At the meeting of the EAPC at the level of Foreign Ministers Luxembourg 29 mai 1998

Address of The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Kassymzhomart Tokaev Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen! Kazakhstan attaches big importance to the cooperation with NATO within the framework of Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. This sterms from the increasing role, NATO plays in enhancing security on the continent. Kazakhstan believes that we all have to pay proper attention to fortmulating our common response to new threats and challenges which will prevail in the agenda of the 21st century - proliferation of mass destruction weapons. uncontrolled migration blows, organized crime, international terrorism, drug trafficking, environmental pollution. Therefore, we believe that the issue of exercising confidence builder measures and conflict prevention mechanism in Euro-Atlantic area to be discussed at our meeting is very important. In our view, EAPC has a large potential in this field bearing in mind the scope of trends available including a variety for political consultations, military cooperation within Partnership for. Peace and Science for Peace. For Kazakhstan it is also very important that the cooperation within EAPC goes along with the development of interaction with the OSCE and EU other two key pillars of the European security architecture. We. welcome. the decision by NATO Madrid summit to invite Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to join the Alliance. This is an evidence of the move towards united, stable and democratic Europe. However, we believe that the structural changes in the Alliance must go along with the reconsidering of the philosophy established during the Gold War period. Ideology of collective security perceiving the threat front a real foreign enemy is not appropriate for modern realities. It will require intensive efforts to eventually give up the confrontation stereotype and to reach partnership with all countries concerned. We are fully satisfied with the level of our cooperation with NATO. Kazakhstan has opened its mission in NATO. We are going to reinforce our cooperation in Partnership for Peace and Science for Peace program. Our military personnel participate in a variety of events conducted by NA'J'0 foir partner countries. As an important event in this direction, CENTRAZBAT-97 military exercise was conducted on the territory of Kazakhstan involving military from tile central asian countries as well as from the United States, Russia and Turkey. The exercise, we believe, was a big success. We are planning to carry out the same exercise this year. In this respect, I must point out the consultative and financial assistance provided by NAT0 countries, especially by the United States. Our aim is to establish the Central Asian peacekeeping battalion capable to fulfil various difficult missions. Well-trained, capable multinational military troops, can make a significant contribution to enhancing international peace and security. Unfortunately, we can not say that the region where Kazakhstan is located is stable and secure. On the contrary, there are factors which keep the temperature of tension at the high level in the region. This is the situation in Afganistan and Tadjikistan. This is a new stage of arms race caused by the nuclear test conduted by India as well as by Pakistan. Being strongly committed to the non-proliferation regime, we strongly reject the nuclear option by India, and Pakistan and call upon these states to demonstrate responsibility and restraint with regard to the current and future world order and to immediately join NPT and CTBT. Kazakhstan fully supports the strengthening of the EAPC role in the process of building confidence measures and preventing the conflicts. New challenges in the form of regional conflicts require establishment of new effective structures. My country has bean undertaking significant efforts to promote, initiative. on convening the Confercence on Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. This initiative advanced by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev has been enjoying a full support of the majority regional states, as well as international organisations such as tile UN, OSCE, ASEAN and OTC. We hope to get the same support from the EAPC. Thank you for your attention.