A meeting between Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and European Council President António Costa, who is making his first official visit to Kazakhstan, took place in Akorda.
The head of state emphasized the symbolism of the visit, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Kazakhstan is the first country in the region to conclude such a historic agreement with the European Union.
"We attach particular importance to your visit. It is further evidence of our mutual commitment to further expand comprehensive cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union. We maintain a strong and meaningful partnership based on mutual respect and understanding. Our political dialogue is dynamic and developing in many areas of mutual interest. In this regard, I highly commend the results of the EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council meeting held several days ago in Brussels," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The European Union remains Kazakhstan's largest trade and investment partner.
Bilateral trade turnover reached approximately $50 billion last year, and cumulative investment since 2005 has reached nearly $200 billion. Our country accounts for 80% of the EU's trade with Central Asia.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev praised the active presence of over 4,000 European companies in Kazakhstan, operating in the energy, transport, digitalization, and industrial sectors. The President also reaffirmed our country's commitment to further maintaining a stable and transparent investment climate for European businesses.
The Head of State paid special attention to humanitarian cooperation. He expressed gratitude for the EU's educational programs, which have provided over 5,000 Kazakhstani students and teachers with the opportunity to study and complete internships in EU countries.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the agreements reached to begin preparations for concluding agreements on visa facilitation and readmission.
According to the President, Kazakhstan highly values the EU's active dialogue with Central Asia within the C5+EU format, which promotes common interests in sustainable growth and connectivity.
According to him, the C5+ dialogue has become an effective tool for implementing regional development priorities.
António Costa expressed gratitude to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the warm welcome. He noted the high dynamics of Kazakh-European cooperation and stated the EU's readiness to further deepen comprehensive cooperation.
"Over the past ten years, the European Union has become Kazakhstan's largest trading partner and foreign investor. At the same time, Kazakhstan, which has become the third-largest supplier of oil and uranium, plays a key role in ensuring Europe's economic security. Clearly, today we are entering a new phase of strengthening our relations and developing economic ties," said the President of the European Council.
António Costa stressed that the European Union and Kazakhstan share a common vision of the world, based on a commitment to multilateralism and an international order based on the values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
According to him, these principles underlie efforts to ensure security, stability, and prosperity throughout the world. As António Costa further noted, cooperation with the countries of Central Asia is an important element in the development and practical advancement of relations in today's multilateral world. In this context, he praised President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's personal efforts to strengthen peace in the Caucasus.
He believed that ensuring security in the region opens new opportunities for the development of the Trans-Caspian Corridor, which will connect Europe via the Caucasus and the Black Sea. During the meeting, a wide range of cooperation issues were discussed, with particular attention paid to cooperation in transport and logistics, digitalization, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, and other promising areas.
By the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
