Yerik Utembayev assumed office of Kazakhstan Ambassador to Belgium

The parties exchanged views on the state and prospects of strengthening the Kazakhstan-Belgium relations . The visit of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to this country in 2006 and the meeting of RK Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin with Vice Premier of Belgium, Head of the Foreign Policy Department, Karel De Gucht gave significant impulse to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation, Y. Utembayev noted. The Kazakh Diplomat expressed hope for close interaction with the federal and regional structures of Belgium in solution of the tasks set by the heads and ministers of foreign affairs of the two countries. ?Both sides are conferred primary responsibility due to oncoming chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the OSCE in 2010 and presidency of Belgium in the EU Council in the first half of the next year?, Y. Utembayev said pointing out necessity of active usage of the OSCE-EU dialogue platform and enhancing the bilateral relations. In this connection, the RK Ambassador highlighted importance of beginning the talks on a new agreement on advanced partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union which should be based on Kazakhstan?s ?Path to Europe? State Program and the EU Strategy for the development of cooperation with the Central Asia and national priorities. In turn the Belgian Diplomat also spoke for continuation of close interaction between Brussels and Astana both in bilateral format and within the international and regional institutes and welcomed Kazakhstan?s aspiration for rapprochement with Europe.