Kairat Abdrakhmanov attends OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Austria

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in an informal ministerial meeting held by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe this week, in the Austrian town of Mauerbach. During the meeting, delegates from 57 OSCE participating states discussed priority issues on the Organization's agenda.

The head of the Kazakh delegation expressed support for the OSCE's Austrian Chairmanships. He also stressed the importance of inclusive dialogue on promoting a common and indivisible, Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community in line with the 2010 OSCE Astana Summit Declaration, which was developed under the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and adopted by consensus, Kazinform has learned from the press service of the Kazakh MFA.

Minister Abdrakhmanov expressed support to the efforts on launching a structured dialogue on current and future security challenges, including unresolved regional conflicts; growing military activity; increased concentration of troops; and the risks of military incidents in the OSCE region. Kazakhstan intends to take an active role in this dialogue.

The economy and environment were both emphasized as important aspects for building confidence and co-operation among OSCE participating states. These areas are especially important for Central Asia when considering integration processes in the region.

During the round table on preventing violent extremism and terrorism, Minister Abdrakhmanov presented President Nazarbayev's key initiatives in this area, including creating the Global Anti-Terrorist Coalition (the network); adopting the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and Code of Conduct on Global Action Against Terrorism and Violent Extremism; and creating a single list of terrorist organizations. He also discussed measures adopted by Kazakhstan to counter terrorism.

The OSCE participating states were informed of Kazakhstan's preparations for taking over the UN Security Council presidency in January 2018, and the next Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana.

During his visit, Abdrakhmanov also met with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz, to exchange views on issues around bilateral cooperation and interaction in international organizations. This discussion was framed around Kazakhstan's UNSC membership and Austria's chairmanship of the OSCE. The parties also noted the role of Astana's EXPO 2017 in strengthening bilateral relations, and suggested the exhibition was contributing to the development of the OSCE's economic and environmental initiatives.

Abdrakhmanov held bilateral meetings with heads of delegations from the European Union, Slovakia, Ireland, Canada and Cyprus, during which issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation were discussed. Significant attention was paid to issues around economic diplomacy, including attracting investment; ensuring growth of trade; and fulfilling transit and transport potential. The Kazakh delegation invited partners to join the Astana International Financial Center, the International Center for the Development of Green Technologies and Investment Projects "Future Energy", and the hub of IT start-ups which will be operating on the EXPO 2017 sites in Astana.

The Kazakh foreign minister's visit to Vienna - and his participation in OSCE debates - reinforced President Nazarbayev's commitment to strengthening peace, security, and sustainable development.