On political consultations between foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Sweden

Nur-Sultan, October 18, 2021 – The foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Sweden  held the 3rd round of political consultations online.

The Kazakh delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Yerlan Alimbayev, and the Swedish delegation was headed by Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andreas von Beckerath.

During the talks, the parties noted that Nur-Sultan and Stockholm have maintained regular high-level contacts to discuss pressing issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The consultations particularly focused on interaction between the two states within the UN, the Council of Europe and the European Union. Mr. Alimbayev briefed his counterpart on the current political and economic transformations in Kazakhstan. In light of the Swedish OSCE chairmanship, the parties discussed their cooperation within the Organization and the preparations for the next OSCE Ministerial Council scheduled to be held in Stockholm in early December 2021. The diplomats also exchanged opinions on the situation in Afghanistan and how the international community can help prevent a humanitarian and food crisis in the country.

As the world economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the parties discussed prospects for the development of investment, trade and economic cooperation, as well as expansion of Swedish business presence in such sectors of the Kazakh economy as the food industry, natural resources, information communications and healthcare.