Statement President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Plenary session of the Astana International Forum (29/05/2025)

Statement President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Plenary session of the Astana International Forum

(29/05/2025)

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Astana International Forum.

We are very happy to be with our friends and colleagues representing governments, diplomacy, business, and academia.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our special guests, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, President of North Macedonia Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, heads of the United Nations organizations and other distinguished participants.

We are very hopeful for a fruitful exchange of views on global economic affairs, regional cooperation and other acute problems that emerge in the international agenda.

We meet at a time of profound global uncertainty. It is tempting to describe this moment as a crossroad, as an inflection point in world affairs.

But such formulas should be left for historians to fix. What matters now is how we respond. That choice lies with us - in the decisions we make and the values we uphold.

Conflicts and wars continue to spread across continents and communities. As of last year, 52 states were experiencing armed conflict. Meanwhile, the economic impact of violence reached $19 trillion - nearly 13.5% of global GDP.

Yet beyond the numbers lies a more troubling reality: modern conflicts are increasingly protracted and complex. They often involve a multitude of actors, including non-state groups, and are fuelled by deep-seated grievances.

These factors make lasting peace far more difficult to achieve. And the most concerning aspect of this kind of global situation is that it fully contradicts a new trend of Artificial Intelligence which is gaining upper hand in bringing the whole human-kind to entirely renovated and still unknown reality with new senses and new assessments.

And in this context military conflicts and even wars based on historical judgements or political animosities look absolutely outdated and even bizarre.

Instead of making wars we must embrace our peoples, first of all the younger generation, to become more engaged in making progress and creating enlightened societies.

While conventional conflicts demand urgent attention, we must also focus on even more challenging perspective: the growing strain between nuclear-armed states.

Today, nine states possess a combined arsenal of over 13,000 nuclear weapons. Experts warn that the risk of use is increasing - whether by miscalculation, accident, or escalation.

The consequences of a single detonation would become disastrous. Scientists estimate that beyond the immediate destruction, it could trigger global climate disaster and destroy harvests.

We know what this means. Kazakhstan lives with the historical legacy of 450 nuclear tests. We relinquished our inherited nuclear arsenal in the name of peace. Today, we continue our advócacy for non-proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons.

We must recognize that the threats to global security are not only geopolitical.

The post-war global order is fragmenting. Protectionism is rising. Multilateralism is faltering.

In this emerging disorder, the task before us is clear: to preserve cooperation where it still exists, and to restore it where it has broken down.

Kazakhstan approaches today’s turbulent world with a spirit of constructive engagement. Our foreign policy is based on the belief that dialogue is more powerful than division, and that sovereign rights must be respected.

There should be no room for nationalistic hubris and ígnorance of historic and cultural traditions of the peoples.

Meanwhile there also should be due respect to the right of all national minorities to speak their languages and cultivate their cultures. That’s what we in Kazakhstan strongly pursue: «The unity in diversity».

Dear friends,

Over the past few years, Kazakhstan has undergone profound economic and institutional reforms. Our goal is clear: to build a more diversified, inclusive, and future-ready economy - one where growth is not just sustained, but shared.

We have taken nation-building efforts to get modernized Kazakhstan and to make sure our country will definitely become Just and Fair.

Through a nationwide referendum, we have amended our Constitution and reformed the key institutions of power.

We moved away from a «super-presidential» system towards a presidential republic with consolidated system of checks and balances - based on the concept of a «Strong President - Influential Parliament and Accountable Government.»

I firmly believe that this concept remains the most appropriate model for Kazakhstan’s political system.

We have enacted a limit of a single, seven-year term for president. This unprecedented step in Kazakhstan and even beyond, from my point of view, will make my country politically safer, economically more vibrant, and more civilized as a society.

I am convinced that President is a state-manager hired by his people for certain term, in our case for seven years.

As to our parliamentary system, it enjoys a wider representation of civil society, new political parties, women, youth, and people from vulnerable groups.

I also firmly believe that no further development is possible without functional system of protecting human rights reflected by the concept of «Law and Order».

We acknowledge that our reforms are taking place in a highly fragile geopolitical environment. But as the saying goes, «the road will be mastered by the walking one» - we will not deviate from this strategic path, reforms will be continuously carried out.

Despite global headwinds, our economy grew by 5.1% in 2024. Foreign direct investment reached record levels. Freight through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route surged 62%.

Yet our vision is not measured in numbers alone. These reforms aim to create a new social contract - one where prosperity becomes a public dividend.

We are investing in human capital, expanding opportunities for young professionals. Our immediate task is to reduce regional disparities to strengthen our middle class.

That is why we continue to deepen our capabilities in key sectors - from digital technologies and AI to clean energy and value-added manufacturing.

We are making significant progress in digital transformation, reflecting our desire to become IT hub in Eurasia.

We place emphasis on artificial intelligence. The goal is to become an academic and innovation hub with a number of foreign university branches and Research and Development partnerships.

Kazakhstan is launching the most powerful supercomputer, which has already been delivered here.

Finally, we are planning to create a pioneering pilot zone called CryptoCity where cryptocurrencies might be used for purchasing goods, services, and even beyond.

Being the source of 40% of the world’s uranium Kazakhstan puts nuclear energy as a top priority in its national strategy.

But development cannot be sustainable without addressing the climate emergency. Central Asia is one of the most climate-vulnerable regions on the planet. It is experiencing warming twice as fast as the global average.

In response, we are advancing a pragmatic and regionally coordinated climate agenda. Our commitment includes membership in a number of international organizations and arrangements.

In 2026, we will host a Regional Ecological Summit in partnership with the UN - a platform to combine Central Asian strategies and global ambitions.

Kazakhstan remains committed to a stable, integrated, and future-oriented Central Asia - one rooted in mutual respect and regional solidarity.

Two months ago, the UN General Assembly formally established the United Nations Regional Centre for the SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.

This is a milestone in our multilateral development engagement. This Centre will support joint projects, offer technical expertise, and coordinate international cooperation.

Distinguished guests,

The threats we face are clearly transnational. Yet our responses are becoming increasingly fragmented. Institutions built for global cooperation need to be duly complied with the world which is more fragile, more volatile, and more contested.

Kazakhstan firmly believes that Middle Powers should have a vested interest in an equitable and inclusive global order, which needs to be reassessed and overhauled. Accordingly, Middle powers should be ready to shoulder more multilateral responsibility.

Later this year, we will mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations in New York. Founded in 1945 by 51 states in the aftermath of a devastating World War, it offered a bold vision for a more peaceful and secure world.

Today, the organization counts 193 member states, a vastly more diverse, complex, and interconnected global community.

Yet, the core structures of the UN, particularly the Security Council, remain largely unchanged.

This disconnect between the institutional framework of 80 years back and the realities of today undermines the organization’s credibility and effectiveness.

Critical decisions that affect billions of lives cannot be made by a handful of nations alone.

That is why Kazakhstan supports the expansion of the United Nations Security Council, including broader regional representation.

Structural reform of the Security Council is essential to ensure that the UN remains relevant and truly reflects the world as it is, not as it was.

Big powers should voice their commitment to preserve peace and security by upholding a major principle of protecting territorial integrity of all states.

We all should strongly remain adherent to the UN Charter with no biased and selective approaches to its principles. Thus we would be able to restore trust in authority of the United Nations.

Dear friends,

You have travelled to Astana from all parts of the globe, bringing your expertise, experience and perspectives shaped by different worldviews and priorities.

This intellectual diversity is precisely the reason this Forum exists.

Multiple futures lie ahead - some full of promise, others full of peril. Will we move toward inclusive progress or destructive fragmentation? This will depend not on the proclamations of the few, but on the cooperation of the many.

The Astana International Forum was created to support that cooperation - by offering a platform rooted in mutual respect and open exchange.

Our theme this year, «Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future», is both a call and a conviction.

It reflects our belief that global challenges cannot be solved in isolation - and that diplomacy must evolve beyond formal protocol into deeper, more human forms of connection.

We are entering a new phase of global development - where human-to-human trust, knowledge sharing, and civic collaboration will shape the new architecture of international relations. Therefore, we must widen the circle of cooperation.

Kazakhstan stands ready to contribute to this shift - as a convener of ideas, a builder of consensus, and a trusted partner across regions and cultures.

Let us make this Forum a space of reflection, but also of resolve. Let us seek dialogue, but also direction.

I look forward to the conversations ahead and wish you a productive, inspiring Forum.

Thank you.