Kazakhstan

On behalf of the Kazakhstan delegation, first of all, I should like to congratulate Mr. Amara Essy on his election to the office of President of the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly and express our confidence that his competence and experience will contribute to the fruitful work of the session. I should also like to thank his predecessor, Ambassador Insanally, for the able stewardship, efficiency and tact he demonstrated during the forty-eighth session. May I also express our special gratitude to the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for his tireless efforts to consolidate peace and stability and to strengthen the role of the United Nations in the life of the international community. 19 Our world, multifaceted and contradictory, is rapidly approaching the end of the second millennium. I hope that the confrontation by force which existed throughout the decades of the cold war and its underlying concept that history is an evolving process of struggle between the competing systems are now definitely a part of the past. The end of the bipolar era triggered the release of enormous political energy, which earlier had been directed towards ideological competition. Today, the world is searching for new institutional structures, non- confrontational approaches to the solution of global problems and a more efficient utilization of human, material and technical resources. Looking into the future, full of hope, we should not rule out the possibility of meeting new challenges. Indeed, a common set of global problems that existed before has been replaced by numerous other problems no less complex or immense. In our opinion, the United Nations has never experienced such an important period in its nearly half century-old history. The beginning of the 1990s and the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization can and should become a truly historic milestone that will determine the new tasks of the United Nations and considerably strengthen its role in the life of the succeeding generations. Each important turning-point in the history of this century has manifested itself in social and political changes in the life of States. Today the transition from one era of international life to another is related to the disintegration of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the revolutionary transformations in the countries of Eastern Europe and the entry into the family of nations of a number of newly independent States, among them my native Kazakhstan. For us, three years of freedom have been three years of achieving real political and economic independence. The Republic, having become a Member of the United Nations and other international organizations, having signed the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris and a number of other international instruments, has de jure completed its entry into the world community. From the very first day, our country has striven to ensure the actual implementation of its commitments to deal with common global issues, such as respect for human rights, the strengthening of democracy and the rule of law, economic freedom and social justice, the development of a market economy and the strengthening of international security. Kazakhstan accords priority to the issue of the non- proliferation of nuclear weapons. In December 1993, the Parliament of our Republic ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non- nuclear State. At the coming 1995 NPT Review Conference, we intend to join the position of those States that favour an unconditional extension of the NPT for an unlimited period of time. From this rostrum I declare that the Republic of Kazakhstan, deeply committed to the strengthening of its national sovereignty and security and the process of political and economic reforms in society, is genuinely interested in international stability and the development of cooperation with all States. That is our consistent policy, not subject to any changes dictated by short-term experience. I should like to emphasize in particular that we intend to achieve our objectives while taking existing realities into account and effectively using the geopolitical location of Kazakhstan as a kind of link between Europe and Asia, between East and West. In this context, we think that the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. N.A. Nazarbaev, to convene a Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, put forward for the first time from this rostrum two years ago at the forty-seventh session of the General Assembly, has a special significance. Its purpose is to develop fundamental principles and areas of cooperation in the context of strengthening peace and stability and promoting the economic prosperity of Asian States. Today the idea of this Conference is being put into practice. Thus, representatives of more than 20 countries of the region, as well as representatives of the United Nations, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the League of Arab States took part in the two meetings of experts convened by Kazakhstan in Almaty last year to discuss this initiative. As a follow-up to the Almaty meetings on this Conference, the Permanent Representatives of 25 United Nations Member States, as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and representatives of a number of international organizations, met twice in New York. A third meeting at the level of senior officials is to be held in Almaty at the end of October. Confidence in the possibility of the step-by-step establishment of this new international structure is confirmed by the fact that the creation in Asia of different political and economic unions, associations and groups, 20 closely interrelated and influencing one another, is dependent on a common interest in the strengthening of peace and stability, without which the economic prosperity of Asian countries is impossible. The deep-rooted processes of economic integration on the Asian continent should logically and inevitably lead to the formation of an Asian common market, on the one hand, and political coordination and integration, on the other. Therefore, we think that the political will of the States of the region towards the purposeful and careful management of these processes should speed up the creation of global economic and political structures, similar to those in Europe. This confidence has prompted the President of our country to put forward a new proposal to establish the Euro-Asian Union (EAU) as a catalyst of integration processes and as an instrument for the prevention of conflicts in the post-Soviet era. The opportunities to overcome the economic and social crisis, and inter-ethnic and inter-State conflicts, and to ensure external and internal security and stability through the proposed mechanism of unification have been received with understanding by politicians and leaders of different States. Since the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), stability and security as the basis of economic and social reforms have come to the forefront. As for economic aspects, they are in fact a dominant part of the EAU integration processes. The first step is the creation of a common economic space by the Central Asian States — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan — supported by the appropriate agreements. Appropriate inter-State bodies, such as the Central Asian Bank, have already begun to function. The proposed union is open to all States. During the transition period, the proposed EAU most adequately reflects the interests of the States of the region, regardless of their size, population, economic and other indicators. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate their willingness to cooperate on an equal basis, as well as their commitment to reforms in the interests of all the nations of the region. In putting forward these initiatives, Kazakhstan assumes that the problems they seek to resolve are pressing for all countries of the world, and for such an authoritative Organization as the United Nations. Our certainty is also strengthened by the fact that the Kazakhstan initiatives are harmonious with the principles of the United Nations Charter and with key provisions of the broadly supported report of the Secretary-General “An Agenda for Peace”, and particularly with his idea of the need to strengthen preventive diplomacy and the peacemaking activities of the United Nations and deepening cooperation in these areas between the United Nations and regional organizations. The foreign-policy approaches of Kazakhstan were the basis for our decision to join the “Partnership for Peace” programme of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Kazakhstan, as a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), strives to implement its foreign policy initiatives in practical terms and, accordingly, takes into account and respects the legal rights and interests of other CIS States. The true interests of the multi-ethnic population of Kazakhstan lie not only in the maintenance but also in the expansion of common economic, political, military and strategic partnership and interaction within the CIS. Our Republic maintains special relations with the Russian Federation, all the Republics of Central Asia — Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and other CIS States. Certainly, the most important direction for Central Asian interaction is our common interest in strengthening peace, stability and security, both in regional and global dimensions. In a situation threatening peace in the region or on the Euro-Asian continent, Kazakhstan, together with the countries of Central Asia and Russia, is ready to put into operation an established machinery of joint consultations aimed at coordinating its positions and undertaking measures for the elimination of the threat. A vivid example of this is our joint endeavours to settle the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border. Thus, at the meeting of the Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan held at Almaty last July the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border was discussed and a joint statement was adopted. Guided by the need to maintain peace and ensure a favourable environment for successful economic and political reforms and greater independence of their countries, the Foreign Ministers of the three States appealed to the conflicting parties to stop hostile activities and settle existing problems by political means through negotiations. The participants in the meeting pointed to a close interrelation between the stabilization of the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border and internal political developments in Tajikistan, and they supported efforts to deepen the inter-Tajik dialogue and the active role of the United Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. 21 Kazakhstan’s efforts towards integration at the regional and interregional level need the support of international organizations and the leading countries of the world. The prerequisites for such support exist and are being created. They include commitments on a bilateral and multilateral basis and the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on assistance to countries with economies in transition, as well as our participation in cooperation with the CSCE based on one of the components of the concept of global security, namely, the economic dimension. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the expansion of United Nations activities in social and economic fields and supports vital initiatives relating to reforms in this area that are being undertaken within the United Nations and, in particular, in the Economic and Social Council. The report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations “An Agenda for Development” is to play the key role in these issues. We support the fundamental ideas of the report, and we believe that the discussion of this document at the current session of the General Assembly should be marked by our common aspiration to increase the efficiency of United Nations activities in the social and economic fields to ensure proper coordination of efforts of the related United Nations agencies and to set new priorities in accordance with today’s global, political and socio- economic realities. The main purpose of these endeavours, we believe, should be to preserve and develop the spirit of global partnership born at Rio two years ago and to ensure the environmentally safe, sustainable development of the whole world. As a young State endeavouring to resolve difficult tasks of socio-economic and democratic reform and to ensure its efficient participation in the international division of labour, Kazakhstan welcomes United Nations efforts with regard to the integration of countries with economies in transition into the world economy and promotion of their access to world markets, particularly through assistance to the newly independent land-locked States of Central Asia, of which Kazakhstan is the largest. We view this as a manifestation of the comprehensive approach by the United Nations in the field of socio-economic policy and deem it to be the most productive way to meet the challenges of global sustainable social and economic development. In this connection I should also like to indicate the high value Kazakhstan places on its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Union, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and other international organizations through their programmes of technical assistance. At the same time, we would like to see this cooperation acquire more dynamism and practical efficiency, which would create a favourable climate for market reforms in Kazakhstan and other countries with economies in transition and for their better access to world markets and the flow of foreign investments to these countries. In this context it is a matter of concern to us that, according to some forecasts, the gap in the levels of factual and required assistance will sharply increase when unemployment in the States of the former Soviet Union peaks. This is expected as a consequence of the closure of unprofitable State enterprises. Against that background, the current level of Western assistance to our market reforms will not be enough to make progress towards the implementation of a second “Marshall Plan”. Another priority of socio-economic development in our country is its activity in the field of environment. It is no accident that Kazakhstan has singled out environmental issues, since it is itself exposed to such environmental disasters of a global and regional nature as the Aral Sea crisis, the degradation of a vast area around the Semipalatinsk nuclear-test grounds, the severe deterioration of the Caspian Sea ecosystem and the dangerous increase of its water level, which threaten the life and economic activity in a large coastal area. All these things seriously hamper the process of social and economic reform in Kazakhstan. A great contribution to the solution of the Aral problem is being made by the International Fund for the Salvation of the Aral Sea, headed by Mr. Nazarbaev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Central Asian Inter-State Council on the Aral Sea has been established, and a programme of action for the coming three to five years has been elaborated to improve the environmental conditions of the Aral Sea. However, the States of the region have very limited financial and technical resources. In this regard, I should like to appeal again to the world community, the donor countries and the specialized international agencies to join their efforts to fight this truly global, environmental disaster in the Aral Sea. In this connection, Kazakhstan proposes to hold in Almaty or in the city of Aralsk a special international conference on the Aral Sea problem under the auspices of the United Nations, and to consider the possibility of establishing a special structure within the United Nations system to deal with this problem. 22 When we speak about the balanced and sustainable development of society we cannot leave out the issue of human rights. If an individual is poor and deprived of the elementary means of life, his political rights are meaningless. A comprehensive approach to this problem was demonstrated by the World Conference on Human Rights at Vienna in 1993, which analysed and reviewed the overall activities of the United Nations in the field of human rights. Pursuant to the recommendations of the World Conference on Human Rights, the United Nations General Assembly at its forty-eighth session called for the establishment of the post of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. On behalf of the Government of Kazakhstan, let me congratulate Mr. J. Ayala Lasso on his election to this high and responsible post and assure the world community that my country will fully abide by the recommendations of the World Conference on Human Rights and support United Nations activities in the field of the international protection of human rights. With regard to social and economic issues, I should like to highlight the recently concluded Cairo International Conference on Population and Development. Kazakhstan took an active part in that Conference and believes that its outcome will be yet another practical contribution to United Nations efforts to ensure global sustainable development. In this connection, we also expect significant results from such major forthcoming international forums as the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul. Kazakhstan supports the joint endeavours of Member States to reform the principal organs of the United Nations, especially the Security Council. Guided by Article 24 of the United Nations Charter, which states that the Security Council, in carrying out its duties under its primary responsibility, acts on behalf of all Member States, Kazakhstan favours the enlargement of the Security Council to ensure equitable geographical representation and the effective and efficient functioning and transparency of the Security Council. For many years now we have been witnessing a significant deterioration of the financial situation of the United Nations. Without going into the details of this difficult issue, I should like to note that the current session of the General Assembly is not an ordinary one, because it will have to adopt a new scale of assessments for the apportionment of United Nations expenses for the period 1995-1997. As a cornerstone of the whole financial system of the United Nations, the scale of assessments has always been among the most important aspects of the functioning of the Organization. The adoption of the new scale of assessments this year is also important in that the new arrangement will fully reflect the considerable increase in the membership of the United Nations and solve to the greatest possible extent problems related to the contributions of a group of new Member States. Since the creation of this problem Kazakhstan has demonstrated realism and a balanced approach and has tried to take into consideration the interests of other Member States. We hope that the principle of the capacity to pay and of the need to improve the methodology of the scale by eliminating its most distorting elements will be taken fully into account in the determination of the new scale of assessments. This would undoubtedly help to improve the Organization’s overall financial situation. With regard to the financial standing of the United Nations, I should like to refer to the question of improving administrative and financial management in the system. Kazakhstan has welcomed concrete steps in this field and supported the creation of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, and we deem it appropriate that such efforts be continued. Ten years ago, in this Organization, the former rector of the University for Peace, Mr. Robert Muller, said the following very true words: “A jubilee is an occasion for reflection and not for celebration”. I believe that today, on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, we are all adopting this very approach in evaluating the Organization’s past, present and future. In this context, I should like to note with gratitude the great efforts of the Preparatory Committee and the Secretariat in respect of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. They are making a concrete contribution to the commemoration of this forthcoming historic event. Kazakhstan too is preparing to commemorate the event in a fitting way. It has set up a national committee, 23 which is scheduled to arrange a variety of ceremonial events, as well as to issue collectors’ stamps and coins devoted to the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. The importance that Kazakhstan attaches to the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations is reflected also in our initiative concerning the holding of a special session of the General Assembly within the framework of the event. In our view, this could be the occasion for a thorough, useful and interesting exchange of views on the most significant aspects of the activities of the United Nations and on it’s role. The forthcoming anniversary inevitably brings to mind another historic international date — the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Kazakhstan wholeheartedly supports the initiative to declare 1995 the international year of the commemoration of the victims of that war. In conclusion, I should like to express my firm belief that the United Nations will come to its anniversary revitalized and fully able to realize the rich potential embodied in the aspiration to peace and humanism that was enshrined in its Charter 50 years ago.