The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan has not found any violations in school textbooks, in which Crimea is named as a subject of the Russian Federation, the press secretary of the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan, Alibek Shokparov, said. The Kazakh official's speech sounded like an immediate response by Ak Orda to the loud statements of the Ukrainian Chargé d’Affaires in the Republic of Kazakhstan. "Ukraine has sent a note of protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan regarding Kazakh high school textbooks issued by the Kazakhstan-based publishing house Mektep, because the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is indicated there as a subject of the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian Embassy said on September 25.
Shokparov, in his turn, clearly stated that these textbooks have passed the appropriate examination for compliance with the educational standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to him, textbooks have documents and conclusions, and included in the list of materials recommended by the Ministry. Given the traditional caution of Kazakh officials, there is no doubt that the Kazakh Ministry of Education has serious arguments in opposition to the statements by the Ukrainian side, including the fact that detailed elaboration of the claims of the embassy workers has not been leaked to the official media yet.
Almost simultaneously with the scandal around the textbooks there is another unpleasant history connected with the relations between Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The President of the Cycling Federation of Ukraine, Oleksandr Bashenko, indignantly declared that Ukrainian cyclist Andrey Grivko performed wearing a helmet of the 'Astana' team during the race with separate starts at the World Championships in Richmond on September 23.
Literally, he said that: "I could not imagine a greater spit at the Federation. Grivko has performed wearing the helmet of the other team, because Kazakhstan is a sponsor of 'Astana'. Even football players proudly perform on the pitch in a single form of the national team, but not in the underwear, socks and shoes of their clubs. Yesterday, Russians with Crimea, today Kazakhs with helmets, who else are we ready to show our asses to for a kick"?
Such statements can cause nothing but wonder. For example, the silver medalist of the last championship, Adriano Malory, performed wearing a helmet of the Movistar team, which did not cause anger on the part of the Italian fans, but among them there are no less inveterate patriots of all nationalities, including primary colors. So what was the sin of the 'Astana' team and Andrei Grivko? Especially since there are the rules of the International Cycling Federation, which clearly define the rules in such matters.
It seems that textbooks and cycling are different things. However, such strict 'attacks' on Kazakhstan coincide with the preparations of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko's visit to Kazakhstan. It is likely that there is a setting to 'test' the information field of Russia's neighbor and ally for the 'flexibility' of Ak Orda. In the case of the textbooks, this trend can be seen most vividly. Another question is – what is the price of the words about 'friendship and mutual understanding', which the Ukrainian guests are going to say in Kazakhstan?
