EU-Kazakhstan relations come under the spotlight

Current relations between the European Union and Kazakhstan will come under the spotlight next week when the Cooperation Council between the two sides meets in Brussels.

The 22nd meeting of the council takes place on 1 December and will be chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Yermek Kosherbayev while the EU delegation will be led by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

A spokesman for the EU Council told this site that the parties will discuss the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA), marking its 10th anniversary since signature and 5th anniversary since entry into force, and its next steps.

Roman Vassilenko (pictured), ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium, EU and NATO, says the tenth anniversary of the landmark agreement is a timely opportunity to “take stock” of relations between his country and the EU and how they might evolve and grow in the coming years.

The Council spokesman said the Cooperation Council next week will review “key” aspects of EU-Kazakhstan relations, in particular political, economic and trade matters and cooperation.

Internal reforms, rule of law and human rights, readmission and visa facilitation, cooperation facility, Global Gateway flagship programs, critical raw materials and sustainable connectivity will also be under discussion, he said.

The EU and Kazakhstan will also discuss regional and international developments, including security and efforts to address sanction circumvention.

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