The visit of the Special Envoy of the President of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhan to Vienna

On September 27-28, 2021, the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for International Cooperation, Yerzhan Kazykhan paid a working visit to Vienna to discuss issues of expanding and strengthening partnership of Kazakhstan with international organizations, as well as bilateral cooperation with Austria.

During the visit Yerzhan Kazykhan held meetings with OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid, Head of the UN Office in Vienna – Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Waly, and negotiated with a group of deputies of the Austrian Parliament, the Federal President's Administration and the Austrian Foreign Ministry leadership.

The Special Envoy noted that the development of effective and diverse cooperation with the international organizations is a strategic priority of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy.

The head of the UN Office in Vienna, Ghada Waly, on behalf of the Organization, expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for its support and cooperation with UNODC in countering illegal drug trafficking, crime, corruption and terrorism both at the regional and international levels. The interlocutor noted the importance of the platform of the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking (CARICC), which effectively coordinates the work of law enforcement agencies in the region. In addition, as part of the signing of the Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries, the head of UNODC expressed interest in visiting the countries of Central Asia in the near future.

The meetings with the head of the OSCE Helga Schmid made for useful exchanges of views on topical issues on the international agenda, as well as on a wide range of bilateral cooperation with the Organization, including the development of the transit and transport potential of the countries of the region.

Mr. Kazykhan informed the Secretary General about the reforms carried out on the initiative of the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Kazakhstan, aimed at promoting democratic transformations in the country. At the same time, the interlocutors mentioned the importance of paying attention to the issues of improving the status of women, climate change and overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parties agreed that currently it is necessary to consolidate the efforts of all OSCE participating States in stabilizing the humanitarian situation and rendering assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

OSCE Secretary General expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan for constant and consistent support for the activities of the Organization.

Mr. Kazykhan also met with members of the Austrian Parliament - members of the committee on international affairs and human rights. The MPs welcomed the comprehensive package of political reforms in Kazakhstan, noting the importance of progressively implemented human rights measures.

In turn, the Special Envoy noted that Kazakhstan is ready for an open and constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues, including democratization, rule of law, and human rights, as well as the development of civil institutions.

Within the framework of negotiations with high representatives of the Federal President's Administration and the Austrian Foreign Ministry leadership, the parties comprehensively discussed the current state and prospects of political, trade and economic cooperation. They also discussed topical issues on the international agenda, including recent events in Afghanistan as well as the coordination of common efforts to combat the socio-economic impact of the pandemic and climate change issues. Agreements were reached to strengthen political dialogue at high and highest levels and to implement the agreements reached following the results of the Kazakh-Austrian Intergovernmental Commission held in Nur-Sultan on September 22 of this year.

The Austrian side noted that Kazakhstan is Austria's leading partner in Central Asia and our countries have great potential for further cooperation.

At the end of the visit, Mr. Kazykhan gave an interview to the correspondent of one of the largest newspapers in Austria "Kronen Zeitung". Interview also touched upon pertinent issues of Kazakhstan's cooperation with foreign partners, global and regional security, further political modernization of the country, promotion of the Kazakh QazVac vaccine and mutual recognition of vaccination passports.