President Nazarbayev calls to help Afghanistan restore its economy

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called the international community to help Afghanistan restore its economy, a Tengrinews.kz journalist reports from Akorda, his Astana-based Residence. “Afghanistan is entering a vital period of its economy restoration. The nation has been facing wars for over 30 years. The economy is dilapidated. There are no foundations for making riches. I believe we are all interested in seeing a peaceful, stable and developing Afghanistan and are willing to uphold efforts to normalize the situation there”, President said when meeting heads of diplomatic missions in Astana, the country’s capital city, today. Head of State emphasized that Kazakhstan would be actively involved “to contribute to stability in the region”. “The current year is of great importance for Afghanistan. The nation is to hold elections and see withdrawal of the coalition forces. International forces have played a pivotal role both for the nation and the entire region. We appreciate the contribution made by the USA, Germany, Great Britain and many other nations”, President Nazarbayev said. He stressed that Kazakhstan welcomes the start of talks in Geneva to settle the situation in Syria and hopes for their success. He also broached Iran in his speech. “Almaty hosted two rounds of talks to settle issues related to Iran’s nuclear program (…) My presence at the inauguration of the new president there and the following talks were also aimed at solving the issues peacefully. Kazakhstan’s decision to renounce its nuclear arsenal is a good beacon for nations pursuing nuclear programs”, he summed up.