Nursultan Nazarbayev preparing to leave power smoothly

“Kazakhstan has always been and will always be a presidential country. However, it is time to revise the distribution of powers between the president, government and parliament. An ad hoc committee will be discussing the issue to prepare suggestions to amend the legislation and, maybe, even the Constitution,” President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at a meeting dedicated to the 25th Independence Anniversary of Kazakhstan on December 15 in Astana.

“The history of independence shows that the strong presidential power is behind the success of state building and reforms. A new stage of the country’s development requires a wider responsibility of the government and the parliament for social issues in the country,” the Kazakh leader said.

As for the country’s foreign policy, the president said Kazakhstan’s versatile and balanced foreign policy is ready to meet challenges of the time. “Our foreign policy priorities are unchangeable – active, versatile, and balanced foreign policy able to meet the challenges of the 21st century and ensure long-term national interests of the country,” Nazarbayev said.

In his words, “the foreign policy priorities of Kazakhstan are development of cooperation with the Russian Federation, China, USA, and the European Union.” The president said Kazakhstan is in the center of Eurasia and is part of Central Asia. “I have always urged openness and integration in our region as they will lead to economic growth,” the president said.