Kazakhstan’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell discussed further strengthening of economic ties on Thursday.
“We welcome high-level contacts between Kazakhstan and the EU. In this regard, I would like to commend the very productive visit of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and my talks with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen,” Tokayev said in a statement.
The statement noted that Josep Borrell’s visit to Astana is very important in terms of strengthening cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU.
Tokayev also recalled the memorandum signed in Egypt between Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Nov. 7, which focused on sustainable raw materials, batteries and renewable hydrogen value chains, expressing that it was a “very concrete step forward in terms of mutual cooperation.”
The statement said that Borrell noted the positive trajectory in the development of relations between Astana and Brussels.
“I am glad that the EU and Kazakhstan are good partners. We talk about common challenges with mutual trust and respect. My visit came at a very important time when you launched a serious reform process to transform the country to make it more open, more inclusive and more democratic,” Borrell was quoted as saying.
