Kazakhstan took over the chairmanship of the UN Security Council

ArmInfo.In January 2018, the Republic of Kazakhstan took over the chairmanship of the UN Security Council. The country became the first ever member of the council representing the Central Asian region.

As ArmInfo was told in the embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in  Armenia, on January 2 2017, on the first working day of the country's  chairmanship in the UN Security Council, a presentation of the  Security Council's activity program for January was held. The  diplomats noted the qualitative elaboration of the program by  Kazakhstan's chairmanship. In particular, the Permanent  Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia,  stressed that "knowing Kazakhstan very well as no other member of the  Council", taking into account the historical factor and traditionally  close relations, the Russian side "is confident in the success of the  work of the Kazakh delegation as the Chairman of the Council". The  Russian diplomat reported about the participation of Foreign Minister  Sergey Lavrov in a high-level UN Security Council briefing with the  participation of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on  the theme "Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction:  confidence-building measures" on January 18. US Ambassador Nicky  Hailey and other ambassadors of the member states of the Council  noted the substantial and rich program of Kazakhstan in January with  a focus on pressing issues of non-proliferation through  confidence-building measures and the inclusion of the  ministerial-level debates on Central Asia and Afghanistan on the  agenda of the Security Council. On the same day, at the initiative of  Kazakhstan for the first time in the history of the United Nations, a  solemn ceremony of raising the flags of the newly elected six  non-permanent members of the UN Security Council - Cote d'Ivoire,  Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru and Poland - took  place.

The priorities of Kazakhstan as a member of the UN Security Council  in 2017-2018 are indicated in President N.Nazarbayev's political  address to the UN Security Council under the title "Kazakhstan's  conceptual vision of strengthening global partnership for building a  safe, just and prosperous world." There are seven: I) achieving a  world free of nuclear weapons; II) elimination of the threat of a  global war and settlement of local conflicts; III) promoting the  interests of Central Asia while strengthening regional security and  cooperation; IV) countering terrorism; V) Peace and security in  Africa; VI) ensuring an inextricable link between security and  sustainable development; VII) adaptation of the Security Council and  the entire UN system to the threats and challenges of the 21st  century.

The chairmanship of the UN Security Council has a high international  status because the Security Council can make decisions regarding  coercive measures, economic sanctions or collective military action.

According to the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council  bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and  international security, and all UN member countries are obliged to  obey its decisions.

On June 28, 2016, during a vote at the UN headquarters in New York,  Kazakhstan, having won 138 votes out of 193 UN member states, was  elected for the first time a non-permanent member of the UN Security  Council for 2017-2018. The work of Kazakhstan in the UN Security  Council began on January 1, 2017.