We'll begin with important political news. The president of Kazakhstan signed a decree on his resignation on the air of the state television a few hours ago. Nursultan Nazarbayev has held this post for almost 30 years. He is the last of the generation of Soviet leaders to resign. After his resignation, he'll remain head of the Security Council and the ruling party of Kazakhstan. The speaker of the upper house of the parliament, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will run the country until the presidential election of 2020.
Even before addressing the nation, Nazarbayev talked to Vladimir Putin on the phone. Spokesperson for the president Dmitry Peskov told journalists about it without disclosing the details of the conversation. Putin and Nazarbayev have a friendly and trusting relationship. The Russian president has repeatedly stressed that he believes Nazarbayev is a unique figure in the post-Soviet space.
Robert Frantsev has the details.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, former president of Kazakhstan: "This is my last decree as president".
Today, Nursultan Nazarbayev put an end to an entire era, which in Kazakhstan, it's already obvious, will be named after him. In his television address to the nation, which was broadcast on all channels, the president said that he would resign, starting the following day. The politician who defined the direction of the republic's development for many decades to come left his post at the peak of his popularity.
Nursultan Nazarbayev: "I've made a difficult decision to resign as the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The people have supported me in every election of all of those years. I had the highest voter support rates in all seven elections, in which I was elected the top leader of the country. I was honored to serve my great people, my native country who commissioned me to run the country in these difficult times".
Nazarbayev was the last leader in the post-Soviet space who ran the republic even before the collapse of the USSR. He first ran the republic as the First Secretary of the Comunist party and then as a popularly elected president. He led Kazakhstan through the turbulent years of reforms, turning the unknown fragment of a great power, which foreigners confused with Pakistan and Afghanistan, into a full-fledged state. Largely due to the policy of the first president, Kazakhstan became almost the only republic of the USSR that was able to avoid wars and coups in the transition period. It was Nazarbayev who created the republic in its current form.
Vladimir Putin: "Nazarbayev is a very competent executive. I think that he's probably the most competent one in the post-Soviet space. Everything that has been done lately, thanks, of course, largely to his organizing abilities, his political experience, this is all in line with the interests of Kazakhstan as a state. In this sense, he's a unique person for the post-Soviet space and for Kazakhstan as well".
From the first days of its independence, Kazakhstan was distinguished by its policy based on national interests. Nazarbayev understood them as mutually beneficial cooperation with every state without exception but with a focus on the nearest neighbors with whom the republic has centuries-old relations. The president of Kazakhstan was the first in the post-Soviet space to formulate the idea of the Eurasian Economic Union with the potential for further development.
Nursultan Nazarbayev: “I'm sure that this will be a big Eurasia, where Europe is included, where we're included, There will be trade and other relations as we live on the same continent. This will happen because it'll be profitable for the peoples, It'll be profitable for the states.”
All 30 years of Nursultan Nazarbayev's rule were distinguished by wisdom and foresight. Under his rule, Kazakhstan voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons, possessing the fourth largest nuclear potential in the world. Relations with Moscow were always a priority for him. The Kazakhstan-Russian border, the world's longest, with a length of about 4,250 miles, became a border of peace.
Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council: "Nazarbayev is a very cautious, very wise politician, on whose initiative we're building the Eurasian Economic Union. I've personally known Mr. Nazarbayev for many years and have the deepest respect to him".
Nursultan Nazarbayev left his post, violating all of the Central Asian traditions, that is, voluntarily. Obviously, he thoroughly prepared his resignation; he chose a successor, once again showing his political wisdom.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who will act as the president of Kazakhstan, starting tomorrow, is an authoritative person in the republic. He's a prominent politician, son of a famous writer in the republic, a graduate of MGIMO. He was the head of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a total of 10 years. He was prime minister and deputy secretary general of the UN. And in recent years, he held the second most important post under the constitution — the head of the upper house of the parliament. In foreign policy, Tokayev holds the same views as Nazarbayev.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Acting President of Kazakhstan: "Kazakhstan should become a link between the north and the south, the east and the west. And, of course, Russia plays a very significant role here as a very important, powerful state. I generally believe that Kazakh-Russian relations, in all areas, are a model of bilateral cooperation on the global level".
Nursultan Nazarbayev, despite his resignation, isn't leaving big politics. He'll continue to be the head of the Security Council of Kazakhstan and the "Nur Otan" political party. Obviously, he'll remain an indisputable authority for the republic's elites. Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan, which Nazarbayev built in the middle of the boundless steppe, will be the main monument of the era named after the first president.
Tomorrow, at a joint meeting of the houses of parliament in the parliament building in the center of Astana, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will take an oath to the people of Kazakhstan. And, with his new status, he'll proceed to the presidential palace located opposite of it.
Robert Frantsev, Ilya Agaev, Ron Baidauletov, Baglan Iglikov for Vesti from Kazakhstan.
