Khazaki leader: Time to unify with other Turkic nations

And so it is that the Turkish customs and language which had been supressed under the rule of the Soviet Union have, in recent years, only strengthened and deepened their hold on the people of the country. With its huge tract of land that holds all sorts of natural treasures, like petrol, uranium, and precious metals, Khazakistan is looking at a potentially brights future. It's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has undertaken a quest this year to bring his country under a political umbrella aligned with the Turkish Republic.
 
Nazarbayev's intent is to combine the for now separate powers of the Turkish world in the region. Although in the past, it had always been Turkey who had been at the helm of initiatives to bring the Central Asian Turkic republics closer to the fold, this time it is Nazarbayev who is trying to re-enliven the project. In a speech given on March 4, Nazarbayev told the people of Khazakistan "Khazakistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgiztan must combine. And we must not forget Turkey and Azerbayjian." Nazarbayev delivered similar messages to his people last week during national Nevruz celebrations. Turkish Ambassador to Almaty, Taner Seben, noted "Here, the idea of a Turkic union is being discussed heatedly. This region, from the perspective of natural resources, is the region of the future. The strongest effect that is felt here is felt from Turkey. And it will continue only to strengthen." The region is undergoing ethnic changes, transforming from the forces "Russification" that it saw under the Soviet Union back to its more natural Turkic ethnic character. And so Nazarbayev's efforts are seen as being, more than a call out to the people of his country, a message intented for the ears of leaders in neighboring Turkic countries.