Kazakh president says global mistrust undermining UN Security Council

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has criticized the UN Security Council, saying it has failed to fulfill its mandate to safeguard global and regional peace and security amid growing mistrust among major powers.

Tokayev made the remarks during the opening session of Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, in Astana.

Addressing domestic reforms, the president said their ultimate objective was to promote a renewal of the country’s political leadership and create opportunities for young, capable and hard-working people to enter politics.

He also said the Kurultai should modernize Kazakhstan’s legislation and ensure that national laws keep pace with contemporary requirements.

Turning to the international situation, Tokayev said relations among major powers had become increasingly marked by mistrust, undermining the effectiveness of international institutions.

“Unprecedented events unfolding around the world are taking on a cascading, unsystematic, chaotic and difficult-to-predict character. These upheavals have drawn virtually all countries and peoples into their orbit. States, particularly major powers, have essentially ceased to trust one another, which has had a detrimental impact on the work of the UN and its institutions. The UN Security Council has ceased to fulfill the mission entrusted to it of ensuring global and regional peace, stability and security,” he said.

Tokayev argued that the growing uncertainty had elevated the importance of regional international organizations, whose role, he said, had expanded considerably.

He also pointed to the rising prominence of countries commonly described as “middle powers,” noting that Kazakhstan belongs to this group.

“States that are commonly referred to as ‘middle powers’ have also become more prominent on the global stage. Kazakhstan belongs to this category of countries,” Tokayev noted.

By Vafa Guliyeva