Kazakhstan and EU to sign expanded cooperation program

A bilateral extended cooperation program for the nearest years will be signed during the forthcoming visit of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Baroness Catherine Ashton to Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz citing Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrissov as saying after Central Asian Foreign Ministers meeting with the representative office of the European Union in Bishkek. “The European Union has acknowledged Kazakhstan a dynamically developing nation among other Central Asian countries. That’s why we have different interests and needs. Now we need to cooperate with the EU on a bilateral level,” Idrissov stressed. There is currently a development program to be implemented until 2013 between the European Union and Central Asian countries. 719 million Euro have already been spent on its implementation. Kazakhstan will continue cooperating under this project and will work on several new directions. According to Idrissov, Kazakhstan is interested in cooperation in mass media and information technologies. “We have the State Program-2030 and the State Program of Accelerated Industrial-Innovative Development is currently being implemented. We have much to offer to the European partners. Moreover, Kazakhstan is able to invest in attractive projects itself,” Kazakhstan Foreign Minister said. At the Bishkek meeting the parties also discussed security issues. “The importance of this meeting rises amid our common security challenges. Besides, we are going to develop our relations in energy, trade and economy. The EU would like to render aid to Central Asian countries in resolution of a range of challenges and problems in ecology, in particular. We can share the knowledge we have,” Baroness Catherine Ashton said.