Trump praises Kazakhstan 'miracle' in call with president
Source: Politico
President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday the nation of Kazakhstan has accomplished a miracle under the leadership of strongman president Nursultan Nazarbayev, according to the Kazakh presidential press office.
Nazarbayev has been president of Kazakhstan since 1991, the year it separated from the Soviet Union, and was the first secretary of the countrys communist party for two years before that. He most recently won office in April, 2015, with 91 percent of the vote in an election that international observers told the New York Times was marred by voter intimidation, ballot stuffing and restrictions on the freedoms of press and assembly.
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U.S. president-elect brought congratulations to the Head of State on the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstans Independence, the Kazakh presidential press offices readout of the phone call said. D. Trump stressed that under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev our country over the years of Independence had achieved fantastic success that can be called a miracle.
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Human Rights Watch, a non-profit organization that monitors conditions around the world, says on its website that Kazakhstan heavily restricts freedom of assembly, speech, and religion, and torture remains a serious problem.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-kazakhstan-miracle-nazarbayev-232045
Skinner
(63,645 posts)I think we'll be hearing this theme over and over again over the next 4 to 8 years.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,111 posts)MBS
(9,688 posts)His profound ignorance of international affairs, his indifference to human rights at home and abroad, and, above all, his ignorance of and dismissal of the Constitution have already done so much damage. . .and he has not even taken office. . .
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)... but that country has not benefited from any miracles. (Without fossil fuels, that country would be in the toilet.)
This is Trump simply doing a slow reach around that will eventually end up in Putin's lap.
BumRushDaShow
(127,312 posts)"Muslins (sic)" on his way to Moscow while on that "Soviet" world tour.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)The Muslims in Kazakhstan are interesting people. He needs to see them to understand why stereotyping huge segments of the population is a fool's game.
BumRushDaShow
(127,312 posts)Mc Mike
(9,107 posts)TomVilmer
(1,832 posts)When leaders have taken power in a country - even if they clearly are dictators like Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan - the presidents job is to play nice and congratulate him (for a stolen election), find nice stuff to say like thanking for contribution to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and that he will look forward to working together with Nazarbayev on all these important issues for the benefit of both our countries. Then continue with boilerplate words about how the United States and Kazakhstan have a strong history of working closely together to address global and regional challenges successfully.
In these situations are used very diplomatic language, and normally nobody would start directly criticizing each other. Kazakhstans geographic position makes it a good choice as strategic partner of the United States in Central Asia, so the presidents hold their noses, and kiss ass for the dictator. They praise Kazakhstan's impressive economic performance and internal political stability in which Kazakhstan has set an example for other states in the region.
To call the development by Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan a fantastic success and a miracle is surprisingly not much worse, than the quotes above by other presidents. When the cameras are off, the presidents role is also to say some carefully selected words about how more democracy would be a nice idea, and the dictator will say something polite about small steps. But normally a US president would never ruin such a fruitful strategic relationship with nasty demands about human rights.