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The Secretary-General met today, 30 November 2010, with H.E. Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Secretary-General congratulated Kazakhstan on its successful conduct as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Summit in Astana. The Secretary-General and the President discussed the ongoing cooperation between the United Nations and the OSCE in reinforcing stability in Kyrgyzstan. They affirmed the importance of regional arrangements in strengthening peace and security in Central Asia, including providing for secure borders, access to transit and trade, and the mutually beneficial use of shared natural resources. The Secretary-General also underlined the important role of civil society, gender empowerment and human rights in this regard.

They agreed that the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy provides a platform for dialogue and the search for mutually beneficial solutions to shared challenges in Central Asia.

The Secretary-General thanked Kazakhstan for its leadership in promoting inter-religious dialogue and commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. He also welcomed the contribution and proposals by Kazakhstan for improving the conditions in Afghanistan.

Later the Secretary-General had a separate working lunch with H.E. Mr. Kanat Saudabayev, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE. They discussed Kazakhstan's OSCE Chairmanship, and regional topics including relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as counter-terrorism. They also discussed relations between the UN and the Organization of The Islamic Conference. Kazakhstan will host the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in 2011.