NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting on Afghanistan Aug. 16, reported President’s Spokesperson Berik Uali.
Prime Minister Askar Mamin and heads of the National Security Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situation, the General Prosecutor’s Office, State Security Service, the Secretary of the Security Council attended the meeting
“Prompt response to the situation in Afghanistan considering the national interests of Kazakhstan and issues of ensuring the security of our people have been discussed. The President instructed the government to continue monitoring the development of the situation in Afghanistan, which is extremely important for making decisions regarding further cooperation with this country,” Uali wrote on his Facebook.
On Aug. 15, President Tokayev wrote about the escalation of tensions in Afghanistan. “We held a meeting with the heads of law enforcement agencies in Afghanistan. I said to take measures to ensure the safety of our people and diplomats in Afghanistan,” Tokayev said.
According to Al Jazeera TV, the Taliban, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has declared the war in Afghanistan over after its fighters swept into the capital, Kabul on Aug. 15. “… Many nations were scrambling to evacuate their diplomats, citizens and some local Afghan staff,” it said.
The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not confirmed the information about the temporary settlement of refugees from Afghanistan. “To date, the information disseminated does not correspond to reality,” reported the press service of the ministry.
Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Kazakhstan Council on International Relations Erlan Karin said that the experts understand that the situation in Afghanistan poses no direct threat to Central Asia. “Of course, as people we have some anxiety. One of the threats to the Taliban movement is related to the fact that they gave shelter to various other radical groups,” said Karin in the Aug. 16 round table.
The expert said that Kazakhstan is not involved in the processes regarding the temporary settlement of refugees. It is necessary to observe the development of the situation as the events in even the most remote regions can have indirect consequences.
