Kazakh-German University

4 year, 7 Semester

International Relations

Zhurko Elena

Essay № 2

Is there any conflict potential within the country or between countries due to migration to
Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan like an every country has its own history, where a lot of people, volunteer or forced,
visited this country and not only for one reason- to see it, but many of them used to stay in this
country using place for temporary work or life.

It is safe to say today that the migration policy of our state is coming to fruition. The migration’s
balance is positive from 2004 having factored in the improvement of the republic’s demography.
Over the independence years Kazakhstan’s population has grown by 600 thousand people.
Despite the world financial crisis our state’s economic development was not stagnant, which has
made it even more attractive to immigrants. On top of it Kazakhstan has tangibly simplified
citizenship procedures, opened adaptation centers for immigrants, provides them with monetary
aid and gives a raft of legal benefits.

Kazakhstan has a migration policy Concept for 2007-2015 setting out basic principles and tasks
aimed at improving the current mechanisms and working out of qualitatively new ones to
manage migration.

In this light the role of Kazakhstan People’s Assembly is to be noted, thanks to its input in the
preservation and promotion of peace and accord in our state “we are well ahead on our way of
building civil identity for all with simultaneous preservation of cultural heritage of Kazakhstan’s
every ethnicity”, as put by President N. Nazarbayev at XIV session of Kazakhstan People’s
Assembly. In case the tasks set by the Leader of the Nation are successfully carried out, the
number of potential ethnic immigrants will be drastically down.

As to the incoming migration, the situation is as follows: around half a million of ethnic Kazakhs
from all over the world have repatriated in the years of our independence due to our state’s
policy. Moreover, a program “Nurly kosh” is well underway to rationally settle ethnic
immigrants and former Kazakhstan-born residents.

The program was drawn up by the labor and social protection ministry. To make it work the state
has to encourage its participants to settle in most hands-wanted regions and involve them in
breakthrough projects. The program’s life is from 2009 to 2011. In keeping with the President’s
decree a quota of incoming ethnic Kazakhs in 2010 is 20 thousand families to be settled in 16
regions.

Given the state’s pinning hope on immigration as a main contributor to demographic

improvement, its role is likely to grow year in year out. Most ethnic Kazakhs arrive from the
countries where families with many children are a usual thing; so it is quite reasonable to
increase quotas.

According to the Agency for statistics, the annual in-migration is around 150 000 people. The
rural population is over 47%. Given our population density, the country’s area and agricultural
opportunities it is normal. Moreover, in the crisis year of 2008 the number of villages with high
development potential has grown.

To be honest, a year earlier the agriculture ministry ranked only 25.6% of rural districts as
having high development potential, and 72% - with average, i.e. a quarter of all villages are
“problem areas”.

As a conclusion, I would emphasize that it is rather no conflict potential in the future with
bordered states as Russia and Kyrgyzstan. But I`m firmly convinced, that situation with Chinese
migrants is more strained, because of special relations between these countries and most people
believe that China want to spread its influence on border countries by sending their citizens to
other countries for working. I think that conflict potential, for all that, exists in relations between
China and Kazakhstan.