The fight against terrorism

In a wide-ranging interview in "Izvestiya" on 29 December, Nursultan Nazarbaev called for a close examination of international organizations by the world community and for reforms to overcome what he called "stagnation" in addressing some international problems, particularly the fight against terrorism. Nazarbaev also called for the creation of an association of Caspian littoral states, but complained that the other Caspian states have shown little interest in this proposal. Nazarbaev also said no country should be barred from taking part in stabilization efforts in Iraq because it had its own assessment of the problems there. He also complained about Russian media reports calling the closure of the Kazakh-Russian border to stop illegal migration and drug trafficking. According to Nazarbaev, Kazakhstan has expended a great deal of effort and money providing a defensive line for Russia against these problems.