President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at a panel session of the 56th Munich Security Conference entitled “Geography matters: An Update on Central Asia”. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also participated in the discussion as a speaker. The event was moderated by American diplomat, President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Nathan Haas.
The session was held in the format of a live discussion. The speakers answered questions from the moderator, and shared their vision of solving security issues in the Central Asia.
Speaking about the role of the region, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed the opinion that the role and importance of the Central Asia in global geopolitics will only be increasing.
The President informed the session’s participants on Kazakhstan's foreign policy priorities, its relations with Russia, China, the EU, the United States, and Afghanistan.
The speakers also touched upon ensuring regional security. The Head of State spoke about measures to combat drug trafficking and Kazakhstan's contribution to countering terrorism, and briefly informed about the outcomes of “Jusan” and “Rusafa” humanitarian operations.
In addition, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev talked about the priorities of his presidency, the main directions his of political and economic reforms. In this context, the President stressed that he attaches great importance to the diversification of the economy, the development of innovations and digitalization.
Following the discussion, the Head of State answered some questions from the audience.
