The article discusses the activities of the Republic of Kazakhstan on issues of international security within the framework of the United Nations, international organization established to maintain and strengthen international peace and security, development cooperation between States. Analyzes the activities in which the Republic of Kazakhstan is actively involved in the framework of international security. Also authors examined the main directions of the country's activities in this area.
At the beginning of XXI century deep changes taking place in the sphere of international relations have identified the need for a new approach to international security with the development of strategic thinking, based on the new material and technical base, military and political tools and organizational and international legal framework. Such a comprehensive approach requires the development and strengthening of the entire system of international law, the social purpose of which is to contribute to international peace and international security and peaceful relations between States.
Modern understanding of international security has been formulated to create the United Nations in Article 1 of the Charter, which defines its main objective: «1. To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace» [1]. An integral part of international security is effective functioning of the collective security mechanism enshrined by UN Charter.
International security issues are a strategic priority for the entire international community. Taking into account the increasing interdependence of states internal conflicts and conflict situations often lead to aggravation of the situation, not only domestically, but also in the whole region. In turn, these trends are reflected in general in the entire system of international security.
Taking into account the key role of the United Nations in this area, Kazakhstan is increasing its cooperation with the UN on a regular basis. At the same time, Kazakhstan is considering the UN as the most authoritative and universal international organization. Kazakhstan supports strengthening the UN's central role in the maintenance of international peace and security, conflict resolution, the struggle with other challenges facing humanity.
In the field of disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction UN recognizes the contribution of Kazakhstan in its efforts to strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime. One of the first decisions of Kazakhstan in the period before independence was the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, and later rejection of the legacy, the fourth largest in the world, nuclear arsenal. The fundamental decision on the non-nuclear status of Kazakhstan was highly appreciated by the UN, when the 49th Session in 1994, the General Assembly, in resolution 49 / 57R welcomed Kazakhstan's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a state that does not have them [2].
This step has allowed Kazakhstan to seek broad international support and receive unconditional guarantee of their safety from the countries of the «nuclear club» — Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China which has provided more effective security.
As part of the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament should also be noted Kazakhstan's key role in the creation of a zone free from nuclear weapons in Central Asia. The corresponding agreement was signed in 2006, the participants were Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Zone in Central Asia has a number of unique features, as this is the first zone created in the Northern hemisphere in a region that borders two nuclear powers — Russia and China. It should be noted that the Treaty was the first multilateral agreement in the field of security, which covers all five Central Asian countries.
In resolution 65/49, adopted at the 65th session of the UN General Assembly (December 8, 2010), the General Assembly welcomed the entry into force of the Treaty on the zone free from nuclear weapons in Central Asia. At the same time, the resolution notes: «the Treaty on the zone free from nuclear weapons in Central Asia on the basis of arrangements signed between the States of the region, is an important step towards strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation and regional and international peace and security» [3].
Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, during his official visit to Kazakhstan in 2010, said that the first nuclear-free zone free of nuclear weapons, established in the region which had nuclear weapons before. He drew attention to another feature of the Treaty: it first requires all participants within 18 months after its entry into force to sign an additional protocol with the IAEA safeguards and to fully implement the obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty [4].
It can be considered very symbolic the initiative of Kazakhstan proclaim August 29 the International Day against Nuclear Tests, which was supported and approved unanimously the at 64th session of the UN General Assembly in December 2, 2009. Resolution 64/35 «On the International Day against Nuclear Tests» calls for greater awareness and educating people about the consequences of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. It states: «The General Assembly ... emphasizing the essential role of Governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, academia and the media, recognizing related to this the importance of education as a tool to promote peace, security, disarmament and non-proliferation, declares August 29 as the International Day against nuclear testing ...» [5].
This day is intended to strengthen United Nation, Member States, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and the media actions to inform, educate, and underscore the need for the prohibition of nuclear tests as a valuable step in building a more secure world.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the occasion, said: «A world free of nuclear weapons would be a global public good of the highest order. In May 2010, all states — parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, describing the achievement of a nuclear test ban as «vital» task, have pledged to work towards «the achievement of peace and security in a world free of nuclear weapons» [6].
Kazakhstan acceded to all major international agreements in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, has signed the IAEA Additional Protocol and continues to strengthen effective export control system.
In his speech at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, the Head of State N.A. Nazarbayev highlighted issues of global nuclear safety: «Kazakhstan proposed to start development of the Universal Declaration of nuclear-free world, pointing to the need to expand the legal basis for international monitoring of the UN and the IAEA for the implementation of the obligations of all the countries in the sphere of nonproliferation. He also noted the importance of increasing the responsibility of all States, especially nuclear, to reduce nuclear weapons and the gradual destruction of its arsenal» [7].
At the international conference «From nuclear test ban to a world free of nuclear weapons», August 29, 2012 in Astana, Kazakhstan initiated the project ATOM (Abolish Testing Our Mission). This is an international petition campaign created to unify public opinion around the world against nuclear testing. In the framework of the project anyone in the world, which opposes nuclear weapons, will sign the online petition to the governments of the world to permanently renounce nuclear tests and to achieve the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. This initiative has already received considerable support of the world community.
Kazakhstan expressed its readiness to host the International Bank of low-enriched uranium IAEA. On August 2015 there were signed Country Agreement on its placement. In this regard, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: «We believe that the development of multilateral approaches to the nuclear fuel, including the creation of guaranteed nuclear fuel supplies will contribute to the peaceful use of nuclear energy» [8].
In 2013, Kazakhstan has provided a platform in Almaty for two rounds of negotiations of «six» international mediators with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Iranian nuclear program, in which was laid the foundation for further progress in the negotiation process.
Taking into account the risk of non-conventional threats of the XXI century in the face of terrorism, Kazakhstan is actively cooperating with the UN on this issue. Thus, in January 2005 in Almaty was held the IV meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) of the UN Security Council with international, regional and sub-regional organizations.
One of the main tasks of the CTC is to develop a coherent states line in the fight against international terrorism and implementation of the consequent wide range of measures, both political and economic, and military nature.
The agenda of the meeting includes the following questions: the fight against the financing of terrorism, the international instruments in the field of combating terrorism, ensuring the safety of air and sea ports, multilateral and bilateral agreements and arrangements to combat terrorism.
In the previous meeting of the UN Security Council, the President of the Security Council separately welcomed and thanked Kazakhstan for the initiative to hold a special meeting of the CTC in Almaty. Prior to that, three such meetings of the Committee were held in New York, Washington and Vienna [9].
Among Kazakhstan's efforts to promote global security mechanisms, a special place is occupied by the idea of convening the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which was launched by the President of N.A. Nazarbayev at the 47th session of the UN General Assembly in October 1992. Currently, the UN has an official observer status in CICA.
CICA, as noted above, was proposed as an initiative to create a universal security structures on the Asian continent. After more than twenty years since the creation of idea and more than ten years since the first Summit Forum in Almaty in 2002, it can be stated that the convening of this meeting, of course, was the real contribution of Kazakhstan in ensuring security in Asia. Despite the positive dynamics in the development of the Organization, due to the expansion of the zone coverage by increasing the number of participants, as well as adopted by the Catalogue of confidence building measures in five key areas (political, military, the fight against new challenges and threats, economic, environmental and humanitarian), there is still a number of outstanding issues that need particular attention by Member States of this international institution. Sometimes the question is put under CICA efficiency due to the lack of concrete decisions and performance, but it should be remembered that it was originally convened as a «meeting» and, therefore, was made «dialogue» by the parties of confidence-building measures at the forefront.
In his speech at the IV Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Measures in Asia, President
N.A. Nazarbayev expressed his confidence in the need to create an effective Organization for Security and Development in Asia (OSDA) on the basis of the CICA, which could create a good competition the OSCE and to promote the sustainable development of the Asian continent [10].
As an active participant in the activities of the UN in the disarmament process and the strengthening of international security, Kazakhstan has consistently urged the international community to achieve tangible results in this area.
On the 68th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2013, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, E.A. Idrisov reiterated the country's position on nuclear disarmament, calling on the international community to demonstrate political will and start the development of the treaty banning the production of fissile materials, to convene a conference to discuss the establishment of a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East [11].
The United Nations peacekeeping plays a key role in matters of international security. The role of its peacemaking is quite significant: over the past two decades, according to UN data, the number of interstate conflicts in the world declined by almost half, which is largely due to the conduct of preventive diplomacy and peace-keeping efforts of the United Nations [12].
Kazakhstan's participation in peacekeeping operations regulated by the CIS Charter adopted in January 1993 and the Concept of prevention and settlement of conflicts on the territory of States Parties of 1996. The concept of the CIS activities in the peace plan specifies measures to prevent conflicts and their resolution, post-conflict peace-building. Each of these areas is suggests to use as an instrument of peacekeeping troops [13]. A total of four post-Soviet space peacekeeping operations have been deployed over the last 20 years, with troops of the Commonwealth countries. Among them, in the Rep.
Kazakhstan stated the readiness to participate in UN peacekeeping in 1994. Then, on behalf of the three states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, a proposal was made to establish a joint battalion.
In March 1997, in accordance with the decision of the UN General Assembly to expand the membership of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), Kazakhstan was accepted as a full member of the Special Committee [14; 214].
The Kazakh peacekeeping battalion «Kazbat" created in 2000 participated in peacekeeping operations in Iraq within the overall NATO programs that were authorized by the UN Security Council.
Today, Kazakhstan has the intention to send their military contingents to the UN mission to participate in peacekeeping operations. In 2013, the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan supported the President's proposal on sending troops to the UN mission in Haiti, Western Sahara, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia. The importance of this activity is dictated by the urgency of strengthening the state's authority in the world community, as well as the opportunity to gain international experience in peace-building.
According to the speech of former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan A.Dzhaksybekov, one of the tasks of the Armed Forces is to provide the necessary hands-on experience, increase training of military personnel. Kazakhstan fulfills its obligations for the maintenance of peace and security as a responsible member of the international community. Thereby, it contributes to the consolidation of the country's position as a regional leader and serves as a weighty argument for the promotion of national interests on the international scene [15].
However, in our opinion, taking into account all possible risks and losses, Kazakhstan's participation in UN peacekeeping operations in the first place, would have a beneficial effect on the improvement of the defense system and the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan. It should be noted that the accumulated international experience in this area can always be applied in the context of regional security. In the context of his candidature by Kazakhstan as a non-permanent UN Security Council member for the 2017–2018 the positive dynamics of development of the country's participation in peacekeeping operations would have a significant support to the country in the international community.
In 2013 Kazakhstan began work on the creation Agency of international development assistance KazAID to provide technical assistance to Central Asian countries and other republics. This fact reaffirms the responsibility of Kazakhstan's policy in the field of security in the Central Asian region and, in general, on the Eurasian continent [16].
In the framework of the UN peacekeeping Kazakhstan takes an active part in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. As previously noted, Afghanistan is one of the priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan that, first of all, due to the importance of maintaining security in the Central Asian region.
Today, Kazakhstan is implementing its commitments to rebuild Afghanistan. In the field of international development efforts are aimed at strengthening the internal security through improvement of the economic and humanitarian spheres of public life.
In the light of the adopted in 2007 Special Plan Assistance to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan since 2010 has committed itself to the training of Afghan students in the period until 2018. In addition, the Republic of Kazakhstan carries out a series of major projects to rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure, including the construction of institutions of medicine and education, as well as food supplies. Today, Aktau port is used for delivery of goods to Afghanistan. The third meeting of foreign ministers of member countries of the Istanbul process was held in Almaty in 2013 and accepted declaration defined «platform of regional interests» on specific measures of cooperation in the fields of education, the economy, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, natural disasters, as well as the development of Afghanistan's infrastructure.
In conclusion, cooperation between Kazakhstan and the UN in international security can be assessed as positive and dynamic in all aspects of cooperation.
References
- Charter of the United — [ER]. Access mode: https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/ctc/uncharter.pdf
- Устав Организации Договора о коллективной безопасности. — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: http://www.odkb.gov.ru/b/azg.htm
- Resolution 49/57. Declaration on the Enhancement of Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional Arrangements or Agencies in the Maintenance of International Peace and Security. Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly during its 49th Session. — [ER]. Access mode: http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/49/a49r057.htm
- Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization. Official records of the General Assembly 68th Session. — [ER]. Access mode: http://www.un.org/depts/los/general_assembly/general_assembly_reports.htm
- Resolution 65/49. Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia. — [ER]. Access mode: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/65/49
- Визит Генерального секретаря ООН Пан Ги Муна в Казахстан. — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: kz/2010/04/08/314044
- Официальное выступление Президента Республики Казахстан Н.А. Назарбаева на 66-й Сессии Генеральной Ассамблеи ООН. — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: http://www.akorda.kz/ru/page/page_the-president-of-kazakhstan-nursultannazarbayevparticipates-at-the-66th-sessio_1348722848
- Заявление Министерства иностранных дел Республики Казахстан в связи с 20-летием присоединения Казахстана к Договору о нераспространении ядерного оружия (ДНЯО). — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: mfa.gov.kz/ru/kazakhstan/news
- Resolution 64/35. International Day against Nuclear Adopted by the General Assembly during 64th Session. — [ER]. Access mode: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/RES/64/35
- Официальный сайт Президента РК. Участие в IV саммите Совещания по взаимодействию и мерам доверия в Азии.
- [ЭР]. Режим доступа: http://www.akorda.kz/ru/page/page_216789_uchastie-v-iv-sammite-soveshchaniyapo-vzaimodeistviyu-imeram-doveriya-v-azii
- Официальное выступление Министра иностранных дел Республики Казахстан на 68-й Сессии Генеральной Ассамблеи ООН. — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: http://www.inform.kz/rus/article/2593450
- Цифры и факты. — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: un.org/ru/peacekeping resources/statistics/facksheet.shtml.
- Records of the 5113th Security Council meeting. Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. New York, – S/PV.5113. — [ER]. Access mode: http://www.un.org/en/sc/meetings/records/2016.shtml
- Арыстанбекова А.Х. Казахстан и ООН: история и перспективы. — Алматы: Дайк-Пресс, — 214 с.
- Казахстан направит своих наблюдателей в миротворческие миссии. — [ЭР]. Режим доступа: www.interfax.kz/rus/10news_id/9008. (дата обращения 1 марта 2014 г.)
- Выступление Президента Республики Казахстан Н.А. Назарбаева перед представителями дипломатического корпуса.
- [ЭР]. Режим доступа: http://www.akorda.kz/ru/page/page_segodnya-prezident-kazakhstana-nursultannazarbaev-vstretilsya-sglavami-zarubezhnykhdiplomaticheskikh_1358506200?print=1.