History of southern regions is the history of entire Kazakhstan - President

At the onset of the meeting, the President noted unique historical and cultural characteristics of the region.

"Southern Kazakhstan is the land that has preserved the traditions of the Kazakh land. This is the land of saints, the land with rich cultural traditions, the land of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and al-Farabi. 16% of Kazakhstan's population resides here," Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

Nursultan Nazarbayev added that the history of southern regions can reasonably be called the history of entire Kazakhstan.

"Over 800 historical monuments are situated in South Kazakhstan region. The majority of internationally renowned monuments are concentrated here, including Turkestan, Otrar, Sairam, Sauran, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and Arystan bab mausoleums. Martobe, Kultobe and Ordabasy are the sacred symbols of the Kazakh unity that has helped us preserve our identity. It is crucial to ensure that the coming generations remember that. We should instill patriotism and love to the Motherland into our youngsters," Nazarbayev stressed.

The President of Kazakhstan once again drew attention to the need to introduce trilingualism in the country and dispelled doubts about the transition to the Latin script.

"It is necessary to learn English that will be used in all spheres of business. It is the dictates of the present time," Nazarbayev said of the recent initiative to switch from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet.