President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid in Astana, Zakon.kz reports.
At the talks with the OSCE Secretary General, Tokayev thanked Helga Schmid for participating in the Astana International Forum, and noted that this forum is intended to become a new platform for strengthening ties between West and East.
"I think that the OSCE delegation headed by you at this forum will make a significant contribution to solving many problems that, unfortunately, exist in the modern world. For Kazakhstan, cooperation with the OSCE is a priority. We are concerned about the existing disagreements about the role of the Organization. After the summit, which was held in Astana in 2010, no official document was adopted either at the ministerial level or in any other format.Of course, this causes us concern.We remain firmly convinced that we need to have strong ties Organizations," President Tokayev said.
According to the President, Kazakhstan is an active member of the OSCE. The Head of State declared the country's readiness to continue close cooperation with the OSCE in the spirit of mutually beneficial partnership and transparency and to provide comprehensive support to Helge Schmid as Secretary General of the Organization.
Helga Schmid thanked Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the invitation to take part in the Astana International Forum.
"You are absolutely right. I think that these are difficult times. The OSCE continues to serve as a unique platform for dialogue, despite all the challenges we face. I also very positively assess the active role of Kazakhstan in the OSCE. You mentioned the Astana summit. I personally had pleasure to participate in this summit. You are right, it turned out to be the last summit held. The Astana Declaration is indeed a very important document governing the activities of the Organization. I look forward to listening to you at the Astana Forum with great interest. I believe that now more than ever it is important to listen to each other to come to an agreement. This is the key task of the OSCE,” said the head of the Organization.
During the meeting, the interlocutors discussed the state and prospects for the development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the OSCE. Topical issues of the regional and global agenda were also considered.
Before the start of the Astana International Forum, Tokayev is scheduled to meet with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay and with a delegation led by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is going to Astana on an official visit after negotiations with the leadership of Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek.
The participation of the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov is also expected in the work of the Astana Forum.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 7, 2023