Samarkand, 18 November 2022 (TDI): A delegation from Kazakhstan attended the 18th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Central Asia & the European Union (EU).
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Mukhtar Tileuberdi led the delegation.
While Josep Borrell, the Vice-President of the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy headed the delegation of the EU.
During the meeting, the Ministers discussed the current relations and the potential for enhancing cooperation between the two regions.
The delegations discussed the future of relations between Central Asian nations and the EU, as well as other issues of shared concern.
Moreover, delegations from the countries of Central Asia and the EU discussed current interregional and international issues during the meeting.
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The Ministers also discussed the issues like mutual security challenges, the situation in Afghanistan, the economy, trade &and investment cooperation, environmental protection, water, and climate, as well as education.
Noting the major outcomes of the historic recent first meeting, the Kazakh Foreign Minister, Tileuberdi emphasized the importance of executing the agreements.
He also drew the participants’ attention to the significance of improving the cooperation of the parties’ activities.
While addressing the meeting, Tileuberdi expressed the country’s will to expand and improve its cooperation with European partners.
He also suggested establishing new interregional cooperation initiatives, in the areas of science, technology, and innovation. Furthermore, the Foreign Minister, Tileuberd expressed Kazakhstan’s will to enhance rare earth metal exports to Europe.
He also offered to collaborate in the country’s primary raw material processing to export completed goods required for high-tech industries.
In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, it was told that a positive development in trade has been observed since 2022. Moreover, the second CA-EU Economic Forum is also scheduled in Astana in May 2023.
