Why Kazakhstan keeps assisting other countries?

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Chairman of the Majilis Committee for International Affairs, Defense and Security Maulen Ashimbayev has explained why Kazakhstan continues rendering humanitarian aid to other countries, Kazinform correspondent reports.    

Taking the floor at the Governmental Hour held in the Majilis on Monday, Mr. Ashimbayev reminded that Kazakhstan became the first CIS country to adopt the Law "On Official Development Assistance" in 2014. Deputies of the Majilis of the 5^th convocation were involved in development of the document.  According to Ashimbayev, the implementation of the law will let systematize assistance to foreign countries and link it to the country’s foreign policy initiatives.

He told that in recent years, Kazakhstan has provided significant humanitarian aid to several neighbor countries and Afghanistan sending food stuffs, essential goods, as well as building schools and hospitals and training youth of these countries at the domestic education institutions. $350mln has been allocated by Kazakhstan for this purpose.

“I know that some of our colleagues believe that Kazakhstan shouldn’t render its help to other nations, since we have enough problems to solve. However, we should keep in mind, that official assistance to development is not a sign of charity; it is not a lump-sum help. It is a flexible tool of foreign policy which aims achievement of certain objectives. Many OECD countries conduct such policy. Therefore, we should clearly link it to foreign policy initiatives of Kazakhstan,” Maulen Ashimbayev noted.

According to the Majilisman, unfortunately, some countries reduce their international assistance programmes today. “In my opinion, none of the countries will prosper if their neighbor countries are facing serious problems and complications.  If the Central Asian region remains the territory of instability, problems and illegal migration, then, sooner or later, this will negatively impact the situation in our country,” he stressed.

To date, Kazakhstan implements a project of cooperation with Afghanistan developed by the MFA together with the UNDP and Japanese MFA. Under this project, Kazakhstan contributes to further development of Afghanistan by means of raising independence of Afghan women employed in public administration, healthcare and education sectors.

 

However, as the Deputy pointed out, the Government has not created yet a specialized agency for rendering official assistance to development, the so-called KazAID.