Events

After the talks, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of the European Council Charles Michel held a media briefing.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted that the EU President's first visit to Kazakhstan is a demonstration of the high level of respect and trust for our country. He expressed his gratitude to Charles Michel for accepting invitation to visit Kazakhstan.  

“Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and the European Union. It is encouraging that Mr. Charles Michel`s visit takes place on the eve of this anniversary. We attach particular importance to this visit and appreciate significant contribution of Mr. President to strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union. We have just had meaningful and fruitful talks, which will contribute to taking our bilateral relations to a new level. Our meeting took place in a warm and trustworthy atmosphere. We agreed to continue our intensive political dialogue. We also confirmed the importance of enhancing the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union in the framework of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

As the President of Kazakhstan noted, the European Union is one of the largest trade and investment partners of our country. Over the last 30 years, Kazakhstan has attracted more than $160 billion in investment from the EU. During the 8 months of this year, the trade between Kazakhstan and the EU has increased by 43% and made up 26 billion USD.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that during the talks with the President of the EU, a positive assessment was given to bilateral relations in the fields of energy, green economy, agriculture, transport and logistics. The parties agreed on joint efforts to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.

“First of all, we took into account the great potential for cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU in such areas as transportation of essential raw materials and "green" energy. In addition, the importance of developing international transport routes to ensure a global supply chain for goods was highlighted. It is particularly important in today's geopolitical context. We also looked into the possibilities of exploiting the Trans-Caspian international transport route by the European Union. Special attention was paid to minimizing the negative impact on the economy of Kazakhstan against the backdrop of European sanctions,” the Head of State said.

Furthermore, the parties discussed issues relating to democracy, human rights and the rule of law during the talks. As Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted, Charles Michel expressed his support for the extensive reforms being undertaken as part of building the Just Kazakhstan.

President Tokayev thanked the European side for the support provided to our country within the framework of various programs.

“At the meeting, we also discussed the current regional and international agenda. We also thoroughly reviewed the current situation in Afghanistan and the EU's interregional relations with Central Asian states. I expressed my gratitude to Mr. Charles Michel for accepting the invitation to participate in the C5+ meeting to be held in Astana this afternoon. We have agreed to combine our efforts and work together at the international level,” said President.

In conclusion, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his satisfaction with the results of the negotiations, since a number of agreements on priority areas had been reached. The Head of State emphasized that the visit of President Charles Michel to our country would facilitate further collaboration between Kazakhstan and the EU.

In turn, President of the European Council Charles Michel expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and congratulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and all the people of Kazakhstan on the Republic Day.

“One thing is sure – our relationship is strong and getting even stronger. Central Asia and Europe are coming closer together and becoming more and more connected. Kazakhstan is a crucial partner for the EU.  Kazakhstan is also an important player on the international stage and in the region.  I would like to congratulate you on hosting the first EU-Central Asian Leaders` meeting. Strong cooperation of Central Asian countries is a key to security and development of the region. Today's meeting is much more than just a policy dialogue between two regions,” Charles Michel stressed.