ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabe Abroad of Burkina Faso Karamoko Traoré, who arrived in Astana on a working visit on June 3.
Karamoko Traoré and Murat Nurtleu. Photo credit: Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.
This is the first visit of the foreign minister of Burkina Faso to Kazakhstan in the history of bilateral relations, opening new horizons for the development of partnership.
During the meeting, the diplomats discussed a wide range of topics covering political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian aspects of cooperation. Special attention was given to enhancing collaboration in promising areas such as logistics, mining, digitalization and defense industry, reported the Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s press service.
“The African direction occupies an important place in Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. Astana seeks to strengthen mutually beneficial and equal cooperation with the countries of the continent”, said Nurtleu.
He also expressed gratitude to Burkina Faso for supporting the initiative to establish the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
The officials confirmed mutual interest in deepening the legal framework and intensifying visits at various levels, as well as exchanged views on topical matters on the international and regional agenda.
The talks resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Political and Diplomatic Consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, which was an important step in institutionalizing the inter-ministerial dialogue.
The visit of the foreign minister of Burkina Faso takes place against the background of progressive activation of Kazakh-African relations. In recent years, leaders of Togo, Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau and Rwanda, as well as foreign ministers of Sierra Leone, Benin and Rwanda have paid official visits to Astana.
Kazakhstan is consistently strengthening its diplomatic presence on the African continent and promoting joint economic projects based on equality and mutual respect.
The Burkinabe delegation, visiting Kazakhstan through June 5, has scheduled meetings with relevant ministries and state bodies.
