Kazakhstan’s foreign policy priorities and democratic processes in focus of Geneva
As part of his visit to Geneva, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held a number of bilateral meetings with the heads of international organizations, the press service of the Kazakh MFA reported.
At the meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the sides discussed the current global challenges, deepening regional cooperation between the countries of Central Asia, as well as the initiative to establish the UN Regional Hub for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. The Minister also conveyed an invitation from the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, scheduled for July this year in Kazakhstan.
The UN Secretary General thanked for the invitation and highly appreciated the efforts of Kazakhstan in promoting sustainable development and strengthening international peace and security, including within the framework of regional organizations such as the SCO and CICA.
At a meeting with Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the parties discussed Kazakhstan’s productive activity in the Human Rights Council, as well as the progress in implementing the Action Plan on Human Rights and the Rule of Law and the recommendations of the OHCHR.
Volker Türk, positively assessing the ongoing democratic transformations in the country, welcomed the start of technical cooperation between Kazakhstan and his Office. He supported focusing joint work on the effective implementation of the tasks set by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to further strengthen the country’s human rights system.
On the top of that, Minister Nurtleu emphasized that the promotion and protection of human rights are an integral part of Kazakhstan's vision of a democratic and prosperous society. He said that these issues are the basis of the reforms carried out by President Tokayev in recent years.
The meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus noted a high level of cooperation, as well as the first official visit of the head of the World Health Office to Kazakhstan in October 2023 to participate in the Global Conference on Primary Health Care and the 73rd session of the Organization’s Regional Committee for Europe. The parties discussed the issues related to promoting the initiative of the Head of our State to create a Coalition for Primary Health Care.
The Minister informed Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), about the Government's task of creating conditions that promote the growth of the creative economy in the country. In this regard, an agreement was reached to enhance collaboration in the area of intellectual property.
The parties identified the opening of a Master's programme with a double diploma between WIPO and a Kazakh university, as well as the provision of technical assistance from the organization, as promising areas of interaction.
On the same day, Murat Nurtleu held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Indonesia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Albania, and Georgia.
The parties discussed the current state and prospects for further development of the bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including mutual support within international organizations. They also addressed key aspects of activities within the Human Rights Council, including the joint promotion of the initiatives on the UN agenda issues.