Kazakhstan chose right path at constitutional referendum in August 1995 - President

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - We chose the right path at the constitutional referendum on August 30, 1995, believes President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"We adopted the Constitution that starts with the words, "We the people of Kazakhstan..." I think that the preamble reflects our core value which is the unity of multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Kazakhstan," President Nazarbayev said while speaking at the international conference themed "Constitution: unity, stability, prosperity" held at the Palace of Independence in Astana. "Back in 1995 after the collapse of the USSR Kazakhstan was at the crossroads. We had no expertise, no experience in self-government and had trouble picturing how modern countries function, what laws and Constitution we needed to adopt to survive. But one thing we knew for sure, we need to act promptly and decisively," the Kazakh leader noted. President Nazarbayev said that after the collapse of the Soviet system Kazakhstan's economy was dying. "Millions of people were pushed towards the brink of survival by high unemployment rate and lack of money," he added. "I am convinced that we chose the right path at the constitutional referendum in August 1995. Our 20-year long history proves that," the President said.