EU remains key political and trade partner, says Kazakhstan president
The European Council president António Costa recently had a telephone conversation with the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reiterating the importance of further deepening engagement. This is under the EU Strategy for Central Asia and the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
Tokayev emphasised that the EU continues to be an important trade and political partner for Kazakhstan. The leaders also talked about major issues defining bilateral cooperation, such as developing economic and trade links, strengthening political dialogue and implementing joint projects in the fields of logistics, energy, sustainable development, transport and digital transformation.
Costa also showered praise on Kazakhstan for going a long way in building up stability in the region and advancing reforms.
Both Tokayev and Costa reiterated their commitment to preserving constructive dialogues and taking cooperation further with issues of mutual interest.
In an online post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Costa said: "In my phone call with the President of Kazakhstan @TokayevKZ, I expressed our appreciation for the strategic cooperation we have established together. Kazakhstan is an important partner of the EU, and we will continue to strengthen trade and connectivity links.
"I commended Kazakhstan's principled stance in supporting a rules-based international order. We agreed to continue cooperating closely in support of multilateralism, territorial integrity, and the peaceful settlement of conflicts.
"I look forward to our discussions in Samarkand during the first-ever EU-Central Asia Summit in April."
Currently, the EU is Kazakhstan's main investment partner, with foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows from the EU coming up to $6.4 billion (€6.2bn) in the first three quarters of last year. Trade turnover between the EU and Kazakhstan hit $48.7bn (€47.3bn) last year, which was a surge of 18% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. This made up 80% of the overall trade turnover in Central Asia.
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