Nursultan Nazarbayev takes oath at inauguration in Kazakhstan

The winner of the early presidential elections in Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, took the oath to the people at the inauguration ceremony in the Palace of Independence in Astana today.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the President said "I swear to faithfully serve the people of Kazakhstan, strictly abide by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens, in good faith to fulfil my high duties as the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan."Nursultan Nazarbayev also outlined five external challenges that threaten the further development of Kazakhstan. "With full responsibility I want to warn the nation that our further development is threatened by five new external challenges," Nazarbayev noted.The first challenge is the crisis in the world order and the growing general uncertainty.The second challenge is the continued global economic turbulence, including sanctions, currency and trade wars. The third challenge is climate change. This problem leads to unpredictable consequences and to various disasters worldwide.The fourth challenge is that Central Asia may be affected by new global fault lines.And the fifth challenge is the question of the international coordination necessary to combat these challenges. "We must respond to these challenges," Nazarbayev concluded."A National Commission on Modernization under the President of the country will be created in the near future. Its mission is to manage the phased implementation of 5 reforms and coordination of government agencies, the business sector and civic society," the president said."During the first meeting of the commission I will present a plan of the nation '100 concrete steps toward further state building', which will explain what we're going to do with the 5 reforms. These '100 steps' are our response to the global and domestic challenges. Implementation of the reforms is nationwide task number one for the next 10-15 years," Nazarbayev stressed.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the President said "I swear to faithfully serve the people of Kazakhstan, strictly abide by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens, in good faith to fulfil my high duties as the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan."

Nursultan Nazarbayev also outlined five external challenges that threaten the further development of Kazakhstan. "With full responsibility I want to warn the nation that our further development is threatened by five new external challenges," Nazarbayev noted.

The first challenge is the crisis in the world order and the growing general uncertainty.
The second challenge is the continued global economic turbulence, including sanctions, currency and trade wars. 
The third challenge is climate change. This problem leads to unpredictable consequences and to various disasters worldwide.
The fourth challenge is that Central Asia may be affected by new global fault lines.
And the fifth challenge is the question of the international coordination necessary to combat these challenges. "We must respond to these challenges," Nazarbayev concluded.

"A National Commission on Modernization under the President of the country will be created in the near future. Its mission is to manage the phased implementation of 5 reforms and coordination of government agencies, the business sector and civic society," the president said.

"During the first meeting of the commission I will present a plan of the nation '100 concrete steps toward further state building', which will explain what we're going to do with the 5 reforms. These '100 steps' are our response to the global and domestic challenges. Implementation of the reforms is nationwide task number one for the next 10-15 years," Nazarbayev stressed.

Speaking about foreign policy, Nazarbayev stressed that Kazakhstan will continue its cooperation with strategic partners. "Special relations will bind us with our closest partners in the Eurasian Economic Union - Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia," he explained.

In addition, Kazakhstan considers China, the US, the EU and the Islamic world as its main partners. "As a leader in Central Asia, Kazakhstan will support the overall security architecture of the economic development of our region," Nazarbayev said.

"Kazakh diplomacy will build on the peaceful settlement of acute regional conflicts in the Islamic world and the former Soviet Union," the president concluded.