Eurasian Media Forum Creates Atmosphere Of Trust

FROM JAMALUDDIN MUHAMMAD ASTANA, April 25 (Bernama) – The Eurasian Media Forum has created an atmosphere of trust between countries and continents, maintaining international peace and accord. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev said the media forum has established itself as an active proponent of rapproachment and comprehensive cooperation between the peoples of Europe and Asia. “We are united by deep historical, ethno-cultural communication and extensive business relationships,” he said in his greetings to the participants of the 12th Eurasian Media Forum, here, Thursday. His speech text was read by State Secretary of Kazakhstan Adilbek Jaksybekov at the forum held at the Palace of Independence. The president said the forum was held during a difficult international political situation and many of the events of recent months once again demonstrated the importance of maintaining inter-ethnic peace. In this process, Nursultan said his country has made a worthy contribution based on positive experience of peace and unity. “In our country there are more than 100 ethnic groups. Thanks to the peace and stability, that in our country are immutable values and top priorities of state policy,” he said. He said the forum had gained wide international fame and become a recognised platform for discussing the most pressing problems of a rapidly changing world, as well as new approaches to solving them. For 12 years, the forum was attended by more than 5,000 experts, politicians, journalists and public figures from 60 countries. Thursday panel sessionS discussed on a new global order, Iran’s nuclear programme and the Middle East conflicts. Advisor to the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour told the forum that key issues for the final agreement on its nuclear programme between the country and six nations have been reached. In November last year, Iran and the six nations including United States, China and Russia had inked an agreement intended as a first step towards a more comprehensive nuclear pact to be completed in six months. The initial agreement signed in Geneva, among others, freezes Iran’s nuclear programmes in exchange of modest relief of trade sanctions and access to some of its frozen accounts overseas. Seyed Mohammad was confident the comprehensive agreement could be reached as the current negotiation was going well. Another penalist, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said: “Transparency on the part of Iran over the matter could lead to a dramatic improvement of relationship between the United States and the country." However, Gingrich warned that the United States would return with stricter sanctions if Iran did not honour its agreement. “Peaceful energy programme is not an issue but crossing the line is,” said Gingrich. Seyed Mohammad reiterated that his country did not have a military nuclear programme and described the Iran nuclear crisis as just an artificial crisis based on assumption and unjustified concern as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had never found proof of the existence of nuclear weapon in the country. “Iran does not have military nuclear programme and will never have” he said. Touching on the same issue, another panellist, Ehud Barak, former Israeli prime minister, claimed that Iran with nuclear power could be a major destabliser for the world. “We have nothing against Iranians but we are concerned if radical and extremist groups have at their disposal nuclear weapons,” said Barak. The two-day conference ends Friday. -- BERNAMA