KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTER TAKES PART IN THE CENTRAL ASIA - EUROPEAN UNION VIDEO CONFERENCE

KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTER TAKES PART IN THE CENTRAL ASIA - EUROPEAN UNION VIDEO CONFERENCE

NUR-SULTAN

 

12/06/2020

 

KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTER TAKES PART

IN THE CENTRAL ASIA - EUROPEAN UNION VIDEO CONFERENCE

 

H.E. Mr. Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, took part in the Central Asia - European Union (EU) Ministerial Video Conference.

 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international political and economic processes, as well as the prospects for deepening cooperation in the Central Asia – EU format were important negotiation topics during this virtual meeting between the foreign ministers of five Central Asian states and H.E. Mr. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission (EC). The parties exchanged in particular views on a range of regional and international issues, inter alia, the implementation of the EU’s Central Asia Strategy, repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, and regional cooperation in Central Asia, including with Afghanistan.

 

H.E. Mr. Josep Borrell presented the EC’s plan for further cooperation among  within the new EU Central Asia Strategy, as well as provided extensive information on the "Team Europe" package (Global EU Response [aid programme] to support partner countries and fragile populations in the fight against COVID-19 and its consequences). This package includes, inter alia, implementation of joint projects with the World Health Organization amounting € 3 million aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Central Asia.

 

Hence, the High Representative conveyed a message of strong support from the EU to Central Asia to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The EU has mobilised €123 million for Central Asia to assist the region in its immediate health-related needs, as well as the longer-term socio-economic recovery. The European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have also mobilised a significant package of coronavirus-related loans for the region.

 

H.E. Mr. Josep Borrell congratulated the Central Asian foreign ministers on their efforts to maintain a high level of regional cooperation throughout the crisis, including by facilitating cross-border transport and transit within the region, as well as intensified cooperation with Afghanistan in this context. The High Representative/Vice-President underlined that multilateral cooperation and global solidarity are the only way to deal with the pandemic effectively, as is also the case for other global challenges.

 

H.E. Mr. Josep Borrell reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to intensify its cooperation with the region on the basis of the EU’s Central Asia Strategy, which was adopted one year ago. He stressed in particular the need for a “green” post-coronavirus recovery. He also confirmed the EU’s wish to step up cooperation with the region in the promotion of sustainable Euro-Asian connectivity, border management, human rights and civil liberties, and in cooperation on security, counter-terrorism and the fight against extremism, as well as the management of water resources, climate change and the environment.

 

The High Representative also praised the measures taken by the Government of Kazakhstan to combat coronavirus, as well as the reforms launched by the H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, aimed at further democratization of the country.

 

H.E. Mr. Mukhtar Tleuberdi informed his interlocutors on the results of the work done by the Government of Kazakhstan to ensure sustainable economic growth of the country and provide social support to its population during a state of emergency and quarantine. The Minister thanked the EU side for the assistance provided to the flood victims in the Maktaaral district of the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan.

 

The Central Asian ministers expressed strong appreciation for the EU’s engagement in the region.

 

During the negotiations, a productive exchange of views took place on solving current problems in the field of healthcare and the social sphere. Hence, further joint steps to enhance regional cooperation were considered. High-ranked diplomats agreed to continue coordinating joint actions to minimize the negative consequences of the pandemic on the economic cooperation between Central Asia and the European Union.

 

The Central Asian foreign ministers and the High Representative/Vice-President looked forward to taking inter-regional cooperation further at the next round of the Central Asia-EU High-level Political and Security Dialogue and at the 16th Central Asia-EU Ministerial, due to take place before the end of 2020, in Brussels.

 

REFERENCE: On 8 April 2020 European Union launched its “Team Europe” package to support partner countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. The objective of the “Team Europe” approach is to combine resources from the EU, its Member States, and financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The overall figure of the “Team Europe” package reaches more than 20 billion euros.

 

The EU within its “Team Europe” package is helping the most vulnerable countries in Africa, the EU’s neighbourhood – the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partner countries, the Middle East and North Africa, parts of Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, with the focus on the people most at risk, including children, women, the elderly, and disabled people, as well as migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons and their host communities.

 

Yet, this support of the European Union is focused on: responding to the immediate health crisis and the resulting humanitarian needs; strengthening health, water and sanitation systems, as well as partner countries’ capacities and preparedness to deal with the pandemic; and mitigating the immediate social and economic consequences, including support to the private sector with a focus on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and government reforms to reduce poverty.