New enhanced cooperation agreement to deepen EU-Kazakhstan relations - Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov

"The current visit of President Nazarbayev to Brussels is of paramount importance for both Kazakhstan and Europe. President of the European Commission Mr. José Manuel Barroso and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev officially confirmed the conclusion of negotiations between Kazakhstan and the EU and signing of the new EU-Kazakhstan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement," head of the Kazakhstani Foreign Ministry said. According to Mr. Idrissov, the new EU-Kazakhstan Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation is different because the world has changed dramatically since 1990s when the first cooperation agreement was signed. "That agreement was extended in 2009 upon a mutual agreement of the parties and the negotiations on the new one started in 2011," Minister Idrissov noted. In his words, the newly signed Agreement takes into account the major changes that occurred in the world and in our region over the past decade. "Of course, Kazakhstan has achieved a lot. The Agreement has a new meaning both for us and the European Commission," he added. The objectives, content and main areas of cooperation in the document have changed. The format of the Kazakh-EU political dialogue, legal cooperation, and collaboration in the sphere of education, science and new technologies as well as commercial relations has been deepened considerably. "It is worth mentioning that the commercial part of the Agreement has been modernized significantly as well. It meets the present-day realities and at the same time keeps an eye on the bigger picture. In general, I would like to say that the new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement will allow Kazakhstan and the EU implement the ambitious goals outlined in the Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy," Idrissov stressed. The Foreign Affairs Minister of Kazakhstan also pointed out that within the framework of the first cooperation agreement trade between Kazakhstan and the EU had increased tenfold.