ASTANA – During his visit to Geneva on Feb. 26, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with heads of international organizations to discuss Kazakhstan’s priorities in foreign policy and ongoing democratic processes, reported the Foreign Ministry’s press service.
Murat Nurtleu with António Guterres. Photo credit: gov.kz
With United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres, he reviewed existing global challenges, regional cooperation between Central Asian countries, and an initiative to establish the UN Regional Hub for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
Nurtleu conveyed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s invitation to Guterres to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Kazakhstan this July.
The UN Secretary-General praised Kazakhstan’s efforts in promoting sustainable development and enhancing international peace and security, particularly within regional organizations such as the SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.
At a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, the minister spoke about Kazakhstan’s fruitful work in the Human Rights Council and its progress in executing the Action Plan on Human Rights, the Rule of Law, and the Commissioner office’s recommendations.
Commending ongoing democratic reforms in Kazakhstan, Türk welcomed the start of technical cooperation between the country and his office, supporting joint activities aimed at the practical implementation of President Tokayev’s tasks to improve the national human rights system.
“Promotion and protection of human rights are an integral part of Kazakhstan’s vision of a democratic and prosperous society,” Nurtleu said.
He met with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, to discuss issues related to promoting President Tokayev’s initiative to create a Coalition for Primary Health Care.
With Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the minister reached an agreement to enhance collaboration in intellectual property to bolster the growth of the creative economy in Kazakhstan.
They outlined promising areas of interaction, including the launch of a double degree master’s program between WIPO and a Kazakh university and the WIPO’s provision of technical assistance.
Nurleu held bilateral talks with Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Vietnam’s Bui Thanh Son, Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Al-Saud, Switzerland’s Ignazio Cassis, Albania’s Igli Hasani, and Georgia’s Ilia Darchiashvili to review cooperation and address critical aspects of activities within the Human Rights Council.
