Deputies of Kazakhstan proposes Kazakh Republic as official country name

ASTANA - The faction "Ak Zhol" of the lower chamber of the Kazakhstan's parliament asked the country's prime minister to consider the possibility of calling the country in official circulation the Kazakh Republic.

This inquiry was announced on Wednesday at the plenary session of the chamber by the chairman of the Ak Zhol faction, the deputy Azat Peruashev.

"Along with the use of the name Kazakhstan, we propose to consider returning the official name to our country - the Kazakh Republic,"said Peruashev, adding the return to the original name "Kazakh Republic" will restore historical justice, and give a tremendous impetus to the unity and friendship of compatriots of all nationalities.

All members of the Ak Zhol faction have subscribed to the request.

Commenting on the initiative, Peruashev noted that this is not a renaming, but the use of the name in official circulation, along with the well-established name Kazakhstan.

In the first months of Kazakhstan's independence in December 1991, it was proposed to name the young sovereign "Kazakh Republic", but the proposal was rejected by the majority of the population of the country, where representatives of more than 120 nationalities and ethnic groups live.