Kazakhstan’s Tokayev urges nuclear powers to take multilateral action

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called on nuclear-armed states to engage in negotiations and pursue multilateral measures to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons use.

In a statement marking the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Tokayev recalled that Kazakhstan closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site 35 years ago. The Soviet-era testing program caused serious damage to human health and the environment, according to the Kazakh president.

Tokayev said Kazakhstan had made a historic choice in favour of peace and security by voluntarily relinquishing the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He stressed that Kazakhstan’s position as one of the leaders of the global anti-nuclear movement remains unchanged.

By Tamilla Hasanova