ALMATY. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's development strategy over the period up to 2050 gives priority to Western values.
"It is the final choice made by [President] Nursultan Nazarbayev, who determines the state's domestic and foreign policy in accordance with the constitution. I would like to reiterate that it is our final civilized choice. Kazakhstan, which is located between Russia, China and Central Asian countries, will rapidly move in the direction of the West," the Kazakh president's political advisor, Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, said in an interview with the Vremya newspaper published on Thursday.
"For me, the West is not just a geopolitical term. The West is about belief in one's own strength, comprehension of the world, confidence that any rational goals will be achieved, that reason will prevail over irrationalism, confidence in the existence of spontaneous internal collective solidarity, the ability to ensure collective creation without any torment and flawless shared memories," he said.
Kazakhstan's 2050 strategy will not be put into practice if all these values are not introduced and a new political culture and a new society are not formed, the presidential advisor said.
As many as 700 million people around the world associate themselves with Western civilization and speak English, he said.
"That is why President Nazarbayev keeps encouraging young people to study English. The decision to switch to the Latin alphabet is quite understandable," he said.