President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, Kazpravda.kz reports with reference to the press service of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The central event of the visit of the Head of State to New York was his participation in the General Debates of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.
Speaking from the main international podium, the leader of Kazakhstan said that the meeting at the UN headquarters is taking place at a critical time for humanity, when the world appears to have entered a new period of growing geopolitical confrontation.
“The long-established international system based on order and responsibility is losing ground in the face of chaos and unpredictability. The global system of checks and balances has failed to maintain peace and stability. The security architecture is coming to naught. Mutual distrust between world powers is growing at an alarming rate. The world fell victim to a new round of military conflicts. For the first time in two generations, we are faced with the danger of using nuclear weapons, and not as a last resort,” the President said.
Along with this, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pointed out the problems associated with the creation of artificial barriers and economic isolation. According to him, economic and political sanctions have become the “new normal”, destroying the supply chains that ensure food security, thereby endangering millions of people, especially vulnerable communities.
In his speech, the leader of Kazakhstan recalled that 77 years ago, the founding states of the UN laid down in the Charter of the organization the principles and norms of international law, which throughout this time have successfully regulated our activities.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev focused on the importance of observing the fundamental postulates that underlie the UN. In particular, he pointed to the need to rethink the relationship between the three basic principles - the sovereign equality of states, respect for the territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence of states.
“These three principles are interdependent. Observance of one of these principles means observance of the other two. Violation of one of them means violation of the other two. With the weakening of the global disarmament regime, both conventional and nuclear, these three principles are threatened. Conversely, the observance of all three principles leads to their strengthening. Together they form the basis for enhanced interstate cooperation at every level: sub-regional, regional and global. This is a dividend of global well-being. The system of values, strengthened within the framework of the UN, remains a ray of hope for millions of people in various parts of our planet,” the President is convinced.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for a resolute defense of these values, putting the UN at the forefront, as well as the spirit of cooperation underlying them.
“We have no right to allow ourselves to be indecisive or narrow-minded, which could undermine our common heritage and our common good. Too much is at stake. In this regard, Kazakhstan is ready to cooperate with all relevant actors in the spirit of inclusiveness, multilateralism and goodwill,” he said.
The head of state expressed the opinion that modern challenges can only be overcome by collective efforts. In this regard, he outlined a number of approaches.
“The multiple and often interconnected crises of recent years have exposed significant gaps in global governance. They show the need to modernize and reform the UN. The UN must be ready for the upcoming challenges and emerging opportunities,” the President said.
The leader of Kazakhstan welcomed the proposals of the UN Secretary General, presented in his report "Our Common Agenda". In his opinion, this is a good opportunity to reaffirm the provisions of the UN Charter, give a new impetus to multilateralism, strengthen the implementation of existing commitments, agree on specific responses to new challenges and restore trust among Member States.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the need to move from simply responding to global challenges and crises to preventing them and better predicting emerging trends.
“It was for this purpose that 30 years ago Kazakhstan proposed to create a Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). In the context of new challenges and threats, we hope for the transformation of the CICA into a full-fledged international organization at the upcoming Summit in Astana in October in order to promote mediation and peacemaking,” he said.
The head of state called for an honest dialogue between East and West, as well as the establishment of a new global security paradigm based on the principles of mutual trust and multilateral cooperation.
The President expressed concern about the growing rivalry and rhetoric of the nuclear powers, as well as the lack of progress in the NPT Review Conferences. Noting that nuclear disarmament is one of the key directions of Kazakhstan's foreign policy, the Head of State said that our country would continue to fight for a world free of nuclear weapons.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the relevance of taking urgent measures aimed at reducing biological risks and threats. In this regard, the leader of Kazakhstan once again recalled his earlier initiative to establish the International Agency for Biological Safety.
Another priority task requiring the expansion of international cooperation and solidarity, the Head of State called the fight against climate change.
“If we want to make a difference, we need to act, and act quickly. Many of us have already taken bold steps in this direction. Kazakhstan has committed to fully transform our country's oil and gas dependent energy sector into a carbon neutral economy by 2060. Saving our planet requires investments on a never-before-seen scale. However, the fight against climate change cannot come at the cost of development or modernization. Therefore, at the COP27 Climate Conference later this year, Member States, as well as the global business community, should once again increase their commitment to climate-relevant funding,” the President said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed that the climate agenda is directly related to the global food security crisis. He declared his determination to use the huge agricultural potential of Kazakhstan to combat global food insecurity.
“Kazakhstan will continue to act as a reliable supplier of grain and other socially important food products, first of all, to the poorest countries. We also intend to strengthen cooperation with the Islamic Food Security Organization based in Kazakhstan, as well as with UN agencies. In this regard, it is extremely important to remove food and fertilizers from all kinds of sanctions and restrictions,” he said.
The head of state also focused on the importance of a reliable, diversified global transit and transport infrastructure. In this context, the President focused on the growing role of Kazakhstan as an important land corridor from Asia to Europe.
“The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route or the “Middle Corridor” has been given a new impetus. In the coming years, we expect a significant increase in cargo traffic through Kazakhstan. We need to secure the position of the Caspian Sea as a sea of peace and new opportunities. In the coming months, Kazakhstan will help mitigate the immediate impact of limited access to energy and critical commodities resulting from disruptions in trade and supply chains. In the long term, we are striving to diversify energy sources, with a particular focus on green hydrogen and renewable energy sources,” the President said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev separately noted the commitment of the countries of Central Asia to strengthening political and economic cooperation.
The leader of Kazakhstan stressed that the region has great opportunities for international cooperation, including through its natural and agricultural resources, human capital and transit potential.
In his speech, the Head of State also dwelled on the large-scale political and economic reforms being carried out in our country aimed at building a Just Kazakhstan. Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev spoke about domestic political events in Kazakhstan, including the revision of the presidential term.
“This is a real breakthrough in the development of democracy in Kazakhstan. We will strictly adhere to the formula “a strong President – an authoritative Parliament – an accountable Government”. I am convinced that this formula fully meets the national interests of Kazakhstan,” he said.
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
