Kazakhstan willing to share nuclear disarmament expertise with N. Korea

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- Kazakhstan is willing to share its nuclear disarmament expertise with North Korea, emphasizing its own journey of voluntarily relinquishing nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union and subsequently achieving substantial economic growth, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko said Wednesday.

"We want to help in whichever way we can, in a modest way, I should say, to help ease these tensions and provide our expertise," Vassilenko said when asked by The Korea Herald during a press briefing about the roles Kazakhstan might consider to contribute to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Vassilenko emphasized that Kazakhstan remains a valuable model for North Korea, illustrating how denuclearization can pave the way for a more prosperous future. However, he also acknowledged the limitations of Kazakhstan's capacity to contribute to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, citing geographical distance and other factors.

"I know the six-sided format that was working for the resolution of this conflict, so we should be objective about assessing what we can do as a country that is far away from that region,” Vassilenko said, referring to the Six-Party Talks that have been halted since 2008.

The Six-Party Talks aimed at achieving verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through negotiations involving the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and North Korea.

Vassilenko went on to say, "For now, we can only share our experience and say, actually, that without nuclear weapons, you actually can fare better than with nuclear weapons. And Kazakhstan, for example, is a case in point."

Kazakhstan voluntarily relinquished its nuclear arsenals inherited from the Soviet Union, prioritizing regime security and economic compensation.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan inherited more than 1,400 nuclear warheads, more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear test sites, and reprocessing facilities, becoming the world's fourth-largest nuclear power.

In June, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, ahead of his trip to Kazakhstan, hailed the country as a "global model for denuclearization" during an interview with local media.

Vassilenko also reiterated that Kazakhstan remains firmly opposed to any nuclear proliferation activities.

"We, of course, have a special perspective on nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament, or the lack thereof, in the world," Vassilenko said.

"Therefore, we are very concerned generally with the deterioration in relations between the major recognized nuclear weapon states, but also deeply concerned about the development of nuclear weapons by non-recognized nuclear weapon states, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)."

Vassilenko explained that Kazakhstan has consistently condemned North Korea's nuclear weapons tests and "continuously expressed serious concern over its nuclear weapons program, as well as recent legislation adopted to transform the DPRK into a nuclear power, which undermines the global non-proliferation regime.”

In September 2023, North Korea enshrined its status as a nuclear power in its constitution.

"As far as the situation on the Korean Peninsula is concerned, we call for the peaceful resolution of nuclear issues and the peaceful resolution of the differences and conflict between North Korea and South Korea," Vassilenko added.

When asked about the closer alignment between North Korea and Russia, exemplified by Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang in mid-June, Vassilenko responded, "I would rather leave this without a comment, if I may."

Regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Vassilenko reaffirmed that Kazakhstan is ready to provide mediation if both sides are willing, expressing its intent to engage proactively.

Kazakhstan has a long history of playing the role of mediator in conflicts, such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict -- an ethnic and territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan that reignited in 1988.

Another key example is the Astana talks on Syria, where Kazakhstan has been a longtime host of peace talks, which aimed at resolving the Syrian civil war, between Russia, Turkey, and Iran.

"This is not, of course, a light-hearted subject. It's a huge tragedy, what is going on now," Vassilenko said when asked about Kazhastan's position on the war in Ukraine.

"Kazakhstan has expressed its position from the first days of this war. Our position is that we hope, we would prefer, for this conflict to end as soon as possible, for the military hostilities to cease as soon as possible, and for these two warring parties to move to the stage of resolving their differences in a diplomatic way."

Vassilenko explained that Kazakhstan maintains diplomatic relations with both Russia and Ukraine.

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev maintains contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "whenever necessary," with Vassilenko noting that Tokayev is the only Central Asian leader to do so. Tokayev is also "in regular touch" with Putin, who is visiting Kazakhstan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana on Thursday.

"We have offered ourselves in the past as a platform for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. If such a request comes from both sides, and they think that they want to use the platform offered by Kazakhstan, then we will be happy to offer that," Vassilenko said.

"So in whichever way we can help achieve a peaceful resolution of this conflict, we are prepared to engage."