President: Estonia can act as a connection between Kazakhstan and the EU
Estonian cooperation with Kazakhstan will help advance economic, educational and cultural relations and can be an interface with the European Union, President Alar Karis said during an official visit.
The head of state has been on a state visit to Kazakhstan this week, meeting with that country's president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Their meeting in Astana on Monday covered international security issues and cooperation opportunities in the fields of business, education, and culture.
"Kazakhstan connects two continents, Europe and Asia. For the European Union, Kazakhstan is a strategic partner in the Central Asian region. For Estonia, cooperation with Kazakhstan means an opportunity to advance economic, educational, and cultural relations, to be a point of connection, a gateway to the European Union," Karis noted.
"Kazakhstan, and more broadly the Central Asian region, is becoming increasingly important from the perspective of global security and international cooperation. I expressed my firm conviction in a world order based on international law and the UN Charter, and my support for Kazakhstan as one of the leading states in Central Asia and for the country's readiness to follow European Union sanctions," he continued.
Regional cooperation, particularly in trade, logistics, digital development, and technology, was also discussed, and the two heads of state signed joint memoranda in education, digital cooperation on taxation, the president noted.
Karis was accompanied by business, education, and culture delegations on his official trip and on Tuesday is due to meet the chairman of the lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament and other leaders.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
