"A thin line" separates nationalism from neo-fascism - Kazakh president
ASTANA. April 18 (Interfax) - Relations between different ethnic groups and the language issue should remain outside of politics, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said.
"A stable economy means a stable society, a stable life for each person. In some countries this truth is frequently pushed back in order to please different parties, groups and politicians with their own political ambitions," Nazarbayev said at the 21st session of the People's Assembly of Kazakhstan in Astana on Friday.
"A state's independence remains inviolable only if its constitution and laws are obeyed unconditionally, primarily by the citizens of this country," he said.
"Interethnic relations, the issue of citizens' equal rights and language policy must remain outside of the field of political games. It is human fates we are speaking about. They must not be left for later. Furthermore, it is unacceptable to ignore their cynical use as an argument in some political group's struggle for power. It is dangerous for the state, its people and each individual citizen," Nazarbayev said.
"Everyone ought to understand that chauvinism and nationalism are separated from overt neo-fascism by a very thin line, which is very ease to cross," the Kazakh leader said.
"We always should remember the great sacrifices that were made by our people, the people of the entire CIS during World War II for the sake of their victory over the "brown plague". This issue should be firmly embedded in the education of each new generation within family, at school and at university. It is important to always remember our victory over fascism," he said.