On the sidelines of his presence in Łódź, Poland, for the Ministerial Meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Foreign Minister M. Ioannis Kasoulides had separate meetings today with his counterparts, Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan Mr. Mukhtar Tleuberdi and Uzbekistan Mr. Vladimir Norov.
The two countries are members of the Organization of Turkic States and participated in the recent session of the Organization in Samarkand. The focus of Mr. Kasoulides' meetings with the two ministers was the decision of the Organization of Turkic States to amend its statute to accept the occupation regime as an observer. In their discussions with Mr. Kasoulides, the two ministers stated that the attitude of their states is governed by their commitment to international law and respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of all states and, by extension, the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with the Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus. The two states condemn any secessionist action and unilateral declaration of independence and are also concerned about the possible implications this would have in the Central Asian region.
What the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan said is consistent with the fact that the ratification of the amendment to the Statute of the Organization to admit them as observers and entities is pending. At the same time, this does not constitute an act of recognition of the pseudo-state.
On issues concerning bilateral relations between Cyprus and Kazakhstan, Mr. Kasoulides and Kazakh Foreign Minister Tleuberdi agreed to intensify efforts to conclude bilateral agreements on a number of issues and to proceed with political consultations. The two Ministers also agreed on the future opening of Consulates General on the condition of a direct air link between Cyprus and Kazakhstan.
In his conversation with his Uzbek counterpart Mr. Norov, Mr. Kasoulides referred to the intention to develop a dialogue of political consultations and define initiatives that will lead to the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.
(MB/EXP)
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