30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s membership in UN marked in Geneva

Kazakhstan remains committed to the UN Charter and to the principles of international law. The country also intends to continue its contribution to strengthening the role and authority of the global organization, said Yerlan Alimbayev, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the country’s accession to the UN. The event participants noted the important role of Kazakhstan in promoting such initiatives as the establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, the convening and further promotion of the CICA, the peace negotiations within the Astana Process on Syria, and the promotion of interfaith dialogue.

“Over these 30 years, Kazakhstan has become a very authoritative member of the UN. Over the years, the country has contributed a lot to the agenda of multilateral cooperation, disarmament issues, as well as the issues of sustainable development goals. Suffice it to say that Kazakhstan is one of the main initiators of the campaign for nuclear disarmament and for the prohibition of nuclear weapons tests. Many processes, including the Astana talks on Syria, have taken place in this country. Therefore, I want to say that Kazakhstan’s role as a state that has voluntarily renounced its nuclear weapons and that is taking the necessary measures on the disarmament agenda is, of course, always very important,” Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, said.

“I wish to congratulate and send my best wishes to the people of Kazakhstan, to the government of Kazakhstan with the 30th anniversary. We are working very closely with all your ministries on different aspects: environment, energy, transport, trade, and statistics. The biggest contribution is, for instance, the Water Convention,” UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova said.

High-ranking representatives of the United Nations and other international organizations and experts in the field of disarmament were awarded the commemorative medal in honor of the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence for their contribution to supporting the country’s international initiatives and strengthening its position in the international arena.

“Kazakhstan has shown a very good example to the international community, it was the first to remove its nuclear weapons. And Kazakhstan did a lot to contribute to this situation, to promote disarmament, international cooperation, and peaceful coexistence,” Marc Fino, Spokesperson for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said.

Experts and diplomats also noted the importance of the results of Kazakhstan’s non-permanent membership and presidency of the UN Security Council, as well as its membership in the UN Human Rights Council.

Translation and Editing by Assem Zhanmukhanova