Kazakhstan and Austria mark 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations
After the declaration of Kazakhstan's independence, Austria was among the first countries to have recognized the sovereignty of our state. It happened on 18 January, 1992. A month later, on 19 February 1992diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Austria were established.
From the very beginning Kazakh-Austrian relations have been based on the principles of constructive dialogue and mutual trust. It is symbolic that in October 1991 the first Austrian astronaut Franz Fibek launched into space from the territory of Kazakhstan together with the first Kazakh cosmonaut Tokhtar Aubakirov. On this notable occasion leaders of the two states, President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Federal Chancellor Franz Vranitzky, met at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Since then, negotiations at the highest political level have become a good tradition. The content of these meetings shows the special nature of bilateral cooperation which is based on a solid legal basis.
Kazakhstan and Austria cooperate closely within the UN, OSCE and other international organizations.
Our economic ties have seen consistent development. Austria is among the leading trade partners of Kazakhstan, occupying 9th place among EU members in terms of bilateral trade volume. In turn, Kazakhstan is the second-largest trading partner for Austria among CIS countries. Over the years, Austria's total direct investments into Kazakhstan's economy have amounted to about $3 billion.
Effective bilateral economic interaction mechanisms are the Kazakh-Austrian intergovernmental commission on economic, agricultural, environmental, industrial and technological cooperation, as well as the Kazakh-Austrian Business Council, which gathers business representatives.
Inter-regional cooperation has been developing dynamically. Memoranda on cooperation between the State of Styria and the East Kazakhstan region, Carinthia and South Kazakhstan region, as well as the export center of Upper Austria and the Pavlodar region, were signed in 2016.
Honorary consuls representing the interests of Kazakhstan in the cities of Graz, Salzburg, Klagenfurt and Bregenz have contributed greatly to inter-regional cooperation.
Austria's vast experience in the renewable energy field is expected to have active representation during the international EXPO-2017 in Astana.
Relations within the education and cultural spheres are strengthening between our countries. In 2013, Austria successfully hosted the Days of Culture of Kazakhstan, and in 2014 - the Days of Austrian Culture were organized in Kazakhstan. Since 2015, the ‘Kazakh Pearls - the Sound of the Great Steppe' project has been implemented with the purpose of promoting the richness of Kazakh culture in Austria.
As shown by the results of 25 years of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Austria, our countries have successfully developed cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres, and are determined to further deepen and grow their collaboration.
Source: mfa.gov.kz