Kazakhstan to co-chair OECD Central Asian Competitiveness Initiative with EU

10:28, 27 February 2013

ASTANA. February 27. KAZINFORM For the first time in the history of relations between Kazakhstan and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), our country together with the European Union has co-chaired the Central Asian Competitiveness Initiative, a part of the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme, Kazinform refers to the press service of the Kazakh Prime Minister.

Kazakhstan is the first country in the region to be granted the leadership position within this OECD program and to co-chair it for the next three years. The program covers seven countries in Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and it aims to boost economic development of the region and enhance its competitiveness.

On February 26, Vice Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Yerbol Orynbayev took part in the meeting of the Steering Committee of the OECD Eurasia Competitiveness Programme in Paris. The participants of the meeting noted Kazakhstan's progress in terms of implementing the OECD recommendations.

Y. Orynbayev had talks with OECD Deputy Secretary General Richard Boucher who stressed the organization was ready to step up cooperation with Kazakhstan.

At the meeting with European Union Ambassador to the OECD Maria Francesca Spatolisano, the sides discussed joint work as co-chairs of the Central Asian Competitiveness Initiative and future collaboration.

In addition, Y. Orynbayev met with Permanent Representative of Poland to the OECD Pawel Wojciechowski in order to debate the upcoming ministerial conference in Warsaw in June 2013.

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