The Second Meeting of Ambassadors of Central Asia, Mongolia, and ASEAN held in Brussels

Brussels, December 5, 2024 – Ambassador of Kazakhstan Margulan Baimukhan participated in the second meeting of ambassadors from Central Asia, Mongolia, and ASEAN, organized by the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgium.

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan expressed his gratitude to the Malaysian Ambassador, H.E. Dato' Mohd Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, for supporting the initiative to hold such meetings, which could become an important tradition for strengthening cooperation. The first dialogue between the ambassadors of Central Asia, Mongolia, and ASEAN took place earlier this year in April at the Embassy of Kazakhstan.

In his speech, Ambassador Margulan Baimukhan congratulated Malaysia on its upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 and emphasized that the organization's successful experience in strengthening regional connectivity, promoting intra-regional trade, and fostering investments serves as a valuable example for the countries of Central Asia. He also shared the experiences of Central Asian countries in these areas.

The Ambassador highlighted that, with the support of the European Union in developing the region's transit and transport potential, particularly the Middle Corridor, Central Asia aims to further enhance its economic connectivity and gain greater access to global markets.

In conclusion, the Kazakh diplomat stressed the importance of strengthening ties between Central Asia and ASEAN, noting that cooperation between these regions would bring mutual benefits and contribute to their sustainable development.

For Reference: ASEAN is one of the largest regional organizations, with a combined population of 690 million across its member states, a collective GDP of $3.66 trillion, and a trade volume of $4.1 trillion. It comprises ten Southeast Asian countries – Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Cambodia. Established in 1967, the association aims to promote economic growth, social and cultural development in the region, regional peace and stability, and to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, economy, education, and culture.