Some believe that ethnic affiliation is more important than citizenship. That a Kazakh from the USA or France is closer than, say, a Russian, Ukrainian, or German who is a citizen of Kazakhstan.
But I think differently. For me, citizenship outweighs nationality.
And for us, as citizens of Kazakhstan, this should matter more than any ethnic differences.
We should feel greater unity with those who live in the same country as us, pay taxes to the same budget, vote for the same government, educate their children in the same schools, and face the same problems.
Even if they have a different surname, faith, or appearance—they are in the same boat as us. They are part of the people of Kazakhstan.
But a Kazakh from the USA or France, no matter how close they may be by blood, lives a different life. They have a different passport, different rights, different concerns. They are a citizen of another country.
The Republic of Kazakhstan is not just a territory. It is our common home.
And the sense of belonging to it should be greater than belonging to an ethnicity.
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