President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with President of the European Council António Costa at the Akorda residence, marking his first official visit to Kazakhstan, DKNews.kz reports.
The Head of State emphasized the symbolic significance of the visit, which is taking place in the run-up to the 10th anniversary of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA). Kazakhstan became the first country in the region to conclude this historic agreement with the European Union.
We place particular emphasis to your visit. It stands as yet another indication of our mutual readiness to expand the all-round Kazakhstan – EU cooperation even further. Kazakhstan and the EU enjoy robust and meaningful partnership based on mutual respect and understanding. Our political dialogue is dynamic and developing across many areas of mutual interest. In this context, I commend the outcomes of the EU – Kazakhstan Cooperation Council held few days ago in Brussels, – noted Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The EU remains Kazakhstan’s largest trade and investment partner. Last year, bilateral trade reached almost 50 billion US dollars, while total investment since 2005 has amounted to nearly 200 billion dollars. Kazakhstan accounts for 80 percent of the EU’s trade with Central Asia.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev commended the strong presence of more than 4,000 European companies operating in Kazakhstan across the energy, transport, digitalization, and industrial sectors. He also reaffirmed the country’s commitment to maintaining a stable and transparent investment climate for European businesses.
The Head of State paid special attention to humanitarian cooperation. He expressed gratitude for the EU’s educational programmes, through which more than 5,000 Kazakh students and academics have had the opportunity to study and undertake training in EU member states.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the agreements reached to launch preparations for a Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements.
President Tokayev highlighted the importance Kazakhstan places on the EU’s active engagement with Central Asia through the C5+EU format, which contributes to advancing shared interests in sustainable growth and connectivity. He noted that the C5+ dialogue has become an effective platform for addressing regional development priorities.
For his part, António Costa thanked Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the warm welcome. He commended the strong momentum in Kazakhstan – EU cooperation and affirmed the European Union’s readiness to further deepen comprehensive collaboration.
Over the past ten years, the European Union has become Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner and foreign investor. At the same time, Kazakhstan has emerged as a key element of our economic security as the third-largest supplier of oil and uranium. It is clear that we are entering a new stage in strengthening our relationship and expanding our economic ties, – said the President of the European Council.
António Costa underlined that the European Union and Kazakhstan share a common vision of the world grounded in a commitment to multilateralism and an international rules-based order founded on the values enshrined in the UN Charter. According to him, these principles form the basis of efforts to promote security, stability, and prosperity across the globe.
He went on to emphasize that cooperation with the Central Asian countries is an important element in advancing and practically strengthening relations in today’s multilateral world. In this context, he commended President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s personal efforts to help consolidate peace in the Caucasus. In his view, ensuring security in the region opens new opportunities for the development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor, which will connect Europe via the Caucasus and the Black Sea.
During the talks, the two sides reviewed a wide range of cooperation issues, placing particular emphasis on partnership in transport and logistics, digitalization, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, and other promising areas.
