Prospects for Parliamentary Diplomacy and Political Modernization of Kazakhstan Discussed in Bratislava

Ambassador of  Kazakhstan to the Slovak Republic, Zhanna Saginova, held a meeting with Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Michal Bartek.

During the meeting, the parties reviewed the current state and future prospects of Kazakh–Slovak cooperation in the political and trade-economic spheres. They exchanged views on priority areas of bilateral cooperation, including interparliamentary dialogue.

Emphasizing the role of parliamentary diplomacy as an effective instrument for strengthening interstate relations, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan welcomed plans to establish a Group of Friendship with Kazakhstan in the Slovak Parliament and expressed support for closer ties between parliamentarians of the two countries within the framework of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Ambassador briefed her interlocutor on the priorities of political modernization initiated by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Particular attention was paid to the constitutional reform aimed at completing the transition to a stage of mature state development based on the concept of “Strong President – Influential Parliament – Accountable Government.”

The Slovak MP expressed interest in the conceptual provisions of the reform, in particular the transition to a unicameral Parliament (Quryltai), the introduction of the institution of Vice President, and the establishment of a new nationwide dialogue platform, “Kazakhstan’s People’s Council.”

It was noted that on 15 March a nationwide referendum on the draft new Constitution will be held in Kazakhstan. The draft was developed in an open format with the participation of civil society, political parties, public organizations, and experts. M. Bartek expressed the view that the adoption of a new Constitution would be significant for Kazakhstan’s continued development as a progressive state under the strong leadership of President K.K. Tokayev.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties reaffirmed their mutual interest in further developing bilateral cooperation and maintaining regular dialogue.