Document on completion of negotiations on new Kazakhstan-EU coop agr't signed

ASTANA- BRUSSELS. President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso met today in Brussels.

The parties debated a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the light of signing a new Agreement on expanded partnership and cooperation between Kazakhstan and EU and focused on urgent issues of the international agenda. The sides noted the high level of cooperation achieved for the years of cooperation. Upon completion of the talks Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov and Chief Operating Officer of the European External Action Service David O'Sullivan signed the joint document on completion of negotiations on the draft Agreement on the enlarged partnership and cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU. The negotiation process started in 2011. Eight official rounds of negotiations and a series of meetings of experts and videoconferences were held since that time. Kazakhstan is the only country of Central Asia to hold and complete negotiations on the Agreement of the second generation that envisages the extended partnership and cooperation.