Kazakhstan and Slovakia Intend to Bring Co-operation to a Qualitatively New Level
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Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko visited the capital of Slovakia to hold meetings with the leadership of the Government and Parliament, which confirmed the mutual commitment to bring cooperation to a qualitatively new level. In Bratislava, the Deputy Minister held meetings with Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Kmec, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council Marián Kéry, State Secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Ministry of Economy Marek Eštok and Kamil Šaško, as well as the Chairman of the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peter Mihók, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the negotiations between Vassilenko and the leadership of the Slovak Government, the state and prospects of bilateral co-operation were discussed. The mutual interest of Astana and Bratislava in expanding political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation was stressed, which will be facilitated by the organisation of mutual visits at various levels. Particular attention was paid to the issues of quality preparation of the 10th meeting of the Kazakh-Slovak Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation and Business Forum, scheduled for 3-4 October 2024 in Astana (co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Commission - First Vice-Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. Sharbiyev and State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic V. Šimoňák).
During the next round of consultations between the foreign ministries of Kazakhstan and Slovakia, Vassilenko and Eštok noted the importance of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the European Union, emphasising the prospects offered by the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU.
Kazakh diplomat expressed gratitude to Slovak colleagues for supporting the initiative to simplify the EU visa regime for citizens of Kazakhstan. Also discussed were issues of cooperation and mutual support within the UN, OSCE and other international organisations. Expressing satisfaction with the state of bilateral ties, the parties identified plans to develop interdepartmental and interregional ties, as well as business, cultural and educational exchanges.
At the meeting with Šaško, the positive dynamics of mutual trade was noted, the volume of which increased by 13.3% in 2023 to 138.9 million US dollars. The sides discussed cooperation in energy, transport, machine building, defence industry, IT sector and agriculture. An agreement was reached to fill the agenda of the 10th meeting of the Commission with the topics of energy, transcontinental transport cooperation and new freight routes between Europe and Asia, as well as education, personnel training and water resources management.
During the talks between Vassilenko and Kéry, the parties outlined the prospects of strengthening the inter-parliamentary dialogue by intensifying the practice of mutual visits of the elected representatives of the two countries. In his turn, Kéry highly appreciated the successful course of Kazakhstan’s leadership towards systemic political modernisation, strengthening of parliamentarianism and multiparty system.
As part of the visit, the Deputy Minister took part in a business forum organised by the Council of Slovak Exporters together with the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Slovakia. The diplomat made a presentation of the potential of Kazakhstan’s economy and new tasks set by the Head of State to the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The economic growth of Kazakhstan in the current year, as well as significant investment opportunities of the Republic of Kazakhstan along with broad prospects for bilateral cooperation were noted. During the event, Deputy Minister held separate meetings with the heads of the Slovak Export-Import Bank and leading Slovak companies such as AEN, Adrian, Vzduchotorg, BAUGRUP, Eucos, HDTS and others to discuss specific business co-operation projects.
Deputy Minister also took part in a roundtable discussion on President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s annual State of the Nation Address "Fair Kazakhstan: Law and Order, Economic Growth, Public Optimism" with the participation of representatives of analytical institutions, political scientists, experts and journalists. Kazakh diplomat informed about new tasks of political and socio-economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan set by the Head of State.
During the discussion, Andrej Žiarovský, Director for Strategic Development and International Projects at the SR Research Institute of Atomic Energy, commenting on the upcoming referendum in Kazakhstan, suggested sharing experience in the nuclear power industry and training specialists. Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR Urban Rusnák and ex-Ambassador of Slovakia in Kazakhstan Peter Juza assessed the reforms announced by the Head of State to support small and medium-sized businesses, in the field of tax policy, measures to increase the income of Kazakhstanis and other important initiatives of the leadership of Kazakhstan. It was noted that the referendum is an expression of the free will of the people of Kazakhstan and an important step to strengthen the culture of national dialogue and practical implementation of the concept of ‘hearing state’. Special attention at the round table was paid to the theme of Kazakhstan‘s contribution to global and regional security.
Within the framework of ‘sports diplomacy’ Vassilenko visited the hockey match Kazakhstan-Slovakia and met with members of the Slovak national archery team, who will participate in the 5th World Nomad Games in Astana on 8-13 September 2024. The diplomat expressed his gratitude to the athletes for their participation in the Games and wished them success in the upcoming competitions.
According to the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the volume of bilateral trade in 2023 was 138.9 million US dollars (+13.3%). This includes exports - 2.2 million dollars (+13.3%), imports - 136.7 million dollars (+21.3%). There are 26 companies with Slovak capital registered in Kazakhstan. For the period from 2005 to the first quarter of 2024, the gross inflow of direct investments from Slovakia to Kazakhstan amounted to 21.1 million US dollars.
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First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Received the UN Resident Coordinator
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First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Akan Rakhmetullin received the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Kazakhstan Michaela Friberg-Story on the occasion of the completion of her mission, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
Summing up the results of Friberg-Story’s activities as the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, First Deputy Minister Rakhmetullin noted the successful and active work of the UN country team. He stressed that thanks to the joint efforts of the Office of the Resident Coordinator and the UN country team, a number of projects and programs of country and regional scale were successfully implemented in Kazakhstan aimed further enhancing of socio-economic development of the country and achieving the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030. The parties also discussed the priorities of further cooperation between Kazakhstan and the universal organization.
Friberg-Story, expressing gratitude to the Government of Kazakhstan for the comprehensive support of the activities of her office and the UN country team in Kazakhstan, assured that the UN country team will continue to actively work on the implementation of programs, projects and commitments in accordance with the priorities of Kazakhstan and the UN.
At the end of the meeting, Rakhmetullin, thanking the UN representative for productive interaction and an important contribution to strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and the UN, wished her success in further endeavors in the system of the global organization.
The Resident Coordinator (RC) is the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system at the country level and is the designated representative of - and reports to the UN Secretary-General. (S)he is responsible for the coordination of operational activities for development of the UN in support of countries’ efforts towards implementation of the 2030 Agenda; they lead and supports the UNCT in the development, monitoring and reporting of the UN Cooperation Frameworks. Michaela Friberg-Story has been the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan since 2020.
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Issues Concerning Children’s Rights, Volunteerism, and Corporate Responsibility in Respecting Human Rights were Discussed at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry
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A regular meeting of the Consultative and Advisory Body on the Human Dimension Dialogue Platform was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the chairmanship of the Ambassador-at-Large Alua Nadirkulova, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the meeting, issues concerning the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the role of youth volunteer activities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the strengthening of corporate responsibility of businesses in respecting human rights were discussed.
The event was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights under the President of Kazakhstan, deputies of the Mazhilis of Parliament, representatives of the National Center for Human Rights, relevant ministries, Kazakhstani human rights NGOs, as well as representatives of the United Nations Development Program.
In her welcoming speech, Alua Nadirkulova highlighted Kazakhstan’s active efforts in implementing the UN recommendations in the field of child protection and social policy. In addition, it was noted that in his annual State-of-the-Nation Address on September 2, 2024, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev placed special emphasis on the social protection of children.
It was also mentioned that last year the Government of Kazakhstan adopted a Comprehensive Plan for the Protection of Children from Violence, Suicide Prevention, and Ensuring their Rights and Well-being for 2023-2025, which includes targeted practical measures.
The report underscored the importance of volunteerism and corporate social responsibility of businesses, including the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the development of a National Action Plan in this area.
During the meeting, Vice Minister of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Edil Ospan presented key measures to implement the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Among the initiatives noted were the introduction of a mentoring institute to support orphaned children, tougher responsibility for violence against children and the consolidation of the status of regional Commissioners for children’s rights.
In the speech of Magripa Embergenova, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, key measures to protect children’s rights to health protection in Kazakhstan were noted. Among the achievements in this direction were the significant development of neonatal and fetal surgery, the creation of 16 early intervention centers for children under 3 years old, as well as the approval of standards for prenatal screening and the provision of oncological and hematological care to children.
During the discussion, Deputy Chairman of the Administrative Police Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Renat Zulkhairov stated that this year, within the framework of the newly adopted Law, the possibility of reconciliation for crimes related to violence against minors is excluded, only life imprisonment is now provided for rape of a minor.
At the meeting, Dinara Yessimova, Head of the Republican public association "National Alliance of Professional Social Workers," presented a report in which she proposed strengthening the training of social workers, introducing inclusion standards, and developing new approaches to address the problems of child marginalization and inequality. She emphasized the need to avoid superficial solutions and to reinforce long-term support for children.
Elvira Vatlina, an expert from the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, emphasized the need to establish a transparent budgetary process with clear allocations for children and to align the institution of the Ombudsperson for Children’s Rights fully with the Paris Principles.
As part of the second agenda item on the role of volunteerism, the Republican Student Ombudsman, Ulan Nauken, informed the participants about the significant role of the student volunteer movement in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He noted that during this time, volunteers have focused particular attention on supporting students with special needs and promoting gender equality through various projects and campaigns.
As part of the third agenda item on strengthening corporate responsibility in human rights compliance, UNDP representative Gulmira Tulesbayeva emphasized the importance of developing tools to promote human rights standards in corporate practice, based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Overall, the discussion of the agenda was open and constructive. Representatives of government bodies and NGOs discussed key issues and human rights advocates provided practical recommendations for systemic improvements in the work of the involved agencies and government bodies.
The "Dialogue Platform on the Human Dimension" was established in 2013 at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. The platform serves as an effective tool for facilitating dialogue between the Government and civil society. Various pressing human rights issues are discussed on the platform, with the participation of international organizations such as UNDP, OHCHR, OSCE, etc. as observers.
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Prospects for Cooperation between Kazakhstan and North Macedonia Discussed at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry
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Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia Sali Limani, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
The Kazakh diplomat congratulated his counterpart on North Macedonia’s Independence Day (celebrated on 8 September) and conveyed congratulations to the country’s leadership on behalf of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman of the Senate Maulen Ashimbayev and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu. In his message to the President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, President Tokayev said: "North Macedonia has made significant progress in strengthening its statehood and improving the well-being of its citizens. I wish the friendly people of North Macedonia continued prosperity and success".
During the discussion, both sides reviewed the current state and future prospects of the mutually beneficial bilateral partnership in key areas of cooperation. The significant potential for expanding economic cooperation, including trade and investment, was highlighted. Both parties expressed confidence that the newly established Embassy of Kazakhstan in North Macedonia and the upcoming political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, as well as the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation scheduled for next year, will contribute to deepening and strengthening bilateral relations.
As a result of the meeting, both sides agreed to maintain a regular and constructive exchange of views in order to further support and develop cooperation between Kazakhstan and North Macedonia.
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Ambassador of Kazakhstan Met With the Speaker of the Federal National Council of the UAE
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Ambassador of Kazakhstan to United Arab Emirates Najmedin Mukhametaliuly met with the Speaker of the Federal National Council of the UAE Saqr Ghobash, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the meeting, issues of bilateral cooperation, including interparliamentary relations between the countries, were discussed.
The Kazakh diplomat noted the role of interaction between friendship groups and relevant committees, as well as the exchange of visits by the chairpersons of parliaments as an important incentive to strengthen these ties. In addition, attention was paid to the topic of ongoing political and socio-economic reforms under the leadership of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Kazakhstan.
In turn, Saqr Ghobash confirmed his openness to international cooperation, including close cooperation with the Parliament of Kazakhstan through the exchange of experience and mutual visits.
As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to further develop their cooperation and continue close interaction.
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