Russian professor noted the ability of the Kazakhstan government to maintain a "balanced bilingualism".
Almaty hosted the II International Congress on the topic “Language policy of the CIS countries”. The Almaty branch of Russia House, the Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo, organized the forum and the State Institute of the Russian Language named after A.S. Pushkin, Kazakhstan Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature. Linguistic scholars, teachers and experts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine discussed the topic of harmonizing language policy in multilingual states. Well-known writers, publishers, authors of textbooks spoke at the forum site.
The congress participants exchanged their experience in creating conditions for the harmonious coexistence of state, official and native languages, as well as languages of interethnic communication. The role of the Russian-language press in the formation of a common information space of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and the CIS discussed separately; heads of the media, well-known journalists and bloggers took part in the discussion.

The Russian language in Kazakhstan has an official status

According to the organizers of the Congress "Language Policy of the CIS Countries", its main aims were to maintain and develop cooperation between scientific, educational and public organizations of the Commonwealth countries in a pandemic, the introduction of modern technologies and teaching methods.
“It is natural and important that such a representative international forum of leading Russian philologists gathers in Almaty,” said Alexei Koropchenko, head of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Kazakhstan. - Everyone is well aware of the achievements of Kazakhstan in the preservation of interethnic and interfaith peace. A balanced, thoughtful language policy plays a very important role here. In addition, the original school of Russian studies, formed in Kazakhstan, enjoys well-deserved authority and recognition all over the world.”
The language policy of the states of the post-Soviet space remains one of the most burning problems. Speaking on October 15 at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth, Vladimir Putin called the Russian language "a staple of the civilized space of the CIS."
The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, shares this point of view. At a recent meeting of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, Tokayev stated that any manifestations of "ethnic arrogance", attempts to undermine public order on ethnic grounds, should be severely suppressed in accordance with the law.
“Graduates of our schools should be integrated into the Kazakh societ They must be competitive, and they need to know both the state language and their own national language. And it is desirable to speak Russian,” said the head of state.
Earlier, speaking with the September Message to the people of Kazakhstan, the president emphasized that the Russian language in the republic has the status of an official language, and "according to our legislation, its use cannot be prevented." “We only benefit from the fact that our youth speaks different languages, including Russian,” said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
“95% of all ethnic groups of Kazakhstan speak Russian”
Addressing the congress participants, Evgeny Bobrov, General Consul of the Russian Representation in Almaty, noted that, despite attempts to make a split based on language in a number of post-Soviet countries, the Russian language remains in demand in all spheres of life and is a factor that unites peoples, including people Kazakhstan. This, according to the Russian diplomat, is the great merit of the country's top leadership.
“95% of all ethnic groups in Kazakhstan to some extent speak Russian. When we say that we need to study languages, we say that we need to study culture. The fact that we have a common history, a common culture is our heritage, this is our wealth, which we have to preserve and strengthen for the benefit of the prosperity of our countries. Language is communication. We need to be able to negotiate with each other in order to achieve great goals,” said Evgeny Bobrov.
He noted the difficulties associated with the study of the Russian language in Kazakhstan. This is the lack of teachers in schools and higher educational institutions, the lack of educational and fiction literature. However, according to Bobrov, the Russian embassy in Kazakhstan is taking the necessary steps to resolve these problems with the full support of the Kazakhstan government.
Doctor of Philology, Vice-Rector for Science of the State Institute of the Russian Language named after A. S. Pushkin Mikhail Osadchiy considers the language policy of Kazakhstan to be effective. The Russian professor noted "the ability of the country's authorities to maintain a balanced bilingualism."
“Based on the materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I can say that your language policy is quite successful. After gaining independence, you did not lose the Russian language, retaining your school and university education, the Russian linguist said. “The authorities have realized that the knowledge of several languages is a great asset, your personal future and the future of your children and grandchildren.”
Speaking to the forum participants, Eleonora Suleimenova, head of the Kazakhstan Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, noted that cooperation within the CIS is a priority for Kazakhstan, especially in the development of trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations between countries.
In her opinion, in the year of the 30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the desire to evaluate the effectiveness of the language policy is natural. “In Soviet times, it was the language that was the most important means of creating the legitimacy of power. The consolidation of all ethnic groups with the help of the Russian language determined the language policy of a huge multinational countr The Soviet “backlog” is still felt today - the Russian language remains a legacy, a resource that each CIS state manages in its own way,” said Eleonora Suleimenova.
She believes that the linguistic processes in the CIS require special attention, while the reaction to various changes should be worked out by common efforts.
2023 will be named the Year of the Russian Language in the CIS countries
Some speakers at the congress noted the growing interest of the youth of Kazakhstan in the profession of a teacher of the Russian language, and this will help solve the problem of a shortage of teachers in schools. “Of course, there was a time when we were worried about the fate of the Russian language - our specialt But now there is a positive trend. This year alone, 200 people entered our faculty of Russian language and literature. And from year to year there are more and more people who want it,”said Manat Muataeva, professor of the Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abai.