Nazarbayev meets with International Advisory Board members in Astana
Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former Chancellor of Austria Alfred Gusenbauer, ex-President of the European Commission and Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi were in attendance.
Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that the International Advisory Board carried out joint consultations and exchange of views on a regular basis.
"Some time has elapsed since our last meeting - Kazakhstan has passed its new long-term development strategy for 2050 and outlined its future goals. The country continues to implement its industrial and innovative development program, step up non-oil and gas export and seek a solution to the social issues. In addition, this year we will focus on the infrastructural problems of Kazakhstan's development. Kazakhstan together with the European Union is negotiating a new agreement on the development of commercial and economic cooperation, and we would like to know your opinion about it and your evaluation of the situation in Europe, in general," the Head of State said.
Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the former President of Poland, said the agenda of the meeting was quite interesting.
"We have renewed the dialogue we started a couple of months ago in Vienna, spoke about the European Union, on the whole, and touched upon the political and economic situation in Europe, in particular. Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union and the new agreement were in the focus of our attention as well. I would like to stress the importance of the new "Kazakhstan-2050" Strategy. This historical document demonstrates the idea of country's development for the decades to come," Mr. Kwaśniewski noted.
Former President of the European Commission and Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi said the members of the board had analyzed the situation in the global economy and policy and defined the areas of economic cooperation Kazakhstan and the EU need to promote.
Ex-Chancellor of Austria Alfred Gusenbauer noted the meeting concentrated on a wide range of issues of regional and global character.
"It is worth mentioning, Kazakhstan will play host to the next round of talks on the Iran's nuclear program in the next two days. These talks are of paramount importance in terms of strengthening global security. And the fact that Almaty hosts these negotiations emphasizes the role of the Kazakh diplomacy in the region. People of Kazakhstan should be proud of their contribution to ensuring peace and stability. Kazakhstan in close cooperation with the EU, the U.S. and China preserves its role as a pillar of regional stability," Mr. Gusenbauer pointed out.
The meeting also discussed key aspects of further all-round development of Kazakhstan with the help of European experience.
The International Advisory Board under the President of Kazakhstan established in 2010 consists of prominent European politicians and public figures.