Astana, Oct 27 (EFE) . – Kazakhstan needs to raise its relationship with the European Union (EU) to a new level, Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Thursday when receiving the president of the European Council, Charles Michel.
“We make your official stop in Kazakhstan as further proof of mutual interest in elevating our relations to a new level,” the Kazakh leader said.
Tokayev under pressure for his country to be the first in Central Asia to sign an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement with the EU.
The Kazakh described the talks with Michel as “substantial” and “fruitful. “
“We have reached an agreement to continue our extensive political dialogue,” Tokayev told a news conference.
According to the Kazakh president, the EU is one of the former Soviet republic’s trading partners.
Over the 3 decades, Kazakhstan’s economy has attracted more than $160 billion in EU investment.
In the first 8 months of 2022 alone, the industry grew from 43 to $26 billion, he said.
AREAS OF COOPERATION
Tokayev highlighted the prospect of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU in spaces such as shipping critical raw fabrics and green energy, as well as the importance of creating foreign shipping routes for secure global supply chains.
“This is to know, in the existing geopolitical conditions,” he said.
For his part, Michel the relevance of the joint cadres with Astana “at the regional level”, according to the Kazakh presidency.
“Kazakhstan is a spouse of the EU and a player abroad and in the region,” he said.
Michel added that “close cooperation with Central Asian countries paves the way for progress and security in the region. “
In this regard, the President of the European Council said that the Brussels sanctions against Moscow were not aimed at third countries.
However, he was pressured by the need for existing restrictions “not to be circumvented” with those of third parties.
They also stressed the importance of frequently improving the business climate in the Central Asian country to ensure an enabling environment to attract more EU investment to Kazakhstan.
Michel also attended the presentation of the commission to build a hydrogen production and distribution center in the southern province of Mangystau.
The German-Swedish organization Svevind plans to expand the allocation with a production capacity of 2 million green hydrogen per year.
The initiative includes the structure of a desalination plant with a sanitation capacity of 255,000 consistent cubic meters per day, a 40 GW renewable energy plant (wind, solar) and the generation of 20 GW of water electrolysis for export and domestic consumption.