions. Now Kazakhstan ranks 25th in this prestigious international ranking. This achievement became possible thanks to the ongoing systematic work of the country’s leadership to reform the current legislation, improve the licensing system, simplify business creation procedures, optimize state control and supervisory activities, and develop the business climate.
Kazakhstan is India’s largest trading partner in Central Asia and the second largest in the CIS. In 2020, the trade turnover between our countries almost reached 2.4 bln USD.
As part of the celebration of the Independence Day of our country, I would like to emphasize with special appreciation that India was one of the first countries in the world to recognize Kazakhstan as a sovereign state. Our First President, the Leader of the Nation, Nursultan Nazarbayev, chose India for his first international visit in 1992.
Diplomatic relations between our countries were officially established in February 1992. Thus, in 2022, we will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Our Embassy plans many events, including the publication of commemorative postage stamps, planting trees, as well as installation of a monument dedicated to the famous Kazakh poet and writer Abay Kunanbayev in Delhi. All these events will be held under the auspices of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence and the establishment of diplomatic relations.
In 2009, the cooperation between our countries was brought to a higher level by the signing of the “Declaration on Strategic Partnership”. Relations between Kazakhstan and India demonstrate significant growth and dynamism. Now we are actively working on organizing the first state visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to India, as soon as the situation with the pandemic stabilizes.
Independent Kazakhstan is also moving towards the evolutionary democratization of the nation. Step by step, we are working to strengthen the legislative institutions. Following the results of the early elections in June 2019, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was elected the new President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The first President-Leader of the nation, Nursultan Nazarbayev, continues to help his country, remaining the Chairman of the Nur-Otan party, and also heads the Security Council of the Republic.
On assuming the office of the Presidency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had to comprehend and determine the key contours of his future political direction. As a result of almost 30 years of leadership by Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan had emerged as a well-established and internationally recognized sovereign state with all the necessary attributes. The political, economic, social, spiritual, and cultural foundations of the state were in place, ready for the further development of the country. Clear strategic guidelines for this had been set, including goals like Kazakhstan becoming one of the 30 most developed countries of the world. A system of national values had been consolidated, including interethnic and interfaith harmony. A proactive ‘multivector’ foreign policy had also been designed and put into action to strengthen Kazakhstan’s role and participation in international processes at the regional and global scale.
One of the main indicators of change was the revision of approaches to the further development of Kazakhstan through a set of political and administrative reforms. In this regard, in his first State of the Nation Address “Constructive Public Dialogue – the Basis of Stability and Prosperity of Kazakhstan” on September 2, 2019, the President highlighted the need to carry out political reforms within the framework of the formation of a modern effective state.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: “Democracy should serve development and creativity, and not disunity and disintegration. There is a demand for further political transformations in society, we know that. We will build our work based on the highest development goals. There should be no place for populism. The National Council of Public Trust must feel responsible to the people and meet the country’s expectations. We must understand that it is unacceptable to carry out reforms for the sake of reforms. We need to carefully consider new initiatives and achieve tangible results. It is very important. The main goal of the reforms is to give a new impetus to our development. The authorities are ready for any positive changes that will benefit the future of our state” (from the statement at the second meeting of the National Council of Public Trust, December 20, 2019)
Kazakhstan has worked hard for the sustainable development of natural resources, built a new capital from scratch, became a world leader in the nuclear free world movement, and regularly brings together world religious leaders in dialogue.
Independent Kazakhstan was blessed with natural resources, but the wisdom of our people and the peace-loving policy of the country’s leadership, which seeks to develop positive relations with all states, also played a significant role.
Since 1991, Kazakhstan has not only joined the most influential international organizations such as the UN, OSCE, SCO, WTO, OIC, but also initiated a number of international initiatives and organizations, such as the CICA, the EAEU, the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, and others.
Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council – most influential structure of the UN system. In addition, Kazakhstan has been hosting high-level talks on the Syrian conflict since 2017.
The work on improving the conditions for business development will go on in accordance with the course of the Leader of the Nation Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev and the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Our country will strive to work steadily towards democratization and development.
I am absolutely convinced that the relations between Kazakhstan and India will only strengthen and develop. Our countries are linked by a centuries-old cultural dialogue and a vision of the future of Kazakhstan and India as strong economies and strategic partners, not only in the political plane.
Congratulations to all my compatriots on the upcoming Independence Day and also all the readers on the upcoming holiday of Nauryz! I wish you all happiness and prosperity!
(Author: Yerlan Alimbayev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to India)
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