Thanks to its geographical location at the crossroads of the three greatest world civilizations – the Christian, Muslim and Buddhist worlds - Kazakhstan has been absorbing over the centuries all their best achievements.
Our political, social and economic development not only proves that it is indeed possible to ensure a meaningful interplay between various cultural and religious values, but also demonstrates that their interpenetration can generate dynamic growth in all spheres of social life.
We have seen clearly the great advantage of the fusion of scientific and cultural advances of the West and wisdom and traditions of the East.
We have introduced our own model of preservation of interethnic accord and the establishment of our own identity. We have set up such a unique mechanism as an Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan's parliament has adopted a special law that formalizes the status of that unique institution designed to reconcile interests of various ethnic groups that together make up the single people of Kazakhstan.
Over the years of Kazakhstan's independence, we have built more than 1,500 new mosques, more than 170 Orthodox churches, more than 30 Catholic churches, 20 synagogues and more than 1,000 Protestant houses of worship and missions. All this goes to prove that we witness a spiritual revival within the society, that there is mutual respect among religions and that the State has established constructive relations with various confessions.
Peace and accord in the society constitute the main precondition of economic growth in our country and higher quality of life of its citizens.
We have doubled the size of our economy in just 7 years and now are set to triple it by 2015.
We have moved rapidly along the path of integration into the world economy. Kazakhstan has become not only one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investments but also an active investor in its own right into a number of other States.
Building upon these accomplishments, we have set for ourselves the task of making the list of top 50 most competitive economies in the world.
Distinguished Ministers,
It is no secret that today the world's development potential is under serious attack. The world economy faces an unprecedented financial and economic crisis, which affects not only the banking sector but the real economy as well. Instability in the global energy and food markets provokes price hikes.
Plummeting living standards and growing unemployment turn Third World countries into a source of instability and present a real threat for developed societies.
We can witness today how aggressive intolerance and violence, especially based on religious and ethnic factors, continue to erode majority of countries and regions of the world.
We cannot ignore the fact that the current international politics, in many of their manifestations, have been characterized as an "ideology of fear."
Some hotheads even predict that in the near future Islam and Christianity will be engaged in a global standoff. Like in the Middle Ages, attempts are being made to impose upon people a message that Muslims represent a threat to the Western civilization or that the Christian world is driven only by a blind desire to have a neocolonial revenge over Islamic countries.
These insinuations should be condemned in the most resolute way! I refer both to Islamophobia in the West and anti-Western sentiments in the East. Today it has become important as never before to join our efforts in fighting attempts to again divide the humankind into “friends” and “foes.”
There is no such thing as big or small cultures in the world or strong or weak religions. They are all blended into an integral whole. The modern world is like a mosaic: if one piece is missing, the whole picture collapses.
When someone shows disrespect to other religion or raises a hand against a representative of another people, he or she degrades his or her religion and jeopardizes his or her own people and its culture, which are elements of an integral whole.
In the current environment, it is imperative to stave off the division of the world along civilizational, cultural and religious lines and to promote an understanding of the commonness of the modern world and the need to unite in the face of common threats to humanity.
I firmly believe that not a single global problem of the twenty-first century can be solved without the engagement of the Islamic world, which accounts for almost one fourth of the world’s population.
Dialogue among cultures and civilizations should lay the ground for the future and for a fairer and safer world order based on multipolarity.
Partnership – and not confrontation – between different countries, cultures and religions, each of which has made its unique contribution to the world history, should become a foundation for continued development on our planet.
Rapprochement of peoples and trust between them can be achieved only on the basis of mutual understanding and genuine respect for one another rooted in true knowledge and not in manipulation of public conscience.
Yet here we all need to be transparent, honest and, importantly, unbiased in our assessment of events of the past and today.
A couple of years ago, speaking in this Palace at the opening of the second Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, I proposed to conduct dialogue among religions on the basis of 3 principles of understanding.
In my view, they are fully applicable to dialogue among politicians as well.
First, we should give up centuries-old stereotypes in mutual perception. There too many fresh wounds and new victims in today’s world. My own experience as a politician tells me one thing: we should learn how to overcome our stereotypes.
Second, we should consciously resist temptation to invade spheres that are sacred to other people. Something that is sacred for one cannot become a butt of jokes or an object of ridicule for another. Otherwise, it is a sure way to open floodgates to mutual grievances.
Third, we should realize that there are threats that are common for all cultures and civilizations, without any exception. I am referring not only to terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, transnational crime, environmental degradation etc.
What is even more dangerous is a threat of a fateful denial of spirituality, a tradition that has existed for thousands of years thanks to world religions.
Politicians should be fully aware of this threat. They should also realize that attempts to pit two of the largest cultures and civilizations of humanity against each other can lead directly to the state of general lack of spirituality, chaos and injustice.
But I am convinced that the world will jointly pull its forces to stave off such developments.
Distinguished participants,
Without dialogue, cultural diversity of our planet can be threatened. Dialogue should prevail over discord and insanity.
We should only welcome the fact that recognized dialogue forums have been convened lately throughout the world to discuss problems and opportunities of rapprochement of cultures and civilizations, among them the Alliance of Civilization, established under the umbrella of the United Nations. Kazakhstan takes an active part in its proceedings.
The concept of this Conference as well as other important initiatives put forward by States to promote mutual respect for cultures and religions complement each other and deserve our support.
In this context, we view the Conference as Kazakhstan’s tangible contribution to the expansion of dialogue between cultures and civilizations.
I am convinced that discussions involving representatives of governments and international organizations will facilitate the search for ways to promote tolerance though dialogue and compromise, cooperation and understanding of our shared responsibility for the fate of the world.
According to a hadith by Prophet Muhammad, the degree to which a person is helped and aided by Allah depends on the degree of his intentions. Our intentions are pure.
I wish the participants in this Conference fruitful work.
Thank you for your attention.
