ASTANA – “The Peacemaker,” a new book dedicated to the activities of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to help advance the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, was presented July 2 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The book covers the events from Maidan to the Feb. 11 meeting in Minsk of the leaders of Norman Four which resulted in the so-called Minsk-2 agreements that put a tentative end to major hostilities in the south-eastern part of Ukraine.
Nurlan Onzhanov speaks at the launch of his new book, “The Peacemaker,” on July 2 in Astana.
The work was written by Nurlan Onzhanov, a prominent Kazakh diplomat who now serves as assistant to the President. He accompanied Nazarbayev in numerous negotiations with foreign colleagues on complex issues such as the conflict in southeast Ukraine. It contains facts, materials and excerpts of dialogue between the Kazakh President and the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, the USA, Italy, Switzerland, Belarus and Ukraine.
“‘The Peacemaker’ is the book which tells about the recent events. Of course, everyone is concerned about the situation in Ukraine. Everyone is concerned about the prospects of this crisis [worsening] and recognises that this is not a matter of just an internal situation; this crisis has a regional and global scale. It affected international law and relations between many countries. For that matter, the fresh look by the person who was witnessing very intensive efforts of the President to bring peace and stability is very valuable,” said Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov in his opening remarks.
He added that from the beginning of the crisis, Nazarbayev noted it was observed in Kazakhstan with great pain, because the nation has a long-standing history and tradition of living in peace with its brotherly nations, Russians and Ukrainians.
Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov speaks at the launch of “The Peacemaker.”
“We know that the situation is very complex, but our President’s efforts always were guided by a long-term desire to ensure peace and prosperity for Ukraine and other countries,” said Idrissov.
In his own remarks, Onzhanov indicated his writing could offer insight into the situation.
“I sincerely hope that the facts and details listed in the book will contribute to a rethinking of what happened. It is necessary to finally stop the bloodshed and begin rebuilding the Ukrainian regions,” he said.
The book received positive reviews from Maulen Ashimbayev, chairman of the Kazakh Parliament’s Mazhilis Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security.
“I enjoyed reading this book; in my view, it is very interesting work,” he said.
Ashimbayev added the book provides facts not previously reflected in the media. He indicated the current need to reload relations between the West and Russia is obvious. Nazarbayev’s efforts made a great contribution to the decisions of the parties’ positions at the beginning of the negotiation process, he said.
“The first thing I noticed is that the book gives a detailed analysis of the Ukrainian crisis. The author literally reproduces the dramatic chain of events and describes the atmosphere behind the scenes,” Erlan Karin, director of the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies under the President, said in his own remarks at the event.
In his view, it was an excellent idea to write a book about the Ukrainian crisis despite the difficulty, as the situation has not yet been settled.
“Peacemaking for our President is the core of his approach, the foundation of the entire diplomacy, as well as the entire domestic and foreign policy. During the past 20 years, he firmly and consistently pursued a policy of peace and stability in the country,” Karin stressed.
“The author depicts the most important pages in [recent] history. There is no doubt that the author of this book is close to the President of Kazakhstan, which is very important. The position of President Nazarbayev is clear and transparent. The Republic of Belarus will continue all possible efforts in order to restore the situation [in Ukraine] at all levels,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Kazakhstan Anatoly Nichkasov said in his remarks at the event.
He expressed respect to the Kazakh President for the peacemaking processes and announced that by the decree of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Nursultan Nazarbayev was awarded the Order of Friendship of Belarus.
The event was attended by Kazakh high government officials, diplomatic corps accredited in the country and media representatives.
