Kazakhstan’s president, top EU diplomat discuss further strengthening of economic ties

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kazakhstan’s president and the EU foreign policy chief discussed further strengthening of economic ties on Thursday.

“We welcome high-level contacts between Kazakhstan and the EU. In this regard, I would like to commend the very productive visit of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and my talks with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen,” President Kassym-Jomart said in a statement.

The statement noted that Josep Borrell’s visit to Astana is very important in terms of strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU.

Tokayev also recalled the memorandum signed in Egypt between Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Nov. 7, which focused on sustainable raw materials, batteries and renewable hydrogen value chains, expressing that it was a “very concrete step forward in terms of mutual cooperation.”

The statement said that Borrell noted the positive trajectory in the development of relations between Astana and Brussels.

“I am glad that the EU and Kazakhstan are good partners. We talk about common challenges with mutual trust and respect. My visit came at a very important time when you launched a serious reform process to transform the country to make it more open, more inclusive and more democratic,” Borrell was quoted as saying.

Borrell will later travel to Uzbekistan to participate in the EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference in Samarkand, set to begin on Friday.

The EU foreign policy chief also held a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi. The meeting was attended by the leadership of several ministries and national companies of Kazakhstan, a Kazakh Foreign Ministry statement said.

The meeting of the two diplomats focused on strengthening dialogue “in all priority areas with a focus on the practical implementation of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), that covers 29 areas of cooperation.”

“Sides exchanged views on current regional and international challenges. In particular, they discussed development of international transport corridors, including within the framework of the EU Strategy on Central Asia and the Europe-Asia Connectivity Strategy, as well as the ‘Global Gateway’ initiative,” the statement said.

The meeting also touched upon further steps to diversify dialogue in the trade and economic spheres, with a focus on “deepening cooperation in agriculture, transition to green economy, increasing energy efficiency, digitalization, transport and logistics,” it added.

The statement said that views on the further development of the dialogue between Kazakhstan and the EU were also exchanged in the field of human rights and the rule of law.