Activities of Secretary-General in Kazakhstan, 8-9 June

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Astana, Kazakhstan, from New York, on Thursday, 8 June, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of State Council.

Upon arrival, he attended a concert hosted by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev.

The next day, the Secretary-General met with United Nations staff working in Kazakhstan.  He also held a brief press encounter during which he stressed the importance of the cooperation between the United Nations and Kazakhstan at the national, regional and global levels.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General addressed the participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, making a special plea to them to show commitment in efforts to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change.  He also touched on the reforms he launched since taking office, including the creation of a new Office of Counter-Terrorism.  (See Press Release SG/SM/18562.)

While in Astana, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with President Nazarbayev, as well as meetings with King Felipe VI of Spain; the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif; the Foreign Minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif; and the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Rashid Alimov.

After a visit to the Expo2017 on Future Energy, the Secretary-General left Astana for Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he arrived in the evening.