EU Appreciates Kazakhstan's Role In The Region - Luk Devigne

BRUSSELS. KAZINFORM - Director and Deputy Managing Director Russia, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia and OSCE at the European External Action Service (EEAS) Luc Devigne weighed in on Kazakhstan-EU relations in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Kazinform reports. Kazakhstan and the EU established diplomatic relations on February 2, 1993. "Kazakhstan has made tremendous progress in terms of development in these years. This is a very good anniversary in the sense that our relations have never been such strong as today," Mr. Devigne told Kazinform correspondent. According to him, the EU very much appreciates the role of Kazakhstan in the region and its global role for peace. "The EU is very proud to be the first trading partner of Kazakhstan and also the first investor in Kazakhstan, which means that we believe in Kazakhstan's future," Devigne said. "I am very happy that two years ago we could sign a new enhanced partnership cooperation agreement, which does provide a very wide framework for deepening our relations and our cooperation in many fields ranging from trade to education, etc," he noted. Mr. Devigne pointed out that it is quite clear that Kazakhstan and the EU share common challenges, not only in the field of security but also actually connectivity. "We appreciate very much Kazakhstan's positive role in this regard. We certainly share your work in the field of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and actually, we co-finance as well - the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank in Kazakhstan," the expert said. He also added that the EU appreciates the fact that Kazakhstan has lifted last year visa requirements for EU citizens. "This is a good sign of openness and this also will benefit Kazakhstan and so logical since, as I have said the EU the largest trading partner and investor, we have a lot of contacts. We are currently studying a possibility to establish such regime also for the benefit of Kazakhstan once the conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are met," he concluded.