Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Held a Meeting with Secretary General of the Council of Europe, DKnews.kz reports.
Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held a meeting with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset. The meeting took place within the framework of the European official’s participation in the Astana International Forum, where he spoke at a plenary session.
The parties discussed the current state and prospects of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe in such priority areas as the protection of human rights, the development of civil society, democratization, and ensuring the independence of the judiciary.
Special attention was paid to the implementation of the “New Priorities for Cooperation between the Council of Europe and Kazakhstan for 2019-2023.” Having highly evaluated the results achieved, the parties expressed their readiness to actively continue joint work under the next stage – the Programme for 2024-2027, focusing on combating economic crimes, strengthening the independence and efficiency of the judiciary, and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The mentioned programme was officially presented during a special side event of the Council of Europe on the margins of the Astana International Forum with the participation of representatives of Kazakhstan’s government agencies, the diplomatic corps, and international partners.
The interlocutors positively noted the 20-year experience of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, emphasizing the constructive nature of interaction between parliamentary institutions.
Minister Nurtleu informed the Secretary General about the progress of systemic political and socio-economic reforms being implemented on the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as part of building a Just Kazakhstan. In this regard, the Kazakh Foreign Minister expressed gratitude for the practical support provided by the Council of Europe.
In turn, Secretary General Berset thanked for the invitation to take part in the Astana International Forum and confirmed the Council of Europe’s interest in further strengthening ties with Kazakhstan, expressing readiness to continue supporting institutional reforms in the country.
