N.Nazarbayev explains decision on making Turkestan a regional center
He explained his decision to turn the city of Turkestan into a regional center. Elbasy noted that this idea has been spinning in his head for a long time.
«Turkestan is our spiritual center. It is the place where the thoughts of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi appeared. Therefore, we decided to revive such a famous, historical city. I have been thinking about this for a long time. However we were building up the Astana city and we had no money for implementing that idea», Nursultan Nazarbayev explained in an interview to Khabar TV channel.
The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan added that Shymkent was given the status of a city of republican significance as its population had reached one million.
«Therefore, I declared Turkestan as a regional center. All Turkic-speaking states supported this initiative. I think this was the right decision. Today, many museums and parks are being built in the city. Hundreds of thousands of tourists are already coming there», Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized.