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What Does Kazakhstan’s UN Security Council Membership Application Mean?

Kazakhstan’s application for the membership in the UN Security Council for the years 2017-2018 is not only promising, but even ambitious as well. This is supported by many peace initiatives in Kazakhstan including the efforts of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to settle the conflict in Ukraine. European partners call this Central Asian country an anchor of security and stability in the region as well as a reliable partner in the fight against the international terrorism.

In fact, the country has a good experience in solving the most complex problems of the international agenda. The leadership policy of this country with the aim to consolidate the society and strengthen the religious harmony got a positive appreciation. It is also important there are really good conditions for the development of diaspora in the country, the ethnic Germans who left Kazakhstan for their homeland in the 90s of the last century are called “live posts” between the two countries.

In favor of Kazakhstan’s election as the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council says the country’s contribution to the regional and international stability and security, including the last one in the field of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as well as country’s activities  in the field of multilateral diplomacy. An example of the latter can be called  the initiative of Kazakhstan to create the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Participating in addressing the issues of the regional security Kazakhstan has made a lot for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Kazakhstan being not the closest neighbor to Afghanistan has made the significant humanitarian and technical assistance since 2010 actively implementing the educational programs in which thousands of Afghan young men who grew up in a war learn peaceful profession in Kazakhstan universities.

The significant contribution of Kazakhstan in interreligious and intercultural dialogue and the Astana Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions as its main tool. The favorable image of the country gives the prevailing investment climate here and the new economic policy of Kazakhstan  “Nurly Jol – The path to the future” should serve as its further improvement.

As it is well known the UN Security Council consists of 15 states, five of which are the permanent members with the right to “veto”, such as Russia, the US, China, Great Britain and France. The ten non-permanent members are elected by voting, five countries are elected each year.

Non-permanent members of the UN Security Council take part in voting on decisions, but in contrast to the permanent members do not have the right  to block the decisions, as they do not have the right to “veto”.

 The presidency of the UN Security Council member states turns by turn and lasts during a month. At the same time it is chosen the country and the exact month of chairmanship by the order of the English alphabet.

In order to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the candidate countries need to gain the two-thirds of UN member states. The places to the elected new non-permanent members of the Security Council are divided by the regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Western European and other states. Of the current United Nations’ 193 Member States more than a third have never been the members of the Security Council.

If go back to the past making all the preparations for chairing in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe the Kazakhstan diplomats immediately headed to the application of OSCE’s efforts to resolve today’s “frozen” conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and in the Balkans. Today, the critics say that the success of Kazakh diplomats wasn’t great and limited to the resumption of the negotiations between the conflicting parties.

It is clear in the case of its membership  and  its two presidency of the UN Security Council, each by a month, Kazakhstan will use its right in order to implement its peace initiatives, even with the attempt to organize the negotiating table of the conflicting parties. Better a bad peace than a good quarrel.

Kazakhstan has the experience to strengthen the regional security and stability not only during the chairmanship of the OSCE  and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. No doubt, the membership in the UN Security Council would be one of the most significant achievements of the Kazakh diplomats. But it is worth remembering the 38th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference in 2011 in Astana, the time when Kazakhstan started as a chairman in this international organization. Also, the OIC was renamed as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, established the Permanent Commission on Human Rights  adopted an Action Plan for the OIC cooperation with Central Asia. The keynote speech by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to the Muslim Ummah was as the foundation of Astana’s Declaration to the OIC.

It’s not possible not to mention the resolutions on the initiatives of Kazakhstan in the fight against the illicit drug production and trafficking from Afghanistan, the rehabilitation of the regions of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and the Aral Sea. Showing the diplomatic flexibility, demonstrating the ability to assess the situation adequately and making efforts to solve the problems of the Muslim countries, Kazakhstan has consistently implemented its plans, as reflected in the concept and in the program of chairmanship in the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in 2011-2012.

In the context of the complex relationships in the Islamic world the extraordinary meetings of the Executive Committee of the OIC were held who considered the issues of settlement of the situation in Syria and Libya. Much attention was paid to the fight against the islamophobia and preventing the inter-religious conflicts and to overcome the humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia, under the auspices of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship was held a large-scale campaign which allowed to collect 500 million dollars.

Taking into account the markedly growing role of Kazakhstan in Central Asia it is possible to state it has demonstrated all the qualities of a modern and undisputed leader among many OIC countries. Astana in its office initiated a number of steps to reform the internal OIC and  deepen its cooperation with the EU, OSCE, SCO, CICA and the Congress of World and Traditional Religions. Noting the high content and professionalism of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OIC the Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called this period one of the most brilliant chapters in the history of the Organization.

Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the second largest after the United Nations international organizations and associations, which is in the singular represents the vital interests of the Muslim countries in the international arena, has been made it possible thanks to the professionalism of the Kazakhstan diplomatic corps. The specialists of the country have worked successfully in the organization, in whose ranks today there are 57 states now, and despite the fact that the Islamic Ummah is not congeneric and equal, the OIC countries significantly different in terms of the economic development and standard of living. Scattered from Siberia to the Arabian Sea, they vary according to the climatic and environmental conditions, the different ways of farming, which entailed not only sharply differing temperaments and cultural traditions, but also very diverse taste preferences. Even from the nearest neighbors Kazakhs are distinguished by their mentality and stand out for their passion for the unknown, the thirst of knowledge. These natural qualities of the nomads as a lively mind and curiosity repeatedly described by the European travelers of the past centuries characterized by their modern descendants, though, and passed to a settled way of life, but has not lost the spirit of the nomads. 

Today students and professionals from Kazakhstan can be found on all the continents. In distant lands, they are attracted not only by the possibility to get the diplomas of the best schools, they all entail the same passion for the unknown, the opportunity to know more about people of the other cultures, with completely different habits and predilections.

Not by chance, this country aspires to be elected as a non-permanent UN Security Council members. Kazakhstan, with its vast territory, rich natural resources, and a high literacy rate has got a great future.  The Kazakh corps of professional diplomats with the experience of participation in international processes, and with the proved  ability to respond rapidly and adequately to the modern threats, is ready to take an active part in addressing the most pressing security challenges in the world.

 

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