It is an honour to visit Kazakhstan for the second time this year as Secretary-General of the United Nations. And I thank you for all the hospitality and kind attention to the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] Summit meeting.

I am very happy to participate in this OSCE Summit meeting. This is going to be the first one in more than a decade as the OSCE meets at summit level. I expect that leaders will discuss how to ensure peace and stability in this region, how to enhance human rights, how to cooperate on cross-border issues like drug control and how to work together to maintain a globally sustainable environment and development issues.

With President Nazarbayev, I have just discussed matters of common concern. I highly commended his leadership, and particularly his contribution and very able, active intervention in ensuring peace and stability in Kyrgyzstan. I commended his cooperation and contribution to peace and stability in Afghanistan, where he actively participated in the recent Lisbon NATO Summit meeting. On other issues, we discussed how to empower women in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, how the United Nations can cooperate with the OSCE in dealing with many international and regional issues.

I again highly commended his visionary leadership in ensuring nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. His leadership and vision to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing ground was very important and I commended the initiative of the International Day against nuclear testing, which we celebrated at the United Nations on 29 August.

Rakhmat. (Thank you.)