BY ANSAR MAHMOOD BHATTI

ISLAMABAD, MAR 26 (DNA)..  Ambassador of Kazakhstan Barlybay Sadykov has said President Nursultan Nazarbayev has stepped down in order to give new leadership a chance to run country’s affairs and have a peaceful transition of power adding the new government will still be deriving guidelines from the vision of the outgoing president.

The ambassador expressed these views while talking to members of the press.

The ambassador said the new leadership of Kazskhstan will continue with policies of the outgoing President Nursultan Nazarbayev whether it is regional integration; peace keeping moves or economic initiatives put forward by the outgoing President.

Ambassador Sadykov further said fresh elections shall be announced next year and until then the current president will run government affairs.

To a question whether any one from the outgoing President’s family is in politics, the ambassador said his daughter is Member of Parliament.

Giving a brief account of the background of the incumbent interim President Kassym Tokayev the ambassador said he is experienced diplomat and have held many important positions.

The ambassador told Kassym Tokayev is highly qualified and holds PhD in history and politics and speaks Russian, English, Chinese and French languages. He also served as Chairman of Senate of the Parliament.

The ambassador said there are six political parties in Kazakhstan and have full independence to take part in elections. Nursultan Nazarbayev party is currently ruling the country.

He said it is not clear right now that how many candidates shall be vying for the coveted slot however in Kazakhstan everybody is independent to take part in elections.

To a question the ambassador said Nursultan Nazarbayev shall continue to be the chairman of the Security Council; member of the constitutional court and head of the Nur Otan party.

“ An authoritative opinion of the leader of the nationl will have a particular, even, priority importance in the development and adoption of strategic decisions’, he added.

Kazakhstan he said has become an authoritative and influential participant in global peace processes, the country was elected to the UN Security Council for 2017-2018, received world recognition as the leader of the global movement for nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, as well as an impartial mediator in interfaith dialogue.

While giving a synopsis of Kazakh society, the ambassador said the country has become a territory of harmony, accord, and tolerance between all peoples and religious denominations.

Thanks to the historical synthesis of world religions, languages, cultures and traditions, Kazakhstan has formed a society in which peace and harmony have become an integral part of our political culture.

While talking about Kazakhstan-Pakistan relations the ambassador said, leadership of Pakistan has always paid great attention to Kazakhstan and its foreign policy initiatives.

All presidents and prime ministers of Pakistan starting from Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited Kazakhstan either as bilateral visit or within the framework of multilateral forums.

In 2017 in June the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Kazakhstan to attend SCO summit and in September President Mamnoon Hussain went to Astana to participate in OIC summit on science and technology.

Ambassador Barlybay said in 2011 Kazakhstan supported candidacy of Pakistan to UNSC for the period of 2012-13 and Pakistan supported Kazakhstan candidacy in 2016.

Both counties share similar positions on various issues of world politics such as UN, OIC, SCO, ECO, CICA etc, the ambassador added.

He said he is planning to visit various chambers of commerce and industry across Pakistan in order to further intensify our trade and economic relations.

He further said tourism was yet another area where both Kazakhstan and Pakistan can cooperate with each other.

Mass media, he said, plays an important role in building new linkages and strengthening of bilateral relations therefore I will also reach out to various media outlets in order to promote bilateral relations through this important medium of communication.=DNA

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