EU set to enhance cooperation with Kazakhstan, other Central Asian states

ASTANA. March 13 (Interfax) - European Commissioner for International Partnership Jozef Sikela has voiced the EU's intention to enhance cooperation with Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states.

Sikela told Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a meeting in Astana on Thursday it was his first significant mission in the capacity of the European commissioner for international relations and the decision to visit all five Central Asian states proved the EU's aspiration for deeper, sustainable interaction with Kazakhstan and other countries of the region.

In turn, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan prioritized the development of comprehensive cooperation with the European Union, an important foreign economic and investment partner.

"Kazakhstan remains a key EU partner in Central Asia, and the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement lays a solid foundation for deepening our multifaceted cooperation," Tokayev said.

The sides discussed a number of practical items on the bilateral agenda with emphasis on existing and new economic projects to develop transport corridors, logistic infrastructure, sustainable energy and digital solutions, he said.

Views were exchanged on current regional and global affairs, and the mutual commitment to coordination of approaches on the world stage, including in the Central Asia - European Union format, was reaffirmed.