ASTANA, February 20. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Ashikbayev held bilateral consultations in Astana on arms control and related upcoming events.

According to Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry, "the parties discussed a wide range of pressing issues on the global security agenda, including the strengthening of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regimes, biological security, and export control issues."

They also exchanged views on work within multilateral structures, including the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, which addresses disarmament matters, the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and the upcoming 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, scheduled to take place in New York this year.

Kazakhstan joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1994 as a non-nuclear state.