ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Murat Nurtleu, met with foreign counterparts to enhance cooperation during a working trip to New York, reported the ministry’s press service on Sept. 21.
Murat Nurtleu and Ángel Moratinos. Photo credit: Foreign Ministry.
During the extraordinary meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Council, chaired by Nurtleu, the parties discussed the prospects for the SCO development, as well as tasks to enhance interaction between the SCO and the United Nations (UN) amid current international and regional issues.
Nurtleu underlined the importance of strengthening the status of the SCO as one of the influential participants in the modern system of international relations. He expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness, as current SCO chair, to direct joint efforts of the parties toward improving the work of the SCO to ensure balanced development across all areas of interaction, including security, trade, economic, and cultural-humanitarian sectors.
“In modern conditions, we need an agile organization capable of effectively responding to the challenges and threats of our time. We need a new perspective on utilizing the SCO potential,” he said.
Murat Nurtleu chaired meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Council. Photo credit: Foreign Ministry.
On the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Nurtleu held talks with Helga Schmid, the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to address issues related to water resources use, environment and climate change in the Central Asian region.
The sides agreed to continue close cooperation to resolve key matters on the OSCE agenda.
At the meeting with Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Nurtleu addressed interreligious and interfaith cooperation. The alliance was created in 2005 on the initiative of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Spain, and Türkiye.
Nurtleu thanked Moratinos for his participation in the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and for his contribution to strengthening inter-civilizational dialogue. Nurtleu emphasized that the alliance’s mission to build bridges between different religions and cultures is in line with the primary goals and objectives of the Congress.
Murat Nurtleu and Helga Schmid. Photo credit: Foreign Ministry.
Moratinos commended the uniqueness of the Congress, which promotes interreligious and interfaith dialogue, and noted the importance of adopting the final declaration of the seventh Congress.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to organize a joint event at the UN headquarters in 2024 to promote the ideas set out in the declaration.
During a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, the sides discussed the prospects of Kazakh-Japanese cooperation and current topics on the international agenda.
Nurtleu noted the significant potential for expanding trade and economic ties, focusing on diversifying investment cooperation in green energy, transport, and logistics.
The parties confirmed their readiness to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the spirit of an expanded strategic partnership.
According to the ministry, Japan is one of the major foreign investors in the Kazakh economy, with a total investment of more than $7.8 billion since 1993. Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries reached $1.9 billion in 2022, which is 71% more than in the same period last year.
During the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states, Nurtleu outlined Kazakhstan’s position on the CSTO’s activities and shared his vision for the organization’s development.
