Nazarbayev Owes a Duty to the Nation, Says Adil Soz Head

Karlygash Dzhamankulova, head of the Adil Soz Foundation, questioned the purely personal nature of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s recent trip to Moscow, stating that even a former president cannot ignore his responsibility to the nation, Orda.kz reports.

Press secretary Aidos Ukibay’s comment that Nazarbayev traveled to Russia on a friendly visit and met with President Vladimir Putin sparked a fresh wave of public debate.

Dzhamankulova weighed in with a Facebook post highlighting inconsistencies.

Aidos Ukibay claims Nazarbayev and Putin have a long-standing friendship. He also referenced Putin’s meeting that day with Shinzo Abe’s widow. But the Kremlin website published the transcript of Putin’s meeting with Shinzo Abe’s widow, but there was no such record for the meeting with our first President. Normally, Kremlin.ru provides detailed information about the Russian leader’s meetings, so the absence of any mention of this one is more the exception than the rule,she wrote.  

Dzhamankulova emphasized that while she has never supported Nazarbayev, she opposes calls to erase his legacy through political lustration.

Nazarbayev is a strong and controversial political figure.

Undoubtedly, his generally peaceful nature, political foresight, and even cunning helped steer us through many challenges in our young modern history. I am opposed to erasing him from public life, because whether he likes it or not, his name is already part of our history and belongs to us as part of our legacy. And for the sake of our future, I don’t want to see the past reduced to rubble. It’s a false notion that a bright future can be built on ruins.

Still, she stressed that regardless of the purpose of the visit, the former president of Kazakhstan must be aware of his duty to the country.

I sincerely hope the First President understands his responsibility to the Motherland and won’t allow himself to be used. As for friendship, I deeply value genuine human connections that go beyond titles or positions. But there is also such a thing as duty. Forgive me, Nursultan Abishevich, but you owe us. And in our own way, we owe you too. History will sort it all out. Have no doubt about that. 

She ended her post by comparing the situation to one involving U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who, during a recent visit, declined to kiss the papal ring, despite being a devout Catholic, believing a top American official should not kneel before any foreign power.

Loyalty to faith is one thing. But duty to the state must come first.  State interests must be above friendship, love, and faith...That’s the only way we can safeguard our sovereignty,  concludes Karlygash Dzhamankulova.

Nazarbayev’s unannounced appearance in Moscow, later confirmed by a brief Kremlin video showing a warm greeting with Putin.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova