On the inter-ministerial consultations between Kazakhstan and Belarus

Minsk, December 22, 2020 – In accordance with the Cooperation Plan between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus for 2020-2021, consultations were held between the heads of the Department of Foreign Policy Analysis and Forecasting (DFPAF) and the Central Office of Information Management and Analysis of the two ministries.

The parties discussed topical issues of international relations in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as new geo-political and geo-economic realities.  The parties exchanged views on the problems and prospects for the development of integration associations with the participation of Kazakhstan and Belarus within the framework of the EAEU, the CIS, and other international organizations. Furthermore, the current priorities in the foreign policy of the two states were noted. The parties stressed the importance of integration of Eurasian macro-regions, including the geopolitical concept of the First President of Kazakhstan, Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, titled “Three dialogues – 3D”.

The participants of the consultations noted the importance of the issues discussed on the agenda and the practicality of such meetings. Possibilities of expanding cooperation between Kazakh and Belarusian analytical institutions in the field of foreign policy were also discussed.

According to the plan of cooperation between the two foreign ministries, the parties agreed to consider the possibility of holding inter-ministerial consultations on foreign policy analysis in Nur-Sultan in 2021, taking into account the developments in the sanitary and epidemiological situation.

On December 22, 2020, at the CIS Executive Committee, the Kazakh Delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by the Director of the DFPAF Yerlan Shamishev took part in consultations of the Foreign Ministries of the CIS member states on the topic: "On foreign policy planning of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the CIS member states".

During these consultations, the parties exchanged views on the international situation and its impact on the processes in the CIS countries. In accordance with the agenda, the participants discussed issues on further priority areas of inter-ministerial consultations in the field of foreign policy planning.

At the end of the discussion, the participants made their proposals on topics of interest to the agenda of the next inter-ministerial consultations of the CIS member states.