Presiden Tokayev thanked Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for hosting the event and UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his continued commitment to LLDCs. Tokayev recalled that Kazakhstan hosted the first-ever LLDC conference in 2003, leading to the Almaty Programme of Action — a milestone in putting these countries on the global development agenda.
With 32 LLDCs home to over 500 million people, Tokayev highlighted the barriers they face in trade, access to finance, and technology. “Limited regional connectivity, high transit costs, and geopolitical vulnerabilities continue to hinder our competitiveness,” he said.
The President called for stronger recognition of LLDCs as “equal and promising partners” in global decision-making. He voiced support for the new Awaza Programme of Action and urged transit countries and international institutions to back it politically and financially.
Addressing climate change, Tokayev stressed that LLDCs are especially vulnerable to water shortages, glacier melt, and desertification. He invited participants to a UN-backed Regional Environmental Summit in Astana next April.
He also underscored Kazakhstan’s investment in infrastructure and digitalization, including the Middle Corridor transit route and the new Alem.AI center in Astana. “Geography should not define our destiny,” he said, pointing to Central Asia’s emerging role as a hub of connectivity, trade, and sustainable growth.
