Kazakhstan on Wednesday celebrated the inauguration of the second democratically-elected president in its history, marking the swearing-in ceremony of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as its leader with a festive military parade, which was marred by protests by opposition members.
Tokayev, 66, is the hand-picked successor to longtime ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
"I solemnly swear to faithfully serve the people of Kazakhstan, strictly follow the constitution and the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, guarantee the rights and freedoms of citizens, [and] conscientiously fulfill the high duties entrusted to me," Tokayev said as he took his presidential oath.
In his first interview with a foreign news outlet, Tokayev told Israel Hayom that while serving as foreign minister, he urged the Iranians to recognize the State of Israel and to foster relations with it.
Iran is a longtime partner of Kazakhstan, he stressed, adding that he believed the international community should stop ignoring Iran and instead strive to include it in the global family of nations.
Iran should become a reliable partner of the international community, he added, saying that Kazakhstan was "very concerned" about the lack of understanding or misperception of Iran by the international community.
"Iran is a very important player in the Middle East, but it must also be positive about cooperation with its neighbors, as well as with other countries, including Israel," he said.
Tokayev further recalled that when he met with the Iranian foreign minister 15 years ago, and the latter had told him that Tehran would never recognize Israel, he responded that that would be akin to "denying the existence of the sun and the moon. They exist, and so does Israel."
He lauded Israel as "an important state, the only democracy in the Middle East," and said he told his Iranian counterpart at the time that the Islamic republic must recognize Israel and foster collaborations with it, as Kazakhstan did.
