[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 24, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMMENDING KAZAKHSTAN ON 25 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 2017

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record an 
opinion piece written by our former colleague, the gentleman from 
American Samoa, Mr. Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, who was the first Asian-
Pacific American in U.S. history to serve as Chairman of the U.S. House 
of Representatives' Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, 
and the Global Environment, which had broad jurisdiction for U.S. 
policy affecting the region, including Central Asia. Mr. Faleomavaega 
also founded the Congressional Caucus on Central Asia, and his work 
continues to influence the region today.

       In 1991, Kazakhstan gained its independence from the Soviet 
     Union. For some 15 years, I have been honored to work closely 
     with the government of Kazakhstan in various capacities--as a 
     Member of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs; as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs' 
     Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global 
     Environment; as Ranking Member; and as founder of the 
     Congressional Caucus on Central Asia.
       I am proud of Kazakshtan for the great progress it has made 
     since independence, and I especially commend President 
     Nursultan Nazarbayev for his leadership on nuclear non-
     proliferation. Upon inheriting the world's fourth largest 
     nuclear arsenal and the world's second largest test site from 
     the Soviet Union after its collapse, President Nazarbayev 
     voluntarily chose to dismantle and disarm with the help of 
     U.S. assistance.
       His act was both heroic and principled. For this, I have 
     repeatedly called upon the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to 
     recognize the deeds of President Nazarbayev as well as former 
     Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar, who co-authored the 
     Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, which has 
     contributed to world peace, in untold ways.
       While I have no illusions about whether or not we can bring 
     about a nuclear-weapons free world, I do have some thoughts 
     because, like Kazakhs, Pacific Islanders share a similar 
     history. From 1946 to 1958, the United States used the 
     Republic of the Marshall Islands--a Micronesian nation of 
     atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean--as its 
     Cold War nuclear testing ground, detonating 66 nuclear 
     weapons including the first hydrogen bomb, or Bravo shot, 
     which was 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on 
     Hiroshima. Acknowledged as the greatest nuclear explosion 
     ever detonated, the Bravo test vaporized 6 islands and 
     created a mushroom cloud 25 miles in diameter.
       The U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands 
     also set a precedent for France to use the islands of the 
     Pacific for its own testing program after getting kicked out 
     of Algeria where it conducted 17 nuclear tests from 1960-
     1966. To this day, radioactive material is still seeping out 
     of the Sahara desert as a result of French nuclear testing.
       Having been defeated in Algeria and emboldened by U.S. 
     nuclear testing in the Pacific, France detonated 
     approximately 218 nuclear devices in Moruroa and Fangataufa 
     atolls in French Polynesia. Consequently, these islands also 
     seep radioactive materials and are no longer inhabitable.
       This is why I share President Nazarbayev's vision, 
     especially as Kazakhstan has just celebrated its 25 years of 
     independence. My position regarding this matter is no 
     different than the position the United States took during a 
     joint meeting between President Obama and President 
     Nazarbayev on April 11, 2010 when President Obama noted that 
     ``the U.S. appreciates the leadership of President Nazrbayev 
     and the contribution of Kazakhstan to nuclear disarmament and 
     nonproliferation.''
       My position is also no different than the stance taken by 
     former President George H.W. Bush, who welcomed President 
     Nazarbayev to the White House and his son, President George 
     W. Bush, who also welcomed President Nazarbayev to the White 
     House and declared our commitment ``to strengthen the long-
     term, strategic partnership and cooperation between our 
     nations.''
       I thank Kazakhstan for all it has done to re-shape the 
     world, post Cold-War, and I stand with President Nazarbayev 
     as he champions nuclear disarmament among possessor states 
     and prevents proliferation to new states.
       In broader terms, I also commend Kazakhstan's Ambassador to 
     the United States, H.E. Kairat Umarov for all he has done to 
     strengthen the U.S.-Kazakhstan relationship. I have known him 
     for nearly 15 years and I know firsthand of his tireless 
     efforts to promote goodwill between Kazakhstan and the United 
     States. His great work for and on behalf of our nations is 
     deserving of inclusion in the Congressional Record for 
     historical purposes, as his contributions are unparalleled.
       I also commend Mr. Roman Vassilenko who now serves as 
     Deputy Foreign Minister and previously served as Chairman for 
     the Committee for International Information of the Ministry 
     of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and also as Counselor for 
     the Embassy of Kazakhstan to the United States. Like 
     Ambassador Umarov, I have known Deputy Foreign Minister 
     Vassilenko for nearly 15 years. I have watched his career 
     soar as he has put his talents to use for the Republic of 
     Kazakhstan. His impact in communicating Kazakhstan's policies 
     to its citizens and communicating its foreign policy to 
     international audiences and governments through digital 
     diplomacy has been nothing short of revolutionary.
       I also note the work of Mr. Aibek Nurbalin who I also met 
     some 15 years ago when he worked as the Congressional Liaison 
     for the Embassy of Kazakhstan to the United States, and later 
     as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State for the 
     Republic of Kazakhstan. Mr. Nurbalin left no stone unturned 
     in promoting the cause of Kazakhstan and in making certain 
     that President Nazarbayev's policies and agenda were known 
     and supported, especially in the U.S. Congress.
       I have known many diplomats during the course of my service 
     as a Member of Congress. Never have I known diplomats who 
     worked harder on behalf of the Republic of Kazakhstan than 
     Ambassador Umarov, Deputy Foreign Minister Vassilenko, former 
     Deputy Chief of Staff Aibek Nurbalin, Secretary of State 
     Kanat Saudabayev, and current Foreign Minister Erlan 
     Idrissov. It was often said that Roman and Aibek were the 
     left leg and the right leg of my dear friend, Kanat 
     Saudabayev, when he served as Kazakhtan's Ambassador to the 
     United States. If they were the legs, Ambassador Umarov was 
     his heart. And, current Foreign Minister Idrissov is to be 
     fully commended for taking the U.S.-Kazakh relationship to 
     the next level, and beyond. His service, like the service of 
     Ambassador Umarov and Secretary Saudabayev, is also 
     unmatched.
       On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan's 
     independence, I would be remiss if I did not publicly honor 
     these outstanding diplomats for all they have done to help 
     build an independent nation worthy of its place in the world 
     community. I also cannot let this historic occasion pass by 
     without once more commending President Nazarbayev for leading 
     the way for a nuclear free world. As a Pacific Islander, it 
     is my sincere hope that the world will follow his lead as we 
     work together for this cause, which is good.

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