Deputy Prime-Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu held bilateral talks with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn within the framework of his official visit to our country, El.kz cites MFA.
The visit was particularly symbolic given that it took place on the day of the 31st anniversary of Kazakhstan-Luxembourg diplomatic relations.
During the meeting at the Foreign Ministry, the parties discussed the state and prospects of development of Kazakh-Luxembourg cooperation in the political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian, as well as multilateral spheres.
Minister Nurtleu emphasized that developing mutually beneficial relations with Luxembourg is one of the important priorities of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy in Europe. “Partnership between Kazakhstan and Luxembourg is based on long-standing friendship and mutual trust, constructive bilateral and multilateral interaction, based on similar positions on many regional and international issues. We are ready to work closely with our Luxembourg partners to bring cooperation to a new level and deepen the dialogue within the framework of the European Union,” said the head of the Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry.
Minister Asselborn expressed Luxembourg’s interest in further strengthening and expansion of partnership with Kazakhstan. In this context, he noted the signing of bilateral MoUs on cooperation in the field of aviation, exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes during his visit.
The parties welcomed the steady growth of investment partnership and the volume of bilateral trade, which increased by almost 2.5 times in 2022, and this year already by 4.5 times. The FDI inflow from Luxembourg in 2022 totaled 202.5 million US dollars.
The talks were also focused on strengthening relations within the framework of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union in all priority areas with an emphasis on implementation of the Kazakhstan-EU Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, including the issue of consultations on the facilitation of visa regime for Kazakhstan’s citizens. Minister Asselborn reaffirmed support for visa liberalization between Kazakhstan and the EU.
Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan and Luxembourg also discussed opportunities of interaction in education, finance, transport, mining, energy and environmental sectors.
The parties exchanged views on pressing issues of the regional and international agenda and reached an agreement to continue the practice of inter-ministerial consultations. The next round of talks will take place in Astana in 2024.
Overall, Ministers’ negotiations have demonstrated good prospects for further expansion of Kazakh-Luxembourg political contacts, business partnership, cultural and humanitarian ties, and interaction on the European and global arena.