Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), along with Olivier Stolpe, Regional Representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), met with Akan Rakhmetullin, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
According to a statement released by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, key topics of the meeting included stability, sustainable development, and counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan.
Otunbayeva is currently leading a UN delegation in Kazakhstan and is scheduled to participate in the upcoming Astana International Forum taking place on May 29 and 30.
While UNAMA has not yet released an official statement regarding the meeting or its details, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry reported that the parties discussed a wide range of collaborative initiatives between Kazakhstan, UNAMA, and UNODC.
These include support for Afghanistan’s stability and sustainable development across sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and employment.
The discussions also explored potential joint projects within the framework of the newly established United Nations Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan, based in Almaty.
Deputy Minister Rakhmetullin reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s ongoing humanitarian support to Afghanistan, including the provision of food, essential goods, medicines, and assistance in educational programs.
