Kairat Abdrakhmanov partakes in CIS Foreign Ministers Council in Minsk
The CIS foreign ministers discussed the current status and prospects for cooperation within the framework of the Commonwealth, exchanged views on topical issues on the international agenda, and considered issues on further enhancement of the efficiency of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In his speech, Mr. Abdrakhmanov highlighted that over the whole period of the Commonwealth's existence, Kazakhstan has been its active participant and has regarded it as a unique and universal platform for diverse cooperation. In this respect, he underscored the topicality of the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev on the necessity to revise the current Concept for the Further Development of the CIS and adapt its provisions to modern conditions. The Minister pointed out Kazakhstan's support for the priority tasks outlined by Tajikistan, which currently presides over the CIS, and readiness to fully assist in the successful implementation of them.
The Kazakh side informed of the results of its Presidency over the UN Security Council in January this year, underlining the key outcomes of the UN Security Council's thematic briefing on "Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Confidence-building measures" chaired by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In addition, the heads of the CIS delegations got familiar with the results of the ministerial debate on building a regional partnership in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
During the meeting in Minsk, foreign ministers approved the draft security documents, in particular, the draft agreement on cooperation in the fight against cybercrime and 2019-2023 Interstate Program for joint measures to combat crime. The above documents contain a wide range of measures to address legal, organizational and information analysis issues and are aimed at enhancing the security cooperation between the CIS Member States.
The ministers also approved the 2018 Plan for multilevel inter-foreign ministry consultations within CIS. According to the document, twelve thematic consultations on international issues of mutual interest will be held this year. This, in particular, includes the collaboration of the CIS Member States within the framework of the UN, the OSCE and other international organizations, the issues of tackling new challenges and threats, the disarmament cooperation, etc.
As part of the event, the heads of delegations had a meeting with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
Kairat Abdrakhmanov held bilateral meetings with the heads of the official delegations of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov and Turkmenistan Serdar Berdymukhamedov on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers Council. The sides considered issues regarding the development of the bilateral trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and discussed the international and regional agenda, including the course of preparations for the Fifth Caspian Summit.
The sides noted that cooperation between the countries is marked by the strong all-level interaction based on sustainability and principles of equality, which is the standard of friendly relations. Particular attention was given to the implementation of agreements and arrangement reached in 2017 during the Heads of State meetings.
The Kazakh foreign minister and his Azerbaijani counterpart also discussed personnel issues of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States.