Kazakhstan, Astana, April 5 / Trend A.Maratov /
The secret of Kazakhstan's stability is the change that the country has undergone over its 20 years of independence, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at a press conference in Astana on Tuesday.
"The country's leadership should know that all changes are for the better. We have observed such changes. If you compare Kazakhstan with all post-Soviet republics, then you see that no state has reached such indicators," he said.
He added the country's economy developed over this period, as the country's GDP per capita increased from $700 in 1996 to $9,000, or by 12 times. Pensions and wages increased by 6-7 times.
"The economy has grown so high that today the total volume is greater than in all the Central Asian and Caucasian republics together. So I think this is the secret," he said.
He said the lowest unemployment rate is observed in Kazakhstan. The country opens new jobs. About 50,000 worked only on the West China-Western Europe Highway. Despite the financial crisis, 25,000 new jobs were created under the "road map" in 2009.
"We will open another 160,000 jobs by 2014, which is an enormous figure for Kazakhstan," he added.
Sectarian and ethnic clashes and bloodshed are being observed throughout the world, Nazarbayev said.
"One does not see this in Kazakhstan, as our people are tolerant and we understand the value of peace and stability. Only then can development be achieved," he said. "All nations in North Africa today threw off their economy by 10, or maybe 20 years. They will regret over the time that they have lost."