Address by Her Majesty the Queen during the dinner in the Palace Noordeinde at The Hague on Wednesday 27 November 2002 on the occasion of the official visit of President N.A. Nazarbayev of the Republic Kazachstan to the Netherlands (27-28 N
Mr President,
It gives me great pleasure to greet you here today and to welcome you to our country. An after-dinner speech traditionally begins with a reference to the long-standing ties existing between two countries. In the case of your visit, this does not apply. For Kazakhstan is a young state, which has only recently begun to maintain its own foreign relations. This does not mean, however, that there were no earlier contacts between the inhabitants of our two countries. On the contrary, many centuries ago the Silk Road already linked Europe with Asia and thereby Kazakhstan with the Low Countries. The most striking result of these contacts was the introduction of the tulip into our country. From the steppes and the mountains of Kazakhstan this flower made its way to the Netherlands, where it became a major item of trade. Nowadays the tulip is a universally known Dutch export product and indeed this flower is virtually our national symbol.
The history of the tulip is an illustration of the many great transformations that have occurred through the centuries. The history of your country too is marked by numerous changes of fortune, for although Kazakhstan is a young country, it can look back on a long and turbulent history. The past decade in particular has been rich in terms of radical change and new developments. The word 'Kazakh' has different meanings, but is also connected with the notion of freedom. Yet that freedom came into being in political terms only a short while ago. Through the dissolution of the Soviet Union your country became a sovereign state. That political independence also led to renewed interest in the traditional Kazakh language and culture, and a reappraisal of the national cultural identity.
After independence, your country faced major problems. Political, economic and environmental issues all demanded your attention at the same time. You have tackled these problems with great energy. One of the tasks confronting you was to build democratic institutions in a country which had little tradition in this field and which is characterised moreover by considerable ethnic diversity. The first and most important priority however was stability and the consolidation of the new state. The need to combine these aims with the strengthening of democratic institutions and with the development of a democratic political culture is a tall order for a society in transition such as yours. Your membership of the OSCE shows how seriously you wish to work on this task.
Your country bears the burden of a disastrous ecological heritage. Military exercises, missile launches and nuclear testing in the Soviet era, inflicted serious damage on the environment. In addition, the drying up of the Aral Sea and the destruction of agricultural land around it constitute a most intractable problem. Furthermore, the transition from a centrally planned to a free economy was accompanied by financial and economic complications. Some of these difficulties have now been overcome. Inflation is under control. Rapid and drastic reforms have produced a more efficient and transparent economic and financial system. Of course, not all the problems have been solved, but your country can now face the future with confidence, particularly thanks to its considerable oil and gas reserves. The greatest task will be to ensure that this enormous potential wealth will benefit large sections of the population. A useful instrument to this end is the National Oil Fund set up in the year two thousand. The wealth of mineral resources in your country has led to substantial foreign investment, from the Netherlands amongst others. The Council of Foreign Investors, set up in nineteen ninety-nine, of which you yourself are the chairman, contributes to creating a favourable investment climate and promoting economic progress.
Kazakhstan is linked, not only economically but also politically, with a number of international organisations. I have already mentioned the OSCE, which forms an effective framework for consultation and cooperation. You yourself have taken a major initiative with the establishment of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, that pursues aims similar to those of the OSCE. Your country also plays an active role in NATO's Partnership for Peace Programme and in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union.
Alongside these multilateral relations, our countries maintain important bilateral contacts. Dutch companies have found a fertile area of operations in many fields in your country and trade between us is steadily growing. The Programme for Economic Cooperation launched in two thousand and one, offers excellent opportunities for further developing that cooperation.
Mr President,
The tulip is perhaps the most important gift we have to thank your country for. Our participation in the international festival 'Tulip and Man' that took place in Almaty last year was a reminder of this. May the tulip also be the symbol of the growth and flowering of our mutual relations.
May I invite all those present to raise their glasses and drink with me to your health, Mr President, and to a bright future for the people of Kazakhstan.