Nazarbayev Center Director met with Martin Sheen, Norwegian experts on non-proliferation
As the press-service of Nazarbayev Center reports Mr. Saudabayev met with Vice President of Storting (Parliament) of Norway Marit Nyubakk, global coordinator of the international organization "Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament" (PNND) Alynom Vare, and the well-known American actor and activist for nuclear disarmament Martin Sheen.
The two sides talked over the state and prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Norway and international organizations, particularly in the key area of non-proliferation and reduction of the nuclear threat.
"I feel deep respect for Kazakhstan for its consistent contribution to nuclear disarmament", said M.Nyubakk, being also a co-president of PNND. In her opinion, it is necessary to cultivate contacts and expand cooperation between Norway and Kazakhstan in this sphere and in the international format as well.
M.Nyubakk also pointed out the importance and fruitfulness of the visit in February this year made by the Kazakh delegation headed by Chairman of the National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Policy under the President G. Abdykalikova during which the two sides discussed application of gender policies in both states.
In his turn K. Saudabayev called the attention of the partner to the fact that the creation of equal opportunities for self-fulfillment in all social spheres, regardless of gender, is an important area of public policy of modern Kazakhstan.
At the meeting of the Director of "Nazarbayev Center" and A.Vare under consideration have been practical aspects of cooperation of Kazakhstan with PNND, with which, in August 2012 the Majilis of the Parliament, "Nazarbayev Center" and the Kazakh MFA organized an international conference titled "From the nuclear test ban-free world of nuclear weapons."
The partners discussed plans for further promotion of the international initiatives of the President of Kazakhstan, as the Universal Declaration of a nuclear-free world and ATOM project drawing attention to the significance of the International Day against Nuclear Tests which had been instituted by the UN and celebrated every year on 29 August.
During the talk M. Shin and K. Saudabayev also emphasized the importance of further expansion of the global efforts to reduce nuclear weapons in the world. The director of "Nazarbayev Center" invited Mr. Shin to visit Kazakhstan for him to personally get acquainted with the experience of our country's nuclear disarmament. Martin Shin, known among other things as "President Jed Bartlet," from "The West Wing" series, marked the importance of Kazakhstan's contribution to the reduction of nuclear threat and expressed his intention to strengthen and develop cooperation in this field.
The same day the delegation members had a meeting with the director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) Ulf Sverdrup, and PNND co-president and a member of the Scottish Parliament Bill Kidd and others.
In the course of the exchange with U.Sverdrup the talkers gave notice of the similarity of the priorities of the two organizations, such as research in the areas of foreign and security policy, and spoke about the presence of great potential for interesting cooperation.
In his turn B. Kidd, who had attended Kazakhstan before, highlighted the example of nuclear disarmament of Kazakhstan for global efforts to reduce nuclear weapons and the need to bring the widest practical disarmament experience of our country to the international community.
B.Kidd having got acquainted with the work of ATOM Project Honorary Ambassador Karipbek Kuyukov said that "in his paintings, such as "First Explosion ", clearly expressed was the idea of nuclear weapons being bad and "the humanity must find strength to get rid of them".
