Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 3 November (BelTA) - Interethnic concord and tolerance secure stability in multinational societies and states, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Yergali Bulegenov at the international science-to-practice conference “Traditional values of the society – the basis for maintaining interethnic concord and tolerance” on 3 November, BelTA informs.

“The factors such as interethnic concord and tolerance secure stability in multinational societies and states such as Kazakhstan and Belarus. They are based on traditional values,” the diplomat said.

“Today we may witness seats of tension in various corners of the planet that are mainly related to ethnic discord, disrespect of traditions, customs, languages and confession,” the Ambassador said. He also noted that these conflicts often lead to cruel fratricidal wars. The diplomat stressed that Kazakhstan has promoted the policy of interethnic concord since the first days of its independence.

According to Yergali Bulegenov, not long ago the CIS leaders discussed the present-day threats, including those related to international extremism and terrorism. “The reality is that the Islamic State is not just a threat to the CIS borders. It has already been conducting its operations on the territory of the Commonwealth of Independent States,” the Ambassador said. The IS militants have already approached the borders of Central Asia. According to the diplomat, the main thing here is to prevent violence in the CIS.

The preservation of traditional values becomes an important and necessary move to guarantee the proper upbringing of new generations that will be free from negative influence of extremism. “It is a known fact that representatives of our CIS member states take part in the Islamic State operations. It is a deeply alarming tendency,” said Yergali Bulegenov.

The international science-to-practice conference “Traditional values of the society – the basis for maintaining interethnic concord and tolerance” took place at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on 3 November. Partaking in the event were diplomats, scientists and MPs. The conference was organized by the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Belarus, the NASB Department of Humanitarian Sciences and Arts and the NASB Institute of Sociology. It is expected that a collection of reports will be published after the conference. Among the plans is also the development of the relevant recommendations that will be distributed among foreign diplomatic missions.