New head of UN General Assembly intends to work closely with Kazakhstan
"The Astana Process has become a real salvation in the critical situation of the Syrian conflict settlement," Mr. Lajčák said while meeting with Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Abdrakhmanov at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 19.
The Slovak politician told about 3 top priorities of his General Assembly presidency: prevention of conflicts, migration issues, and the support of the Secretary-General in reforming the UN. The UN GA president expressed the readiness to work closely with Kazakhstan for all current issues of the UN agenda.
Kairat Abdrakhmanov informed of the initiatives of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev announced at the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank opening ceremony on August 29. In particular, the initiatives were about convening a summit of the states possessing nuclear weapons and joining together the efforts of all the states that are in the existing regional nuclear-free zones. As the minister emphasized, Kazakhstan is ready to initiate the process of renovating the global nuclear security summit updating and hold a meeting in Astana.
At the meeting, the attendees also touched upon the practical aspects of establishing the UN international regional hub in Almaty.
On the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the Kazakh foreign minister met with Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, and Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
Amid preparations for Kazakhstan's presidency in the UN Security Council, Mr. Abdrakhmanov also held bilateral meetings and consultations with the foreign ministers of Mongolia, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Burundi, Gambia, Gabon, and Burkina Faso.
It should be noted that the abovementioned African states expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for consistent and unbiased position when discussing the UN Security Council agenda issues with regard to the interests of the developing world. The Kazakh side thanked the representatives of the African continent for the active participation in the Astana Expo 2017.