Kazakhstan switches from Cyrillic to Latin script

The switch over by 2025. The Latin characters were already used until 1940, when the Soviet Union imposed Cyrillic ones.

Astana (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Kazakhstan will no longer use the Cyrillic script, choosing to switch over to the Latin alphabet, according to a decree signed yesterday by President Nazarbayev. The president’s office announced that the government will nominate a commission to "ensure a gradual transition from the Kazakh to Latin alphabet by 2025".

Until 1920 the Kazakh was written in Arabic when it was replaced by the Latin alphabet but in 1940 but the then Soviet Union imposed the Cyrillic.

Speaking to Kazinform, Professor Gulnar Karbozova of Auezov South Kazakhstan State University said "it is crucial to the integration of Kazakhstan into the global educational and economic environment, as it is used by over 100 countries around the world".

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• Cyrillic
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