ASTANA, February 25. /TASS/. Kazakhstan called on the states possessing nuclear weapons to resume dialogue and show flexibility and willingness to compromise to strengthen international security and prevent a new arms race, First Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev told a session of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

"The importance of resuming a strategic dialogue between the nuclear-weapon states was emphasized to prevent a new arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear confrontation," the Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying in a statement.

"In conclusion, the Kazakh side called on member states of the conference to show flexibility and willingness to compromise to start negotiations to strengthen international security and increase effectiveness of multilateral diplomacy."

Ashikbayev also said that Kazakhstan is ready to facilitate a constructive dialogue between "key actors." He also called for further strengthening of Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons, including through creation of an International Agency for Biological Safety.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at UN General Assembly last year that country was ready to become platform for negotiations on nuclear disarmament. Kazakhstan is an active supporter of nuclear disarmament. Republic regularly emphasizes that after collapse of USSR and independence, Kazakhstan abandoned nuclear arsenal stored on its territory and closed Semipalatinsk testing site.