Nazarbayev’s visit to Iran is message to the world to normalize relationships

Yerlan Idrisov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, says that Astana has a practical interest in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, because cooperation with Iran is important and holds promise for Kazakhstan, Tengrinews reports. “You have probably noticed that our President was among a very small group of the high ranking leaders who went to the inauguration of the new president of Iran. It is a special message of our President to the whole world, to the Iranian leaders and to the Iranian people that we really want to facilitate normalization of the relationships,” Idrisov said lecturing at the Academy of Public Administration in Astana. Minister Idrisov was referring to the August visit of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to Iran for the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected president of Iran Hassan Rouhani. The minister also explained the meaning of the rounds of negotiations on Iran held in Kazakhstan. “We are supporting normalization of the relations with Iran, because Iran is important. That is why we provide for the negotiations of the Iranian nuclear program. We do this for a purpose, we have a practical interest in making this reconciliation happen and in speeding up the negotiation process towards normalization of their relationships,” Mr. Idrisov said. He revealed that the Iranian leaders had hinted that the final round of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program could be held in Kazakhstan. The next round of Iran's talks of with the six international negotiators (five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) will take place in Geneva on November 7 and 8. One of the rounds of the negotiations was held in Almaty in February 2013. By Renat Tashkinbayev