[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 172 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1562-E1563]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING KAZAKHSTAN'S 25 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DANA ROHRABACHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2016

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, on December 16th the people of 
Kazakhstan will celebrate 25 years of their independence. From the 
collapse of the Soviet Union to the present day, Kazakhstan has become 
a valued member in the international community and is a respected voice 
as a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council. For 
the United States, the first country to recognize Kazakhstan's 
independence, this moment not only symbolizes Kazakhstan's remarkable 
development, but also marks 25 years of cooperation and friendship 
between our two nations.
  Our strategic partnership was founded on a shared interest in nuclear 
nonproliferation and security. When the Soviet Union dissolved, 
Kazakhstan inherited the fourth largest nuclear stockpile in the world. 
Rather than using those resources in unproductive ways, through 
President Nursultan Nazarbayev's leadership this nuclear arsenal was 
decommissioned and Kazakhstan has continued to cooperate in these 
efforts.
  Over the 25 years the economic relationship between Kazakhstan and 
the United States has greatly expanded as well. The Kazakh economy is 
dynamic and open to the world. From 1993 to 2013 American firms 
invested more than $42 billion in Kazakhstan, and trade between our 
nations is measured in the billions of dollars per year.
  The government and the people of Kazakhstan have made great strides 
in building an economically diverse, multi-ethnic and prosperous 
country. Kazakhstan exemplifies a country of religious diversity and 
shows the world how people of various faiths can live together in 
peace. I congratulate them on that

[[Page E1563]]

achievement. In the coming years, I hope to see the cooperation between 
the United States and Kazakhstan continue to grow as future leaders 
build on the successful foundation that has already been laid.

                          ____________________