President Nazarbayev to pay official visit to Cuba

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Foreign Affairs Minister of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov held a meeting on Tuesday in Astana with Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba Rogelio Sierra, who is paying a short official visit to Kazakhstan.

During the meeting, the sides discussed current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation. But utmost attention was paid to the upcoming official visit of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to Cuba this autumn. Minister Idrissov emphasized that Kazakhstan and Cuba traditionally support one another's initiatives at international organizations. As a result of this close cooperation, Cuba is expected to support Kazakhstan's candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2017-2018 as the country seeks to become the first-ever Central Asian state on the Security Council. "Kazakhstan is ready to support Cuba's bid to the UN Human Rights Council for 2017-2019," Mr. Idrissov added. The Kazakhstan and Cuban officials also exchanged their thoughts on cooperation in the sphere of education, healthcare and inter-parliamentary dialogue. Minister Idrissov expressed gratitude to the Cuban side for endorsing Astana as the host city of EXPO 2017 event and confirming its participation in it. "Your participation will greatly contribute to the success of the exhibition and solidify Kazakhstani-Cuban ties in the sphere of renewable energy sources and green technologies development," he concluded.