Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s address at the presentation of a book by Sergey Plekhanov, Not a Silk Road, Moscow, May 20, 2015

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have gathered here for the presentation of a book by Sergey Plekhanov, Not a Silk Road, about the life of an outstanding statesman, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan NursultanNazarbayev.

Sergey Plekhanov is a talented writer and the author of many books, including the biographies of political leaders. His new book, devoted to an outstanding statesman, is the first in a new World Leaders series brought out bythe International Relations Publishing House.

I’m sure that those who at least leafed through this book and looked at its content have seen that it is not designed only for those who are interested in politics or know Mr Nazarbayev personally, but also for the general reader. Well written and lively, itprovides a multitude of facts and descriptions of Mr Nazarbayev’s various meetings with his partners and colleagues. I highly recommend it.

The life of NursultanNazarbayev is inseparable from the dynamic development of Kazakhstan. At a steep turn, when the Soviet Union collapsed, Mr Nazarbayev took on the burden of responsibility for his people andoffered a substantiated strategy, which ensured peace and accord in Kazakhstan and helped create the foundations of an effective economy. Mr Nazarbayev firmly led his country through a very difficult period, and now he continues to lead its movement towards prosperity.The presidential election held in Kazakhstan in late April showed convincingly that Mr Nazarbayev is a national leader who is highly respected by the peoplewho support his strategy.

Mr Nazarbayev has made invaluable contribution to the development of allied and strategic partner relations between Russia and Kazakhstan. The Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan on Good-Neighbourliness and Alliance in the 21st Century, which was ratified in December 2014, provided a new and even stronger basis for thedevelopment of multifaceted relations between our countries in all areas.

NursultanNazarbayevisone of the founding fathers of Eurasian integration. All of us know how much he has done to bring the Eurasian Economic Union to reality and how actively he has been working to strengthen other organisationssuch as the CIS, the CSTO and the SCO. It’s notable that he is now advocating an even broader initiative, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which comprises dozens of states with vastly different political affiliations. The Conference has become an inalienable part of the political and geopolitical landscape in Asia and the adjacent regions.

You will learn from this book that Mr Nazarbayev’s life was not at alla “silk road,” as you can guess from its title. I recommend politicians and those who consider entering this path to read this book to see how one can negotiate numerous obstacles in life because of a single factor. In all his undertakings, Mr Nazarbayev always thought about the people and about ways to create the most favourable and safe environment possible for his country through an alliance and partnership with its friends.

It’s a pity that Sergey Plekhanov cannot attend this meeting for health reasons. But I have just talked with him on the phone, conveying our gratitude to him for the book and wishing him to get well soon. We have his spouse with us here, YuliaPlekhanova. I think she’s the best person to present her husband’s work here and will inspire him to write new books.

Thank you.