The conference was attended by the Senate Deputy Chairman B. Beknazarov, the Majilis deputies, representatives of state bodies, diplomatic corps, science and education, prominent public figures, rectors of Kazakhstan and foreign universities, students and the media.
In her welcoming speech the Secretary of State noted that over the past quarter of a century the impressive leap in the historical development has been made, having created a modern, strong and dynamic state under the leadership of the President of Kazakhstan. At present Kazakhstan has entered a qualitatively new phase of nation-building, the content of which is determined by Five Institutional Reforms initiated by the Head of State. The Plan is aimed at the nation's entry into the top 30 most developed countries of the world.
Gulshara Abdykalikova emphasized that owing to the President of Kazakhstan the idea of ‘Eurasianism’ had found a new life, becoming rich with the theory and practice of modern geopolitical and geo-economic discourse. Currently the idea is being successfully actualized in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which has become a full-bodied regional association.
The Secretary of State stated that today the EEU territory is home to more than 180 million people, with GDP amounting to over $ 1.5 trillion. She made it clear that the EEU has the political will, economic capacity and well-developed infrastructure to take advantage of the huge window of opportunities and expand some kind of ‘glass ceiling’.
Finally Gulshara Abdykalikova expressed confidence that the conference held in the year of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the Eurasian Economic Union will contribute to the progress of the Eurasian integration, filling it with new ideas and developments.