BY FERAI TINC
HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc comments on her interview with Kazakh Ambassador to Turkey Kayrat Saribay in Istanbul. A summary of her column is as follows:
During my meeting with Kazakh Ambassador to Turkey Kayrat Saribay in Istanbul recently, he said, ‘Certain circles suggest that Turkey shouldn’t integrate with Europe, but with Asia. We don’t agree with this. We support Turkey’s European adventure. Turkish-Kazakh relations had been institutionalized. There is no need to be emotional in our relations. Turkey’s strength would be beneficial for us as well. We believe that the European Union will contribute to Turkey in this respect and we support Turkey’s EU membership.’ Saribay not only speaks Turkish fluently, but also knows Turkey very well. While saying that the relations with Asia cannot be an alternative to Europe, the things he told showed that certain examples from Kazakhstan could be followed in terms of harmonization with Copenhagen criteria. Below you can find the way to do this.
Kazakhstan’s structure of population changed the most in the Soviet Union era. In the first years of its independence, in Kazakhstan the rate of the population with the Kazakh origin was 30% and Russians constituted 40% of the population. A great many of different ethnic and religious population faced a new identity, that is, the identity of Kazakhstan. Saribay said, ‘Soviet regime had negative aspects but also certain positive ones as well. We took over these positive aspects as inheritance. Internationalism taught us how varieties could live together in peace. We took lessons from the past.’ Explaining how the new state, which faced the problem of establishing the Kazakh national identity following the independence, put this understanding into practice, Saribay said, ‘We protected national identities. Today 53% of the population is Kazakh and 30% is Russian. The official language of education is Kazakh and Russian. Besides Kazakh schools, there are also German and Russian schools. In these schools the education is in their languages but the Education Ministry is preparing the education program. For example, the children of German minority are learning the Kazakh history in German. However, they have to learn Kazakh language as well.’ There is a similar understanding concerning the broadcast issue. The broadcast in the mother language is free in private television channels but 50% of broadcasts have to be in Kazakh language.
It cannot be said that Kazakhstan has an ideal democracy. It also has economic problems but it’s improving step by step. It’s advancing in the direction of human rights, free market economy and values and the east doesn’t provide shelter for those who escape the European process and change.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION