Kazakh Teaches Truth

From the MT:
"Kazakh Textbooks to Remove Mention of 'Russian Crimea'"

 

The Kazakh Education Ministry will correct geography and history textbooks to remove references to Crimea as a Russian region, local news website Tengrinews.kz reported Wednesday. Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine last year, but few nations have officially recognized the Black Sea region as part of Russia.  Tengrinews.kz quoted spokespeople from the Kazakh Education Ministry rapping the knuckles of a publisher of state textbooks: "On the subject of Crimea, the publishing house and the authors [of the books] failed to reflect fully Kazakhstan's official position [on the issue], as well as the international position."  Kazakhstan, which has a large Russian population, has particular reason to be wary of recognizing the annexation of Crimea. Moscow justified the land grab as essential to protect the Russian population against Ukrainian aggression, and some analysts have worried that it could use the same pretext against other neighboring states. The move by Kazakh authorities came after the Ukrainian Embassy in Kazakhstan sent a protest note last week to the country's Education Ministry, Tengrinews.kz reported. The embassy's statement said that mention of Crimea as a part of Russia "contradicts the international position on the matter, as well as the official position of Kazakh leadership that has claimed its support of Ukraine's territorial integrity multiple times."

^ Kazakhstan, like most of the former Soviet Union, has a lot to fear from current Russian trends and attitudes and needs to walk a fine line between Russia, the West and what is best for Kazakhstan. The Kazakhs even moved their capital to the more ethnically-Russian north of their country (from the southern part) to try and keep the balance and sovereignty in-tact. In that respect Kazakhstan has made the correct decision in removing the phrase "Russian Crimea." It stopped being Russian in 1954 when the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic gave it to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic - -both part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Russian Federation even recognized Ukrainian sovereignty over the Crimea in numerous legally-binding military, economic, etc agreements since the USSR collapsed in 1991. There may have been a case back in 1991, but after agreeing to the continued status of a Ukrainian Crimea for over 20 years there is legal recourse for Russia. Moscow knew that and that's why they had to invade, occupy and annex the Crimea so quickly. There was a "vote" held after the invasion and occupation which holds no legal binding nationally or internationally (especially since Putin himself revealed that Russia had plans to invade, occupy and annex the Crimea long before a vote could decide anything.) The only thing I can see the annexation of the Crimea has given Russia is: international sanctions, a move closer to a new Cold War, thousands of refugees and money being wasted in the Crimea that could have been used to help improve the lives of ordinary Russians throughout the Federation. Russia has now moved on to Syria and one can only hope they don't intend to later focus on any other territory to invade, occupy and annex. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/kazakh-textbooks-to-remove-mention-of-russian-crimea/536630.html