‘Middle voices’ should be strengthened in reformed UN Security Council: Kazakh president

The voices of the “middle powers” and all developing countries should be strengthened in a reformed UN Security Council, Kazakhstan’s president stressed.

“I am strongly convinced that the voices of Middle Powers and all developing countries in the Council need to be amplified and clearly heard,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the annual UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

“Since the Security Council appears unable to move beyond deadlock, it should become more representative so that other countries – including Kazakhstan – can play a greater role in the maintenance of peace and security,” he argued.

He called it deeply concerning that some countries have been withdrawing from fundamental international agreements or even suspending them. This damages the global trade system, weakens supply chains that aid the economy, and accelerates inflation, he added.

“The younger generations no longer believe that the world they inherit will be a better one,” Tokayev said.

“Kazakhstan finds it necessary to restate its unwavering commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter,” he added.

Conflicts are still taking place all around the world despite all efforts, the Kazakh president said, calling on all parties to try to resolve issues through diplomacy based on the UN Charter and international legal norms.

Diplomacy and dialogue should always be at the forefront at the core of resolutions of international conflicts, he suggested.

Citing the deadly COVID-19 outbreak, he urged the UN to start the process to establish an international biological security agency.

On the recent alarming rise in desecrations of holy books, Tokayev called these “barbaric,” adding that these cannot be said to fall under freedom of expression. “All the holy books, including the Quran, deserve legal protection against vandalism,” he stated.

Underlining that Kazakhstan is a peace-loving state that constantly looks for peaceful solutions to international issues, Tokayev said: “Independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty are core principles that will guide my people now and in the future.”

“We will continue cooperation with our major allies on all strategic issues,” he asserted.

Tokayev also suggested international cooperation on sharing water resources as well as on environmental problems around Lake Aral and the Caspian Sea.

- Full regional integration in Central Asia

Speaking separately to the General Assembly, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov said inter-state integration is of critical importance.

“Border disputes have to be resolved,” he urged.

On the armed border dispute with its Central Asian neighbor Tajikistan last September which took dozens of lives, Japarov said: “Thanks to the restraint shown by our peace-loving people and the prevailing political will of both sides, we were able to prevent further escalation of the conflict and avert full-scale bloodshed in the region.”

He stressed that Bishkek has always advocated the settlement of disputed issues by peaceful diplomatic means based on the principles international law.

The Kyrgyz government has always strived for dialogue in resolving border issues, looking for solutions based on trust and mutual respect, he underlined.

While only 503 kilometers (313 miles) of the 970-kilometer (603 miles) border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are well defined, the governments of the two countries have not yet resolved their border dispute.