Kazakhstan ratifies deal to extend EU partnership

    By Mariusz Kluzniak
    The upper house of the Kazakh parliament has ratified an agreement on extending its partnership with EU member states, Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov said Thursday.
    "The most important [section] in the new treaty is the trade section, which provides additional guarantees of stability to our European partners and increases Kazakhstan's investment attractiveness," Idrissov was quoted as saying by Novosti Kazakhstan.
    Kazakhstan is among the European Union's leading trading partners, ranking 26^th place in terms of total trade volume, according to the top Kazakh diplomat.
    The partnership deal was signed on December 21, 2015 between Idrissov and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. The agreement covers 29 spheres of cooperation, including issues of international and regional security, trade, investment and infrastructure development, as well as innovation, education, sport and tourism, according to Sputnik News.