[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 38 (Thursday, March 8, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE 
                         REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2012

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the twentieth 
anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence from the Soviet Union.
  On December 25, 1991, the United States became the first country to 
recognize Kazakhstan as an independent nation. Two decades later, 
Kazakhstan remains an important U.S. partner and a leader in Central 
Asia.
  During the Soviet era, The Kazakh Steppe served as an important 
testing ground and launch site for the Soviets' nuclear weapons 
program. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan was left with a 
substantial nuclear arsenal consisting of over a thousand strategic 
nuclear warheads as well as delivery systems including intercontinental 
ballistic missiles and long-range bombers. This stockpile left 
Kazakhstan as the world's fourth largest nuclear power.
  The Kazakh people understood the devastating power of these weapons, 
having hosted over 500 Soviet nuclear tests. Rather than embrace its 
new found status as a nuclear power, Kazakhstan, under the leadership 
of President Nazarbayev, became the first country to voluntarily 
renounce its nuclear arsenal. The country subsequently signed and 
ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1994. By 1995 the last 
of Kazakhstan's nuclear weapons had been transferred to Russia, with 
substantial assistance from the United States through the Comprehensive 
Threat Reduction program. Kazakhstan and the United States continue to 
cooperate through this program to secure remaining nuclear material as 
well as chemical and biological weapons, including Anthrax, left over 
from the Soviet era. After twenty years of independence, Kazakhstan 
remains a leader on the nonproliferation and an example to others that 
the path to prosperity does not require nuclear weapons.
  Upon independence, Kazakhstan immediately began working to reform its 
Soviet-style economy. Today, Kazakhstan boasts the most developed 
economy in the region. The country has the potential to become an 
energy power house and to provide a stabilizing influence on global 
markets. In addition, the government's decision to create a National 
Oil Fund will help ensure that Kazakhstan's mineral wealth benefits the 
Kazakh people.
  Despite its mineral wealth, Kazakhstan is committed to diversifying 
its economy and as a result has made significant progress toward 
membership in the World Trade Organization. This progress is 
exemplified by the recently signed WTO bilateral market access 
agreement between Kazakhstan and the United States. This agreement will 
allow U.S. service providers to benefit from significantly expanded 
opportunities in Kazakhstan's markets once it joins the WTO. Membership 
in the WTO is good for Kazakhstan as well as for the major American 
companies that are increasingly attracted to this developing market.
  In the months prior to September 11, 2001, President Nazarbayev 
voiced his concern that the situation in Afghanistan threatened 
regional security. Soon after the attacks on the United States, 
Kazakhstan began supporting coalition operations in Afghanistan by 
providing access to Kazakh airspace. Since 2009 the Kazakh rail network 
has been a key link in the Northern Distribution Network which provides 
an increasingly important supply route into Afghanistan. In addition to 
its support for military operations, Kazakhstan continues to support 
Afghanistan's development in a number of ways, including by providing 
Afghan students with scholarships to study at Kazakh universities.
  As a result of policies such as those outlined above: the rejection 
of nuclear weapons, the embrace of economic reforms, and support for 
allied operations in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan has become a pillar of 
stability, and an engine of development in Central Asia. This 
leadership was reflected in the decision of the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe to grant Kazakhstan the chairmanship 
of the organization in 2010.
  I respectfully urge President Nazarbayev and the Kazakh people to 
build on this solid foundation by actively pursuing democratic reforms 
including the development of a free press, an independent judiciary, a 
robust civil society, and a transparent political system. Democratic 
development will not only benefit the Kazakh people but will preserve 
and strengthen the leadership role that Kazakhstan plays in Central 
Asia and on the world stage.
  In the past twenty years Kazakhstan has become a key ally of the 
United States. As Kazakhstan continues to develop, we must continue to 
work to build this important relationship. I congratulate President 
Nazarbayev and the Kazakh people on twenty years of independence.

                          ____________________