ASTANA. March 2 (Interfax) - Nuclear powers should set a disarmament example to other states, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has said.
"I think it would be correct to say that the entire world understands the complexity of this issue [nuclear disarmament] and, speaking of the reduction of nuclear tests, (...) this is a right thing to do at the time when the world is ridden by terrorism," Nazarbayev told heads of diplomatic missions in Astana on Wednesday.
If certain countries possess and improve their nuclear weapons, "20 threshold states will also want to have nuclear weapons for their protection," he said.
"This is a very dangerous trend. I think that all countries of the world should be united and address this matter together," the head of state said.
In addition, the president noted the role of Kazakhstan in the Iran nuclear negotiations.
"We have always supported negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program and have made a practical contribution to it. The outcomes of two negotiating rounds held in Almaty laid down a foundation for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iranian nuclear program. At the request of the P5+1 group and Iran, we have provided practical assistance in the implementation of this plan," Nazarbayev said.
On December 27, 2015, Kazakhstan supplied Iran with 60 tonnes of natural uranium in compensation for the low-enriched uranium exported from that country, he said.
"We are confident that this will strengthen the non-proliferation regime and will promote lawful rights of countries for peaceful atomic projects and indiscriminative access to nuclear fuel," the Kazakh president said.