Kazakhstan and Mexico to exchange Embassies

Mexico is going to open its embassy in Kazakhstan in 2015, Tengrinews reports referring to Marat Igaliyev, Chairman of Kazakhstan's Tourism Industry Committee of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies. And Kazakhstan will open its Embassy in Mexico in 2014.

On May 20, 2014 Marat Igaliyev met with Martha Elena Barcena Coqui, Mexican Ambassador to Turkey and, concurrently, to Georgia and Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. They discussed development of bilateral cooperation in tourism and Mexico's participation in the EXPO-2017 international exhibition to be held in Astana.

After the meeting they announced the plans to launch the embassies. 

Currently, Kazakhstanis have to use the services of Mexican Embassy in Moscow to get tourist visas. Hence, the opening of the Mexican Embassy in Kazakhstan will allow Kazakhstanis to get the visas directly.

Late last year, speaking about plans to set up an embassy in Mexico, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerlan Idrissov said that Kazakhstan saw a huge potential in development of cooperation with Africa and Latin America: "There are big and fast growing regions like Africa and Latin America, and we are setting our eyes on these regions. We will be increasing our presence in these regions," the Minister said.

In February 2014, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree to open the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Mexico.

In line with its Foreign Policy Concept for 2014-2020, in the third decade of its independence Kazakhstan is planning to expand its diplomatic presence abroad and its representations in international organizations.