The President Nursultan Nazarbayev raised a number of significant issues in his address to the delegates at the 17th Annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Astana on 29 June 2008.

        It has been stressed that Kazakhstan contributes extensively to the maintenance of regional and global security and stability. The decision to disband the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal and close down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was a historic one and helps us to vigorously advocate nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

       In the light of the latest developments in global markets Kazakhstan is prepared to take practical measures to ensure stability of energy and food supplies.

         Kazakhstan also promotes a unique programme of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, and as a future OSCE Chair will continue to help level any new dividing lines in Europe and search for factors to unite the Euro-Asian and Euro-Atlantic areas of the Organisation.

        OSCE Chairmanship in 2010 was one of the reasons Kazakhstan elaborated a special programme “Path to Europe” which reflects country’s interest in intensifying interaction with European countries in energy, transportation, technology transfer, education and humanitarian spheres.

        As President Nazarbayev has emphasized, our understanding of democratic processes rests on two major: firstly, on the presence of a number of universal principles of democracy – secondly, on the existence of national and cultural features to be taken into account while implementing these universal principles.

         Kazakhstan’s way to democracy is a realistic scenario – a way which has already been credited as effective in achieving goals.

       The potential of the Kazakhstan Constitution – which is based on a modern democratic model – enables to carry out several important measures to further democratize our society.

        First of all, we intend to create a legal mechanism which will allow to form a parliament with at least two political parties.

        Secondly, Government is in the process of creating favourable conditions for state registration of political parties. At the same time it should be kept in mind that establishment of such parties should be fully in line with the nation’s Constitution.

         Thirdly, the improvement of electoral procedures is important.

       Fourthly, Kazakhstan plans to remove some excessive bureaucratic barriers in regulating the activities of the media. Nevertheless, the state should make sure that media activities neither violate human rights, nor undermine inter-faith and inter-ethnic tolerance nor threaten the country’s safety.

The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UK