Mintimer Shaimiev: there are many things to learn from dynamically developing Kazakhstan

In the evening of October 27, Mintimer Shaimiev answered a wide range of questions of the correspondent of program "Rating" of "Astana TV" national channel. Residents of Kazakhstan will see this program on air on Sunday.

To the question about the motivation - whether it is an economic or political one - determining the purpose of the visit, the President of Tatarstan said that the main task is to adopt Kazakhstan's experience in facilitating the process of economic reforms.

It is not for the first time I visit fraternal Kazakhstan, Mintimer Shaimiev said, and each time the creative activity here amazes me. When you are a direct participant of everything underway, you get used to it. And when you come here in several years (let it even be a short period of time) changes which have been taking place are noticeable and they make you pleased. These changes show us our own opportunities. I have always said that in order to achieve success, one of fundamental things is that our people have to be well educated. And when people are free to choose, this huge potential can be implemented.

The President of Tatarstan believes that in Kazakhstan, in a dynamically developing country, there are a lot of things to learn from. It is of big importance that there are institutions of market economy being formed. It is even more noteworthy when taking into account that until recently all of us had lived in the Soviet Union, and after its fall everyone was in equal conditions. However, the success achieved is different. Therefore, in opinion of the President of Tatarstan, we first of all should learn from each other. It is not everywhere western experience can be acceptable in Russia, and success of CIS counterparts is obvious. For Tatarstan, it is important to give a close look at experience of Kazakhstan because our republic is powerful, agrarian-industrial, with enormous human resources. I often ask myself whether we do everything possible for the effective development of the republic. That is why I would like to see how it goes on here, in Kazakhstan, the President said.

Commenting on today's cooperation between Tatarstan and Kazakhstan and its prospect, Mintimer Shaimiev said that, huge opportunities notwithstanding (tens of Tatarstan and Kazakhstan companies successfully work together), commodity circulation between the republics is small.

A childhood disease from which we fortunately recover, the President of Tatarstan called the point of view according to which after the collapse of the Soviet Union many regions turned to the West waiting for help and expecting that it would help us to change ourselves. Today, the conclusion is evident: the main thing is to understand what we aim at and how to build the relations. It is ourselves who have to create conditions to become attractive to investments. When it comes out, we have prospects of development. It is of special importance for resource-rich Russia and Kazakhstan.

And the issue of integration plays here an important role. I like Nursultan Nazarbayev's position who from the very beginning talked of the necessity of integration, Mintimer Shaimiev said.