Kazakh Deputy FM visits Austria, discusses bilateral and multilateral coop

VIENNA. KAZINFORM – During his visit to Vienna, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with representatives of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as well as Austrian experts, Kazinform cites the press service of the Kazakh MFA.

During a meeting with the Secretary General of the Austrian Foreign Ministry Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the parties discussed a wide range of bilateral and multilateral cooperation issues.

Vassilenko briefed on the results of the early parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan, the ongoing work to improve the investment climate, and development of trade and economic cooperation with Austria.

The Austrian diplomat welcomed the reforms being implemented in Kazakhstan and praised the prospects of the Kazakh-Austrian partnership. Furthermore, Launsky-Tieffenthal wished success in holding the 11th meeting of the Kazakh-Austrian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Agricultural, Environmental, Industrial, Technical, and Technological Cooperation on today in Graz.

The interlocutors focused on the current agenda and development prospects of the Vienna-based OSCE.

On the same day, Vassilenko met with the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro. The parties discussed cooperation between Kazakhstan and the OSCE, as well as cooperation in protecting the rights and freedoms of media representatives.

The Kazakh diplomat shared with the OSCE Representative the progress of implementing reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, aimed, in particular, at the development of popular and independent media in Kazakhstan.

In turn, the head of the OSCE institution emphasized the intention, within the framework of her mandate, to continue providing further assistance to Kazakhstan in implementing the planned reforms.

At the end of the first day in Austria, the Deputy Foreign Minister met with Martin Sajdik, Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy Board Member. The sides exchanged views on the results of the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan, which Sajdik had the opportunity to observe as an international observer, and the political and socio-economic reforms carried out in the country, as well as on issues of the global agenda. As Vassilenko emphasized: «Despite the challenges, our country has managed to implement a set of significant reforms, and this is a clear demonstration that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is consistently committed to his formula «A strong President – an influential Parliament – an accountable Government».

Sajdik noted the growing interest in reforms in Kazakhstan on the part of the international community, as evidenced by many foreign observers and media representatives at the last parliamentary elections.