Bakhyt Sultanov discussed the situation in Central Asia in the European Parliament

Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Bakhyt Sultanov met with Chairman of the Delegation of the European Parliament for Central Asia Fulvio Martuschello in Brussels.

The parties discussed issues on the global and regional agenda.

Successful implementation of the provisions of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (SRPA), which entered into force on March 1, 2020.

Minister Sultanov noted that the European Union is a key trade and investment partner, and Kazakhstan is a reliable partner and conductor of EU interests in Central Asia.

For reference: The trade turnover in January-August 2021 amounted to 19.2 billion US dollars, which is 15.6% higher than in the same period in 2020 (16.2 billion US dollars). Exports amounted to 15.3 billion US dollars, imports - 3.9 billion US dollars. In 2020, the trade turnover amounted to 23.7 billion US dollars, which is 24.5% lower than in 2019 (31.4 billion US dollars). This is due to the coronavirus pandemic).

The EU is the largest investor in the economy of Kazakhstan. The inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the EU in 2020 amounted to US$ 8 billion, which is 22% lower than in 2019 (US$ 10.3 billion). The main share of FDI from EU countries is accounted for by the Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg.

At the same time, the parties noted that the direct interaction of the European Parliament with Kazakhstan is largely carried out through the Delegation for Interaction with Central Asia and Mongolia. It was noted that the intensification of interaction can be carried out through the organization of regular exchanges at the level of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and other areas, including between political groups.

The parties also noted the importance of high-quality implementation of the EU regional Strategy.

- We are fully convinced that now, within the framework of the new Strategy, we have a great opportunity to bring interregional cooperation between the EU and Central Asia to a qualitatively new level, strengthening its strengths and incorporating new elements into it, - said Bakhyt Sultanov.

During the meeting, the need for more active involvement of Central Asian countries in the selection of topics and the development of development programs was noted, especially taking into account the current situation in Afghanistan and the efforts of states to strengthen intraregional integration.