Kazakhstan, 2012

On behalf of the

Republic of Kazakhstan, I would like to congratulate

you, Mr. Jeremić, on your election to the presidency

of the General Assembly at its sixty-seventh session, as

well as to wish you every success. I also wish to express our appreciation to Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz

Al-Nasser, President of the General Assembly at its

sixty-sixth session, for his skillful steering of the

Assembly’s proceedings.

In recent years, the world has lived through

major political, social, economic and environmental

upheavals. The geopolitical turmoil in the Middle

East, as well as natural and man-made disasters, serve

as compelling evidence indicating that the issues of

security, stability and sustainable development are

becoming increasingly relevant.

We believe that world politics should be based on

new global principles. In the twenty-first century, those

principles encompass constructive multipolarity and

transparency, trust and political tolerance, and the clear

pre-eminence of evolutionary forms of development

of the world. They should be enshrined in the core

documents of the United Nations and in the entire

international law system. In that context, we believe

that it is fundamentally important to ensure strict

adherence to the principle of non-interference in the

internal affairs of Member States.

The threat of the proliferation of nuclear weapons

and technology, along with the spectre of their

acquisition and use by terrorist entities, has been one

of the most daunting challenges to humankind. It is

our strongly held view that the possession of weapons

of mass destruction is not a guarantee of security or

greater independence. Kazakhstan’s own record shows

that countries reap huge benefits from the renunciation

of nuclear weapons. By voluntarily giving up the world’s

fourth-largest nuclear arsenal and shutting down the

largest test site in Semipalatinsk, on 29 August 1991,

we have won more friends and have become a more

prosperous, stable and inf luential country.

Kazakhstan fully supports the proposal by

the Secretary-General to adopt a nuclear weapons

convention. Sharing its declared goals, His Excellency

Mr. Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, President of the Republic

of Kazakhstan, suggested that, as an important step

in that direction, the United Nations should adopt a

universal declaration of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

That would, undoubtedly, facilitate our advancement

towards a nuclear-weapon-free world and an early

adoption of a nuclear weapons convention. Kazakhstan

welcomes the establishment of a constructive dialogue

with the five nuclear Powers with a view towards signing

a protocol on negative security assurances to the State parties to the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in

Central Asia.

We also call for an early establishment of a nuclear-

weapon-free zone in the Middle East. In that regard, we

look forward to the upcoming conference in Helsinki

and its positive outcomes.

Kazakhstan is working on the practical

implementation of a project to host an international

bank of low-enriched uranium, under the auspices of

the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would

allow, if need be, to ensure an uninterrupted supply of

nuclear fuel. It should be made clear that the bank will in

no way infringe upon the inalienable right of each State

party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes,

including the development of nuclear technology.

This year, we will complete the project to enhance

physical security of the former Semipalatinsk test site.

We view this project, which is being implemented jointly

with the United States and Russia, as our significant

contribution to the global non-proliferation regime.

Kazakhstan is actively involved in the fight

against international terrorism and drug trafficking,

within the framework of the Collective Security

Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation

Organization and the Conference on Interaction and

Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA). As

Chair of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,

Kazakhstan consistently works to strengthen regional

cooperation in this area. Special attention has been paid

to the expansion of practical cooperation between the

United Nations and regional arrangements, including,

in particular, the Kazakhstan-based Central Asian

Regional Information and Coordination Centre for the

fight against the threat of drug trafficking, which is

designed to enhance multilateral cooperation to counter

the f low of drugs from Afghanistan.

Given the increasing attention by the international

community to the issue of international information

security, we believe that the time has come to consider

the introduction of new concepts into international law,

such as electronic borders and electronic sovereignty,

as well as the establishment of a cyberpolice unit.

As the current Chair of the Council of Foreign

Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,

Kazakhstan will continue to fully support the process

that aims to bring stability and peace back to the region

of the Middle East and North Africa.

Before I turn to regional issues, let me express our

strong condemnation of the Internet video and cartoons

that provocatively offend the religious feelings of

Muslims. Such disgusting incitements must be

stopped, because they lead to an escalation of violence

by fomenting hatred between the representatives of

religions, and they undermine inter-civilizational

dialogue and confidence-building. The right to freedom

of expression must be exercised with due responsibility.

We were shocked by the tragic killing of United

States diplomats in Benghazi. We condemn attacks

on diplomats and diplomatic missions and call upon

Governments to adhere to their international obligations

to protect diplomatic representatives in their countries.

We should support all efforts to find a peaceful

solution to the conflict in Syria and assist in preventing

a humanitarian disaster. We should also take measures

to prevent any spillover of the crisis to the rest of the

region. To that end, both the Syrian Government and

the opposition should resort to diplomacy, not arms,

and put an immediate end to the violence.

The principles of sovereignty and non-interference

in internal affairs must be respected. It is the Syrians

themselves who should determine the future of their

country. We call on all nations to unite around the

Syrian transition process, which should be based on

dialogue and compromise, and support the activities of

the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations

and the League of Arab States for Syria, Mr. Lakhdar

Brahimi.

Kazakhstan calls for the creation of conditions

to settle the Palestinian issue, including through the

continuation of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks. All

obstacles to the negotiation process should be removed.

Kazakhstan has been and continues to be a supporter of

the legitimate rights of Palestine to establish a sovereign

and independent State, within the 1967 borders, and its

entry into the United Nations as a full member.

We have consistently advocated a peaceful,

exclusively diplomatic, resolution of the situation

around the Iranian nuclear programme and look forward

to the continuation of constructive dialogue between

Iran and all interested parties with a view to developing

mutually acceptable solutions.

The reconstruction of Afghanistan is an important

objective of the international community that meets the

aspirations of the Afghans themselves. We believe that, if our cooperation on Afghanistan is to be successful,

its economic dimension should be a priority. Efforts to

stabilize the situation should be bolstered by reforms

aimed at sustainable development and the improvement

of socioeconomic indicators in the country, its level of

education and other human standards.

Kazakhstan is also actively involved in multilateral

cooperation to assist Afghanistan, as demonstrated

by its readiness to host, in 2013 in Astana, the next

conference of the Istanbul process.

Almaty, the southern megalopolis of Kazakhstan,

has the necessary facilities to accommodate the offices

of international organizations. Sixteen organizations

of the United Nations family have already set up their

offices in the city. Most of them enjoy a regional status.

We promote further expansion of the presence of United

Nations organizations, including its humanitarian

agencies, and offer to establish a United Nations

centre in Almaty, in order to effectively coordinate

international efforts and implement regional projects

of the United Nations, including those dealing with

assistance to Afghanistan.

This year, we mark the twentieth anniversary of the

initiative to convene the Conference on Interaction and

Confidence-building Measures in Asia, announced by

President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the forty-seventh

session of the General Assembly, on 5 October 1992 (see

A/47/PV.24). The anniversary session and the fourth

meeting of CICA Foreign Ministers, held in Astana

on 12 September, have become important milestones

in the evolution of that Asian forum. Currently, the

Conference brings together 24 countries that occupy

over 90 per cent of the territory of Asia, where half of

the world’s population now resides. As a platform for

dialogue, CICA has an important role to play in efforts

to ensure peace, security and stability in Asia.

Kazakhstan urges that close attention be paid to the

expansion of the trade, investment and transit transport

capacity of least developed countries, landlocked

developing countries (LLDCs) and small island

developing States. To advance the interests of these

groups of countries, Kazakhstan, together with the

United Nations, organized, from 12 to 14 September in

Almaty, the fourth meeting of LLDC Trade Ministers

and the high-level global thematic meeting on

international trade, trade facilitation and aid for trade.

Today, the whole world is facing new challenges to

global energy security. Central Asia has great potential

to become a global energy centre. The development

of energy resources is a priority for the Republic of

Kazakhstan. In our vision, the future of the region lies

in the development of the oil and gas pipeline system to

deliver our hydrocarbon resources to Europe and Asia.

As a follow-up to the United Nations Conference

on Sustainable Development and to draw the attention

of the international public to the issues of renewable

sources of energy, Kazakhstan has decided to seek

the nomination of its capital, Astana, as the host of

the international exhibition Expo 2017 on the subject

of “Energy for the Future”. We count on fellow

Member States to support our bid. As one of the pilot

countries selected from among States Members of the

United Nations, Kazakhstan will actively promote the

development of draft sustainable development goals for

the period beyond 2015.

Kazakhstan is not only in a position to ensure its

own food security; it is also willing to contribute to

global food security.

Intercultural dialogue is an important prerequisite

for peace and security. To promote such dialogue,

Kazakhstan put forward an initiative to proclaim an

International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures

2013-2022, which was adopted at the conclusion of the

thirty-sixth session of the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization General

Conference, in November 2011.

Kazakhstan attaches special importance to the

protection of human rights and has announced its

bid for membership in the Human Rights Council

for the period 2012-2015. If elected, Kazakhstan will

participate, with a full sense of responsibility, in the

proceedings of that important human rights body, on

the basis of an open, impartial, non-politicized and

mutually respectful dialogue between the Member

States of the United Nations.

Last March, the Republic of Kazakhstan celebrated

the twentieth anniversary of its membership in the

United Nations. All these years, we have consistently

stood for an inclusive, transparent and effective

Organization. We strongly believe that it is only by

uniting our efforts that we can make real progress in

addressing the global issues and challenges facing

humanity. We therefore call for joint efforts to seek

solutions to common problems for the benefit of future

generations and our common planet Earth.