Kazakh President Calls Guterres Meeting 'Bright Sign' Of Relations With UN

Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev met with visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Astana on July 3 in what Toqaev called "a bright sign of close relations" between the international body and his post-Soviet republic. Toqaev expressed "full support" for the work of the UN. Kazakhstan has hosted peace talks between Caucasus foes Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as discussions on the Syrian conflict in the past year while pressure has mounted at home over economic and political woes amid a clampdown on dissent since deadly unrest two years ago. Guterres is on his first tour of Central Asia since 2017 and is attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.