ASTANA, January 20 (Itar-Tass) —— Kazakhstan begins the third decade of independence with political modernization, embarking on a broad path of democratic development, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said opening the first session of the fifth parliament with three parties here on Friday.
“Today is a very important day. The supreme legislature was elected. The elections in the Majilis (the lower house) became the turning point in the history of independence. We have made a responsible step in the fair future and embarked on a broad path of democratic development. We entered a new stage of development with the new parliament,” he noted.
“I believe that the Kazakh renovated parliament can turn in an efficient political force, which can assume responsibility for the future of the country, stability in the society and its comprehensive modernization in the next five years,” Nazarbayev pointed out.
The president noted that the recent events in western Kazakhstan, where massive riots broke out, only united the people of Kazakhstan, and the country chose “stability and accord, calmness and mutual understanding” at the parliamentary elections on January 15.
The president pledged that despite the crisis situation in the world economy, “despite all obstacles we continued our policy for the modernization of the country for the sake of a better life of our people.” “If the economy will keep growing and the world climate will be favourable, certainly the earned funds will be spent for a better social well-being of our people,” he said.
Nazarbayev noted that he will dwell on major projects in the economy in next five years in a next annual state-of-the-nation address. However, with the growth of its indicators “we will give a closer attention to a higher cultural and educational level of our society and the formation of a new Kazakh intellectual nation.”