Kazakhstan Affirms Nuclear Disarmament as Key Foreign Policy Focus at Conference in Geneva

Nuclear disarmament remains Kazakhstan’s top priority in foreign policy, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu at the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Feb. 27.

In his address, Nurtleu underscored the vital role of the Conference on Disarmament as the primary multilateral platform for disarmament negotiations. In the current geopolitical landscape, disarmament topics are essential for promoting dialogue based on the United Nations (UN) Charter and international law, according to the minister.

He also announced Kazakhstan’s forthcoming chairmanship in two multilateral forums: the Second Preparatory Committee of the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the third meeting of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Kazakhstan will also be hosting a meeting of representatives from all nuclear-weapon-free zones later this year.

Recognizing the importance of fortifying the Biological Weapons Convention, the minister called on delegations to work together to implement Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiative to create an International Agency for Biological Safety.

On the sidelines of the conference, Nurtleu met with Tatiana Valovaya, the Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva, confirming Kazakhstan’s readiness to reinforce interaction on all critical issues of the global agenda at the Geneva-based platform.

Topics discussed included Kazakhstan’s initiatives in nuclear disarmament, strengthening the non-proliferation regime of weapons of mass destruction, creating the International Agency for Biosafety and the Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

According to the Kazakh Foreign Minister, Kazakhstan attaches importance to the activities of the Conference on Disarmament. It is considered the only indispensable multilateral negotiating platform in disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control.

Nurtleu also expressed gratitude to the head of the UN Office for supporting the annual events dedicated to the International Day against Nuclear Tests, which was celebrated on Aug. 29.

The foreign minister also met with the Director-General of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Gilbert Houngbo.

Minister Nurtleu briefed Houngbo on the reforms carried out in Kazakhstan regarding the legal regulation of labor relations. These reforms target various objectives, including expanding workers’ rights protection, improving working conditions and increasing the minimum wage.

Nurtleu announced Kazakhstan’s intention to further align its national labor rights, employment, and social protection legislation with the ILO standards. He also affirmed Kazakhstan’s support for the ILO chief’s initiative on the Global Coalition for Social Justice and expressed our country’s readiness to join it.

Among other bilateral meetings, Nurtleu spoke with the foreign ministers Nasser Bourita of Morocco, Riyad al-Maliki of Palestine, Filip Ivanović of Montenegro, Margus Tsahkna of Estonia and Hanke Bruins Slot of the Netherlands.

The dialogues encompassed topics on the current situation and prospects for developing bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including mutual support in international organizations.

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