Kazakh-Azerbaijani coop on official development assistance discussed in Baku
At the invitation of the Azerbaijani International Development Agency, Olzhas Issabekov, Ambassador-at-large for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry attended the International Conference titled “Fostering the integration of official development assistance bodies of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States,” in the run-up to the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the 7th Summit of the Turkic Council, Strategy2050.kz informs referring to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.
The Conference was joined by the representatives of the United Nations Development Programme and The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Conference dwelled on the issues of the international efforts of the Turkic Council’s member States in promoting development and humanitarian assistance, with the participants exchanging the experiences in the new and effective approaches towards the SDGs.
In his speech, the Kazakh diplomat pointed out the great contribution of the Nursultan Nazarbayev-initiated Turkic Council to the full cooperation of its member States. The view was expressed that the first Conference dubbed “Fostering the integration of official development assistance bodies of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States” could usher in the cooperation of the Council’s member States.
Mr. Issabekov accentuated on Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiatives announced during the First Summit on the SDGs and the 74th session of the UNGA in September 2019 as the effective use of the financial resources directed to reach the SDGs, with special focus and support for middle income States; capacity-building for the Islamic Food Safety Organization through support from its member States; the establishment of a SDG interregional center in Kazakhstan with a mandate to assist the Central Asian countries and Afghanistan.
The Kazakh diplomat elaborated on the work aimed at creating a national system of official development assistance, sharing the experience in developing the necessary legal framework and forging effective links with foreign and international donor organizations.
Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan, and Rahman Nurdun, Vice President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), noted Kazakhstan’s genuine efforts in sustainable development, both regionally and internationally.
During his visit to Baku Mr. Olzhas Issabekov attended a bilateral meeting with Seymur Fataliyev, Director of the Azerbaijani International Development Agency, to go over the promising directions for cooperation when implementing joint projects in Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Mr. Seymur Fataliyev expressed particular interest in the Kazakh legislation in the realm of official development assistance in view of Azerbaijan’s thorough consideration of creating its own legal framework on the subject.
