Thaindian News

Astana, April 16 (IANS) Kazakhstan Saturday reaffirmed its support for India’s candidature for the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

According to a joint statement issued after visiting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s talks with Kazakh leaders here, the two countries “affirmed the need to strengthen the UN role in international affairs and consider the organization as a universal tool in the implementation of equitable relations among the members of the international community as well as strengthening stability and security in the world.”

Kazakhstan also “reaffirmed support of the candidature of India for permanent membership in the UN Security Council”.

India on its part has expressed support to Kazakhstan for non-permanent membership in the council for 2017-18. The two countries also want early settlement of Afghanistan and condemned supporters of terror.

“The sides reaffirmed their view that international terrorism was a serious threat to global peace and security and condemned those who supported terrorism.

“They strongly condemned the recent act of terrorism (11 April 2011) in the Minsk Metro station, which had led to the loss of several innocent lives and had left hundreds of people injured. They hoped that the perpetrators of this heinous crime would be speedily brought to justice.”

They “expressed interest in the early settlement of the Afghanistan situation and positively assessed the contribution by both countries to the reconstruction in Afghanistan.”

They agreed that the global community had rightly noted in the Kabul Communique (July 2010) the importance of ensuring that terrorists were denied sanctuaries.

They also underscored the importance of eliminating the narco-trafficking infrastructure that still existed in that country. They assessed that for peace and stability to be restored, it was essential that renewed efforts were made to sufficiently build up the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces.