ASTANA, May 22. /TASS/. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has confirmed his participation in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization heads of state to be held in Astana on July 3-4, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan said following a meeting of the UN secretary general in New York with Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin.

"The UN secretary general confirmed his participation in the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, which will be held in Astana on July 3-4. The visit will take place within the framework of the secretary-general's tour of Central Asian countries," the news release reads.

The meeting in New York was held as part of the completion of Rakhmetullin's mission as Kazakhstan's permanent representative to the UN.

"The secretary-general congratulated Rakhmetullin on his appointment as first deputy minister, noting his significant contribution to the joint work for achieving common goals, as well as his contribution to the work of the organization as a whole. Guterres emphasized the role of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as a head of state for his effective and balanced foreign policy, adding that Kazakhstan is invariably associated with the word ‘peace’," the press service explained in.

In turn, Rakhmetullin promised Guterres that joint work to further expand interaction between Kazakhstan and the UN would continue at a new, higher level.