'Kazakhstan - Country of Peace' documentary film to be posted at UN website

UST KAMENOGORSK. November 8. KAZINFORM A documentary film entitled Kazakhstan - Country of Peace narrating the history of Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site will be posted at the United Nations website. The film was presented last weekend in Pushkin Regional Library in Ust Kamenogorsk. Advisor to the Chairman of Polygon - August 29 Fund Ivan Polovinkin said it in an interview to Kazinform. The film was created by order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and shows the history of the former nuclear testing polygon till present day.

The film focuses on decisive role of the Kazakh President in making Kazakhstan nuclear-weapons-free country. "Kazakhstan had experienced 2, 500 Hiroshima attacks over the years of existence of the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site, 456 nuclear explosions on the ground and in the air. On August 29, 1991 Nursultan Nazarbayev decreed to close the Semipalatinsk polygon and in December 1991 Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced its nuclear arsenal. The Government of Kazakhstan set to development of a state program on rehabilitation of the victims of nuclear tests. In 1994 the country withdrew its nuclear weapons and 1999 all mines were liquidated. This unprecedented step was taken by the state which had had the fourth in the world nuclear arsenal", the authors of the film say.

The author of the film is Chairman of the Council of Polygon - August 29 International Fund, member of the Interdepartmental Governmental Commission for Semipalatinsk region Nurlan Boztayev.

Polygon - August 29 Fund was established in 1996 by prominent public figure of Kazakhstan Keshrim Boztayev, father of Nurlan Boztayev. Keshrim Boztayev consistently and persistently pursued the policy of closing the Semipalatinsk polygon.