Kazakh Leader, European Council Chief Discuss Deepening Of Interaction Between Astana, EU

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published June 02, 2023 | 07:36 PM

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and European Council President Charles Michel met on the sidelines of the Central Asia-European Union Summit on Friday to discuss the enhanced partnership and the deepening of interaction between Astana and Brussels, Tokayev's press service said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2023) Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and European Council President Charles Michel met on the sidelines of the Central Asia-European Union Summit on Friday to discuss the enhanced partnership and the deepening of interaction between Astana and Brussels, Tokayev's press service said.

"In the margins of the Central Asia-European Union Summit, President Tokayev met with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. Welcoming Charles Michel, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the priority character of Kazakhstan's strategic partnership with the European Union. The Agreement on enhanced partnership and cooperation (EPCA) between our country and the EU has marked the beginning of a new stage in the deepening of our interaction," the press service's statement read.

Tokayev's office also noted that the European Union is a leading trade partner and a major investor in Kazakhstan's economy.

Michel, on his part, welcomed "the growing dynamics of cooperation" between Brussels and Astana and stressed the importance of maintaining the joint work to further develop interaction between the parties, the statement read.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on the global and regional agenda, Tokayev's press service added.

The second Central Asia-European Union summit is taking place in Kyrgyzstan from June 2-3. The event has brought together leaders from the Central Asian countries and the EU member states. The summit is scheduled to discuss regional cooperation and current regional issues, as well as international developments.

The EU and Kazakhstan signed the EPCA in 2015. The agreement, which covers cooperation in 29 key policy areas such as finance, trade, the economy, energy, transport, the environment, climate change and others, entered into full force in March 2020. Bilateral cooperation under the agreement has made the bloc Kazakhstan's leading trade partner and a major foreign investor in the country's market. In 2022, total trade in goods between the EU and Kazakhstan amounted to almost 40.2 billion Euros ($43 billion).