GOVERNMENT: Kazakhstan deepens cooperation with EU in the field of agriculture

This week Prime Minister Karim Massimov held a conference in the Government which considered the flood situation and preparation for spring field work.

According to the Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov, currently in Kazakhstan flooded 535 houses, destructed 190 sections of roads with the length of 20 kilometers, 2 bridges are destroyed. Thus, the rescue operations involved over four thousand people, 1140 units of equipment, and 259 water drainage devices.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Yerlan Nysanbayev informed that it is planned to increase the area for planting crops to 21.6 million hectares which is 400 thousand hectares more than in 2015.

This week PM Massimov chaired a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council which took place in Moscow's "Gorki-9." Participants of the sitting have discussed a wide range of issues of the integration agenda concerning the development of industrial areas of cooperation in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as measures of sustainable development of the economies of the participating countries.

Heads of Governments of the EEU member-states approved the draft concept of the formation of the EEU common markets of oil and petroleum products. In addition, there were considered and approved a number of documents to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the member-states and increase their technological capabilities.

It was also informed that the heads of the EEU states' Governments discussed the issues of trade and economic partnership and integration of the Eurasian Economic Union with the Chinese Silk Road initiative.

Kazakh Prime Minister has held a meeting with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan. The parties discussed the current prospects of the Kazakh-European trade and investment cooperation in the field of agriculture. 

Massimov and Hogan expressed satisfaction with the pace of development of bilateral relations, noting the importance of implementation of the Agreement signed in December 2015 on expanded partnership and cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union.

The Prime Minister stressed that the country pays great attention to the creation of favorable investment climate and invited European business partners to implement joint projects in the field of agriculture using advanced technologies. At the end of the meeting the sides expressed confidence in further development of fruitful bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Kazakhstan and the European Union will make a road map for deepening cooperation in the field of agriculture. In the framework of the meeting representatives of Kazakhstan's Ministry for Agriculture and the European Commission have discussed the questions on deepening cooperation. According to Mr. Mamytbekov, Minister for Agriculture, the parties considered the issues of transit of goods through the EEU countries. They also discussed the issues in the field of organic certification of products.

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan noted Kazakhstan's excellent geographical location, its home market, as well as the markets of neighboring countries.