Pavel Teterin: “The people of Kazakhstan unambiguously support integration!”

In 2014 the subject of integration at the former Soviet Union was defining. The famous public figure, the director of the Kazakhstan-Russian Fund «Education and Culture», the corresponding member of the International Economic Academy of Eurasia Pavel Teterin tells about how it is treated in Kazakhstan:

— Today one of the main issues is the question of integration. Why Kazakhstan became one of «movers» of this idea while other Central Asian republics, so to say, don’t show special activity in this process?

- I think that a lot of things depend on the specific leader of this or that country. After all the destiny of the concrete state is decided by specific people. The president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev always supported this idea. He was against disorder of the Soviet Union and was one of the last who signed the contract on formation of the CIS. Integration is his merit it in many respects. For example, we created Academy of EurAsEC in Alma-Ata. It is clear, that it is necessary to return the former union of the republics in a new form. And, at last, it managed to be transferred from words to affairs.

Integration is the command of time. Europeans duing 10 years couldn’t introduce euro and when understood that the dollar will strangle them, quickly were defined. Today in the world China, the USA and their American satellites, the united Europe, the Islamic world and the former Soviet Union have the leading role. Process of globalization develops powerfully: it not only presses the consciousness, but also the time. And laws remained the same: «divide and dominate» and «if you want to win, unite». In Kazakhstan it is understood well.

- Owing to geopolitical situation Kazakhstan should choose with whom more closely to approach: with China or with Russia?

- China is a tiger who is ready to jump. It is very powerful adjacent power, with which we have the general border throughout 1027 kilometers. It is necessary to be on friendly terms with China — not to lay down under it, but namely to be on friendly terms. If to look at scales, Kazakhstan for China is as the small nut — such can be cracked quickly … Therefore, the suspended policy is necessary.

And Russia and Kazakhstan always lived in peace and friendship, respected each other. But here now there is such situation that if the Russian comes to the Kazakh wedding, he would meet sidelong glances. Or, on the contrary, when the Kazakh comes to the Russian wedding… Schools are Kazakh and Russian, theaters too. Why this division is necessary for us?! Or inscriptions on roads: how many percent of the population know the English in the republic? But there are inscriptions on roads on it, but in Russian — no.

Certainly, it is necessary to develop national cultural tradition, but it is necessary to do so that not to do harm to friendship of the people living in Kazakhstan. I want to emphasize that the negative which happens, it goes not from the people, but from so-called elite.

- The president Nazarbayev unambiguously supports integration and what is it possible to tell about a position of this elite?

- It lives in other world. It also became elite, having made the money at the expense of the people. And it doesn’t seek to create the benefit for the people on the native earth, differently the money would keep here, instead of in Europe.

And it is disgusting to take newspapers in hand today — they write such nonsense. They can write, for example, that the policy of the president conducts to transformation of the republic into a colony of Russia. It is possible to bring many examples of such nonsense, but they after all influence the minds — that is important!

Though the common people, of course, perfectly understand everything. It sees how life changed, what we got and what lost. If earlier the meat-processing plants worked without any break, so today stand, so what the conclusion can arise?

- That is, people perceive integration as return to a normal course of things?

It is exactly so. People want that, as before, there was an opportunity to work, earn reward for the work and to realize the vital plans. That children could get a good education and to become experts in business which will choose, instead of the unemployed with the brand new diploma. For this reason the majority of the population of the republic supports the president Nazarbayev in his aspiration to accelerate integration processes. You know, many can’t still believe that since new year the Economic union already will be not conversations, but reality. And it will be a good omen for all.