European diplomats plant trees in Nur-Sultan

NUR-SULTAN, September 30, 2020 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Margulan Baimukhan, took part in a tree planting ceremony at EXPO, organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Kazakhstan, jointly with the EU member states, with the support of the Akimat of Nur-Sultan and the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan.

The Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources, Magzum Mirzagaliyev, Deputy Akim of Nur-Sultan Malika Bekturova, as well as heads of the diplomatic missions of the European Union member states accredited in Kazakhstan, attended the Ceremony.

During the opening of the event, Mr. Baimukhan stressed the important contribution of the occasion to the achievement of the goal voiced in the State of the Nation Address by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev - to plant more than 15 million trees in cities and two billion trees throughout the country within five years. For Kazakhstan, sustainable development issues, especially in the context of climate change, are always at the top of the national agenda.

The EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sven-Olov Carlsson, in turn, emphasized that “the EU highly appreciates the bold steps taken by Kazakhstan towards sustainable development”. In 2013, Kazakhstan launched the Green Economy Transition Plan, which is one of the most ambitious in Europe and Central Asia. We are proud to be part of these achievements, contributing to the country's green development through both our regional and bilateral programs. Cooperation in environmental and green economy areas is also one of the priority areas of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU, which entered into force in March 2020.

The tree planting took place as part of the EU climate diplomacy and the #EU4GreenKZ campaign. The purpose of the event was to contribute to the green and sustainable development of Nur-Sultan and to strengthen cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union.

Together, the diplomats planted 27 trees (15 blue spruces and 12 oaks), representing the number of EU member states.