President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thanked Helga Schmid for her participation in the Astana International Forum. As President Tokayev noted, this new platform is aimed at strengthening ties between the West and the East.
"I think that OSCE represented by you at this forum will put great contribution to finding solutions to so many problems that unfortunately do exist in the contemporary world. For Kazakhstan, the OSCE is a priority. We are very much concerned by the dividing lines that still do exist in the Organization. Since the Summit, which took place here in Astana in 2010, there are no official documents passed, either at ministerial level or in some other formats. Of course, it is a matter of concern for us. We still strongly believe that we need to have strong ties of cooperation within the Organization," the President said.
As Kazakh leader noted, Kazakhstan is an active participant of the OSCE. President reaffirmed our country's commitment to continue close cooperation with the OSCE in a spirit of mutually beneficial partnership and transparency, and to provide full support to Helga Schmid as Secretary General of the organization.
In turn, Helga Schmid expressed her gratitude to President Tokayev for the invitation to the Astana International Forum.
"You are absolutely right. I think these are challenging times. The OSCE continues to be a unique platform for dialogue despite all the challenges we are facing. I would also very much commend Kazakhstan`s very active role in the OSCE. You mentioned the Astana Summit. I personally had the pleasure to be participating in this summit. You are right, it is the last summit we have had. The Astana commemorative declaration really remains a very important document when it comes to the organization. I am also very much looking forward to listening to you in the Astana Forum. I think it is now more than ever important to listen to each other to bring everyone together. This is also the key objective of the OSCE," the Head of the OSCE noted.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the current state and the prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the OSCE. They also talked about crucial issues on the regional and global agenda.
