Kazakhstanis should make conclusions from Ukrainian crisis: President Nazarbayev

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev believes Kazakhstanis should make conclusions from the crisis situation in Ukraine.

“As you know, I’ve just had a complicated working visit to Ukraine. Lack of stability and accord, unsatisfied basic needs are the root of all problems. Power shortages, closing down enterprises and failing businesses (…) according to Ukraine’s PM Yatsenyuk, to have the cities of Donbass and Lugansk restored, the country needs substantial investments. Decades-long political wingding grew into armed conflicts. Common people just can’t leave their home one day with a spade in their hand and wage a war (…) politicians force them into the fire of fratricide. Such politicians should be stopped in time with no buzz over democracy issues, to the benefit of the people”, Nazarbayev said in a TV link-up on industrialization programs in Kazakhstan.

“What is it that almost 5000 people died for? What were the ideals they fought for? All the positive effort is wasted when people die. It will take time to have the wounds healed. I went to Ukraine to facilitate [peace] (…) I’m calling leaders of nations involved to sit at the table of talks and find a compromise to stop that”, Nazarbayev said.

“For us, Kazakhstanis, what has happened in Ukraine is a great lesson: it is accord and stability that have enabled us to achieve what we have now. Let us appreciate all this. If there are those willing to destroy that, we should crack down on them. The “economy precedes politics” principle has been and will be applied in Kazakhstan. A country with no accord has no future. All Kazakhstanis should appreciate this simple truth”, Head of State said.

December 22 President Nazarbayev was in Ukraine on a working visit. The sides reached an agreement on coal supplies from Kazakhstan to Ukraine and decided to resume technical military cooperation.