H E Askar Shokybayev
Historically the modern states Kazakhstan and Qatar are parts of the global Muslim Umma spanning the territory from the North Africa to the Central Asia and so many other regions of the world. There are only rare number of documented sources left about the interaction of the Gulf area and the Middle Asia during the middle age and great times of the so called Muslim renaissance between the VIII and XIII centuries, but at the same time based on the proven archives of the main libraries in the Middle East, China, Europe and others, in the past there indeed were very unique and active relations of our two nations of the ancient Silk road, whose grandsons and granddaughters later one inherited the current great states of Kazakhs and Qataris.
After so many centuries as these countries and their people gone through the routes of the historical changes of the past millennium, their rulers and people handed over to us – the today’s statehood holders and we are proud always to keep our flags high in to the blue peaceful heaven.
In the beginning of the 90s of the 20th century the two brotherly nations the Kazakhs and the Qataris found each other on the realities of our time again after the geopolitical games and historical hurricanes of the past, which endured hundreds of years. That time in the first epochal years of 90s two experienced and powerful great sons of their nations established the best relations and the First President Elbasy H E Nursultan Nazarbayev together with His Highness Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani brought the two countries close to each other while the State of Qatar was already independent since its gained the statehood in 1971 and Kazakhstan just newly established its Republic in 1991.
July 1st 1993 with a Joint Communiqué of establishing Diplomatic Relations was signed, based on this first step the Kazakh Embassy in Doha opened up in May 2007. After that the next year the Qatari Embassy in Kazakhstan resumed its duties. May 26-27, 1997, first steps for cooperation between the two countries were undertaken during the official visit to the State of Qatar by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the return visit on April 18-19, 1998 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar in Almaty.
These two remarkable steps created the best conditions for the relations at the highest level, which were marked by a number of mutual visits of the heads of two states, so May 23-25, 1998, the first official visit of HE Nazarbayev to Qatar took place as part of a tour in the Gulf region and so many important agreements were signed during his stay in Doha.
On his turn the Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani paid his first official visit to Kazakhstan April 20-22, 1999 and granted that time young capital of the country with the decision to build an unique mosque and Islamic centre, which after years was unveiled in 2005 with the symbolically meaning name ‘Noor Astana” as the word “Noor” stands in the orient languages for the bright light and became an very iconic symbol of the modern architecture of the city and also nowadays belongs to the most famous sightseeing and must see places of the town. Then after, March 10-11, 2007 H E Nazarbayev second time officially visited Qatar and March 4-5, 2008 he received H H Sheikh Hamad on second visit to Kazakhstan. Finally October 25-26, 2015 President Nazarbayev paid his third official visit to Qatar. Today the new Silk Road is growing too and the Kazakh state together with the State of Qatar becoming its active players as in the past history.
The two nations leaders of that time have been earned big respect and their merits in founding and deepening of the relations were recognized and honored by the highest awards of Kazakhstan the “Dostyk orden” (which translated from Kazakh means: “Friendship”) for H H Sheikh Hamad and the “Independence order” of Qatar for the President Nazarbayev.
The new pages of the sisterly countries relations were written January 19, 2014 with the first official visit of H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Kazakhstan.
On September 1, 2018, in the Kazakh capital city of Nur Sultan, the complex of a secondary school named after the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was opened. This educational institution was sponsored by the Qatari Government and was gifted to the 20th Anniversary of the Kazakh capital, which was officially inaugurated by Kazakhstan in 1998 as H E First President of our country toke the historical decision to move it from the former capital city of Almaty.
During the years of the active policy making times of the First President H E Nazarbayev and the Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani the relations between the two countries grow steadily and dynamically, in common sense the both leaders reviewed the important issues of the political, economic and cultural as well the humanitarian agendas on bilateral and multilateral levels within the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and many others, where they played significant role in peacemaking, international interfaith and interreligious ties as well as the global development.
The new phase of the relations between the two countries was launched March 20, 2019 as H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent congratulations to the new President of Kazakhstan H E Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the occasion of taking the oath and office as the Head of State and expressed wishes for success and prosperity to the people of Kazakhstan and June 12 of the same year His Highness the Amir congratulated Kazakh President to the won elections and inauguration in the high office. After that, June 15, 2019 the both leaders met first time on the sidelines of the Asian Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures Conference Summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The modern cooperation in all the spheres of the both countries inherited from the last 30 years are well flourishing and based on the milestones founded by our great rulers and wise mentors H E Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev and Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
This year, July 6 Nursultan Nazarbayev, the First President and Founder of Kazakhstan turns 80 and we all wish His Excellency all the best and well-being to stay as our “Elbasy” - Leader of the Nation for the glory and benefit of his beloved nation and country and we are therefore very much thankful to the Qatari leadership and nation for their expressed gratitude and wishes to our First President and the Kazakh nation in the eve of the 27th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two sisterly countries.
H E Askar Shokybayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar
