Sec Gen of Council of EU wishes success to Kazakhstan in chairing OSCE in 2010

Issues of bilateral cooperation - Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the OSCE in 2010, global financial crisis, international security, nuclear issues etc. - were discussed at the meeting. Y.Utembayev noted that 2010 is an important year for our country, because Kazakhstan will chair the OSCE. "Taking into account certain priorities of the OSCE activity  Kazakhstan plans to use the dialogue on topical issues in the EU-OSCE format to the maximum", the Kazakh diplomat emphasized.

The Secretary General and the Kazakh Ambassador exchanged opinions on priority directions of Kazakhstan's activity in the OSCE noting importance of a clear mechanism for coordinated work with the EU and its bodies.  Javier Solana pointed out Kazakhstan's growing role in Central Asian region in solution of urgent international problems. He emphasized Kazakhstan's significance as the future OSCE chairman and noted that the EU being this Organization's main component welcomes the extension of the dialogue with Kazakhstan in all directions.

Taking into consideration dynamic reforms in Kazakhstan and the EU and in order to activate political interaction the sides expressed views on expansion of legal framework of the bilateral cooperation, activation of work within the Kazakhstan-EU Cooperation Council.

Javier Solana, in his turn, emphasized that an important component of the summit can be the European Parliament's participation, which can be one of the major 'ingredients' of the partnership with Kazakhstan too.

Y.Utembayev stressed institutional-legal issues of the EU-Kazakhstan economic-trade relations. He noted high dynamics of the foreign trade turnover. "Over 40 bln investments of the European companies to Kazakhstan, 9 bln investments of the Kazakh companies to the European companies' economy, successful work with the European companies and financial institutions, including the European Investment Bank, create a solid platform for Kazakhstan-EU strategic partnership".

The Ambassador informed the Secretary General of the Kazakh President's initiative to announce August 29 the World Day of Nuclear Weapons Renunciation and to elaborate new Treaty on overall horizontal and vertical non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The sides discussed President N.Nazarbayev's proposal to create an international nuclear fuel bank in Kazakhstan under control of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Secretary General of the Council of the EU Javier Solana appraised Kazakhstan's contribution and the President to nuclear weapon non-proliferation policy, world and regional security and wished success to Kazakhstan in the upcoming chairmanship in the OSCE in 2010.