Kazakhstan to pursue balanced language policy - president Tokayev

ASTANA. Oct 19 (Interfax) - It is unacceptable to use the language in political games, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

Kazakh people should honor their native language and study other languages, he said.

"It is unacceptable to use the Kazakh language for political games. Such mistakes have led to sad consequences in some countries. Our state is taking necessary measures to support the Kazakh language, and we will continue working on it," Tokayev said during a meeting with the public of the Almaty region on Wednesday.

"We should honor our language, and it's the right thing. However, we should study other languages, too. They say 'The native language is a guarantee of unity, and another language is a guarantee of good life.' We should pursue a balanced language policy. That's the only way we can achieve our goals," the president said.

The number of young people who speak Kazakh is increasing in the country, he said.

"In general, the language environment has cardinally changed. There are representatives of various ethnic groups who speak Kazakh. There is a high demand for films, music and other products in Kazakh. All these things show that the sphere in which the Kazakh language is used is expanding every year. Therefore, there are no reasons for concerns," he said.