“We are facing two most important challenges. The first is to learn how to withstand religious fundamentalism as a political ideology without demonization of the Islam as a religion. The second challenge is to establish an open and honest dialogue between the Western and the Moslem worlds. Chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the Organization of the Islamic Conference will serve to these noble goals” said Mr. Nazarbayev in the interview to Euronews.
Kazakhstan will chair OIC in 2010, and in the current year the Republic is chairing in OSCE.
The President noted that during independence Kazakhstan has accumulated a unique experience of peaceful and tolerant coexistence of vast variety of ethnicities and confessions. “Such obvious advantage turns our country into one of the most convenient sites for (establishing) a dialogue of West and East, Europe and the Moslem world” – believes Mr. Nazarbayev.
“To execute chairing, intermediary functions, quite often all participants of any process select those whose impartiality is obvious to all of them. That’s why our foreign partners consider Kazakhstan as an ideal nominee for chairing in Asian and European institutions, as it was the case with CICA and OSCE, and in next year will be in OIC” – said Mr.Nazarbayev.
Moreover, added the Head of the State, Astana has a sound experience of such work accumulated over the course of convocation of three conferences of leaders of global and traditional religions.
Mr.Nazarbayev believes that one the most important problem of the global policy is still the difficulties in relations of the Moslem world and the rest of the world. Complexities of communication are seen in mutual suspicions, counteraccusations in expansion – both political and ideological.
“And eventually all these lead to military and political conflicts. In the eyes of the Western community the Moslem world is primarily associated with its radical part and causes a fear. The most important would be through understanding the causes to propose realistic ways to overcome these difficulties” – emphasized Mr. Nazarbayev.
