Interethnic issues solved in Kazakhstan on serious and systematic basis: Majilis deputy Vishnichenko

ALMATY. January 29. KAZINFORM /Daniyar Sihimbayev / ?In accordance with the constitutional amendments introduced in 2007 in Kazakhstan, the People?s Assembly of Kazakhstan, established by the Head of the State Nursultan Nazarbayev, has gained a constitutional status?, deputy of the Kazakh Parliament?s Majilis Valery Vishnichenko told a Kazinform correspondent upon the results of the Assembly?s Council sitting.

Within the 14th session of the Assembly in 2007 the President of Kazakhstan commissioned the deputies of the Kazakh Parliament to develop a constitutional law to consolidate the constitutional role of the People?s Assembly. We have done it. Our deputy group proposed the draft law on the People?s Assembly of Kazakhstan which has no analogues in the world, it is unique. From this point of view the legislative framework on provision of interethnic and interfaith relations has been established in Kazakhstan, and we work in line with it. Why was it so important to establish the quota for members of the People?s Assembly of Kazakhstan in the Majilis of Kazakh Parliament? As far as quota allocated for deputies from the Assembly, I think that the constitutional right to elect deputies of the Assembly of our country is a serious solution, which significantly expands the national representation in the legislature of Kazakhstan. In this regard we follow a well-known international experience. In 64 states of the world the seats for national minorities are quoted in lower chambers and in 14 countries ? in upper chambers. Therefore the scheme of election of nine deputies of the Parliament is this very experience, which we have followed. What does it mean for our country? Above all it has strengthened a political authority of the People?s Assembly of Kazakhstan, because nowadays its representatives are the deputies of the Majilis and can actively lobby interests in strengthening interethnic relations in the Lower House. Since 98 mandates in the Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan belong to ?Nur Otan? Party and 9 mandates ? to the members of the Assembly, we are the foundation of our Lower House. It stimulates additional expertise of the legislative acts in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of Kazakhstan in regard of strengthening interethnic relations. How do you evaluate the results of the sitting of the Assembly Council with participation of Kazakh Secretary of State Kanat Saudabayev? I believe it is also a significant event, I mean the fact that the Head of the State has reshuffled the Council. The second is that we have adopted a very important document on establishment of the Scientific and Advisory Board under the Assembly. I always say and I reiterate that without a permanent monitoring in the field of interethnic relations we can overlook many problems. Until now it used to be a serious problem, since the monitoring was not held on the permanent basis. And many documents to which we would like to have access on a regular basis, can not be taken from mass media. As is known, some mass media are not independent and in this regard we - members of the Assembly Council - do not have right to use this information to provide interethnic consent from the scientific point of view. The scientific and expert council will be the permanent body dealing with research of not only interethnic, but also ethnic processes within the diasporas itself. And on the basis of the research we will make better decisions and develop recommendations. As for the election of the two deputy chairmen of the Assembly, this initiative of the Head of the State is very timely in order to expand democratic approaches in the work of our organization. The more representatives of the Assembly, heads of the national cultural centers will be involved in the process of managing this body, the more authoritative it will be on the international arena. Besides, in 2010 we will chair the OSCE and these decisions of the Head of the State demonstrate that the interethnic issues are solved in Kazakhstan on a serious and systematic basis. Thank you for the interview.