Kazakh Ambassador to Great Britain pays working visit to Ireland

The Ambassador's trip to Dublin coincided with the National Day of Commemoration in Ireland to commemorate all Irish soldiers, who died in past wars or the United Nations peacekeeping missions. The ceremony held on behalf of the Irish President Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Enda Kenny and was attended by the members of the Irish Government and the Parliament, heads of the diplomatic missions accredited in Ireland, as well as representatives of the public. The Kazakh Ambassador has also visited the Dublin Castle, where participated in the official lunch on behalf of Charlie Flanagan, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, to mark the National Day of Commemoration. Ambassador Erzhan Kazykhanov’s visit to Dublin saw him holding a range of working meetings with the management of Ireland, including Charlie Flanagan, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and other members of the Irish Government. The Ambassador also met Eoin O’Leary, Director General, Europe Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who previously served as non-resident Ambassador of Ireland to Kazakhstan. During the meetings, Erzhan Kazykhanov informed the Irish side about the large-scale economic and political reforms taking place in Kazakhstan and the country’s key international initiatives. The meetings have also focused on a wide range of issues of Kazakh-Irish co-operation, including expanding bilateral contractual and legal framework. In particular, co-operation in agriculture, education, consumer goods manufacturing, information technology, banking sector and other areas became the main points in the agenda. Erzhan Kazykhanov called on the Irish companies to participate in EXPO-2017. Both sides have paid huge attention to Kazakhstan’s membership in the UN Security Council in 2017/2018. In this context, of particular interest is the experience of Ireland in the UNSC, which had become its non-permanent member for three times. The Irish side has expressed its readiness to share its considerable experience in fulfilling peacekeeping missions. The issues of non-proliferation have also become one of the talking points of the negotiations. Erzhan Kazykhanov invited the Irish partners to participate in the Conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the closure of the Semey Nuclear Test Site, which will take place on the August 29th in Astana. The schedule of the Kazakh Ambassador also included meetings with the representatives of the Department of Justice and Equality of Ireland. The meetings saw the sides discussing a co-operation between the countries in the legal area. In particular, the Ambassador met Noel Dowling, Principal Officer, Prisons and Probation Policy, Department of Justice and Equality, Dave Fennel, Principal Officer, Mutual Assistance and Extradition Division, Department of Justice and Law Reform and discussed bilateral mutual legal assistance issues. Besides, Ambassador Erzhan Kazykhanov had a chat with Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development and discussed the co-operation between Kazakhstan and the European Union in agriculture, Kazinform refers to the Kazakh Embassy in London.