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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Another Good Friend in My Life

azakhstan has attracted international recognition as one of the fast-rising economy in Central Asia. Bulat Sultanov, Director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, visited Korea in early September as a guest of the Korea Foundation. The Institute for Strategic Studies, under the direct oversight of the President of Kazakhstan, is the nation’s leading think-tank that is tasked with conducting analyses of Kazakhstan’s governmental, economic, and external policies, along with providing suggestions for the government’s policy measures.
Q: Welcome to Korea! What were your expectations of Korea when you accepted the Foundation’s invitation to visit here?

A: Even though I have not had a chance to visit Korea before this, I was always interested in Korea. Of course, there are many ethnic Koreans living in Kazakhstan, which has made me curious about Korea. Especially, I wanted to learn about how Korea has achieved such rapid economic growth, despite its external image of the “Land of Morning Calm.” Personally, I also wanted to exchange views with Korea’s academic, international, and financial experts. That’s why I gladly accepted the invitation from the Korea Foundation to visit Korea. Though the visit was brief, I was greatly impressed with Korea’s cutting-edge technology and also admired its natural beauty, which contrasts with its high technology. I could also appreciate the excellence of Korea from my weekend stay at Haeinsa Temple.

Q: What are the primary ives and tasks of the Kaza-khstan Institute for Strategic Studies?

A: The Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies focuses on three major areas. One is related to research on international relations and security, while a second area is involved with research on economic cooperation with foreign countries and development of the domestic economy. And a third focus is related to the political situation of Kazakhstan. There are also departments that work on such subject areas as regional studies, multilateral organizations, and the global economy. We also offer suggestions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in regard to the direction of external policy initiatives.

Q: During your stay in Korea, what particular areas of interest did you concentrate on?

A: Interaction between Korea and Kazakhstan has been on the rise recently, based on a solid foundation. Still, our cooperative efforts lag behind that of other Asian countries. In this regard, I spent time exploring the possibility for promoting economic cooperation in mutually complementary areas. I have much interest in the potential for establishing Korea-Kazakhstan joint-ventures and launching cooperative projects related to secondary-processing industries, which can take advantage of Korea’s cutting-edge technology and Kazakhstan’s abundance of raw materials, as well as efforts to encourage human resources education and exchange. I also paid close attention to Korea’s experiences of transforming itself from an agricultural country to an industrialized nation in such a short period of time.

Q: How would you evaluate the Foundation’s invitation program, and what projects do you plan to work on after you return home.

A: Above all, I would like to thank the Korea Foundation for my visit. In order to further develop Korea-Kazakhstan relations, we need a connecting link, so I think the Korea Foundation’s role is very important in this regard. My impression is that the Foundation focuses on future-oriented projects that help to enhance mutual understanding through trust building and cooperation, while promoting exchanges and interaction between nations and between peoples.
There is a Russian proverb that states: “Better to have 100 friends, than 100 rubles.” I thus think of the Korea Foundation as another good friend in my life. In order for two different countries to become closer, we need information and understanding above all else. When I return home, based on my experiences in Korea, I will make efforts to publicize Korea in Kazakhstan so that our two countries can know each other better and can build stronger bonds between Korea and Kazakhstan.

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