Kazakh Ambassador to France met Portuguese FM

M. Tashibayev informed the Minister of the main provisions of the Kazakh President?s Address ?Through Crisis to Renovation and Development?, ?Path to Europe? government program. He handed over a letter of Kazakh Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin with proposal on preparation of new Kazakh-EU Advanced Partnership Agreement to Mr. Amadu. They also discussed the concept of the document which was drafted in Astana. The diplomat informed that the Kazakh Foreign Affairs Minister had recently met with EU High Representative Javier Solana and European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The issues of regional and international security, implementation of the EU Strategy for Central Asia, opportunity of conclusion of a new Kazakh-EU Advanced Partnership Agreement as well as liberalization of the Shengen visa regime were discussed at those meetings. The Ambassador stressed that Kazakhstan and Portugal had favorable conditions for activation of interparliamentary contacts. He suggested Mr. Louis Amadu sending a delegation to the Security Forum of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council scheduled for June 24-25 in Astana. The Foreign Minister highly appraised foreign policy initiatives and achievements of Kazakhstan. He noted economic success of our country and a unique experience in providing the interfaith tolerance.