Message of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev to the people of Kazakhstan. October 5, 2018

GROWTH OF WELFARE OF KAZAKHSTANI: INCREASING INCOME AND QUALITY OF LIFE

 

Dear Kazakhstanis!

During the years of Independence, we have done a lot of work. Having created a modern progressive state with a dynamically developing economy, we have ensured peace and social harmony. Carried out qualitative and historically significant structural, constitutional and political reforms. We have achieved an increase in the international prestige of Kazakhstan and strengthening of its geopolitical role in the region. We have established ourselves as a responsible and sought-after international partner in solving regional and global problems. Kazakhstan became the first state among the countries of the CIS and Central Asia, which was chosen by the world community to host the international exhibition "EXPO-2017". We have built a new capital - Astana, which has become the financial, business, innovation and cultural center of the Eurasian region. The population of the country has exceeded 18 million people, life expectancy has reached 72.5 years. We have formed solid economic foundations. Over the past 20 years, foreign direct investment in the amount of 300 billion US dollars has been attracted to the country. Small and medium-sized businesses are developing, which form the basis of the prosperity of the economy. In the ranking of doing business by the World Bank, Kazakhstan has risen to 36th place among 190 countries. We have always responded in a timely manner to external challenges and were ready for them. In this regard, I put forward the necessary program initiatives for the modernization of the country. Their implementation has become the main factor of successful development. Our strategic goal is to join the top 30 developed countries of the world by 2050. In 2014, we launched the Nurly Zhol comprehensive program aimed at modernizing the country's infrastructure. Three years ago, the 100 Concrete Steps Plan for the Nation was unveiled. Then we embarked on the Third Modernization of the Country. Its main task is to form a new model of economic growth that will ensure the global competitiveness of Kazakhstan. The sustainable development of our country gives great hope for further improvement of living standards. We are ready to face new challenges.

Dear compatriots!

Recently, the processes of global political and economic transformation have been intensifying. The world is rapidly changing. The seemingly unshakable foundations of the global security system and the rules of international trade are crumbling. New technologies, robotization and automation complicate the requirements for labor resources and the quality of human capital. A completely new architecture of financial systems is being built. At the same time, stock markets are inflating a new "soap bubble" that could provoke another financial crisis. Today, global and local problems are intertwined. Under these conditions, the response to the challenges and the key to the success of the state is the development of the main wealth - the person. The government, every head of a government agency, a state-owned company needs to change their approaches to work. The main priority should be the growth of the well-being of the people of Kazakhstan.

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The well-being of Kazakhstanis depends primarily on stable income growth and quality of life.

I. GROWTH OF INCOME OF THE POPULATION.

Incomes grow when a person is hardworking, is a professional in his field, receives a decent salary, or has the opportunity to open and develop his own business. Only by joint efforts can we create a Society of Universal Labor.

• Firstly, I instruct the Government from January 1, 2019 to increase the minimum wage by 1.5 times - from 28 to 42 thousand tenge. This will directly affect 1 million 300 thousand people who work in all industries at enterprises of various forms of ownership. The increase will cover 275 thousand employees of budgetary organizations, whose salaries will increase by an average of 35%. For these purposes, 96 billion tenge should be allocated annually from the republican budget for 2019-2021. At the same time, now the minimum wage will not be tied to the living wage. The new minimum wage will be a catalyst for wage growth across the economy as a whole. I hope this initiative will be supported by large companies in terms of raising wages for low-paid workers.
• Secondly, it is necessary to form stable sources of business growth, stimulate private investment and promote market freedom. It is business that creates new jobs and provides most of Kazakhstanis with income.
• FIRST. Back in 2010, we launched the Business Roadmap 2020 program. As part of my trips to the regions, I was convinced of its effectiveness. The program should be extended until 2025. It is necessary to provide for an additional at least 30 billion tenge annually for its implementation. This will make it possible to create at least 22 thousand new jobs in 3 years, ensure the receipt of 224 billion tenge of taxes and the production of goods worth 3 trillion tenge.
• SECOND. It is necessary to take decisive measures to develop competition in the economy and restore order in the tariffs for housing and communal services and natural monopolies. In the field of utilities and regulation of natural monopolies, tariff setting and spending of funds collected from consumers is still not transparent. There is no effective monitoring and control of investment obligations of monopolists. The government needs to consider this issue within three months and reform the work of the antimonopoly agency, significantly strengthening the functions of protecting competition. This is important because it leads to an increase in business costs and a decrease in people's real incomes.
• THIRD. It is necessary to increase the protection of businesses from undue administrative pressure and threats of criminal prosecution. I instruct from January 1, 2019 to raise the threshold for applying criminal liability for tax violations to 50,000 MCI with an increase in fines. It is also necessary to reorganize the Economic Investigation Service, transferring its functions to the Financial Monitoring Committee, whose main task should be to combat the shadow economy. We must move towards a "cashless economy". Here it is necessary to rely not only on repressive, but also stimulating instruments, for example, to encourage businesses to use cashless payments. Completion of the integration of tax and customs information systems will increase the transparency of administration. The government needs to take effective measures to reduce the shadow turnover in the economy by at least 40% over 3 years.
• FOURTH. Export-oriented industrialization should become a central element of economic policy. The government needs to focus on supporting exporters in the manufacturing sector. Our trade policy must cease to be inert. It is necessary to give it an energetic character in order to effectively promote our products in regional and world markets. At the same time, we need to help our enterprises master a wide range of consumer goods and develop the so-called "economy of simple things." This is important not only for realizing the export potential, but also for saturating the domestic market with domestic goods. I instruct the Government to allocate an additional 500 billion tenge to support the manufacturing industry and non-commodity exports over the next 3 years. To solve the problem of affordable lending to priority projects, I instruct the National Bank to provide long-term tenge liquidity in the amount of at least 600 billion tenge. The government, together with the National Bank, needs to ensure strict control over the targeted use of these funds. In order to implement large, breakthrough projects, the issue of creating a Direct Investment Fund in the non-resource sector, which will operate on the principle of co-investment with foreign investors, should be considered. It is also necessary to strengthen the work on the development of transport, logistics and other service sectors. Particular attention should be paid to the development of inbound and domestic tourism to use our rich natural and cultural potential. The government should adopt a sectoral state program in a short time.
• FIFTH. We need to fully realize the potential of the agro-industrial complex. The main task is to increase labor productivity and export of processed agricultural products by 2.5 times by 2022. All state support measures should be directed to the large-scale attraction of modern agricultural technologies to the country. We must use the best experience in managing the industry by introducing flexible and convenient standards and attracting "gray heads" - reputable foreign experts in the field of agriculture. It is necessary to build a system of mass training of rural entrepreneurs in new farming skills. I instruct the Government to allocate at least an additional 100 billion tenge annually for these purposes in the next 3 years.
• SIXTH. Particular attention should be paid to the development of innovation and service sectors. First of all, it is necessary to ensure the development of such areas of the "economy of the future" as alternative energy, new materials, biomedicine, big data, the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, blockchain and others. It is on them that the place and role of the country in the global world depends in the future. I instruct the Government, together with Nazarbayev University, to develop special programs for each area with the definition of specific projects. One of them may be the creation of a research institute on the basis of the university to develop artificial intelligence technologies.
• SEVENTH. It is necessary to strengthen the role of the financial sector in the development of the real economy and ensure long-term macroeconomic stability. Rising prices, access to finance, bank stability - that's what people are most interested in right now. The National Bank, together with the Government, should finally begin to systematically address the issues of improving the financial and real sectors, and pursuing a comprehensive anti-inflationary policy. In the current environment, it is critical to increase lending to the economy, especially the manufacturing sector and SMEs. It is also necessary to improve the efficiency of managing pension assets and resources of the social insurance system, to really develop alternative financial instruments - the securities market, insurance, and so on. An important role in providing business with foreign investment, Astana International Financial Center should play the role of access to capital. We have specially created a separate court, a financial regulator, an exchange. All state bodies and national companies should actively use this platform and promote its rapid formation and development.

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II. INCREASING THE QUALITY OF LIFE.

The second component of well-being is an increase in the standard of living. The issues of quality and accessibility of education, healthcare, housing, comfortable and safe living concern every Kazakh family. In this regard, the Government should reconsider the priorities of budgetary spending with a focus on the social sector, security and infrastructure.

• FIRST. Within 5 years, it is necessary to increase spending on education, science and health from all sources to 10% of GDP. Financing should be directed to the implementation of the planned reforms, which will provide a significant improvement in the quality of public services.
• SECOND. It is necessary to radically improve the quality of preschool education. The basics of thinking, mental and creative abilities, new skills are formed in early childhood. Emphasis in education is shifting towards the 4K model: the development of creativity, critical thinking, communication skills and the ability to work in a team. In this area, it is necessary to revise the qualification requirements, teaching methods, the system of remuneration for teachers and other employees of kindergartens. The Ministry of Education and Science, together with the akimats, needs to develop an appropriate road map this year.
• THIRD. In the field of secondary education, the main approaches have been identified - at the current stage, it is necessary to concentrate on their implementation. The system and teaching methods of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools should become a single standard for public schools. This will be the final stage in the reform of school education. The knowledge assessment system should be based on international standards. Already in secondary school, it is important to carry out professional diagnostics and orientation of children to the most demanded specialties. This will allow you to build an individual learning path and reduce the teaching load on the student and teacher. Given the importance of children's safety, I instruct to ensure that all schools and kindergartens are equipped with video surveillance systems, strengthen the work of school psychologists and implement other consistent measures.
• FOURTH. I consider it necessary to develop and adopt next year the Law “On the status of a teacher”. It should provide all the incentives for teachers and employees of preschool organizations, reduce the workload, protect against unforeseen inspections and unusual functions.
• FIFTH. In higher education, the requirements for the quality of training in educational institutions will be increased. We have increased the number of grants, now it's time to increase responsibility. The main criterion for evaluating the success of a university is the employment of graduates after graduation, their employment in a highly paid job. It is necessary to pursue a policy of consolidation of universities. Only those that provide high quality education should remain on the market. It is important to develop partnerships with the world's leading universities, employing, according to the experience of Nazarbayev University, the best foreign top managers. I consider it necessary to create a new regional university on the basis of the existing educational infrastructure, following the example of Nazarbayev University.
• SIXTH. The quality of medical services is an essential component of the social well-being of the population. First of all, it is necessary to increase the availability of primary health care, especially in rural areas. To stimulate PHC workers, I instruct from January 1, 2019 to gradually increase wages by 20% for district health workers who have introduced new approaches to disease management. 5 billion tenge will be allocated for this next year. From January 1, 2019, all polyclinics and hospitals must switch to paperless, digital medical records management. This will allow by 2020 to create electronic health passports for the entire population, eliminate queues, bureaucracy, and improve the quality of services. Using the experience of already established cardiological and neurosurgical clusters, in 2019, it is necessary to start the construction of the National Scientific Cancer Center in Astana. In this way, we will save many human lives.
• SEVENTH. At the regional level, it is necessary to find reserves and increase the accessibility of mass sports and physical education. I instruct the Government and akims to build at least 100 sports and recreation complexes. It is also necessary to effectively use the existing sports facilities, especially at schools, to equip courtyards, parks, squares for physical education.
• EIGHTH. The health of the nation is the main priority of the state. This means that Kazakhstanis should consume quality products. Today, there is no holistic policy to protect the population from low-quality goods and services that are hazardous to health and life. I instruct the Government to take measures and streamline this activity. Starting next year, the Committee for the Control of Quality and Safety of Goods and Services should begin its work. Its activities will mainly include the examination of food products, medicines, drinking water, children's products, medical services. To do this, it is necessary to provide a modern laboratory base and form a staff of qualified specialists. At the same time, it is necessary to institutionally strengthen and actively use public organizations for the protection of consumer rights. We always help business, but man, his rights and health are more important. The state, as part of the reduction of administrative barriers, has abandoned many inspections, permits, and the like. Therefore, the business community is also responsible for the quality and safety of the offered goods and services. In general, business should think not only about profit, but also, together with the state, provide security and comfort for our citizens.

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High-quality social services to the population should be harmoniously accompanied by the creation of broad opportunities for improving housing conditions, comfortable and safe living in any locality of the country.

III. CREATING A COMFORTABLE LIVING ENVIRONMENT.

Comfort lies primarily in the availability of housing, a beautiful and safe courtyard, a convenient location for living and working, and high-quality infrastructure.

• FIRST. Quality and affordable housing. Today, we are successfully implementing the Nurly Zher program, which has provided a powerful impetus to housing construction. A new large-scale program "7 - 20 - 25" has been launched, which increases the availability of residential mortgages. I instruct the akims to work out the issue of partial subsidizing of down payments on preferential mortgages from the local budget. The issuance of such housing certificates will increase the availability of mortgages for qualified educators, doctors, police officers and other professionals needed by the region. It is also necessary to increase the construction of rental housing in large cities for socially vulnerable segments of the population. These measures will allow more than 250,000 families to improve their living conditions. And taking into account the construction of engineering infrastructure for mass development areas, the state will help 650 thousand families in 5 years,
• SECOND. It is necessary to ensure the introduction of new approaches to the territorial development of the country. Today, the economies of the leading countries are mostly represented by global cities or metropolitan areas. More than 70% of the world's GDP is generated in cities. We have historically developed our own way of life, an agrarian economy with single-industry towns and small regional centers prevailed. Therefore, for a country of 18 million people, 3 million-plus cities, 2 of which became such in the era of independent Kazakhstan, is a great achievement. Astana and Almaty already provide more than 30% of the country's GDP. However, the infrastructure of cities does not always meet the rapidly growing needs of enterprises and the population. In recent years, under the Nurly Zhol program, we have formed an infrastructure of republican significance. Since 2015, 2,400 km of roads have been built and reconstructed. This work continues and by 2020 another 4,600 km of roads will be put into operation. Now we need to systematically develop regional and urban infrastructure. For this, funding has been increased this year: for local roads up to 150 billion tenge, for rural water supply - up to 100 billion tenge. Akims need to concentrate on solving the most pressing problems in the regions at the expense of these funds. The government also needs to systematically approach this task, form a list of additional infrastructure issues, evaluate projects and find sources of their financing. The construction of new schools, kindergartens, hospitals must be synchronized with plans for the development of settlements, as well as create conditions for attracting private investors to this sector. In the same time, it is necessary to gradually move from the “infrastructure to people” model to the “people to infrastructure” model. This will stimulate the consolidation of settlements, increase the efficiency of the use of allocated funds. Each region and major city should develop based on its own model of sustainable economic growth and employment, taking into account existing competitive advantages. In this regard, it is necessary to develop a system of regional standards for various settlements - from pivotal villages to cities of republican significance. The standard should include specific indicators of the list and availability of social benefits and public services, provision with transport, cultural and sports, business, industrial, digital infrastructure, and more. It is necessary to intensify efforts to improve the environmental situation, including harmful emissions, soil conditions, land, air, waste management, as well as the development of environmental monitoring systems with free online access to them. Particular attention should be paid to the creation of a "barrier-free environment" for persons with disabilities. I instruct before September 1, 2019 to develop a Forecast Scheme of the Country's Territorial and Spatial Development until 2030, which will become the New Map of the country's managed urbanization. To implement practical measures, I instruct to prepare a pragmatic Program for the Development of Regions until 2025, indicating specific activities, projects and amounts of funding. The noted aspects of regional development should be taken into account in the Nurly Zhol and Nurly Zher state programs, the implementation period of which should also be extended until 2025. The first program should focus on the development of transport infrastructure. The second is in municipal and housing construction. It is necessary to give these programs a "second wind". We need deep and qualitative changes in the work of law enforcement agencies. Safety is an integral part of the quality of life. Employees of the internal affairs bodies are on the "front line" of the fight against crime and protect citizens from it, often risking their lives. At the same time, society expects a fundamental improvement in the work of law enforcement agencies, primarily the police. I instruct the Government, together with the Presidential Administration, to adopt the Roadmap for the Modernization of the Internal Affairs Bodies. The start of the reforms should be given as early as January 1, 2019. Safety is an integral part of the quality of life. Employees of the internal affairs bodies are on the "front line" of the fight against crime and protect citizens from it, often risking their lives. At the same time, society expects a fundamental improvement in the work of law enforcement agencies, primarily the police. I instruct the Government, together with the Presidential Administration, to adopt the Roadmap for the Modernization of the Internal Affairs Bodies. The start of the reforms should be given as early as January 1, 2019. Safety is an integral part of the quality of life. Employees of the internal affairs bodies are on the "front line" of the fight against crime and protect citizens from it, often risking their lives. At the same time, society expects a fundamental improvement in the work of law enforcement agencies, primarily the police. I instruct the Government, together with the Presidential Administration, to adopt the Roadmap for the Modernization of the Internal Affairs Bodies. The start of the reforms should be given as early as January 1, 2019. I instruct the Government, together with the Presidential Administration, to adopt the Roadmap for the Modernization of the Internal Affairs Bodies. The start of the reforms should be given as early as January 1, 2019. I instruct the Government, together with the Presidential Administration, to adopt the Roadmap for the Modernization of the Internal Affairs Bodies. The start of the reforms should be given as early as January 1, 2019.
  • First, it is necessary to optimize the staffing of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to rid the police of unusual functions. The released funds should be used to increase the salaries of policemen, to solve their housing and other social issues.
  • Secondly, it is necessary to approve a new police standard and change the system of career advancement, as well as training and selection of personnel through police academies. All employees must be recertified. Only the best of them will continue their service.
  • Thirdly, it is necessary to introduce new modern formats of work with the population, to radically change the criteria for evaluating the police. It is necessary to transfer the work of the police to the service model. It should become stronger in the minds of citizens that a policeman does not punish, but helps in a difficult situation. At city and regional internal affairs bodies, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the reception of citizens on the principle of public service centers. All cities of Kazakhstan must be provided with public safety monitoring systems. The key parameters for evaluating the work of the police should be the level of trust on the part of society and the feeling of security among the population.
• THIRD. Further modernization of the judicial system. A lot has been done in recent years, but the main task has not yet been solved - ensuring a high level of trust in the courts. At the same time, the rule of law is a key factor in the success of our reforms. First, it is necessary to continue the introduction of modern formats for the work of courts and advanced electronic services. Every year, 4 million of our citizens are involved in legal proceedings. How much effort and money is wasted! Unnecessary litigation, which leads to unnecessary waste of time and resources, must be reduced. What used to require personal presence can now be done remotely. Secondly, it is necessary to ensure the qualitative development and renewal of the personnel of the judicial system, create incentives so that the best lawyers strive to become judges. Third, clear and predictable judicial practice is needed, especially in litigation between business and government agencies, as well as the exclusion of opportunities for improper influence on judges. I instruct the Supreme Court, together with the Government, to develop an appropriate set of measures by the end of the year.

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The most important role in the implementation of any reforms will be played by a compact and efficient state apparatus, which should consider all its actions through the prism of improving the well-being of the people.

IV. STATE APPLICATION ORIENTED TO THE NEEDS OF CITIZENS.

How should the state apparatus change in the new time?

• FIRST. A cardinal increase in the efficiency of state bodies. "Quality" should become the new lifestyle of a civil servant, and self-improvement should be his main principle. Civil servants of the new formation should reduce the distance between the state and society. This provides for constant feedback, lively discussion and explanation of concrete measures and results of public policy to people. The Academy of Public Administration, together with Nazarbayev University, needs to develop the program "Head of a new formation" and special retraining courses for appointment to leadership positions. It is important to attract professionals from the private sector who have experience working in the best foreign companies or educated at the world's leading universities. This year, we introduced a new wage model in 4 government agencies. All pilot projects have shown good results. The attractiveness of the civil service has been increased, which is especially important at the regional level. Due to the optimization of inefficient costs and the reduction of the management staff, the salaries of the lower and middle managers increased by 2-2.5 times. The outflow of personnel decreased by 2 times. The influx of highly qualified specialists from the private sector, including graduates of top universities, has tripled. In the Agency for Civil Service Affairs, the competition for the central office has grown to 28 people per place, and in regional divisions - up to 60 people per place. There are now 16 people applying for 1 vacancy in the akimat of the Mangystau region, and an average of 13 people in the Ministry of Justice. In Astana, only due to new approaches to financing projects implemented under PPP, more than 30 billion tenge was saved. In order to switch to a new model of remuneration, I gave the heads of state bodies the right to carry out a “budgetary and personnel maneuver”. They were able to use the savings to raise wages for employees. Currently, many government agencies want to switch to a new model. The main thing is that they must understand that this is not just a mechanical increase in salaries, but, above all, an indicator of an increase in the efficiency of their work. I instruct to control that the increase in labor costs is offset by the optimization and savings in budget expenditures, including the expenditures of subordinate organizations. Formalism and leveling cannot be allowed here in order not to discredit this project. They were able to use the savings to raise wages for employees. Currently, many government agencies want to switch to a new model. The main thing is that they must understand that this is not just a mechanical increase in salaries, but, above all, an indicator of an increase in the efficiency of their work. I instruct to control that the increase in labor costs is offset by the optimization and savings in budget expenditures, including the expenditures of subordinate organizations. Formalism and leveling cannot be allowed here in order not to discredit this project. They were able to use the savings to raise wages for employees. Currently, many government agencies want to switch to a new model. The main thing is that they must understand that this is not just a mechanical increase in salaries, but, above all, an indicator of an increase in the efficiency of their work. I instruct to control that the increase in labor costs is offset by the optimization and savings in budget expenditures, including the expenditures of subordinate organizations. Formalism and leveling cannot be allowed here in order not to discredit this project. I instruct to control that the increase in labor costs is offset by the optimization and savings in budget expenditures, including the expenditures of subordinate organizations. Formalism and leveling cannot be allowed here in order not to discredit this project. I instruct to control that the increase in labor costs is offset by the optimization and savings in budget expenditures, including the expenditures of subordinate organizations. Formalism and leveling cannot be allowed here in order not to discredit this project.
• SECOND. In this difficult time, it is necessary to achieve the maximum return on each allocated tenge. As the results of inspections show, in a number of cases the cost of construction is overestimated even at the stage of development of project documentation. There are projects that are not brought to completion or initially have no prospects. If we treat the entrusted matter responsibly, then hundreds of billions of tenge of budgetary funds can be released and directed to the real needs of the population. The government needs to take systematic measures to optimize costs and save money, eliminating inefficient and untimely spending.
• THIRD. The active fight against corruption will be continued.
  • First, it is necessary to seek to reduce the direct contacts of civil servants with the population within the framework of the public services provided. One of the issues of concern to people is the bureaucratic procedures in the field of land relations and construction. There is no transparency in this area, full access of the population and business to information. I instruct to create a unified information database on the land fund and real estate objects. In this matter, it is necessary to put things in order and give the land to real investors! This is just one example. It is necessary to carry out appropriate work in all other areas that cause criticism from people and the business community. In general, in 2019, 80%, and in 2020 at least 90% of public services should be transferred to electronic format. To do this, it is necessary to urgently update the Law “On Public Services”.
  • Secondly, it is necessary to work out the issue of increasing the personal disciplinary responsibility of top managers when their subordinates commit corruption offenses. At the same time, an honest employee should not be afraid of inspectors.
  • Thirdly, it is necessary to disseminate the capital's experience in implementing an anti-corruption strategy within the framework of the "Regions Free from Corruption" projects.
• FOURTH. It is necessary to reduce formalism and bureaucracy in the work of the Government and all state bodies. Recently, the number of lengthy meetings and meetings in the Government, government agencies has increased significantly, and the document flow has also increased significantly. There are days when the Government holds up to 7 meetings a day with the participation of akims and their deputies. When do they work? We need to put an end to this state of affairs and streamline this issue. Decision-making freedom must be given to ministers and akims, who must make specific commitments and be publicly accountable for them. The developed map of indicators of the Strategic Development Plan of the country until 2025 should become the basis for this.
• FIFTH. For the effective implementation of the tasks set, it is necessary to strengthen the mechanism for monitoring the implementation of reforms. By the end of the year, the government and state bodies should develop specific indicators and roadmaps covering all these development issues, as well as timely submit all the bills necessary to launch reforms to the Parliament. In turn, the Parliament must qualitatively and promptly consider and adopt them. To monitor and evaluate the implementation of reforms and key strategic documents, I instruct to create a National Modernization Office in the Presidential Administration with the necessary authority. In addition to monitoring statistical indicators, it will ensure regular surveys of the population and businesses on issues relevant to the population, as is practiced in the OECD. The office will regularly report to me the situation in each direction. Each member of the Government, the head of a government agency, the head of a state-owned company will be personally responsible for achieving the goals set.

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V. EFFICIENT FOREIGN POLICY.

To ensure successful modernization of Kazakhstan, further implementation of a proactive foreign policy is necessary. Our peace-loving course and clearly defined principles in this area fully justify themselves. The relations of Kazakhstan with the Russian Federation are the standard of interstate relations. The Eurasian Economic Union is successfully functioning, which took place as a full-fledged integration association and an active participant in world economic relations. A new page of interaction in the Central Asian region has been opened. A comprehensive strategic partnership with the People's Republic of China is steadily developing. The One Belt, One Road program has given a new impetus to our relations with China. During my January official visit to Washington and negotiations with President Donald Trump, an agreement was reached on an expanded strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the United States in the 21st century. We will continue dynamic cooperation with the EU, our largest trade and investment partner. Mutually beneficial bilateral relations are developing with the CIS countries, Turkey, Iran, the countries of the Arab East and Asia. The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, adopted at the summit in Aktau, opens up new opportunities for cooperation with the Caspian countries. Kazakhstan adequately completes its mission in the UN Security Council. The Astana process on Syria has become practically the only effectively working format for negotiations on a peaceful settlement and the exit of this country from the crisis.

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At all times, only the strong will to succeed and the unity of the people decided the fate of countries. Only by joint efforts can we achieve great heights.

VI. INVOLVEMENT OF EVERY KAZAKHSTAN IN THE PROCESSES OF TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE COUNTRY.

Every Kazakhstani must clearly understand the essence of the ongoing reforms and their importance in the prosperity of our Motherland. For their successful implementation, the consolidation of society around common goals is now more important than ever. The Rukhani Zhangyru program received wide support and gave a powerful impetus to the modernization processes in society. This initiative should not only be continued, but also filled with new content and directions. Comprehensive support for youth and the institution of the family should become a priority of state policy. It is necessary to create a broad platform of social lifts, which will include a full range of measures to support all categories of youth. I propose to declare next year the Year of Youth. We must begin to modernize the social environment of rural areas. This will be facilitated by the launch of a special project "Auyl - El Besigi". Through this project, we will have to promote the ideology of labor in the regions. It is necessary to create children's and youth associations "Sarbaz", by analogy with the boy scout movement, to strengthen the role of military-patriotic education in schools. As part of the new Know Your Land initiative, mass school tourism in the regions of the country should be revived. Today, unprecedented measures have been proposed in the main areas that determine the social well-being of the population. The financial weight of the initiatives exceeds 1.5 trillion tenge, and the cumulative effect is even greater, which will provide a real breakthrough in improving the living standards of the population. This is the most reliable and profitable investment. to strengthen the role of military-patriotic education in schools. As part of the new Know Your Land initiative, mass school tourism in the regions of the country should be revived. Today, unprecedented measures have been proposed in the main areas that determine the social well-being of the population. The financial weight of the initiatives exceeds 1.5 trillion tenge, and the cumulative effect is even greater, which will provide a real breakthrough in improving the living standards of the population. This is the most reliable and profitable investment. to strengthen the role of military-patriotic education in schools. As part of the new Know Your Land initiative, mass school tourism in the regions of the country should be revived. Today, unprecedented measures have been proposed in the main areas that determine the social well-being of the population. The financial weight of the initiatives exceeds 1.5 trillion tenge, and the cumulative effect is even greater, which will provide a real breakthrough in improving the living standards of the population. This is the most reliable and profitable investment. which will provide a real breakthrough in raising the standard of living of the population. This is the most reliable and profitable investment. which will provide a real breakthrough in raising the standard of living of the population. This is the most reliable and profitable investment.

Dear Kazakhstanis!

The well-being of the people and the entry of Kazakhstan into the ranks of 30 developed countries of the world is a long-term goal of our independent state. We always adequately respond to the challenges of the time. This is ensured primarily through our unity. “The country where they live in harmony is rich,” say our people. At the present stage, there are also difficult tasks. There are no insurmountable heights for us if we maintain our harmony and unity. In each of my messages, I pay special attention to improving the social situation and quality of life of the people. The main goal of the state programs "7 - 20 - 25", "Nurly Zhol", "Nurly Zher" and others being implemented today is to improve the quality of life of the population. Kazakhstan still has many unconquered peaks. The trust of the people lifts our spirit and gives us strength on this path. There is nothing higher than this noble goal!