Kazakhstan's Republic Day: How State Sovereignty Declaration Was Adopted

Today, Kazakhstan celebrates Republic Day — the 34th anniversary of adopting the Declaration of State Sovereignty. The historically significant original is kept in the Central State Archives as a reminder of the country's first steps towards sovereignty,  Orda.kz reports.

October 25, 1990, became a crucial date in Kazakhstan's history: the Supreme Council of the Kazakh SSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty, marking the beginning of forming an independent state. This document confirmed the Republic of Kazakhstan's right to independently determine its political, economic, and cultural destiny.

The Declaration has enshrined the most essential principles of the state structure.

Kazakhstan was declared a unitary state with an indivisible and inviolable territory. Particular attention was paid to the revival and development of the culture, language, and traditions of the Kazakh people and all other peoples living in the country. The document emphasized that any organizations advocating violence or encroaching on the republic's territorial integrity would be prosecuted by law.

One witness of the historic moment, Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences Askar Zhumadildayev, who at that time headed the voting committee, told 24kz about how the Declaration was adopted.

There were discussions and debates. But we were able to come to a unanimous opinion, and the overwhelming majority voted to adopt the declaration. The Kazakh state and the Kazakh language are determined by our sovereignty, our ability to independently govern ourselves and form a system of governance, he said.

The Declaration of National Sovereignty, also known as the Declaration of Independence, consisted of 17 articles and was four pages long. The archive also contains transcripts of discussions of other important government documents.

The storage of documents, their temperature and humidity are strictly controlled. Fire safety is strictly observed in the building, and automatic systems are used. We conduct an annual inspection of the state of preservation of documents, Deputy Director of the Archives Marziya Zhylysbayeva noted.

Academics who were members of the Supreme Council played an essential role in adopting the Declaration of State Sovereignty. Thanks to their persistence, arguments, and high civic responsibility, the document was approved by an overwhelming majority of votes.

Among such notable figures were Salyk Zimanov, Sultan Sartayev, Murat Auezov, and Marat Ospanov.

Original Author: Artem Volkov