The participants to the meeting discussed the basic approaches to the Strategy on the National Security for 2021-2025, as well as the Plans on rearmament of the Armed Forces and on the development of the defence industry.

In his opening remarks, the Security Council Chairman emphasized that Kazakhstan, along

with other countries, has entered a phase of qualitative change for the security environment.

“As the state and a united nation, we have reached a turning point. The coronavirus pandemic has been a watershed and its impact will be felt for the next decade. Today we observe a transformation of traditional challenges to national security, and new asymmetrical and hybrid threats emerging”, the First President of Kazakhstan said.  

Nursultan Nazarbayev also stressed the need for a new architecture of the national security of the Republic of Kazakhstan and of its entire society to be developed in the modern world.

“Despite the change of economic, technological, social realities and external environment, our national interests remain constant. These are Kazakhstan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, unity and political stability, well-being of citizens and social justice. The Strategy of the national security aims to defend these values, consolidate the achievements over 30 years of Independence – a milestone we celebrate this year”, the First President of Kazakhstan highlighted.

 Addressing the first topic of the agenda, Assistant to the President and Security Council Secretary Asset Issekeshev presented the basic approaches to the new Strategy. The proposed actions are based on modern risk management methods and strong connection between the national security and the balanced social, economic and political development.

Nursultan Nazarbayev pointed out that readiness to counter biological security threats will be long remain an important topic as infectious and other diseases have been classified as global challenges. In this regard, the development of the effective actions to neutralize key risks in biological security and public health security was cited as being vitally important.

“We should recognize healthcare as the core component of national security and social stability. In the face of the pandemic, social and economic costs are inevitable. First is reduction of citizens’ incomes, increase in inequality between regions, spheres, urban and rural areas. We should work hard to focus upon this issue. It is important to provide social assistance to vulnerable population groups”, Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized.

The First President of Kazakhstan drew particular attention to the issues of economic security, cybersecurity, information security, and especially safety of human capital.

“The real threat is not the decline in the prices of mineral resources but the risks posed to the quality of the nation’s intellectual potential. This applies, above all, to the education sphere. We significantly lag behind the developed countries in terms of education. Education should become a national priority of the country for the decade ahead”, Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed.

Moreover, the Security Council Chairman stressed the significance of the basic kinds of national security – external and military ones where the main challenges are associated with escalation of confrontation between external players, and with potential emerging of a zone of instability in and around the region of Central Asia.  

Following the discussion, the meeting adopted the conceptual approaches to the new Strategy on the National Security of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The second topic of the agenda included the building of the Armed Forces to ensure the appropriate military security of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The First President of Kazakhstan also focused attention on the need to upgrade the Armed Forces given the introduction of new technology in the military field and technological progress in armament and military equipment production.

“The Concept of Rearmament of the Armed Forces and Development of the Defence Industry until 2030 presents the long-term vision on armament of the army and the response to new technological challenges. The domestic defence industry is an important component of our defence capability and focuses on the needs of the Armed Forces”, the First President of Kazakhstan emphasized.

Following the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev gave appropriate instructions aimed to increase the alert state of the Armed Forces, other troops and military units, as well as to strengthen territorial defence forces.