[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF KAZAKHSTAN'S NUR OTAN PARTY

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2019

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Nur Otan 
party in Kazakhstan for its twentieth anniversary and the convening of 
its eighteenth Congress in Astana, Kazakhstan later this month. The Nur 
Otan party has made Kazakhstan's growth in the region, and around the 
world, its core mission through ``Kazakhstan 2050''.
  This strategy seeks to place the country in the top 30 global 
economies by 2050 by investing in not only economic sectors; but 
through social initiatives as well. For instance, President Nazarbayev, 
Chairman of Nur Otan, has singled out investments in public housing, 
education, small business, economic diversification, and energy.
  Madam Speaker, we must encourage such development, but we must also 
never forget the role Kazakhstan has played in our fight against 
terrorism and the immense role the country has played in the global 
cause of non-proliferation. In Afghanistan, Kazakhstan has provided 
invaluable support for supply lines used by the International Security 
Assistance Force (ISAF) Coalition, while also conducting joint military 
training programs with American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
(NATO) forces in the Central Asian steppes. As for non-proliferation, 
Kazakhstan, under President Nazarbayev's steady leadership, has not 
only relentlessly championed the cause of nuclear disarmament, but it 
has also established the world's first-ever Low Enriched Uranium Fuel 
Bank, in order to ensure stable civil nuclear energy use worldwide.
  Madam Speaker, it is abundantly clear that Kazakhstan has been, and 
continues to be, a strong partner of ours in Central Asia, and it is my 
hope that the U.S.-Kazakhstan relationship will continue to strengthen 
to the benefit of both countries.

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