The first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, proposed to hold a summit with the leaders of Russia, China, the United States and the EU on reducing nuclear arsenals, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan reports.
According to it, Nazarbayev announced his idea in a message to the participants of the special session of the UN General Assembly, held on August 26. His address was read by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Mukhtar Tleuberdi. "Having gained independence in 1991, Kazakhstan made a voluntary choice in favor of giving up the fourth most powerful nuclear weapons arsenal on the planet. History has confirmed the correctness of this step - we have shown by our vivid example that it is possible to move in a peaceful way on the way to progress and prosperity," the press service of the Foreign Ministry quoted Nazarbayev as saying.
He appealed to the international community to follow the example of Kazakhstan and join efforts in the field of nuclear disarmament. "I believe that the leaders of the United States, Russia, China and the European Union bear a special responsibility for the future of the planet. I am convinced that if the summit is held in this quadrilateral format, one of its main themes should be the elaboration of a multilateral agreement on the gradual and proportional reduction of nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan is ready to provide its own platform for this summit," the first President of Kazakhstan said.
At the special session of the UN General Assembly held online on Wednesday, organized on the occasion of the International Day against Nuclear Tests on August 29, it was announced that Nazarbayev was awarded the title "Champion for the world free of nuclear tests". "Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), initiated the assignment of a new status to Nursultan Nazarbayev in recognition of the special historical contribution of Kazakhstan during its leadership to the global efforts to build a nuclear-free world," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that earlier a similar title was given to former Finnish President Tarja Halonen. As stated in the Foreign Ministry, "Champions" will work with states that have not yet signed the Treaty, including Israel, Iran, North Korea and the United States, "in order to improve their understanding of the benefits of cooperation with the CTBTO, as well as share their best practices."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS