Kazakhstan Will Lead Organization of Islamic Conference in Boosting Peace, Security
By Yerzhan Kazykhanov
The Organization of the Islamic Conference is not a religious structure, but a multilateral intergovernmental institution that helps to address challenges faced by its member states. The organization unites 57 countries with the majority of the world’s 1.3 billion Muslim population under its umbrella.
Kazakhstan became a member of the OIC in 1995 and has been an active participant ever since. The OIC has provided a meaningful platform for Kazakhstan in developing bilateral and multilateral relations with its partners in the Islamic world.
In June 2011, Astana will host the 38th OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) and will assume the chairmanship at the CFM. This meeting will have additional importance in the light of current events in the Middle East and North Africa. The OIC ministerial meeting in Astana will consider the ways it can help to solve most pressing problems faced by the countries of the Islamic world.
Being fully conscious of the responsibility that will come to Kazakhstan when it assumes the chairmanship of the OIC, the government of Kazakhstan thought that it would be timely to note the areas of cooperation between it and the OIC, as well as the country’s policy priorities during its term of chairmanship.
Peace and Security
Kazakhstan’s global leadership in nuclear disarmament, including its decision to unilaterally abandon its substantial and functional nuclear arsenal (then the fourth largest in the world after the United States, Russia and Ukraine) in 1992-95 and its historic decision to close the former Soviet nuclear testing ground at Semipalatinsk has always been welcomed by the Islamic Ummah, the global community of Muslim believers.
With those bold and far-reaching decisions taken right after national independence, Kazakhstan gained the trust and support of the international community. We are grateful to the OIC for playing an important role in supporting the implementation of our international initiatives.
The OIC member states consistently support the resolutions aimed at providing assistance to the rehabilitation of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site and addressing the Aral Sea problem. During 2011-2012, Kazakhstan will take further steps to improve the situation on the ground in dealing with these environmental catastrophes it inherited from the former Soviet Union.
During its chairmanship, Astana is planning to pursue a bridge-building mission between major international and transnational organizations and forums to create more favourable conditions for global peace and cooperation.
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), convened at the initiative of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarvayev in 1992, has become an important regional security structure. The OIC supported the CICA process from the time of its inception.
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Palestine, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan joined CICA as founding members. Jordan and United Arab Emirates became member states at the Third Ministerial Meeting in Almaty in August 2008. Since June 2010, when Turkey hosted CICA’s Third Summit, Iraq and Bahrain along with some other Asian states have also joined the forum.
Kazakhstan appreciates the OIC’s and its member states’ support to CICA’s development. There is no doubt that the OIC and CICA will benefit from closer interaction on issues of mutual concern. Kazakhstan during its chairmanship of the OIC will take concrete steps to bring the two organizations closer.
Kazakhstan is a member of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that plays an important role in addressing security issues across Eurasia. It is our firm conviction that the OIC and the OSCE can create better synergy.
The OIC can also benefit from interaction with the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization and with the relevant intergovernmental mechanisms of the Turkic speaking counties.
Kazakhstan will take concrete steps aimed at enhancing cooperation between the OIC and other international and regional organizations for coordinated action not only to meet global challenges, but also to attain the goals of modernization and inclusive development.
Kazakhstan has already demonstrated its instrumental role in promoting dialogue between the Muslim World and the West during 2010 when it chaired the OSCE. We are planning to continue this work through convening various meetings on interethnic and interreligious dialogue at the level of governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We recognize the important role of the media, think tanks, and religious leaders in fostering these endeavours.
The OIC holds triennial summit meetings and its Council of Foreign Ministers holds annual gatherings. The organization also has other mechanisms for deliberations on important political issues. The OIC Executive Committee is convened on urgent issues and the organization’s Council of Permanent Representatives of its member states meets regularly to discuss organizational and day-to-day matters.
Kazakhstan is a member of the OIC Executive Committee and has participated actively in its work. Membership at this important decision-making body has helped Kazakhstan concentrate on the implementation of the provisions of the 2008 OIC Charter and the Ten-Year Programme of Action that was approved in 2005. Both documents focus on such priority areas as good governance, human rights protection, combating corruption, wider political participation and inclusive economic development.
On March 19, 2011, the OIC Executive Committee convened its meeting on Libya on the proposal of OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. After extensive deliberations, the OIC called upon its member states to support United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 on Libya due to the critical military and humanitarian situation on the ground. Later that day the international coalition took action to impose the no-fly zone over the Libyan territory under the resolution.
Kazakhstan has supported the timely statements made by OIC Secretary-General Ihsanoglu on issues of importance to the Muslim Ummah and the global community. We have welcomed the decision to send an OIC mission to areas bordering Libya, Egypt and Tunisia to assess the humanitarian situation there caused by the current conflict in Libya. The OIC is playing an active role in addressing the humanitarian problems caused by that conflict. Kazakhstan has joined the humanitarian efforts of the international community in Libya and it has made financial contributions through the relevant UN agencies to help people in need.
Economy
In the economic sphere, the OIC offers its members opportunities for mutual cooperation and provides credits and assistance for various projects. Kazakhstan benefited from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)’s lending capacities during the 1990s, when the country needed financial resources in such areas as infrastructure, healthcare and education. The IDB is one of the largest development institutions in the world. So far the IDB has loaned Kazakhstan around $700 million.
Turkey and some Arab countries, mainly from the Gulf area, took an active part in the construction of Kazakhstan’s new capital city Astana. Companies from Muslim countries have made substantial investments in the Kazakh economy. The government of Kazakhstan is now planning to increase the volume of mutual trade and investment with other Islamic countries and to boost the exchange of new technologies and ideas with them.
Kazakhstan has high expectations of the seventh World Islamic Economic Forum or “Islamic Davos” to be held on June 8 in Astana. Current and former heads of state and government along with the leaders of Kazakh and foreign businesses will participate in the gathering to discuss and take decisions on issues of development, trade, investment and food security.
The government and the private sector of Kazakhstan are eager to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), especially to promote the country’s ongoing process of economic diversification. Increasing the production and export of goods and services is a major top priority for Kazakhstan. Taking into account the huge markets as well as potential for inward and outward investments in the OIC’s other member nations, Kazakhstan has high hopes of expanding its bilateral and multilateral cooperation with them.
Kazakhstan has the largest economy of the five Central Asian nations. Despite the 2008-9 global financial crisis, the government of Kazakhstan has established a $100 million special fund to finance investment projects in Tajikistan.
The government of Kazakhstan also provided urgent economic and humanitarian assistance to Kyrgyzstan in 2010 during and following the ethnic clashes there in June 2010. The governments of the two countries are currently discussing ways of fostering further cooperation in order to support development projects in Kyrgyzstan.
Kazakhstan has rendered assistance to other members of the OIC, including Pakistan during its devastating floods last year.
The government of Kazakhstan has also created a $50 million Educational programme to assist the rebuilding of Afghanistan. Currently hundreds of Afghan students are studying in Kazakh universities under this programme. The creation of such new educational opportunities is some of the best investment for the future of Afghanistan.
Social Issues
The OIC Charter and the Ten-Year Programme of Action provide a visionary road map for the OIC and its member nations. The Muslim world is committed to promoting and consolidating peace and stability and to achieving sustainable and inclusive development. Pressing political and economic issues require more immediate attention. However, the agenda of the OIC currently deals with such important issues as human rights, democracy, good governance, science and technology, higher education, environment, empowerment of women, protection of rights of children, disaster relief and combating extremism. During its year of chairmanship, Kazakhstan will chair and host a number of events on these problems.
Historically, Kazakhstan and the other Central Asian states have made a great contribution to the advancement of Muslim culture and civilization. The Central Asian peoples have greatly benefited from their cooperation with the other parts of the Islamic World.
Kazakhstan has built on its own successful model of development. This model consists of key elements: political stability conducive to political and socio-economic development; a reformed economic system open for collaboration in trade and investment; and nondiscriminatory social policies.
We hope that Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OIC will further contribute to the organization’s efforts in such areas as security, development, dialogue among civilizations, inter-religious and inter-ethnic harmony, trade and investment, science and education, democratization and modernization.
Yerzhan Kazykhanov is foreign minister of Kazakhstan.
