- Road towards vision and stability
In international relations, the role of a leader is important because a whole state, its population and its characteristics are dependent on strong leadership. A good leader at first awards his nation and state with charisma, vision and influence and when they are a success, he or she is awarded with reverence from the people. A similar example is Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan who is the first president of the state.
President Nazarbayev’s leadership, strategic vision and charisma have done a lot for his nation and country. With these futuristic road maps, he has the potential to lead and engage his population to work for development. He has inspired his countrymen to follow a path of innovation and, with his eyes towards the future, remains optimistic about fulfilling his dreams.
During his time as president, Nazarbayev helped to significantly reform the economy from a system of state ownership to a liberal economy. The capital of Kazakhstan officially moved from the city of Almaty to Astana in 1997. He has also managed to maintain mostly good relationships with America, Western Europe and Asian countries, having done billions of dollars in bilateral trade with them. He has also maintained strong ties with Russia, having signed a treaty with them and Belarus to create the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In his 2012 State of the Nation address, Nazarbayev announced his Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy, whose long-term goal is to make his nation one of the most developed by 2050.
Some of the positive developmental projects which were undertaken by him are enumerated below which transformed the state drastically. Some of these are in the realm of hardcore military and nuclear technology, while others in economy and development. In the first place, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament are among Kazakhstan’s highest global priorities. The first step, which has laid the foundation for the future nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation policy of Kazakhstan, was the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site during the Soviet Union’s period. In 29 August 1991 President Nazarbayev has signed a historic decree to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. It was the first time in history that the closure of the nuclear test site was done by the people’s will. Eighteen years later the UN General Assembly announced this date as the International Day against Nuclear Tests.Kazakhstan’s seismic stations were included in the International Monitoring System.
Kazakhstan’s opposition to nuclear weapons is accompanied by an appreciation of the potential of nuclear power as an energy source. Today the country is home to the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank, which aims to create a guaranteed reserve of low enriched uranium. This reserve, if needed, will be capable of producing sufficient nuclear fuel for the power plants of any IAEA member state.
In October 2018 Astana hosted the sixth inter-confessional forum on the theme “Religious Leaders for a Safe World”. A simultaneous prayer for peace throughout the world for representatives of different religions was also held there
Secondly, as a forerunner state in Central Asia, Kazakhstan makes a considerable contribution to strengthening the region’s stability. To this end, the country has achieved significant successes on the international stage. One such achievement has been the development and launch of Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) – the Asian equivalent of the OSCE.
The idea of convening the CICA was first proposed by H.E. Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. It is a forum based on the recognition that there is close link between peace, security and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world. The key idea of the Conference is based on the priority of the indivisibility of security, joint initiative and mutually beneficial interaction of small and large states. This initiative was supported by a number of Asian countries who felt that such a structure was the need of the time. Some of its member states are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar.
Great experience of Kazakhstan in establishing and promotion goals and principles of CICA contributed to the country’s successful Chairmanship of OSCE in 2010.
Thirdly, the current leadership has set one of its priorities towards countering terrorism and has claimed that violent extremism is one of the most serious threats to peace and security. His initiatives on creation of the Global Anti-Terrorist Coalition were discussed at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. International experts paid special attention to the creation of a single list of terrorist organisations and the further promotion of Kazakhstan’s initiative on the Code of Conduct on Global Actions against Terrorism and Violent Extremism. Now about 70 states signed a document initiated by Kazakhstan (the Code of Conduct for Achieving a World Free of Terrorism), aimed at strengthening global efforts to prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
Furthermore, the unspeakable suffering of millions of people in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, ongoing humanitarian crises and gross violations of human rights leave none of us indifferent. In this regard, Kazakhstan is hosting the Astana process on Syria to contribute to the peaceful settlement in Syria and promote UN-led negotiations in Geneva.
Astana is host venue for talks between the Syrian government and the opposition that began on Janurary 23, 2017. Russia, Turkey and Iran will serve as guarantors of the negotiations. The talks demonstrate that Kazakhstan is an open, friendly and modern country, as well as subtly communicate Kazakhstan’s contributions to global peace and security and its role as an objective mediator and a respected global partner.
Kazakhstan`s unique experience turned out to be vital at the global level; that is why Astana has been hosting a meeting and dialogue of religious leaders of the world community. The initiative by President Nursultan Nazarbayev to hold the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan generated great interest among the world community. The leaders of such world powers as Russia, US, UK, France, Egypt, influential politicians and leaders of many religions supported this idea.
In October 2018 Astana hosted the sixth inter-confessional forum on the theme “Religious Leaders for a Safe World”. A simultaneous prayer for peace throughout the world for representatives of different religions was also held there. The prayer lasted only a few minutes, but the message sent by the clergy is understandable.
Finally the vision of the president, which is ‘Strategy Kazakhstan 2050′, establishes new state policies and sets pathways for people of Kazakhstan to reach their destiny of peace, development and prosperity.
Kazakhstan’s potential as one of the leading nations of the region in future is based on the fact that a great and visionary leader like President Nazarbayev is heading and leading the state. Kazakhstan is entering into a new stage of development with new technologies, new ideas and approaches of innovative development and increased competitiveness.