Current issues on the regional and global agenda are being discussed by participants of the two-day International High-Level Conference titled “Eurasian Security: Reality and Prospects in a Transforming World”, which begun on Thursday in the capital of Belarus, Kazinform News Agency cites the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The conference’s goal is to exchange views on the prospects for Eurasian security amid present-day geopolitical circumstances. The event has been organised under the chairpersonship of the Republic of Belarus in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
At the Belarusian side’s invitation, the conference is attended by the leadership of the foreign ministries of Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Russia, Tajikistan, Imangali Tasmagambetov and Kairat Sarybay, Secretaries General of the CSTO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), respectively, high representatives of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Commission (EAEC), and experts from scientific and academic communities of a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Vietnam, India, China, UAE, Turkey, Uzbekistan and other states.
In his speech at the plenary session, Roman Vassilenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan stated that given the global instability and geopolitical tensions, Kazakhstan stands for strict and full compliance with the United Nations Charter.
Kazakhstan’s diplomat emphasized that his country is a peace-loving state, committed to the principles of international law, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and resolving disputes by peaceful means. In this context, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, he expressed support for efforts in peacefully resolving crisis situations around the world’s “hot spots”.
It was announced that Astana attaches great importance to multilateral diplomacy in ensuring security not only in the region, but also in the world. Kazakhstan is an active participant of international processes aimed at preventing and resolving conflicts.
It was noted that for many years the country has firmly adhered to these principles, including during Kazakhstan’s presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010, its activities as the UN Security Council’s non-permanent member in 2017-2018, providing a platform for the Astana process on Syria, regularly holding Congresses of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
It was also emphasized that this role suits the republic very harmoniously, since Kazakhstan is a connecting bridge between Europe and Asia, West and East. The country, as previously, intends to develop cooperation in the UN, CIS, Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), CSTO, SCO, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), OSCE, CICA, Central Asia+ formats. Rapid changes require us to actively cooperate and develop mechanisms that can guarantee security and stability.
Separately, the OSCE’s important role was highlighted, which, according to Kazakhstan, should be strengthened amid the geopolitical tensions. In this vein, the Kazakh side believes that restoring trust in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasia, in accordance with the spirit of the Helsinki Final Act, the Paris Charter and the Astana Declaration, is of paramount importance.
It was emphasized that Kazakhstan’s sustainable development based on ongoing political and socio-economic reforms is an important factor in strengthening stability and regional cooperation in Central Asia. In this context, the conference participants got familiarized with the progress of institutional transformation in Kazakhstan, as well as with the priorities of President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s State-of-the-Nation Adress titled “The Economic Course of a Just Kazakhstan”.
Vassilenko noted that economic growth, and therefore strengthening stability in Central Asia, will be facilitated by reinforcing the connectivity – both within the region and with the outside world. In this regard, he pointed to the measures taken by the Kazakh side to expand the connectivity in Eurasia. In this context, Kazakhstan considers the Chinese mega-project “One Belt, One Road”, the European initiative “Global Gateway” and other similar projects as complementary concepts.
A number of Astana’s foreign policy initiatives were also announced at the conference, including the establishment of the International Agency for Biological Safety, the opening of the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, as well as the holding of a Regional Climate Summit under the UN auspices in Kazakhstan in 2026.
In general, Kazakhstan’s ideas and proposals on strengthening trust and security measures on the Eurasian continent received positive feedback from the experts presented at the event.
