Kazakhstan hails inter-Korean accords (Statement by the Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry)

The Republic of Kazakhstan welcomes the conclusion of the recent summit between the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in and the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un, held on April 27, 2018 at the border point of Panmunjom. Kazakhstan highly commends the outcome of the talks, which were aimed at resuming inter-Korean dialogue and strengthening global security.

Kazakhstan wishes to express its support for the settlement process on the Korean peninsula, which can only be achieved through dialogue and negotiations. We are strongly convinced that political and diplomatic solutions are the only effective tools for dealing with complex international issues.

Kazakhstan, as a nation with direct experience of nuclear disarmament, also welcomes the “Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula" and fully supports the two countries' agreement to achieve a nuclear-free status on the peninsula.

The dynamic dialogue between the two Koreas, since the beginning of this year, has already led to tangible results. These include the inter-Korean summit and Pyongyang's decision to halt nuclear tests and missile launches.

Against this backdrop, Kazakhstan's early decision to close what was the world's largest nuclear test site, to renounce its nuclear arsenal, to eliminate the accompanying military infrastructure and to participate in the implementation and promotion of the NPT and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, has become key to the successful and stable development of our country. These decisions form the bedrock of our foreign policy and are crucial factors in maintaining regional security.