BY TESSEMA HUNDUMA
Kazakhstan is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Independence this year. It is a landmark for the Ethiopian–Kazakhstan bilateral relations. In September 2021, it will be exactly 10 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As a representative of Ethiopia who knows the country well and is interested in the development of our bilateral cooperation, I would like to note the following achievements of Kazakhstan, which are exemplary for the international community.
First, a peaceful foreign policy was taken as a basis for building Kazakhstan’s relations with foreign countries. It is very significant that Kazakhstan has not had conflicts with any foreign country for all the years of independence. The foreign policy of multi-vector and balanced development, based on strict compliance with the norms and principles of international law, has become one of the formulas for peace and harmony of the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. Kazakhstan’s contribution to ensuring international and regional security impresses by its scope and substance.
Moreover, since 1992, at the suggestion of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), an analog of the OSCE in Asia, has been established and is effectively functioning. Kazakhstan has legally formalized its external borders with all neighboring countries, thereby finally closing the issue of possible territorial claims. Kazakhstan is recognized by the world community as a leader in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. On August 29, 1991, Kazakhstan closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and gave up the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world.
Kazakhstan contributed to the establishment of the Central Asian Nuclear –Weapon- Free Zone (Semipalatinsk Treaty) and this year is 15th anniversary of its entry into force. A Low-Enriched Uranium Bank under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been established on the territory of Kazakhstan to support non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Importantly, Kazakhstan adheres to an open, peaceful foreign policy and is an active member of the UN, WTO and other international forums. In 2010, the country hosted the OSCE Summit at the level of heads of state, and during 2017-2018, the country was entrusted to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Ethiopia and Kazakhstan closely worked at this august international body.
Secondly, from the very beginning, Kazakhstan has defined the policy of inter-ethnic harmony in the country as the key to ensuring stability and prosperity. Let me remind you that this country is a multi-ethnic one, with more than 130 ethnic groups living in it. Therefore, in 1992, at the suggestion of the First President – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan was established, where representatives of all ethnic groups of the country are alternately elected. Subsequently, this body received a constitutional status and its deputies are among the deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament. The Assembly helps Kazakhstan to preserve interethnic harmony and proactively resolve issues that have an interethnic connotation.
Thirdly, Kazakhstan is religiously diverse. It is inhabited by Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and representatives of other faiths. To preserve the dialogue and mutual understanding between them, upon initiative of Nursultan Nazarbayev Kazakhstan convenes a Congress of leaders of the world and traditional religions every three years. For this purpose, the Palace of Peace and Harmony was built in the capital of Kazakhstan, in the form of a glass pyramid. At the moment, six such meetings have been held, and the next seventh Congress will be held in Nur-Sultan in 2022. This forum is unique both in terms of the level of participants and the results of the recommendations made to the international community. As a result, such a policy of N. Nazarbayev ensured stability in the country.
Fourth, Kazakhstan has achieved great economic results and is recognized by the world community as a middle-income country with the status of a donor state. This Central Asian republic is the most remote from the open sea land-locked country, so economic development and political stability were declared a priority in state development from the very beginning. Thanks to economic reforms rich in oil and gas resources, metals and agricultural land, Kazakhstan was able to attract more than 330 billion USD foreign investment into the national economy. It was ranked 25th in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2019. Kazakhstan was ranked 34th in the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom among 180 countries.
During the years of independent development, a new capital was built by the decision of Nursultan Nazarbayev, which became the center of economic attraction. Recently, the Astana International Financial Center has been operating in Nur-Sultan. It works on the principle of British law and actively develops digital financial technologies.
It is obvious that Kazakhstan has been going through an important period in its state development in recent years. In 2019, the Leader of the Nation – Elbasy, Nursultan Nazarbayev, stepped down. And following the results of the democratic elections, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was elected the new president. After coming to power, Tokayev announced his policy of continuity of internal and external policy and prioritized the policy of a “Listening state”. Tokayev continued Nazarbayev’s political reforms in the direction of democratizing the political system, electoral legislation, ensuring transparency and fairness of the country’s judicial system, strengthening human rights and freedoms.
Furthermore, in 2021, parliamentary elections were held in Kazakhstan, and most recently, the first elections of akims (governors) of districts and rural districts in the regions of Kazakhstan were held. All this indicates large-scale democratic transformations in this republic aimed at ensuring further stable and accelerated development of Kazakhstan’s society.
Today, Kazakhstan is an important political partner of Ethiopia in the Central Asian region. Kazakhstan is the only country from Central Asia, which has its diplomatic representation in Ethiopia. Our countries provide mutual support at the UN and other international forums and organizations. Bilateral economic and cultural ties between our countries are steadily developing.
It is always pleasant for me to remember the years of my studies in the former USSR and Kazakhstan was part of this Union. Then many students from Ethiopia studied in Kazakhstan. Now they are working for Ethiopia.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate the government and the people of Kazakhstan on 30th anniversary of Independence and wish them further fruitful development and strengthening our bilateral cooperation in such fields like education, medicine and other areas of mutual interest. Tessema Hunduma is a Public Relation Head of «Oromo Liberation Movement» party (OLM), Higher Researcher of Geospatial Information Institute.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald August 14/2021
