Kazakhstan put on path to development under President Tokaev: Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin

Celina Ali

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kistafin said this week that the recently held parliamentary elections as a hallmark of futuristic vision and wisdom of President Kassym Jomart Tokaev.

He added as a result of the elections the nation shall be taken to a better future.

The ambassador expressed these views while briefing the media people about the outcome of the parliamentary elections that took place in March this year.

Ambassador Kistafin further said the idea of the press briefing was to raise awareness about the political transformation that is happening in Kazakhstan. He said the main idea is to liberalize the Kazakh society with a view to implementing democratic reforms, which ostensibly is a very important milestone in the history of Kazakhstan.

The ambassador further said bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan are excellent. He particularly mentioned launching direct flights between the two countries. He said a direct flight from Karachi to Almaty shall start within a couple of months while flights from other Pakistanis cities to various Kazakh cities shall start in the due course of time. He said both sides were hectically engaged in negotiations in order to make this project a complete success.

He said last year both countries celebrated the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Various high level visits between the two countries have already taken place, which clearly shows how deep-rooted relations between the two brotherly countries are.

He also talked about a single country exhibition organized by businessmen from Pakistan in the business hub of Kazakhstan, Almaty. The exhibition went very well and a number of applications were received from Kazakh businessmen seeking various avenues in Pakistan. The Pakistani businessmen too expressed keen interest in exploring the Kazakh business potential and facilities offered to foreign investors and businessmen.

Ambassador Kistafin shared with the media persons some salient features of the President Kassym Jomart Tokayev’s address at the opening of the first session of the Parliament of the VIII convocation, in which the President had said that for the first time a party which had long been in opposition was represented in Parliament. This was made possible thanks to large scale political reforms and liberalization of legislation governing party registration. Henceforth the parties will be at the forefront of the political processes that will determine the future of the country.

The President in his address further said that to actively involve the younger generation in the affairs of the state was one of the most important tasks. Young people must bring new values to society. Many young candidates united during the election campaign and created their own bloc.

Young people should assess this as a unique opportunity to work for the benefit of the country. Along with this conditions were created for women and persons with special needs to enter the Mazhilis, he added.

‘Next five years will be decisive for our country. We will have to create a quality legal framework to ensure the country’s dynamic progress. This will require changing the rules and principles of how our economy functions. The first steps in this direction have already been taken- work on demonopolization and the return of illegally withdrawn capital from the country is under way’.

The ambassador said that the Kazakh President rightly pointed out in his address that Kazakhstan’s economy was still dependent on the extraction of minerals. In other works, its structure remains raw materials, while the country’s progressive development requires economic diversification. Of course we also have our competitive advantages in the world market, which must be effectively used to solve current and strategic tasks.

Ambassador Kistaifn hoped that under the dynamic and visionary leadership of President Kassym Jomart Tokaev Kazakhstan shall continue to make strides towards development and prosperity with the ultimate aim of empowering the people of Kazakhstan.