Central Asia

Photo: Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan and President of the Security Council for the month of January, addresses the Security Council meeting on Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, with a focus on confidence-building measures. 18 January 2018. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.

Kazakh President Offers Astana as Venue for Disarmament Negotiations with North Korea

By Santo D. Banerjee

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – In the run up to the fiftieth anniversary of the UN inviting nuclear haves and have-nots to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on July 1, 1968, Kazakhstan has proposed a set of six measures aimed at the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and offered a platform for disarmament negotiations with North Korea.

The initiative has been launched on January 18 at the high level briefing of the Security Council which focused on the theme of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: confidence-building measures convened by Kazakhstan in its capacity as the Council President for the month of January. And this at a point in time when, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres says, "global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War."

: Santo D. Banerjee; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 19 January 2018

Photo: General view of the Security Council meeting on non-proliferation by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 15 December 2017. Credit: UN Photo/Manuel Elias.

UN Security Council to Discuss Confidence-building Measures and Weapons of Mass Destruction

By Alyn Ware

Alyn Ware is Global Coordinator of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND).

NEW YORK (IDN) – Kairat Umarov, President of the UN Security Council for January, has announced that Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev will chair a special session of the Council on January 18 on the issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).

The session is being called in order to provide a focus on the resolution of political issues that give rise to States relying on weapons of mass destruction – especially nuclear weapons.

"Today we should pay more attention to the building of trust and confidence among political leaders and among countries," Kazakh Ambassador Umarov told a press conference at the UN on January 2, announcing the session. "Without this, none of the issues will be solved. This is what today's world is lacking."

: Alyn Ware; UN INSIDER; 04 January 2018

Photo: Ambassador Kairat Umarov (centre, on dais), Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN and President of the Security Council for the month of January, briefs journalists on the Council’s programme of work for the month on January 2 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.

Security Council under Kazakh Presidency has a Content-Rich Agenda for January

By J Nastranis

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – Two days after the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued "a red alert for our world", the new Security Council President Kairat Umarov has presented a content-rich agenda for the January programme of work of this vital organ of the world body which bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Umarov is Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN in New York – the first Central Asian country ever to chair the Council for January. Kazakhstan joined the Council as non-permanent member on January 1, 2017 for two years.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 03 January 2018

As the First Central Asian Country Kazakhstan Assumes Security Council Presidency

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – When Kazakhstan joined the 15-nation United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2017 as a non-permanent member for two years, President Nursultan Nazarbayev pledged "adapting the . . .Council and the entire UN system to the threats and challenges of the 21st century."

"We will seek to strengthen the understanding of Security Council members on the importance of creating a renewed model of international relations that accurately reflects the realities of the 21st century and shapes a collective responsibility for meeting global and regional challenges," President Nazarbayev declared.

: Ramesh Jaura; UN INSIDER; 01 January 2018

Photo: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev met October 31 with the heads of Russian, Turkish, Iranian delegations as well as a delegation of observers from the U.S., Jordan and the UN. Credit: Akorda.kz

Astana Process On Syrian Peace Enters Critical 8th Round

By Jaya Ramachandran

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – As Kazakhstan prepares to chair the UN Security Council for the month of January 2018, the Central Asian country's contribution in the process of de-escalation of the nearly seven-year old conflict in Syria has been commended during Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov's recent visits to London and Vienna.

The applause has come in the run-up to the eighth round of the Astana Process on Syrian peace meant to supplement UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva, in Kazakhstan's capital city, on December 21-22. The first round of talks was launched in January 2017, nearly one month after the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, and Russia agreed to do so pursuant to the UN Resolution 2336 adopted December 31, 2016.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 11 December 2017

Photo: Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov addressing a conference on central Asia under UN auspices. Credit: The Astana Times.

Kazakhstan Committed to Sustainable Development and Mutual Prosperity in Central Asia

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – In the run-up to Kazakhstan assuming the UN Security Council's rotating presidency for January 2018, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov has accentuated that the Central Asian country stands for the creation of a model of a regional zone of peace, security and cooperation in Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018, and it chairs the Council's Committees 1988 on the Taliban movement and 1267 on ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 03 December 2017

Photo: UN Security Council in a session in November 2017. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten.

Security Council Delegation Visits Kabul Before Kazakhstan Assumes Presidency for January

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Kazakhstan is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018. Ambassador Kairat Umarov, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, chairs the Council's Committees 1988 on the Taliban movement and 1267 on ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida.

Nearly two months ahead of Kazakhstan assuming the Council's rotating presidency for January 2018, Ambassador Umarov led a Security Council delegation to Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. With the visit from October 28 to 31, the Security Council wanted to familiarize itself with the situation on the ground and receive first-hand information on how effectively sanction measures against the international terrorist organizations are being implemented.