Brussels hosts int’l conf dedicated to 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan's Independence
The event was attended by representatives of the European External Action Service, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Energy Charter Secretariat, heads and employees of diplomatic missions accredited in Belgium, academic and cultural circles of Brussels, as well as representatives of the Kazakh diaspora and local media, the Kazakh MFA’s press service reports.
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium Margulan Baimukhan addressed the conference participants with a welcoming speech, where he noted the main achievements of our country over 30 years of independence in the socio-economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as successes in the foreign policy field. The main emphasis was placed on strengthening statehood and independence under the leadership of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev and further political modernization of the country under the leadership of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Speaking about the future of Kazakhstan, Baimukhan stressed that the ongoing political reforms initiated by the Head of State are irreversible and will lead to further strengthening of civil society in the country. In this regard, he noted the important role of Kazakhstani youth, for whom favorable conditions have been created. The Kazakh diplomat called the education of more than 15 thousand young Kazakhstanis in the most prestigious universities in the world thanks to the presidential program «Bolashak», the graduates of which are now working for the benefit of our homeland, a great achievement of the country.
He told the guests of the event in detail about Kazakhstan's leadership in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, about important milestones in the history of modern diplomacy, such as our chairmanship in the OSCE and the Astana Summit, in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018, as well as the peacekeeping role of the country's leadership on various international issues.
Speaking about the prospects of cooperation between our country and the European Union, Baimukhan noted the very high dynamics and high-quality level of relations, which was demonstrated during the recent official visit of President K. Tokayev to Brussels. He stressed that during the visit, specific priority areas of cooperation were identified, such as the transition to a green economy, trade and investment, the fight against climate change, the implementation of sustainable development projects in Central Asia and regional security issues.
Speaking on behalf of the EEAS, Boris Yaroshevich, Advisor to the Director for Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, Regional Cooperation and the OSCE, highly appreciated the development of Kazakhstan, calling it an important and reliable partner of the EU. «Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has made great progress at the national, regional and international levels. Under the leadership of the First President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev and from 2019 President K. Tokayev, your country has embarked on an ambitious path of internal reforms and the process of political modernization,« he said.
Yaroshevich stressed that Kazakhstan is the first country in the CA region with which the European Union has signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA). He also noted that this year was a breakthrough in relations with Kazakhstan, which was facilitated by the visit of President K. Tokayev and other high-level visits. The European diplomat thanked Kazakhstan for its assistance in relocating UNAMA employees from Afghanistan to Almaty and efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the IRA.
Jean de Brabander, adviser to the Diplomatic Academy of Brussels, drew the guests' attention to the strategic and forward-looking policy of the country's leadership, which created the National Welfare Fund of Citizens, which serves as a «safety cushion« in times of crisis. He also highly appreciated the country's undertaken obligations to achieve hydrocarbon neutrality and combat climate change. He also gave a positive assessment to the ongoing reforms of President K. Tokayev in accordance with the concept of «listening state«.
The representative of the Energy Charter Secretariat, Marat Terterov, highlighted the economic policy of the country's leadership, aimed from the first days of independence to create favorable conditions for investors. In his opinion, such a policy provided a large inflow of foreign investments into the country's economy, which in turn gave a powerful impetus to the country's development. He also stated that a multi-vector foreign policy is an important component of Kazakhstan's success in the international arena, which has been able to build equally good relations with both Russia and Western countries.
