On Tuesday 27 February, Kazakhstan's Foreign Affairs Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov called for visa facilitation for the citizens of his country, who still need a visa to visit the EU although this requirement no longer exists for Europeans wanting to visit Kazakhstan.
"Contact between citizens needs to be strengthened (...) the visa regime between the EU and Kazakhstan needs to be facilitated for the citizens of my country. We hope we can progress with the EU on this route", he said at the end of the 16th Cooperation Council, adding that this would be of benefit for trade.
During the Cooperation Council, the two parties underlined their interest in consolidating their relations and cooperation – particularly to ensure the region's stability and development, with 25 years of EU-Kazakhstan diplomatic relations being celebrated this year.
According to a Council press release, the parties also discussed the successful implementation of the strengthened partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and Kazakhstan, which is being applied provisionally – with the Kazakh minister calling for ratification of this agreement by the member states.
Political, judicial and economic reforms were also discussed, as were trade and economic relations and energy issues. "I hope that as part of the (partnership and cooperation) agreement, we will continue to promote trade and trade conducive for investment in new technologies", Abdrakhmanov stated.
"We will encourage Kazakhstan to continue on its path of respecting human rights", Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said on behalf of the EU. "The rule of law is dear to us", her Kazakh counterpart replied. According to the press release, the Cooperation Council underlined that the legitimate security measures needed for the fight against terrorism must respect individual freedoms and rights.
It also spoke of regional cooperation, the EU strategy for Central Asia, which is due to be reviewed in mid-2019, and aspects of regional security in relation to Afghanistan, especially border management, counter-terrorism and the fight against drug trafficking. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)