Next session of special working group on Caspian Sea status to be held in Baku on July 23-24
The next session of the special working group on development of convention on legal status of the Caspian Sea at the level of Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the near-Caspian states will take place in Baku on July 23-24. Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Serik Primbetov informed at the press conference today, the agency reports.
Baku. July 4. Kazakhstan Today - The next session of the special working group on development of convention on legal status of the Caspian Sea at the level of Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the near-Caspian states will take place in Baku on July 23-24. Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Serik Primbetov informed at the press conference today, the agency reports.
"The next session of the special working group will be held on July 23-24 in Baku to discuss the questions connected with the agreement on the status of the Caspian Sea and safety issues on the sea. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia do not have any disagreements on the issues concerning surface of the Caspian Sea, but there are disagreements with Iran and Kazakhstan, though Turkmenistan has been taking steps towards rapprochement," S. Primbetov said.
The session has a preparatory character to the Near-Caspian Summit of the leaders of the states in Baku.
The Ambassador said that four Caspian countries, former USSR states, after collapse of the Soviet Union had to agree among themselves on division of the Caspian Sea and hold negotiations with Iran in a format 4+1 and offer the Iranian party that part of a reservoir, which was allocated to it in the Soviet-Iranian agreement.
S. Primbetov emphasized that Kazakhstan supports demilitarization of the Caspian Sea and is against fleet presence of the third countries.
"Kazakhstan adheres to the principle of demilitarization of Caspian Sea. We consider that there is no need for creation of naval forces of five Caspian Sea states. The most important - there is no need for fleet of the third countries, but only Caspian littoral countries," the diplomat said.
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The discussion focused on issues of bilateral, regional and international cooperation, as well as measures to enhance the entire spectrum of Kazakh-British relationship.
Minister Nurtleu welcomed dynamic intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary contacts that have facilitated deepening of partnership in various sectors over the recent years, and reconfirmed his readiness to broaden dialogue further between the foreign ministries of two countries.
With a view to increase engagement in trade, economic and investment spheres, Kazakh Foreign Minister underlined the importance of promoting institutional mechanism of cooperation, including the Strategic Dialogue and the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.
Foreign Secretary Cameron noted that the UK pays great attention to developing cooperation with Kazakhstan as the key partner in Central Asia. He also expressed support for the ongoing reforms in our country and the readiness of London to deepen its ties with Astana.
An important outcome of the talks at the Foreign Ministry was the signing of the historic Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the UK that is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in key sectors, such as foreign policy and security, trade and investment, protection of intellectual property, energy and raw materials partnership, transportation, environment protection and climate change, banking and financial services, employment and social policy, science and education.
According to Minister Nurtleu, "this comprehensive agreement will be a significant step in taking political, trade and investment relations between Astana and London to new horizons… We believe our strong and mutually beneficial strategic partnership will continue to strengthen in all areas, from energy to rare metals, from ecology to education."
A number of bilateral documents in the sphere of healthcare and transport as well as MoUs on opening a branch of Queen’s University Belfast in Almaty and launching Kazakh language courses at Oxford University were also concluded during the visit.
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There are around 600 companies and joint ventures with British capital in Kazakhstan.
The UK is among the top 10 foreign investors in Kazakhstan. Last year, Kazakhstan’s economy attracted 795 million in FDI from the UK and over 17 billion in total since 2005.
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On Official Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan to Thailand
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Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid an official visit to Thailand upon the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the talks, sides discussed the current state and prospects for the development of Kazakh-Thai relations in political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.
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Foreign Ministers noted satisfaction with the outcome of the talks and expressed confidence in further fruitful cooperation.
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