MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN KAZAKHSTAN AL-FARABI KAZAKH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (PARTICIPANT OF THE UN PROGRAM «ACADEMIC IMPACT»)

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, the Representation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty together with the United Nations Department of Public Information in the Republic of Kazakhstan held an international round table on 6 February “The main aspects of the activity of the Republic of Kazakhstan as a Chairman of the UN Security Council”.
The initiative of holding the round table belongs to the H.E. Dr. A. Arystanbekova, Ambassador-at-Large, first Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of History, Professor.
The roundtable was devoted to the discussion of the results of Kazakhstan’s activities in the UN Security Council throughout January.
Representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of state structures, academic and expert community, students, mass media took part in the round table.
The round table began with the welcome address of Dean International Relations Department of al-Farabi KazNU, Doctor of Law, Professor S. Zh. Aidarbayev, who noted the importance and timeliness of the event, the growing role of Kazakhstan in the world community, and the role of the academic environment in covering these processes.
The Head of the Representative Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty Mr. R.I. Bultrikov, who thanked the leadership of the university and the faculty for organizing this event and highlighted the main aspects of the activities of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the capacity of the Chairman of the UN Security Council.
The Head of the United Nations Department of Public Information in Almaty Mr. Vlastimil Samek noted in his speech how important is Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the UN Security Council. He also said that holding such a round table on the basis of the IRF, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, which is the hub of the UN program “Academic impact” is very important, and also stressed the role of youth in modern international processes.
The diplomatic corps was represented by Mr. Zhang Wei, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Ilya Samonin, Consul-Adviser of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, Assistant of Head of the Press, Culture and Education Department of the US Consulate General Ms. Carly Van Orman, and Acting Consul General, First Secretary of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mr. Shugni Yar Hussain.
The moderator of the plenary meeting was K. Baizakova, Doctor of History, Professor, Director of the Institute for Security and Cooperation Studies at al-Farabi KazNU.
Presentations were made by L. Karatayeva, Doctor of History, Chief Researcher of the Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the RK «Afghan Agenda: Challenges, Risks, Opportunities»; B. Sultanov, Doctor of History, Director of the Research Institute of International and Regional Cooperation, GKU, «Kazakhstan’s initiatives to strengthen friendship and cooperation in Central Asia»; K. Baizakova, Doctor of History, Professor, Director of the Institute for Security and Cooperation Studies at al-Farabi KazNU «Kazakhstan’s initiatives in strengthening of nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime», as well as A.Savchuk, MA student of the International Relations Department of al-Farabi KazNU «Kazakhstan’s contribution to the settlement of the conflict in Syria»
The reports provoked a stormy discussion and a lot of questions from students and young scientists of KazNU named after al-Farabi, the University of Narkhoz, the University of AlmaU, KazUIRaWL and the KIMEP.
In the debate there were also intense performances. Dauren Aben, an expert at the Institute for Eurasian Studies, noted the importance of nuclear non-proliferation issues on the agenda of Kazakhstan. Christian Kahl, vice-rector of the University of AlmaU, touched upon security issues, visa issues, and also noted the role of the round table for the development of the younger generation of diplomats. In general, the round table was held in a busy working atmosphere at a high academic and expert level.
The round table was organized and conducted by the Regional Resource Assistance Center of the United Nations, IRF KazNU named after al-Farabi and the Institute for Security and Cooperation Problems of KazNU named after al-Farabi. Noteworthy is the fact that it was students and young scientists, activists of these centers, who were fully involved in this process. This, in turn, indicates that the IRF KazNU named after Al-Farabi is preparing worthy diplomatic personnel for the implementation of foreign policy activities of modern independent Kazakhstan.