Kazakh Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Compared Notes on Topical Issues of Cooperation

Astana, August 11, 2023 – Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu had a meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani as part of his official visit to Kazakhstan.

They discussed the political situation in the OSCE space and the Organization’s prospects, and also exchanged their views on possible ways to restore confidence and constructive dialogue between the participating states.

Bujar Osmani presented the North Macedonian priorities at the OSCE and shared the Chairmanship-in-Office’s vision of the further development of the Organization. Minister Osmani also highlighted the relevance of the goals and objectives enshrined in the 2010 Astana Declaration, especially in terms of building a common and indivisible Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community.

In his turn, Murat Nurtleu emphasized the Organization’s role as an important negotiating platform for resolving crisis situations in the OSCE area. Minister Nurtleu also confirmed that Kazakhstan will keep contributing to the strengthening of the OSCE and providing further assistance to the Chairmanship-in-Office.

In particular, the parties discussed cooperation on such issues as the fight against international terrorism and extremism, drug and arms trafficking, illegal migration, and border security.

A separate topic of the conversation was the preparation for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the OSCE, scheduled for later this year in Skopje.

In the context of cooperation with North Macedonia, the parties also discussed the most promising areas of bilateral collaboration, among which are transport, logistics, agriculture, mining and tourism. Given that Kazakhstan and North Macedonia do not have access to the sea, both countries confirmed their interest in developing new trade routes.

One of the priority points of the negotiations was the consideration of the possibility of signing a bilateral agreement on exemption from visa requirements for citizens of the two countries, as well as the promotion of interethnic and interreligious harmony, which unites the domestic and foreign policy approaches of Astana and Skopje in this matter.

At the end of the talks the ministers agreed to maintain a regular dialogue both on bilateral and regional platforms.

For reference: According to Kazakhstan's customs statistics, the trade turnover between the Republic of Kazakhstan and Republic of North Macedonia for 2022 amounted to 9.3 million US dollars (export – 7.3 million, import – 2 million), which is 5.5 times higher than in 2021.