The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, during negotiations in Astana with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, confirmed Kazakhstan's readiness to assist in resolving the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program. Grossi considers this possible, the press service of the Kazakh leader reported.
"Tokayev confirmed the readiness of our country, solely as a matter of goodwill, to help resolve the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program in the presence of appropriate international agreements. Rafael Grossi, noting the role and practical contribution of Kazakhstan to strengthening global nuclear security, expressed support for the noble intentions of our country," the statement said.
The press service noted that Grossi also believed that the republic "has the necessary political authority, appropriate infrastructure and scientific and technical base to implement possible agreements".
At the meeting, Tokayev also noted that Astana values its partnership with the IAEA. "Your first visit to Kazakhstan in April 2023 gave an additional impetus to our cooperation. I believe that on issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation we speak the same language. At the same time, a very ambiguous situation has developed in the world, which requires the unification of efforts to develop common approaches to solving global problems," Tokayev was quoted as saying in the statement.
Tokayev first spoke about the possibility of Kazakhstan's participation in resolving the situation with Iran's nuclear program on May 11 during talks with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Tokayev also noted that Astana has the world's only IAEA low-enriched uranium bank. The issue of removing enriched uranium from Iranian territory is one of the key issues in negotiations between Tehran and Washington on the cessation of hostilities. On May 9, in a conversation with reporters, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Russia's proposals for the removal of Iranian enriched uranium remain on the table.