Kazakhstan Moving in Right Direction – UN Ambassador

Yerzhan Kazykhanov has served as Kazakhstan's ambassador to the United Nations since 2003. In a recent interview with EurasiaNet, Kazykhanov said that the Kazakhstani government's top priority was getting the country's "economic basics" in order. Only after a sense of broad economic stability had been achieved would the government look to open up the country's political sphere, he indicated. Kazykhanov also suggested that Kazakhstan's dynamic economic growth, fueled in large measure by the country's abundant natural resources, helped reduce the chances that the country would experience an explosion of popular discontent like that which occurred in March in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. The full text of the interview, done by Dilyara Teshebayeva, follows:

EurasiaNet: How can the recent upheaval in Kyrgyzstan influence developments in Kazakhstan?
Kazykhanov: The situation in Kyrgyzstan without a doubt caused serious concern in Kazakhstan. ... As our president [Nursultan Nazarbayev] said in his speech about the results of these events, it [the Kyrgyz revolution] was caused by numerous factors. First of all, there existed [underlying] economic weakness: there was a very low living standard [in Kyrgyzstan]. ... The average income in Kyrgyzstan is about six to seven US dollars [per month], whereas in Kazakhstan, monthly income is already increasing to the level of 150 US dollars. Objectively, the majority of people in our country is expecting that [living] conditions and stability in the country will continue to improve. That is why it is unlikely that the same [type of] turmoil will happen [in Kazakhstan] as occurred in Kyrgyzstan. ... Again, as our president said many times; before creating a democracy, it is needed, at first, to straighten out the economic basics of the country. After that people will look forward to creating a democratic [political environment]. This is the main difference in the situations in these two countries [Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan].

EurasiaNet: Some foreign analysts suggest that President Nazarbayev's administration may be vulnerable – given the unequal distribution of wealth in the country – to a people's power movement, such as that which drove Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev from power. What is your reaction to such an analysis?
Kazykhanov: First of all, this question is connected to the first. We [representatives of the Kazakhstani government] think that we have no basis to worry that there could be serious problems in the country. The government has very strong support from the majority of the people. ... Of course, no one will deny that we have some problems related to poverty. ... At the same time, general living standards, along with the country's favorable economic outlook, tells us that we are much better positioned than Kyrgyzstan to avoid turmoil.

EurasiaNet: Are Kazakhstani diplomats taking any initiatives to reinforce domestic political stability?
Kazykhanov: Of course, Kazakhstan during its years of independence has been an active in working with the international community to promote global peace and security. ... Unfortunately, Asia does not have an [effective regional] security organization that would support peace and security. Kazakhstan was an initiator of such an idea; we proposed to create such regional group, comprising all Central Asian countries, that would enable meetings concerning problematic issues on cooperation, security, economics, etc. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

EurasiaNet: How would you characterize current domestic political conditions in Kazakhstan?
Kazykhanov: The political situation is normal. There is a strong executive branch, headed by the president. ... [But] it is obvious that there is a division of power, where each branch of government has its influence, [and] they all work independently. There is constructive political opposition that expresses its opinions and analyses on current political events in the country. ... Of course, we can not really claim that we have achieved a certain level of Western-style democracy. Our government repeats that every country, especially an Asian country such as Kazakhstan, has it own specific traits and traditions. Therefore, just applying the Western experience of the development to Kazakhstan would be completely wrong because we have our own mentality. ... Sometimes Western analysts write that many Central Asian countries have totalitarian regimes, mentioning certain names. This shows an absence of understanding of the situation in Central Asia. ... I think that many of the so-called [Central Asian] specialists in the West, people who can still confuse the names of capitals, cannot know what the people of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are thinking and feeling. ... So, repeating myself, I think that we [in Kazakhstan] are moving in the right direction. A presidential election is going to be held in the near future ... We shall see how events unfold. ... The main thing is that both the opposition and the government know that stability is needed for investment and the continued development of the economy.