Kazakh leader prioritizes competitiveness

ASTANA, October 24 (RIA Novosti) - A globally competitive Kazakhstan is the government's first priority, the country's president said Tuesday.

Kazakhstan, a mineral-rich Central Asian republic, has been ruled by President Nursultan Nazarbayev since 1989, and has enjoyed one of the highest economic growth rates among post-Soviet states since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"Kazakhstan will become one of the world's top 50 competitive countries in the next decade. That is our national priority," Nazarbayev said.

The president called for the implementation of an economic, social and political modernization strategy.

"The country's per capita GDP increased 200% in the last seven years, and it will exceed $6,000 in 2009," Nazarbayev said.