Scattered as a result of various historical processes, the Kazakh nation is an ethnic minority in several countries around the world. Intensification of work with Kazakhs living abroad is important not only in terms of maintaining social and cultural ties with them, but also in terms of attracting them to participate in the political and economic development of Kazakhstan. This is an additional resource that can contribute to increasing the capacity of the state. In order to maximize the potential of this resource, it is important to implement various mechanisms and integrate policies in this area.
Work with the diaspora should be considered in two directions. One part of the state policy should be aimed at bringing compatriots to the country, and the other should be aimed at strengthening ties with Kazakhs abroad. From the first years of independence, Kazakhstan has paid more attention to the first direction. It is known that during this period, the resettlement of Kazakhs abroad became a state policy under the influence of several factors, such as reducing the negative balance of migration in the country and supporting the aspirations of compatriots seeking to live in Kazakhstan. Since 1993, a special quota has been introduced to support Kazakhs intending to come from abroad. In general, according to official data, since 1991 – 315.8 thousand familiesor 1,062.2 thousand Kazakhs immigrated. This is only the number of Kazakh immigrants who came with a special status within the state quota. It should be noted that there are people who moved to Kazakhstan on their own. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the exact number of relatives. Migration of ethnic Kazakhs returning to the countryThe dynamics are shown in Figure 1. The dynamics show that Kazakh immigration is uneven, fluctuating due to various factors. In general, the years of maximum migration were 2005-2008, when about 15,000 families moved per year with a quota alone. In the following years, the pace of migration slowed down. However, no matter how fast the migration, it is still impossible to relocate all Kazakhs abroad. Moreover, apart from our compatriots who stayed abroad for various reasons before independence, the number of our citizens who emigrated after independence is the same. All this increases the relevance of work with the external diaspora. It is important for Kazakhstan to create an optimal mechanism for mobilizing the diaspora abroad for the benefit of the country.
It is difficult to say the exact number of Kazakhs in the world. Some estimates put the figure at 5 million , while others put the figure at 7 million . One of the reasons for such discrepancies is the differences in the statistics of each country, the differences in the years of the census. For example, Uzbekistan has not conducted a census since independence. In other countries , such as Russia and China , where Kazakhs are concentrated , the census took place almost a decade ago. In this case, the number of Kazakhs living abroad can be said only within a certain amount.
The second difficult factor in determining the number of Kazakhs abroad arises from the criteria for determining ethnic groups. It is clear that the definition of ethnic groups by the state where the Kazakh diaspora lives is a different concept, and the recognition of Kazakhstan is a completely different concept. Each country establishes criteria for determining ethnic and other minorities in its territory, primarily in the interests of the state. Therefore, an individual recognized as Kazakh in one country may not be included in another nation by the standards of another country. In this regard, it is important that Kazakhstan has its own indicators to determine who it recognizes as a Kazakh abroad.
The issue of defining the criteria for recognizing the Kazakh nation is relevant for working with the diaspora. The debate here is “Who can be defined as Kazakh?” arises around the philosophical question. Do we define Kazakhs on the basis of genetic and biological factors, more precisely on the fact that their parents are Kazakh? But how do we tell if his parents are Kazakh? Because in some countries the passport does not indicate ethnic origin. At present, citizens of such countries have a practice of collecting recommendations from several relatives to prove that they are Kazakh. This raises the question of how to accept individuals who are ignorant of national values, even if only one of the parents is Kazakh or has an official definition of Kazakh. If nationality is determined on the basis of national values, more precisely, if it is accepted on the basis of good knowledge of the language, customs, and other cultural identities, then can any person who possesses these qualities be considered a Kazakh? It is clear that this issue is not raised by the authorities, as it is a topic for discussion at the public level. However, it is clear that the discussion of this topic in the academic community and the media will gradually lead to the transition of the issue to the official discourse.
It is known that the majority of ethnic Kazakhs live in China, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan, which border the republic, and that these territories were left out during the colonization of Kazakhstan. That is why there are those who consider Kazakhs living in these countries as irredentists. However, it is clear that after the demarcation of the border, it is much more pragmatic to create mechanisms for expanding hand-to-hand contacts with the people who have stayed here, than to spend the day with historical opportunities. In this regard, the experience of the Baltic States in working with the diaspora is interesting. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia pay special attention to strengthening ties with their compatriots who went abroad before independence and during the years of independence. 1.3 million people living abroad . Lithuanian diasporaIn order to ensure the participation of its representatives in the economic, cultural and social development of the country, the Lithuanian state has adopted a special program called “Global Lithuania”. Within the framework of this program, work with the Lithuanian diaspora has been integrated and has a clear purpose and direction. Lithuania’s neighboring countries are pursuing a similar policy. In addition to the Baltic states, Poland and Ireland have their own experience of working with their compatriots abroad. It is important to look at the experience of such countries, to analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
It should be noted that Kazakhstan also has a number of positive results in this area. The opening of the “Otandastar” fund has given a new impetus to work with compatriots. Although the problems that have arisen since the establishment of this organization have not been resolved, it has helped to openly discuss the problems in this area and bring the work in line. Moreover, Kazakhstan differs from the above-mentioned countries on the European continent in that our ethnic Kazakhs live in societies where the policy of assimilation is in full swing. It is no secret that in recent years, our neighbors, both in the east and in the north, have paid more attention to assimilating the values of the titular nation than to supporting the culture of ethnic minorities. Therefore, it is no secret that these countries are reluctant to allow Kazakhstan to work with its diasporas. Kazakhstan’s relations with Kazakhs in these countries are a very difficult issue. In this case, Kazakhstan’s relations with foreign Kazakhs are within the framework of the regulatory system of the country where they live, and most importantly
The goal is to help prevent assimilation and preserve national values.
The issue of preserving the identity of our compatriots is very important in an environment of intensive assimilation policy. In order to help Kazakhs abroad to preserve their culture, it is useful to propagate values in any way within the standards of foreign countries and expand social communication channels. In this regard, the project “Abai’s House”, initiated by the Foundation “Otandastar”, is one of the tools to maintain ties with the diaspora. It is important to expand the network of cultural centers and open them in every village where Kazakhs are concentrated.
Another goal is to open special media for compatriots abroad. In this regard, it is important to launch a source of information for each country where ethnic Kazakhs are concentrated. This media should become a source of information about Kazakhstan in compliance with the legal norms of the country of its dissemination. This will be another means of maintaining ties with ethnic Kazakhs.
The analysis of information on Kazakhs living abroad showed a lack of research in this area. Currently, the Otandastar Foundation is planning to open a new research center in coordination with the ENU. It is important to pay attention to the fact that this center will become a real potential institution. Such a center is needed not only in terms of studying the situation and current issues of the Kazakh diaspora, but also in terms of providing quality information to decision-makers in the country.
In conclusion, work with compatriots abroad should be aimed at supporting their identification, on the one hand, and ensuring their participation in the development of Kazakhstan, on the other hand. In order to be productive in this area, it is important to take into account the experience of Lita, to adopt a special state program to determine the specific purpose, indicators and expected results of this area.
Source: Kazakhtan 2050