Kazakhstan president meets head of UNAMA, reiterates his support

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Deborah Lyons on Wednesday in Almaty and reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan.

According to the Kazakhstan presidential press service they discussed prospects for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN as part of international efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan and provide humanitarian assistance.

Tokayev said Kazakhstan is committed to continuing comprehensive cooperation with the international community in the fight against terrorism and extremism, the provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, and the continuation of educational programs for Afghan students.

Lyons in turn spoke about efforts to rebuild Afghanistan as well as the results of the second meeting of EU and Central Asian Special Representatives for Afghanistan on Tuesday in Almaty.

She expressed gratitude to the country’s leadership for its support of UNAMA.

Following the collapse of the former government in August last year, Kazakhstan offered its support to relocate some UN staff to Kazakhstan temporarily to continue their operations.

The UNAMA office continues to be located in Almaty. The presidential press service said a corresponding agreement on the status of this mission in Kazakhstan will be signed in the near future.