UN General Assembly
2014

good neighbour in Central Asia. Kazakhstan fully supports Afghanistan’s integration into the region’s expanding network of trade, energy and transportation links. We have taken practical steps to assist in the rehabilitation of our neighbour. The Government of Kazakhstan has allocated almost $3 million for the construction of social infrastructure and has provided more than $17 million in humanitarian food assistance. We are spending $50 million to train approximately 1,000 Afghan students in Kazakhstan universities. The first civilian students will soon successfully complete their education in Kazakhstan and join the peaceful reconstruction process in their home country. It is clear that we in Central Asia face a number of challenges that endanger stability not only in specific countries but in the entire region. There is regrettably little sign that those problems will disappear in the near future. That is why the United Nations and the international community need to work more purposefully in Central Asia. Accordingly, Kazakhstan’s call for the establishment of the United Nations regional hub in the city of Almaty is highly