The delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan headed by Barlybay Sadykov, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Ethiopia and Kenya, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the African Union, as well as to the UN Office in Nairobi, takes part in the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), El.kz cites MFA.
Within the framework of the theme of the 19th summit: «Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence», 120 NAM member states (53 countries in Africa, 39 countries in Asia and Pacific, 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2 countries on the European continent) discuss pressing global issues during the week within the framework of political and socio-economic committees. As a result of the work carried out, the Final Document of the summit, the Kampala Declaration, as well as the Statement on Palestine were approved at the level of foreign ministers and are scheduled to be adopted at the level of Heads of State and Government on January 20, 2024.
The summit documents reflect the collective position of NAM member states in relation to contemporary challenges and threats, including: armed conflicts, food insecurity, migration, unemployment, pandemics, health problems, climate change, terrorism, problems of financing sustainable development, the debt burden of states, and reform of the global economy. The chairmanship in this world's largest after the UN international organization has passed from Azerbaijan to Uganda for the next three years.
Speaking at the summit, the Ambassador stressed that Kazakhstan fully shares the goals and principles of the Non-Aligned Movement and the call of the member countries to observe and respect the UN Charter, universal principles and norms of international law. “UN international law remains an indispensable tool in the preservation and maintenance of international peace and security. Kazakhstan is firmly committed to the principles of respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of interstate borders, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations”, – he said.
According to him, in current time of geopolitical turbulence, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Middle Powers countries can play an important role together with the UN in overcoming such crises as regional conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism, cybersecurity, climate change, and etc.
One of the main issues on the agenda of the NAM is the issue of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Barlybay Sadykov reminded the summit participants about the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, the abandonment of the nuclear arsenal by Kazakhstan, the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free Zone in Central Asia in 2009, the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and announced Kazakhstan's intention to seek the creation of The International Trust Fund for Assistance and rehabilitation of people and territories affected by nuclear tests. Considering the importance of the IAEA's work to assist all countries in obtaining benefits from the peaceful, safe use of nuclear energy and the transfer of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes, the Ambassador called for support for Kazakhstan's proposal to restore the sovereign equality of member States in this organization.
Special attention was paid to the problems of international security. In this regard, Barlybay Sadykov noted our country's solidarity with the NAM’s demands to exclude the possibility of any use of bacteriological weapons, and the need for effective measures to implement the Biological Weapons Convention. Therefore, he called on the NAM member states to create the International Agency for Biological Safety (IABS), previously proposed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to strengthen global coordination of efforts to address a range of biosafety issues.
In the context of the NAM member countries' call for the peaceful settlement of regional conflicts, the Ambassador reported on Kazakhstan's commitment to strengthening confidence-building measures in Asia and working on reforming the CICA into a full-fledged international organization. As the current chair-country of the SCO, he called for support for the new paradigm of security, a fair economic environment and a clean planet proposed by Kazakhstan. In addition, the Ambassador called for support for the proposal of the Republic of Kazakhstan to reform the UN Center in Almaty into a Regional UN Hub for Central Asia and Afghanistan, and also outlined Astana's position on topical issues such as climate change, sustainable development, food and water security, and also reaffirmed Kazakhstan's commitment to promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
In order to discuss the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to create the IABS, a thematic Side event was organized with the participation of NAM member states, as well as bilateral meetings with Dr. M. Mudawadi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of Kenya, Gen. K. James, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, S. Aleinik, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, B. Aloev, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, S. Vershinin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, V. Franco Viceminister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, with heads and representatives of delegations of Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, Morocco, Seychelles, South Africa, Colombia, Chile, Thailand, Tunisia, Togo, and Indonesia.
Issues of bilateral cooperation were discussed during the meetings of the Ambassador of Kazakhstan with the heads of delegations of Kenya and Rwanda on the sidelines of the summit. Practical measures to expand cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres were discussed, including the possibility of organizing visits by Kenyan President U. Ruto and President of Rwanda P. Kagame to Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh delegation continues its participation in the 19th NAM Summit in Uganda, which will end on January 20, 2024.