Almaty
The Head of State thanked the Secretary-General for his visit to Kazakhstan. He noted that the arrival of the distinguished guest – despite his busy schedule ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York – is of particular importance for the country and demonstrates the UN's strong commitment to the development agenda.
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the creation of the first SDG Hub of its kind in Central Asia is a major achievement for the entire region.
"On behalf of the people of Kazakhstan, I express my sincere gratitude to you and your team for your consistent support of our initiative. I also commend your timely and forward-looking ‘UN80 Initiative.’ Kazakhstan fully supports your reform efforts and shares your priorities. In this spirit, I reaffirm Kazakhstan’s unwavering commitment to the UN’s foundational principles of multilateralism, diplomacy, and cooperation, which are at the heart of the United Nations," the President said.
In turn, António Guterres expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and noted Kazakhstan's contribution to strengthening international cooperation and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals.
"Kazakhstan is a symbol of peace and dialogue—a bridge builder, an honest broker in many circumstances, starting with your historic decision to abandon nuclear weapons a few decades ago. That was a remarkable example to the world. When people talk about the clash of civilizations, the truth is that Kazakhstan has demonstrated—especially through all your initiatives—that there is scope for dialogue and cooperation among people of different religions and cultures. You have always been a center spreading this message of bringing people together," the UN Secretary-General stated.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the Centre’s future operations, UN reform, and pressing topics on the international and regional agenda.
