[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 26 (Monday, February 9, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E220-E221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA FROM KAZAKHSTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SHELLEY BERKLEY

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 9, 2009

  Ms. BERKLEY. Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Friends of Kazakhstan 
Caucus, I would like to submit the following op-ed article, ``Hoping 
for the Better'', to the Congressional Record. This article, written by 
Kazakhstan's Secretary of State Kanat Saudabayev, expresses the 
continuing sense of solidarity between the United States and Kazakhstan 
as we enter into a new chapter of history with the inauguration of 
President Barack Obama. I look forward to working with President Obama 
as we continue to build our positive and productive relationship with 
the Kazakh people.

               [From the Washington Times, Feb. 3, 2009]

                   Saudabayev: Hoping for the Better

                         (By Kanat Saudabayev)

       The inauguration of Barack Obama as U.S. president has 
     opened a new page in the history of America and the world. 
     Great hopes

[[Page E221]]

     for changes for the better are pinned on the new American 
     leader. We in Kazakhstan sincerely wish the 44th U.S. 
     president strong health and strong political will to fully 
     realize his good intentions of making America and the world 
     safer and more prosperous.
       Kazakhstan and the U.S. are time-tested strategic partners 
     with successful experience of working together in such 
     critical areas as nonproliferation of weapons of mass 
     destruction, the fight against terrorism, energy, and 
     democracy. A phone conversation soon after the election 
     between Obama and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev 
     instilled confidence that, under the new administration, 
     Kazakhstan-U.S. relations would continue to grow. The two 
     leaders discussed further cooperation on pressing 
     international problems such as nonproliferation, the fight 
     against terrorism and the stabilization of Afghanistan.
       We in Kazakhstan not only share the new administration's 
     concern with these problems but also believe their solution 
     lies through stronger cooperation of progressive nations 
     sharing common values. Closing our ranks even further is 
     especially crucial today in the face of the most serious 
     economic crisis the world has seen. ``America is strongest 
     when we act alongside strong partners,'' says President 
     Obama. Kazakhstan is such a partner eager to continue working 
     shoulder to shoulder with the United States and others to 
     build a more secure and prosperous world.
       Cooperation in the critical area of nonproliferation has 
     been a cornerstone of our strategic partnership. In the early 
     1990s, President Nazarbayev took a courageous decision to 
     voluntarily renounce the world's fourth-largest nuclear 
     arsenal (which it held while part of the old Soviet Union). 
     Working with the U.S. under the outstanding Nunn-Lugar 
     Cooperative Threat Reduction program, Kazakhstan has fully 
     rid itself of nuclear weapons and their infrastructure, 
     becoming an active participant in global nonproliferation 
     processes. Today, our cooperation, recognized as the most 
     effective model for removing a nuclear threat, successfully 
     continues.
       We are greatly encouraged by the fact that nonproliferation 
     is among the top priorities for President Obama and his 
     administration. We believe it is necessary to not only 
     continue our bilateral cooperation, but also to use more 
     actively the example of Kazakhstan's nuclear disarmament and 
     our cooperation with the United States in convincing other 
     countries to renounce their nuclear-weapon ambitions. 
     Kazakhstan's dynamic economic development since independence, 
     and the evolution of our country into an equal and respected 
     partner of the international community--confirmed by 
     Kazakhstan's election as chair of the Organization for 
     Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the 
     Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)--these are all 
     arguments which prove that renouncing nuclear weapons and 
     opting for mutually beneficial cooperation with the world is 
     a more effective way of ensuring a country's security than a 
     nuclear bludgeon.
       Kazakhstan, having initially supported efforts of the 
     United States and other countries in Operation Enduring 
     Freedom, will continue to assist the international coalition 
     actions in Afghanistan as these are directed at strengthening 
     security and stability in Central Asia and beyond, which is 
     in our common interests. The international community should 
     pour more efforts into the political settlement and economic 
     rehabilitation of Afghanistan, as well as in reducing, and, 
     eventually, eliminating fully, the production and smuggling 
     of drugs out of that country.
       Today, it is crucial to continue building bridges between 
     Islam and the West, and to renounce phobia of Islam in the 
     West and phobia of the West in the Islamic world. Kazakhstan, 
     a secular Muslim-majority country bridging Europe and Asia, 
     is uniquely positioned to promote such dialogue and 
     understanding. At President Nazarbayev's initiative, this 
     year Kazakhstan will host the Third Congress of Leaders of 
     World and Traditional Religions. Last year, Astana hosted a 
     forum, ``Common World: Progress through Diversity,'' bringing 
     together foreign ministers from Western and Oriental nations. 
     Last but not least, Kazakhstan will chair the OSCE in 2010 
     and the OIC in 2011. Promoting the dialog of civilizations 
     during this important period will be one of our top 
     priorities, and we hope to achieve greater mutual 
     understanding between the West and the Islamic world. Again, 
     Kazakhstan is eager to work together with the United States 
     in this area of great importance to us all.
       We welcome Barack Obama's intention to visit Kazakhstan. He 
     would become the first-ever sitting U.S. President to visit 
     not just Kazakhstan but also the region of Central Asia. Such 
     a visit would both give a new, powerful boost to our 
     bilateral cooperation and help chart a new way forward in 
     U.S. relations with moderate Muslim nations. That is why we 
     sincerely say to the American leader: ``Welcome to 
     Kazakhstan, Mr. President!''

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