Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a return to more restrained forms of greeting, saying men should exchange firm handshakes and refrain from embracing or kissing one another.
Tokayev made the remarks during a press briefing after casting his ballot in Sunday’s election for the new unicameral Kurultai. Asked whether traditional ethics were becoming accepted public norms, he said he had initiated what he described as a new code of conduct.
Arguing that some current forms of greeting do not belong to Kazakhstan’s customs, Tokayev objected to men embracing or kissing when they meet and also criticized kisses between men and women. He singled out military personnel and generals, saying a handshake should be firm and likening a limp one to a “warm patty or a twig.” Placing the right hand over the heart would also be appropriate when someone was especially pleased to see another person, he added.
Although Tokayev described the proposal as a code of conduct, no draft accompanied his remarks, and he gave no details about what form it might take or how it would be introduced.
His comments came as Kazakhstan held its first election for the Kurultai, which replaced the country’s bicameral parliament under a new Constitution that took effect on July 1. Tokayev voted at polling station No. 520 in Astana’s Palace of Independence before speaking to reporters.
