ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas on March 28 in Almaty to discuss the current state and future prospects of Kazakh-European relations.
Kaja Kallas and Murat Nurtleu. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry.
The officials highlighted the importance of upcoming events, including the Central Asia-EU Summit in Samarkand next week, and emphasized the need for joint efforts in transport, logistics, green energy and climate change. They also stressed the significance of advancing visa facilitation negotiations, according to the Foreign Ministry’s press service.
In the context of developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, Nurtleu outlined the need to take joint practical steps, enabling access to the markets of the Middle East and Africa.
He also highlighted the importance of launching negotiations between Astana and Brussels as soon as possible on an agreement to facilitate the EU visa regime for citizens of Kazakhstan.
Kallas reiterated the EU’s commitment to deepening long-term cooperation with Kazakhstan and implementing joint projects. She stated that this would be facilitated by the outcomes of the Central Asia – EU Ministerial Meeting recently held in Ashgabat, which the European side highly values.
Kallas also met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to discuss expanding trade and economic partnerships in priority areas.
The European Union is Kazakhstan’s leading trade and investment partner. The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the European Union reached $49.7 billion (+16.9%), including $38.6 billion in exports from Kazakhstan and $11.1 billion in imports. From 2005 through the first nine months of 2024, the gross inflow of direct investment from EU countries totaled $200.7 billion. More than 3,000 European companies are currently operating in Kazakhstan.
