projects: новости — страница 14

The results of the Second Consultative Meeting of the Heads of States of Central Asia, held on November 29 in Tashkent, can literally be considered a victory for Kazakhstan's approaches to regional cooperation. A direct evidence of this was the election of Nursultan Nazarbayev as the honorary chairman of the forum.

But more importantly, the positions of all Central Asian states without exception on the widest range of issues — security, trade, transport infrastructure, ecology, culture and education — began to align along the lines of regional cooperation.

At one time, Henry Kissinger asked the question: «Who should I call to talk to Europe?» The lack of an answer to this question indicated the absence of a decision-making center in the European Union.

If today someone asks the same question about Central Asia, he will not receive an answer either. There is no one to speak on behalf of the region today.

Afghanistan has long been a modern backbone for international politics. There is no other country around which (more precisely, around which problems) such a developed system of global, regional, two-, three — and quadripartite dialogues are built. Dozens of intelligent people around the world are working on ways to resolve the «Afghan issue», and dissertations are being defended. Monographs on Afghan topics can be filled in several rooms of the library. Before the era of self-isolation, the fast and frequently used international conferences about Afghanistan were one of the drivers of the hotel, restaurant, catering, air travel industries, and everything related to the event business.

Afghanistan has long been a modern backbone for international politics. There is no other country around which (more precisely, around which problems) such a developed system of global, regional, two-, three — and quadripartite dialogues are built. Dozens of intelligent people around the world are working on ways to resolve the «Afghan issue», and dissertations are being defended. Monographs on Afghan topics can be filled in several rooms of the library. Before the era of self-isolation, the fast and frequently used international conferences about Afghanistan were one of the drivers of the hotel, restaurant, catering, air travel industries, and everything related to the event business. For some international organizations specializing in security, the «Afghan problem» served as the main justification for their activities. At the same time, which is very important, Afghanistan with its problems brought out international unity. At the UN, resolutions on Afghanistan are adopted with unanimity that is rare these days. The countries, whose views on the world are diametrically opposed, coincide in their approaches to solving the Afghan issue.

Winston Churchill once said: «Generals are always preparing for the last war.» His compatriot political scientist Martin White added: «And international organizations are always created to prevent the past war.» It is likely that the international system will soon begin to prepare for coronavirus pandemic prevention. And the vaccine for COVID-19 will appear when it mutates to the level of seasonal SARS.

Over the years of independence, Kazakhstan has initiated and participated in the creation of a number of international organizations, but none of them, perhaps, has caused such contradictory assessments as the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The idea was originally proposed by Nursultan Nazarbayev in May 1994. Two years later, an Agreement was signed between Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Russia on deepening integration in the economic and humanitarian fields (Tajikistan then later joined the alliance of the four). An Integration Committee was created, headed by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Nigmatzhan Isingarin.

The anniversary of Nursultan Nazarbayev is a good reason to remember why he successfully ruled the country for three decades. Kazakhstan is one of the few post-Soviet states that has escaped interethnic conflicts, military confrontations, social cataclysms, while Nazarbayev himself is one of the few politicians who, during the entire period of his presidency, did not have a worthy alternative.

Today, when there is time to assess the amount of work done, it is very easy to talk about how and what could have been done better. Young people, who have grown up in recent decades, often go to extremes when talking about the actions of Nursultan Nazarbayev.

What has the last year shown? To what extent the first president is involved in the active social and political life of Kazakhstan now?

There has been a certain evolution of relationships. Still, in Kazakhstan such a model — the presence of two presidents — was not applied, and some issues, even taking into account the experience and diplomacy of the two presidents, were worked out on the fly.

If at first the First President stepped aside, then, starting from the summer of last year, he became more active and indicated his presence, while demonstratively not pushing his powers.

The strategic Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China has a truly global significance and far-reaching geopolitical implications. «Belt» is the «Economic Silk Road» that links China with the Eurasian continent, Africa and the Middle East by the road, railway lines and fiber-optic communication lines by land, while «Road» is «21st Century Maritime Silk Road» that links China with distant markets and raw materials of the area between Arctic and Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans by water.