A measured and restful life without discord and fear, without tears, persecution and harassment. Each citizen of Kazakhstan perceives the peaceful life he lives in his country as something normal as if there are no other options. However, public accord is a gift, which should not only be preserved, but also should be developed.      

Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Assembly of the people of Kazakhstan
–‘Friendship of nations’ are sacred words. It is after Kazakhstan’s gaining independence that the ethnic groups living in the country got the possibility to develop freely, speak their mother tongues, study their history and cultures. Our people have freedom of faith, and can visit their temples freely. When the representatives of all world religions gathered here they called Kazakhstan ‘The country of peace and accord’. 

 When Kazakhstan was part of the union of soviet socialistic republics it was already called ‘The laboratory of nations’ friendship’. After the collapse of the empire the young republic faced the challenge of not only preserving the interethnic accord, but it also had to strengthen the public stability. 

The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan was established on March 1st 1995 by the decree of the head of the state. It is a ‘know-how’, which had no analogues in the world before. 

Today, the republic’s experience in preserving the interethnic accord is supported and studied in the CIS countries, the Baltic States, and far abroad. Over the 16 years the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan has become an integral and important part of the states’ structure.

During this period of time the state’s financial backing of the assembly has significantly increased. The activities of the ethno-cultural associations and regional assemblies are financed on an annual basis. There are 88 schools, in which lessons are taught in Uzbek, Tajik, Uyghur, and the Ukrainian language. In 108 schools languages of 22 ethnic groups are taught as a separate subject (в качестве самостоятельного предмета). Languages of 30 ethnic groups are taught in 190 specialized linguistic centers. Four republican and 15 regional national newspapers are published in the republic. Besides, there are six national theatres in the country.

In October 2008 the Senate adopted the Law ‘On the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan’. The purpose of the assembly is to provide interethnic accord in the country. Interests of national groups are represented by the parliamentary representation of the assembly. Nine deputies of the Parilament’s Majlis represent the assembly’s interests on the governmental level. Now they directly participate in the creation of the educational, the cultural, and the language environment for all ethnic minorities, and all of them make their input into the republic’s development. The spirit of friendship and concord presents in every corner of Kazakhstan, no matter big cities or small villages or even small collectives. 

Despite of the fact that over 130 ethnic groups live in Kazakhstan, there is not a single hint of hostility against any of cultures. On the contrary, there is a mutual enrichment of people’s, no matter in national meals, dances or music.

Many members of the assembly share their tolerance experience with people from other countries. Various events of reconciling and moral character are organized within the assembly’s activity. One of them was the ‘Pushkinskoye Leto’ festival. Youth from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan were among the attendees of the event, where skin color did not matter.