Kazakhstan, EU strengthen cooperation in bilateral and regional formats

ASTANA. KAZINFORM The meeting of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko with the delegation of the European Parliament (EP) headed by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) David McAllister has marked another step in strengthening the partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union on a bilateral basis and in the regional aspect, Kazinform learned from the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, the meeting was also attended by AFET Committee Vice-Chair Željana Zovko (Croatia), MEPs Gheorghe-Vlad Nistor (Romania), Klemen Grošelj (Slovenia), Karsten Lucke (Germany), Juozas Olekas (Lithuania), Manolis Kefalogiannis (Greece) and political advisors from leading party groups in the European Parliament.

The parties discussed priority areas of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU in the political, trade and economic spheres within the framework of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU, interaction in the sectors of energy, transport and logistics, including the development of the Middle Corridor. They also discussed new promising niches, such as critical raw materials and «green» hydrogen.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the significance of initiating official consultations on visa facilitation for citizens of our country, a step that would foster closer ties between Kazakhstan and the European Union.

Both parties expressed satisfaction with the positive trajectory in inter-parliamentary relations. «The European Parliament can play a more significant role in advancing diverse interactions between Kazakhstan and the EU, while supporting our efforts to enhance regional cooperation in Central Asia,» stated Roman Vassilenko.

In turn, David McAllister praised the current state of political dialogue between Kazakhstan and the EU, and welcomed the regular and intensive interaction between the parties on priority areas of bilateral and regional cooperation. «Kazakhstan stands as a reliable and stable partner of the European Union in the region, acting as a gateway to broader Asian area. Central Asia matters to Europe. And Europe matters to Central Asia,» stated the European politician.

The parties also exchanged views on current regional and international issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

For reference: The European Union is the main trade and investment partner of Kazakhstan. The EU accounts for more than 30% of Kazakhstan's foreign trade and investment.

At the end of 2022, trade turnover between the parties amounted to 39.9 billion US dollars, which is 38% higher than the previous year. During the first 6 months of 2023 the volume of trade increased by 0.3% and exceeded 20 billion US dollars.

Direct investments from the European Union into Kazakhstan's economy rose by 23%, reaching a 10-year record of 12.5 billion US dollars.