The special representative of the Council of Muftis of Russia on interaction with the CIS countries Damir Mukhetdinov is speculating how western political and economic technologies can be joined with the eastern ideas of stability:

Kazakhstan is turning into the important integration centre in the Eurasian and Moslem territory. These days Astana holds the Seventh World Islamic Economic Forum, and the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will be held at the end of the month. Kazakhstan becomes the OIC Chairman from July. Thus, the political and economic centre of the Moslem world is shifted closer to the Russian border.

In the conditions of revolutions in the Arabic world, Central Asia represents a definite centre of stability. Kazakhstan is turning into an undisputable regional leader. Thus, according to the official Central Bank rate, per capita GDP in Uzbekistan is 1,290 dollars (according to the CIA data, based on the purchasing power parity, per capita GDP in the country constitutes around 3,100 dollars). For comparison - in neighbouring Kazakhstan per capita GDP based on the purchasing power parity approximates 12,000 dollars, in Turkmenistan around 8,000 dollars.

The advantage for Kazakhstan is the common border with Russia extended for several thousand kilometres including its economically developed regions in Volga region, in Ural and in Siberia. This trans-border cooperation covers transport mainlines, mining and industrial sectors, main pipelines. Russia and Kazakhstan are united within the Single Economic Space (SES) and the Customs Union (CU).

At present, the European Community is extremely interested in stable supplies of raw materials to their markets. Central Asia is a stable source of natural resources in the conditions of non-stopping disturbances in the Middle East. Kazakhstan also provides technical support to NATO forces in Afghanistan. The summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) became a real breakthrough for Kazakhstan. Today for the first time Astana became the leader of Eurasia not limited with the frameworks of Europe only. Here western political and economic technologies can be joined with the eastern ideas of stability.

In the conditions of rather complicated relations with the western countries, Russia will strengthen the eastern vector of its policy, which traditionally comes from Bolga riversides to the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Source: IslamRF.Ru