In his annual address to the nation before a joint session of parliament on 18 February, President Nursultan Nazarbaev hailed Kazakhstan\'s achievements over the past 10 years and proposed the creation of a Central Asian union. Nazarbaev stressed that the preceding decade has seen Kazakh citizens\' wages, salaries, savings, and pensions rise significantly. \"For the first time in our history, we have created an independent state constructed on the principles of Western democracy, taking into account the experience of leading East-Asian states and the specific features of our society, with its many ethnicities and faiths,\" Nazarbaev said. Noting that Central Asia is the scene of great-power rivalries, Nazarbaev proposed the creation of a union of Central Asian states. \"We need to move from words to close economic integration, a common market, and a common currency,\" he said. (Kazakhstan Today)