MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Kazakh counterpart Mukhtar Tleuberdi held videoconference talks on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in Central Asia and call for restraint in the nuclear missile sphere, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a news release.
Lavrov and Tleuberdi exchanged opinion on the main trends in the world and regional scenes. They paid special attention to the pairing of integration processes within the framework of the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union and touched upon international security and strategic stability with a special emphasis on the need for preserving predictability and restraint in the nuclear missile sphere.
"Prospects were considered for cooperation in ensuring biological and chemical security, including that in the corresponding multilateral formats," the news release runs.
Russia voiced support for the Central Asian countries’ efforts along regional consolidation lines. Lavrov and Tleuberdi confirmed their countries’ interest in holding a third meeting of Central Asian and Russian foreign ministers.
As the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Russia and Kazakhstan share approaches to strengthening partnership within the EAEU, CSTO, CIS, SCO and also in the UN and OSCE.
"The two sides noted identical priorities in the field of anti-terror, struggle against drug trafficking, protection of traditional values and resistance to Christianophobia and Islamophobia.
Bilateral agenda
The two sides discussed preparations for the participation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in special ceremonies in Moscow on June 24, timed for the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
"Special emphasis was placed on the special significance of the common historical heritage that unites the two countries and the heroism of the Soviet people in the struggle against Nazism. Of fundamental importance is the resistance to attempts at the falsification of history, rewriting of the results of the war and heroization of Nazi criminals and their henchmen," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"There was a detailed discussion of the guidelines for trading and economic cooperation and integration from the standpoint of top priority measures to be taken in the interests of post-crisis restoration of mutually beneficial ties (by means of strengthening industrial cooperation and joint manufacturing of high value added products) and the achievement of a new level of integration. In this context the 17th Forum of Inter-Regional Cooperation in Kazakhstan, in which both heads of state will take part, is seen as the most significant event in this context.
Lavrov and Tleuberdi previewed plans for a Russia Days series of promotional events in Kazakhstan this year.
"Mutual interest was confirmed in promptly coordinating an updated regulatory base for the functioning of branches of Russian universities in Kazakhstan and the implementation of other mutually beneficial projects for cooperation in education," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.