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.
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