International forum on political reforms in Kiev

An international forum of expert centres of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus organised by Kazakhstani International Institute of Modern Politics (IIMP) took palce in Kiev. The subject of the forum was "Political reforms on post-Soviet space: problems of stability and democracy on the example of Kazakhstan", KZ-today has been advised in the IIMP.

The round table participants were interested in details of economic and political reforms in Kazakhstan. In particular, objectives and tasks, expressed by the president of RK Nursultan Nazarbayev in his last address to the people of Kazakhstan and followed by a wide scale resonance among experts and analysts of CIS. According to the forum participants, one can speak about a well-established Kazakhstani model.

According to Stepan Gavrish, co-ordinator of parliamentary majority in the Supreme Rada of Ukraine, "Ukraine still has not formed its way of development completely." "Our current discussions around the European choice have not found any real positions so far either in Europe or in our own country," - he said. "Today we study the reforms that have been so efficiently conducted by Kazakhstan, especially in energy, and I believe that we'll adapt many of them to our conditions," - S. Gavrish believes.

Sergey Markov, head of the national council of Russian Federation for international affairs, observed that while Russia and Ukraine had been defining their foreign positions and mutual relations, Kazakhstan had become a sure leader in the speed of political and economic reforms. Russian experts repeatedly came to Kazakhstan for studying the Astana experience. The biggest attention was drawn to the economic and state structure reforms. S. Markov acknowledged that Russia was only in the beginning of the way already passed by Kazakhstan. And, nevertheless, independent Kazakhstani analysts are already identifying new tasks.

According to the chairperson of the IIMP supervisory board Dariga Nazarbayeva, "a strong presidential authority, unpopular, hard line reforms at the initial stage of our statehood's becoming have defined today the success, which we are proud of." "And I believe that this level must be retained by all means," - she said.

According to the forum participants, the highest efficiency in the process of political and economic reforms in CIS is reached by new political formations, in particular, by the newest political parties. In relation with this S. Markov believes that there are "such parties as "Asar" - which is a new type party, created for a normal development of its own country. Such parties are coming to power and they will rule in their countries."

The forum participants have adopted a declaration on co-operation between expert centres, stipulating intentions of the expert centres of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to publish an independent analytical magazine, carry out joint sociological studies, exchange information. The participants have come to a conclusion that it is not only the commodity turnover that should be taken care of, but also the information exchange on proper countries, which, consequently, will influence the economies of our countries.

"An attempt to integrate the intellectual potential of our states today, and attempt to create a common intellectual, scientific space is a step towards renaissance of social, humanitarian sciences," - D. Nazarbayeva observed. "Now we have only to implement the reached agreements," - she concluded.