The Book of N. Nazarbayev about problems nuclear disarmament presented in Norway
At the Oslo Literary House (Litteraturhusset) hosted the presentation of the book «The Epicenter of Peace» by the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, in Norwegian.
«The closure of the Semipalatinsk testing ground and the nuclear disarmament process are a huge legacy of the presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev. This year marks 70 years since the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb near Semipalatinsk. At August 29, 1991 N. Nazarbayev by his decree closed the testing ground. The book «The Epicenter of Peace» not only tells about the history of nuclear testing and dismantling the nuclear potential of Kazakhstan, but also invites the reader to think about building a world free of nuclear weapons», said the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Norway Erkin Akhinzhanov during the presentation.
«Nuclear weapons are meaningless weapons. Its use is impossible without catastrophic consequences. Kazakhstan and its First President N. Nazarbayev are among those who realized this. The book «The Epicenter of Peace» tells why», said Kjell Magne Bondevik, the former Prime Minister of Norway and Executive Chairman of the Oslo Center. «It is important to have the knowledge and resources that can strengthen the work on the eradication of nuclear weapons. The experience of Kazakhstan, which this book talks about, is very useful. The country deserves recognition for the fact that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it removed all nuclear weapons and facilities from its territory. This serves as a good example for others», the former prime minister emphasized.
An overview of the process of dismantling the nuclear potential of Kazakhstan, as well as the main problems of the current non-proliferation regime, was made by the Ambassador Kairat Abuseitov, the head of the international programs of the Foundation of the First President – Elbasy, as well as Sverre Lodgard, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Politics (NUPI).
An emotional speech about the suffering of residents of the Semipalatinsk region and environmental damage was made by the artist and activist of the anti-nuclear movement Karipbek Kuyukov. He spoke about the struggle of the people of Kazakhstan for the cessation of nuclear tests and the historical decision of N. Nazarbayev to close the testing ground. K. Kuyukov also called on the audience to support the project «ATOM» (www.theATOMProject.org) and sign a petition in favor of a world free of nuclear weapons.
The Director of the Regional Department Anne-Christie Carlsen also spoke on behalf of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Activists of the International Campaign for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the NGO «No to nuclear weapons» (Neitil Atomvåpen), «Bike for Peace», nuclear safety experts, political scientists, diplomats, religious figures and other members of the public came to the event.
The presentation of the book is dedicated to the Day of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The text was translated into Norwegian by an international political scientist and professional translator Nikolai Gerov. The premieres to the Norwegian publication were made by the former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, the Executive Director of the Foundation of the First President – Elbasy Asset Issekeshev, Norwegian Foreign Minister Inne Eriksen-Soreide, as well as Sverre Lodgard, senior expert and the former director of NUPI. The book was published by the publishing house «Steffen Grafisk Tilrettelegging», which in 2009 also released a book by N. Nazarbayev «The Kazakhstan Way» in Norwegian.
