Press statement by President António Costa following his meeting with President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana 14:39 European Council President António Costa[...]

I want to start by thanking President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his warm welcome and kind hospitality here in Astana. It is a real honour to visit your country. My presence here reflects our intensified engagement with Kazakhstan, and our shared ambition to bring this partnership to an even higher level.

The cooperation between the European Union and Central Asia is entering a new phase of deepening our engagement. Today, together with President Tokayev, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the signature of our Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Kazakhstan.

It was the first agreement of its kind with a Central Asian country, and it remains the solid foundation of our growing cooperation. The EU is the first trade partner for Kazakhstan, and also its first foreign investor. Kazakhstan, as third largest oil and uranium supplier for the European Union, is a key partner for our energy security. Our partnership is delivering concrete results.

This week in Brussels, we just launched negotiations on a Visa Facilitation Agreement. I know very well how these talks matter deeply to both Kazakh and European citizens. When concluded, this Agreement will make it easier for our people to meet, study, work and invest, a real sign of the friendship between our peoples.

Back in April, we held the first ever EU-Central Asia Summit in Samark and where we agreed to elevate our regional partnership to a strategic level and to focus our cooperation on a few key areas of shared interest, with concrete deliverables:

• Transport, with the modernisation of the ports in the Transcaspian corridor;
• Energy, climate and water, expanding the EU investments in hydropower infrastructures;
• Critical raw materials, with the establishment of a new laboratory to analyse the materials in the country, instead of sending them abroad. A first step to develop and keep the added value here in your country;
• Digitalisation, by connecting remote schools to internet and improving satellite connections;
• And, deepening our people-to-people contacts.

Since the Summit, our cooperation in all these areas has gained real traction. And we are happy to see the work you are doing to improve the investment climate. You can count on us to promote among European companies the huge potential of our economic cooperation.

Kazakhstan is an important regional transport connectivity hub and has an essential role in ensuring the completion of the Trans-Caspian Corridor.

My message is clear: There is a strong opportunity to take our cooperation much further, and -as I reaffirmed to President Tokayev- the EU stands ready to help unlock this potential, for the benefit of both sides. Our meeting comes at a time of rising global tensions, with conflicts putting the international rules-based order under strain. As you know, the EU has worked firmly with Ukraine to stop the war. And we are working closely with our partners and remain committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

In this context, I want to stress my deep appreciation for Kazakhstan's consistent defence of the UN Charter and the rules-based order. We also welcome Kazakhstan's active and constructive role in regional stability, in particular your support to the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement. A peaceful and prosperous South Caucasus is vital for stronger links between Europe and Central Asia.

The dynamism of Kazakhstan's society together with the economic, political, economic and social reforms launched by President Tokayev are an excellent basis for the progress of our close cooperation to the next level. I am convinced that, together, we can turn common challenges into shared opportunities for the future for our people and our society.

Thank you very much.