Kazakhstan and EU Begin Negotiations on Visa Facilitation

Kazakhstan and the European Union have held the first round of official negotiations on a Visa Facilitation Agreement and a Readmission Agreement, Orda.kz reports.

The meeting was co-chaired by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alibek Bakayev and Johannes Luchner, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

The launch of negotiations was described as symbolic, as December marks 10 years since the signing of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the EU.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the talks were the first of their kind between the European Union and a Central Asian country, giving the process a historic character.

The discussion was constructive and businesslike. The parties exchanged views, agreed on initial guidelines, and outlined areas for future work. The talks confirmed both sides' commitment to consistently moving forward, establishing a modern legal framework that will facilitate travel, strengthen people-to-people contacts, and further expand cooperation,
 the ministry said.

Original Author: Rustam Muratov