ASTANA – Kazakh-Austrian bilateral and multilateral cooperation and prospects for further partnership were discussed at an April 19 meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko and Secretary General of Austria’s Foreign Ministry Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.
Roman Vassilenko with Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal. Photo credit: gov.kz.
Vassilenko spoke about the results of the March 19 parliamentary election in Kazakhstan, the ongoing work to improve the investment climate, and the development of trade and economic cooperation with Austria.
Launsky-Tieffenthal commended the reforms in Kazakhstan and wished success during the eleventh meeting of the Kazakh-Austrian Intergovernmental Commission on economic, agricultural, environmental, industrial, technical, and technological cooperation that took place on April 20 in Graz.
The parties focused on the current agenda and development prospects of the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Vassilenko met with Teresa Ribeiro, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, to review the protection of the rights and freedoms of media representatives. He underscored the progress of mainstream and independent media development in Kazakhstan, particularly as part of the reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Ribeiro assured the OSCE would keep assisting the country in implementing the reforms.
Vassilenko also met with Martin Sajdik, who was an international observer at the previous parliamentary election in Kazakhstan and is a board member at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy. They discussed Kazakh political and socio-economic reforms and issues of the global agenda.
“Despite challenges, our country has managed to put in place a set of significant reforms, which is clear evidence of the consistent commitment by President Tokayev to his formula of ‘a strong President – an influential Parliament – an accountable Government,’” Vassilenko noted.
Sajdik highlighted the international community’s growing interest in Kazakhstan’s reforms, as evidenced by many foreign observers and media representatives at the parliamentary election.
