Astana, Jan 5 (EFE).- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said that Central Asia’s largest country has entered a period of large-scale transformation, accompanied by economic reforms.
According to an interview with Tokayev published on Monday, the construction of several nuclear power plants will correct the absurdity of being a leader in uranium production without building any.
“On the other hand, it is a matter of prestige for Kazakhstan,” the president told the Turkystan newspaper.
He added that the development of technologies and digitalization, among other factors, have increased the demand for critical minerals, which is expected to grow over the next five years.
“It is quite likely that we will become one of the world leaders in rare earth mineral reserves,” he said.
In this regard, he specified that to strengthen its position in this area, the Central Asian republic has already begun to collaborate with the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and European Union countries.
Tokayev, in office since 2019, recalled that his country has no access to the sea and is located in the center of the Eurasian continent. He added that the nation must take advantage of this situation.
“We plan to build and modernize 5,000 kilometers of railways and repair another 11,000 kilometers of existing railways by 2030,” he said.
Regarding the need to continue economic reforms, he acknowledged that it is an arduous task, as history values populists more than reformers.
As for possible political changes, he said that for the moment it is not worth discussing, because the country has “several years of hard work” ahead of it. EFE