Cooperation with Central Asian Countries within the Framework of PACE Discussed in the Austrian Parliament

Vienna, May 13, 2025 – At the initiative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Austria, a meeting took place between the Ambassadors of Central Asian countries and the Austrian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The participants discussed the development of cooperation between the region and Austria within the PACE framework.

Opening the meeting, Martin Graf, Head of the Austrian Delegation and Member of the National Council, emphasized the importance of expanding joint work in various areas of PACE activity. He noted that Austria and Central Asian countries share a common aspiration to strengthen democracy.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Austria Mukhtar Tileuberdi spoke about the prospects of Kazakh-Austrian relations and informed the participants in detail about the constitutional reform and democratic transformations initiated by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He stressed the President focus on open dialogue with society and prompt response to the needs of citizens, particularly in the context of human rights protection.

Ambassador Tileuberdi also highlighted the importance of interparliamentary cooperation within PACE and expressed appreciation to Austrian parliamentarians for supporting PACE declarations that positively assess democratic progress in Kazakhstan.

The Central Asian Ambassadors also presented the ongoing reforms in their countries and bilateral ties with Austria. They expressed interest in expanding parliamentary dialogue, including through multilateral platforms such as PACE, the OSCE PA, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. They also confirmed their readiness to further inform Austrian partners about ongoing reforms and invited the Austrian PACE delegation to visit the region.