Kazakhstan participates in Stockholm Initiative ministerial meeting

Madrid, July 5, 2021 - The Kazakh delegation led by Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, took part in the regular ministerial meeting of the countries participating in the Stockholm Initiative on Nuclear Disarmament and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that was held in Madrid in a hybrid format.

In his speech, Minister Tleuberdi emphasized that many measures of the Stockholm Initiative coincide with what Kazakhstan promotes in the sphere of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation. Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the closing of Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, he called for support for Kazakh initiatives to create the Global Alliance of Leaders for Nuclear Security and a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World and the next General Assembly resolution on the Universal Declaration on achieving a nuclear-free world.

On the margins of the ministerial meeting, Mr. Tleuberdi held bilateral talks with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Anne Christine Linde, Sweden's acting foreign minister. The parties discussed Kazakhstan's interaction with the OSCE in the context of the forthcoming ministerial meeting of the Organization in Stockholm and ways of strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan and Sweden. In particular, they discussed political dialogue at the highest level, trade and economic and investment cooperation, "green economy" and combating the consequences of COVID-19.

Separate meetings were also held with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Jordanian Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Minister Ayman al-Safadi. The sides discussed further development of bilateral cooperation and interaction in a multilateral format.

The Stockholm Initiative calls on the international community, especially the nuclear-weapon states, to use all available opportunities to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in security doctrines and policies as well as to achieve complete nuclear disarmament. The group first met in Stockholm in 2019.

In addition to Kazakhstan, the group includes 16 countries: Argentina, Canada, Finland, Ethiopia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.